It is with great pleasure that I am announcing a huge upgrade to this blog. For the last dozen years, chessmusings.wordpress.com has allowed me to share my great passions for writing about and teaching chess with a global audience. I’ve covered the local Northern California scholastic chess scene with the same excitement as the many World Championship Matches I wrote about. I’ve met and interviewed a ridiculous number of chess celebrities and enjoyed sharing all these experiences with my readers. But the time has come for chessmusings to level-up to a premium site. From now on, all new content will be posted at https://dailychessmusings.com I look forward to continuing to serve the chess community and my loyal readers.
In 2018 I lost a good friend and excellent coach, Eric Schiller. Eric was a true gentleman and scholar who during his journey through life acquired a PhD in Linguistics and FIDE Master title in chess. Most will probably remember Eric as the most prolific chess author in history (he wrote over 100 chess books) or for being the arbiter for the 2000 FIDE World Chess Championships. I will always remember Eric for the way he inspired scores of chess students at our chess camps and classes.
Some of Eric Schiller’s books on display at a chess camp.
Below is a game between Eric Schiller and Emory Tate (another friend who has since passed.) Eric and Emory showed this game to a packed house in our Fremont Chess Camp at MSJE. All notes are Eric’s. Enjoy…
It’s always a fun occasion to play with a handicap against my students. The game below was played at time odds(5 mintues – 1 minute) and I also spotted my opponent a rook. I present the game below with some practical advice for young attacking chess players.
[Event “blitz at rook and time odds”]
[Site “Fremont, California (USA)”]
[Date “2018.1.30”]
[Round “”]
[White “Torres, Chris”]
[Black “Student”]
[Result “1-0”]
[Eco “”]
[Annotator “Chris Torres”]
[SetUp “1”]
[FEN “rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/1NBQKBNR w Kkq – 0 1”]
1.e4
Open with a center pawn.
1… c5
2.Nf3
Knights before bishops.
2… Nc6
3.d4
Play open games by avoiding locked pawn centers.
3… cxd4
4.c3
Play chess rather than openings.
4… dxc3
5.Nxc3
Strive to control the center and lead in development.
5… d6
6.Bc4
Develop with threats against under-protected pieces/pawns and critical squares.
6… g6
7.e5
Remember that tactics usually favor the player with the better pieces.
7… dxe5
8.Qxd8+
Always analyze the checks, captures and threats.
8… Nxd8
9.Nb5
Seek threats that maintain the initiative.
9.. Kd7 {?}
10.Nxe5+ {!}
Punish mistakes severely.
10… Ke8
11.Nc7#
Most Important! Always shake hands and offer to help your opponent realize why he/she lost.
Get a free #chess lesson when you work with Chris Torres on Wyzant. Claim your free lesson today to schedule a lesson at any time. Just use my link: http://is.gd/u5bIVd
The first undisputed world chess champion, Wilhelm Steinitz (5/17/1836 – 8/12/1900)
The second Battle of Hastings occurred August 17, 1895, in the tenth round of the Hastings tournament nearly 829 years after William the Duke of Normandy decisively defeated the Anglo-Saxons seven miles northwest of Hastings. In the Second Battle of Hastings, Wilhelm Steinitz conducted a beautifully planned attack which concludes with one of the greatest chess masterminds ever offering a poisonous rook for several successive moves until his opponent left the board in utter disgrace. Considered by the first world champion to be the finest victory of his career, Wilhelm Steinitz brutal defeat of Curt Von Bardeleben continues to inspire every generation of chess players since it was played.
Steinitz – Von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895
(It may be helpful for the reader to copy and then paste the text below into your favorite chess program.)
“In 13 moves, Canal sacrifices both Rooks and his Queen—and then mates on his 14th move! … A man might play a million games of chess and never duplicate Canal’s feat.”- Irving Chernev
Chess Musings 