3/2/2018 – An only move is usually not so difficult to find — provided one has enough time and knows that there is one, of course! In the diagram position, White fired away with 19.Rxd7 Qxd7 20.Nf6+ gxf6 21.Bxf6, ripping open the enemy king position and threatening checkmate on the dark squares. How did Black prove him wrong?

2/16/2018 – The bishop b2 is longing for action, and 19.fxe5 in the diagram position is the first step to activate it. Can you see the best continuation for White following 19...dxe5, and then, possibly, all five moves until the end of the game?

2/9/2018 – The diagram shows a position from a rare Nimzo-Indian line (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 d5 5.a3 Be7 6.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 c5!?) in which Black can immediately start making pressure. White commits a single mistake and only seven moves later is plain lost.

2/3/2018 – Winning against a reigning world champion is always something special. In this example, Vlastimil Hort finds a tactic to take a point off of Anatoly Karpov.

1/26/2018 – White cannot castle, but with his knight blocking the centre and the king ready to scarper to f2 his position seems just fine. Can you prove this evaluation wrong?

1/19/2018 – The sacrifice 23.Bxh7+ in the diagram position gives White a dangerous attack, enabling him to use this rooks on both edge files. How far can you get in your calculations?

1/12/2018 – In the diagrammed position, White has two ways to make his static advantage (protected passed pawn e5) dynamic. The piece sacrifice 32.Nxc6!? is the first one. Can you see the alternative — and what would have been your choice?

1/5/2018 – Do you remember this game from the London Chess Classic last year? By playing 43...Rh7 in the diagram position Anand could have completed the line-up of kings and rooks on the h-file, creating the deadly threat ...Kg7+. Do you see the reason why he dismissed this?

12/30/2017 – In the diagram position the fork 38.Ne6+ forces Black's hand. 38...Qxe6 39.dxe6 Rxd3 40.e7 - which result is to be expected? A) White wins B) Black wins C) a peaceful ending

12/22/2017 – Black has attacked the white knight e5 with 18...f6 (diagram position). Two questions: What's the best square for it? And how can it get there?

12/18/2017 – Botvinnik has many quotes which well describe this book. One which comes to mind is the following: "Chess mastery essentially consists of analyzing Chess positions accurately." Often as chess players we look for the miraculous shortcut, which will improve our strength, without putting in the necessary hard work to achieve it. Instead, the following review shows how one cannot become good at chess, without the painstaking work of analysis!

12/18/2017 – For an adult player Christmas can come early — In this case more than a year ago, May of 2016, when reviewer Davide Nastasio discovered Magic Of Tactics 2. Here's his take just in time for the holidays. There's also a corresponding book, which Davide will look at in a follow-up post.

12/16/2017 – The most well-known quote by Tarrasch, if memory serves me well, is, "he who fears an Isolated Queen Pawn should give up chess." There are many steps one must follow in order to become a chess master. While tactics are fundamental, at a certain point it becomes obvious one needs to know how to treat pawn formations resulting from certain openings. The Isolated Queen Pawn (IQP) results from many different openings, hence the need to know it. When the topic of the DVD is the IQP and Tactics, one knows this is a DVD to have at all costs!

12/15/2017 – The diagram shows a typical Taimanov Sicilian position (though it was 3.Bb5!) where Black has two ideas — the lever ...d6 and ...b5 shutting out White's bishop on a6. Yet Nakamura found a remarkable way to counter both, enabling him to completely dictate the further course of game. How would you have continued?

12/14/2017 – "It was like visiting an art gallery with an art critic who is explaining in detail each masterpiece", says reviewer Davide Nastasio. IM Sachdev has an interesting view on how to teach tactics. In this review of her second DVD, one can discover how Tactics can be created in one's own games. While we often associate tactics with repeating patterns, based on specific themes, the truth is more complex. IM Sachdev quite skilfully outlines it in many example videos, and then through exercises from her own brilliant games.

12/8/2017 – Sometimes it is enough to make just one right decision in a position — afterwards the rest of game (almost) plays itself. In the diagram White intends 17.Nf3 followed by 18.Bg5. Which black continuation hits the bullseye now?

12/1/2017 – Holding a gun to your opponent's head can be a double-edged thing — set under pressure, some players start to display unforeseen creativity, like for example Black following 37.Rb7 in the diagram position. What followed?

11/28/2017 – The attacked white knight c3 in the diagram must withdraw, but in view of Black's lurking bishops not all retreat squares are equally good. 25.Ne2 or 25.Nd1 — what would be your candidate?

11/17/2017 – It's a well-known scenario: you think you made the time control but you are not quite sure, and therefore you quickly make one more 'neutral' move to be on the safe side. But that is often easier said than done. The diagram position is one example how difficult it is to play it safe: How does White keep the balance, with 41.Kg2 or 41.h4?

11/10/2017 – Some pieces spend the biggest part of a game asleep. Never mind — as long as they hear their wake-up call to spring into action! What do you suggest for White in the diagram position?

11/3/2017 – Friday Tactic: Following ...Qxa1 in the diagram position, White hopes to catch the opponent's queen with Bb2 and then start playing with his bishop pair. But Black has a way to thwart this. Can you see how?

10/27/2017 – Black has just transferred his queen to the kingside with 18...Qa5-h5 (diagram), planning after 19.g4 Qg6 to challenge the mighty white queen e4. Will he get away with this manoeuvre — or has he built on sand?

10/20/2017 – White's activity is impressive, but she must not hesitate and allow her opponent to block the long diagonal with ...Nd4. Five times the very best and the case is closed. Can you see everything until the end?

10/13/2017 – Due to his confined king, Black must be very careful when taking on e5 in the diagram position. The game continuation 33...Rxe5? loses by force. Can you prove the win for White after that?