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hosted by Chess Queen™ & 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
Monday, July 14, 2014
3 Top Reasons to Quit Chess Now!
Hello chess blog friends, chess is awesome and, when you lose... you really want to quit... for ever and a day! However, you should not be disheartened at all. There is no need to quit chess if you love the game. Here are the only three reasons we feel that deserve a goodbye to chess!!! Read on...
1 - You like to cheat at chess -- This is sacrilege. If you cheat at chess, no matter how many times you escape, one day you will be caught. That will be a worse goodbye from the chess world than if you lost all your games ever played. There is no place for cheaters in the chess fraternity. Your reputation will be tarnished and the chess fraternity will reject you. Cheating in chess is only a very short-time high and won't last. Quit chess now if you cheat... the future won't be good. 2 - You are indisciplined -- One thing chess demands even at the basic amateur level is following rules and being disciplined. Chess is played by a special set of rules that give you an insight into life itself. Greed, anger, rash behavior and any indiscipline is not tolerated in chess as in most other sports. Chess will either teach you to become disciplined, or will reject you. So... decide if you want to continue with chess so that you don't suffer hearbreak later. 3 - Ego has no place in chess -- This is a huge one. You will lose and you will lose badly no matter how strong you become and how high you go in chess. Chess is a great leveler and every game is a new test of your personality and your character. Can you handle that? Even at the amateur level, you will win some and lose some. If your ego cannot handle that, you might as well quit now. There... if that sounds a wee bit negative, just look at the flip side. Chess is full of people who play fair, know how to handle bruised egos bravely, carry on to new conquests, be disciplined and work hard. True? We bet all chess blog readers agree. So, go ahead have fun with chess and keep sending us all your fan mails! From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone from Chess Queen, Chess Blog and Chess King
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone, It is time to wish everyone Happy Thanksgiving so let's do it with a lovely chess painting by the Sketchpad Warrior.
Artist Kristopher writes, on his blog: Here's a blast from the past, and one that relates to Thanksgiving. This is an oil painting entitled, "The Chess Game," and depicts several Marines sitting around playing chess and reading, passing the time.
"It's based on a sketch and photos I took at an outpost on Route Michigan in Al Anbar Province on Thanksgiving Day, 2006. The Marines depicted were engineers who had spent their day on a route clearing mission (making sure there were no IEDs on the road)-- they certainly had earned some down time.
"I enjoyed watching these Marines relax, and we spent a few moments chatting about Thanksgiving. As the "old man" in the room, I asked the young men to go around the room and mention something they were thankful for, and they obliged. Each expressed thanks for home, family and friends-- and to be alive, of course.
"It was a bit of home there in an outpost.
"I was thankful to God that America still produces young people like these, willing to serve wherever called. I am still thankful for that today."
Sunday Photo Chess Trivia: Name the World Champions
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
Here are two talented Grandmasters (rather World Chess Champions) generation aparts. Can you name both? For the answer check this post from the Chess Blog archives.
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone,
We have here a nice article by Kenney (Ken) Myers who is very active in the care industry which includes childcare, senior care, pet care, and other types of in-home care services. In addition to running multiple websites and businesses in this industry, he also participates in various coalitions and organizational boards. Ken loves writing articles on helping kids learning on new subjects.
We share one nice article from Ken's blog: How to Teach Your Kids the Basics of Chess
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Moms and dads who enjoy the game of chess are often anxious to teach it to their offspring. It is a wonderful bonding experience, and makes for fond memories and family traditions. A child will look back tenderly on his Sunday afternoon chess matches with Mom or Dad. Other parents are not chess players themselves, but have read about the multitude of benefits the game can offer to children. According to The Learning to Think Project, a Venezuelan study done from 1979-1984, chess instruction increased elementary school students’ IQ after less than one year of instruction. A German study published in 2010 by the Department of Neuroradiology at Tübingen University showed that chess exercises both sides of the brain, increasing innovation. Dr. Robert Ferguson of the US showed in 1982 that chess increases creative thinking and originality in children, while a study in New Brunswick, Canada in 1992 found that fifth grade students experienced gains in math scores proportionate to the amount of chess that was taught to them. With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder that parents want to teach this valuable game to their children.
Whatever your reason, teaching chess to your child is a sharp idea, however it’s also a complicated pastime. It is not easy to sit down with a little one and just play. There are a variety of game pieces to consider, and each one must abide by its own sets of rules when it comes to how it can move and take out its opponents on the board. For this reason, you have to teach chess slowly, step by step.
Teaching Your Child Chess in Nine Steps
Get to Know the Pieces – First, introduce all the characters or pieces to your child. Make sure he reaches the point that he can identify each piece without prompting before moving on to the next step.
Learn the Objective – Tell your child that the object of the game is to protect your king at all costs. Show your child a chess board that is set up, and throw around different ideas about how you might keep the king safe. Don’t worry that your child’s ideas might not work within the framework of the game. The idea is to get your child interested and thinking strategically.
Play with the Pawns – This is the first time your child will actually get to the play the game a bit, so make it fun! Teach him how pawns move and how they capture their opponents. Then, play chess with only pawns in play. Do this for several games, until your child has mastered the pawn.
Add the Knights – Once your child has mastered the pawns, add the knights to the mix. First, teach them how the knights move. This is a little complicated, especially for younger kids. Therefore, you’ll want to practice moving the knights around the board first without playing the game. Once your child has mastered their movements, play a game with both pawns and knights until she’s comfortable with the movement. This may take time, so be prepared to spend as long as it takes for your child to become familiar with these pieces.
Learn the Bishops – Now it is time to teach your child how the bishops move and how they attack. Play a few games with just the pawns and bishops. Then, play some with pawns, bishops and knights.
Add the Rooks – The rooks are the last of the chess court before the King and Queen are presented. Teach your children how the rooks move around the board, and have your child practice their movements. Add in the rest of the pieces and practice moving them around the board to achieve different plays.
Present the King – Remind your child that the King is what you are trying to protect in chess, and what you are trying to capture on the other side of the board. Teach the meaning of “check” and “check mate,” and how each apply to the game. “Check” is a warning that your king is in imminent danger, whereas “check mate” signals the end of the game. Practice identifying places where you would need to say check and then rehearse moving the king out of harm’s way.
Meet the Queen – At last, it is time to meet the most powerful player, the Queen! Show your child how special the Queen is, in that she can move as far as she wants to and in any direction unless one of her own subjects is in her way.
Now to Play – You and your child have reached your ultimate goal, playing a full game of chess. There is nothing left for you to do now but have fun. It is a good idea before each game to ask your child how each piece moves and remind him of anything he may have forgotten. As long as your child is moving the pieces correctly, do not worry too much about his strategy. He will develop this on his own, over time. If you find it is still a bit arduous for him to keep track of all the game pieces and how they move, revert back to the simpler games with just one or two pieces and play that way, slowly advancing back to a full chess game.
If your child is not interested in chess and longs for you to release him to his trusty gaming console instead, be sure to speak chess in his language. Tell him each chess piece has special moves, and that the two teams are “battling” for the king. You can even purchase software and handheld console games that teach chess to children and help them develop their strategic thinking for the game in a manner that makes sense to them.
Remember, your child does not have to be Bobby Fischer in order to reap the many rewards that chess has to offer. Simply learning the game and spending time practicing it is enough to raise IQ, improve memory and enhance creativity. It’s also a special hobby that the two of you can share and enjoy together.
Pretty Chess Damsel: Name Her, Which Tournament has She Just Won?
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
This chess trivia question is really easy - particularly if you have been reading Chess Blog! Name this pretty teenager and which chess tournament has she recently won? You can click on the photo to find the answer in a Chess Blog post.
Top Chess Blog for Tactics, Puzzles, Software, Games - www.chess-king.com!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone, The World Chess Cup 2013 is round the corner and the World Chess Championship 2013 is coming up this year as well. Isn't this just the right time to follow a chess blog that gives you top-class tactics, puzzles, games and software - for all levels of playing strength?
Chess King™ (www.chess-king.com) has a nice shop that offers you chess software program that is state-of-the-art, powerful, complete, easy to use, educational and most of all affordable so that anybody could use it. The shop includes chess accessories, books and DVDs as well. You can even download software. Chess King™ (www.chess-king.com) only recently announed upgrades to the popular PC chess software Chess King. Check out the new Chess King 2 with Houdini 2, and also Chess King 3 Max and Chess King 3 Pro with Houdini 3/Pro, to give you a range of options that will teach the beginner, help the club player to improve, and will satisfy the Grandmaster with its maximum power. Chess King 2 and 3 continue with their ease of use style now with a new improved interface and an updated GigaKing database (5 million games to April 2013, free updates all 2013) and full opening tree.
With all those improvements, Chess King 2 is now even more affordable, with the complete program Chess King 2 at only $39.95, and very affordable versions of Chess King with the top-of-the-line Houdini 3 and Houdini 3 Pro. Compatible with all versions of Windows, including Windows 8, and in 5 languages, English, French,German, Spanish, and Russian. See below for more info and get your copy or upgrade in our shop. The Chess King website (www.chess-king.com) also has separate blogrolls for games and puzzles. You could try one every day to improve your chess in your lunchbreak or with your coffee. The blog rolls are updated daily and include a mix of puzzles and games both from modern times and hundreds of years before. So, what are you waiting for... go right ahead and say hello to Chess King! From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also see her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com Don't miss Chess Queen™ YouTube Channel
Chess Queen Kosteniuk is the Chess Cover Story in Echo Magazine in Switzerland
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Here's some cool chess news about Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk: While she was playing in the Geneva Grand Prix last week (see her report for the moment in Russian and in English thanks to Google Translate), the French-Swiss magazine Echo came out with an article about chess, and the 12th Women's World Chess Champion was on the cover! Read all about it at ChessQueen.com - GM Alexandra Kosteniuk's personal chess blog.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
There's a special breed of chess players out there: The ones who show the world that beauty and brains can go together. Read one of Chess Blog's much-commented post (Psychology: Are Beauty and IQ related?). The chess trivia question to start the week is: Identify some killer and beautiful chess women of the planet from the photos below. (We are sure you can name all (particularly if you have been reading Chess Blog regularly!)
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
We have here a rare chess video: Fischer versus Botvinnik in 1962. The video belongs to alecksandrkoblents, whose videos we have featured on Chess Blog before as well.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone, Chess Blog reader nicknamed 'Gangnam Style' has sent us this chess music video. We are not sure how to really translate the language, but with that chess it was interesting to consider sharing the chess video. Send us your chess videos as well!
Have a favourite chess video? Don't forget to tell us about that. (Though we couldn't spot any gangnam style dance in there!)
Our Chess Blog Wins Chess Journalists' of America Award 2012
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
We are excited to announce that our Chess Blog www.chessblog.com has just won the CJA Award for 'Best Chess Blog' of 2012! Here is the Chess Journalists' of America awards' announcement link.
The CJA is an American organization of chess journalists created to promote high quality chess journalism, to provide assistance to the working journalist through articles and contacts and to recognize chess journalism at its best through an annual awards program.
Chess Blog Facebook Page Gets Over 100 Likes in Less than 24 Hours
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
This is a special Thank You to all Chess Blog Fans who have liked the Chess Blog Facebook Page within 24 hours of it being created by Chess Queen and 12th World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. We have already clocked more than 100 Likes! Indeed, fans have made Chess Blog the top blog in the US!
Chess News Blog Has New Facebook Page for Chess Lovers
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Now your favourite Chess News Blog: chessblog.com has a Facebook page as well. You can connect to all the daily chess news, information, chess fun, and more. As you know, the Daily Chess News Blog is hosted by Chess Queen™ & 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk.
The idea is to keep you posted on all the positive and cool chess news to the world real fast. Do LIKE it the page at http://www.facebook.com/ChessBlog.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Talking of chess stuff on the Internet, whenever we find a lovely chess photo, it just makes our day... week! Here is the wow chess photo for the Christmas week!
Chess Masterpieces: Highlights from the Dr. George and Vivian Dean Collection World Chess Hall of Fame, St Louis, 9 September 2011 — 12 February 2012 Chess Masterpieces: Highlights from the Dr. George and Vivian Dean Collection celebrates the Deans’ 50th year of collecting together and uses outstanding selected works to trace the development of the game of chess and the design of fine chess sets from the tenth to the early twentieth century. Sets come from Austria, Cambodia, China, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kashmir, Morocco, Persia, Russia, Syria, and Turkey. Among the works on display are ones owned or commissioned by Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Czar Nicolas II, and the British royal family. You can read all about this and other fantastic chess sets here.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
We love those commercials and advertisement from around the world with chess in them. Here's another cute one. All the chess pieces on a chess board battle each other, until two black pawns and a white king form the logo. If you've got one do send it to us here at Chess Blog.
Thursday chess endgame study - What's Ponomariov's idea?
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
Here is an interesting chess endgame from Biel 2004. It was Ruslan Ponomariov versus Krishnan Sasikiran. This position was reached after 52 moves. How did Ponomariov tackle this?
You can find lots of videos with chess studies, endgames and tactics at www.chesskillertips.com. The shows are hosted by Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk!
I wrote a few weeks ago about my Dutch IM friend, Gerard Welling. Gerard has just returned from the open at Bad Wiessee, in Germany. This charming Bavarian spa town, alongside Lake Tegernsee, is actually the place where Hitler and the other top Nazis went to stay on the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, when Ernst Roehm and the Blackshirt leaders were murdered – not a lot of people know that, as Mr Caine would say.
Anyway, I digress. Gerard adopted his customary approach to the event – no laptops, no specific opening preparation. he just spent each morning walking around the lake and enjoying the marvellous scenery, and then turned up and played his usual brand of original, tactically alert, fighting chess. The result was another fine score of 6.5 / 9, albeit against much weaker opposition than in Oslo.
But he had one hilarious game, in which a young opponent, armed to the teeth with preparation, tried to surprise him in the opening. Trying to catch Gerard with an offbeat opening is rather like trying to shock Russell Brand, by behaving outrageously. The result was hysterical. I pass you over to Gerard himself, who explains the full story. White: Christophe Ramme Black: Gerard Welling Bad Wiessee 2011
“The young German player Ramme, whose IM friend helped him to prepare for each game, intended to surprise me. So the game started
1. b4
“and after about 5 minutes of pondering, trying to think of some independent reply, I remembered Stefan Bücker’s recommendation of 30 years ago, and played
1…Na6!
The game proceeded
2. b5
(2. a3 c5!)
2… Nc5 3. d4 Ne4!?
Stefan’s line went 3..Ne6 but I was reminded of Dick van Geet’s suggestion at the time to play 3..Ne4.
4. e3
4. f3 Nd6 5. e4 f5 (or 5… g6) was Dick’s line, which he may even have played in the 1960s against J J Lindner, a 1.b4 specialist.
4… b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. f3 Nd6 7. e4 e6 Bringing 8.e5 Qh4+xd4 into the position, and also preparing an eventual hypermodern pincer move..f5.
8. Ne2 f5 9. e5 Nf7 10. Be3
10…g5!?
Kingside space and preparing an eventual softening up by means of ..h5-..g4.
11. Nd2 Ne7 12. h4?
Choking.
12…gxh4 13. Rxh4?? Nd5 14. Bf2
14…Ne3! and White is dead. He resisted for quite a few moves after 15. Bxe3 Qxh4+ but in the end it was futile.. Stefan Bücker was delighted to see this practical try of his provocative idea 1..Na6!”
It is 24 hours since I first saw this, but I still can’t stop laughing. As the old saying has it, “He who would sup with the Devil needs a long spoon!”.
We enjoyed it too! If you too have a special game to share, do write in to Chess Blog!
Poland's highest-category GM chess tournament this May
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
A nice grandmasters' chess tournament coming up in Poland soon. The third International Grandmasters' Lublin Union Memorial Chess Tournament is going to be held from May 15-21. The tournament has been a XV category one for the last two years but this time it's going to be of category XVIII with a rating average of 2681 making it the strongest chess tournament held in Poland so far. The host city of Lublin will witness a fine list of grandmasters which includes
1. Wojtaszek Radosław 2721
2. Shirov Alexei 2709
3. Zyghalko Sergei 2679
4. Sasikiran Krishnan 2676
5. Alexeev Evgeny 2673
6. Grachev Boris 2669
7. Roiz Michael 2660
8. Socko Bartosz 2654
You can access the official website here. The city of Lublin is Poland's ninth largest city.
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Best chess wishes to you! Alexandra Kosteniuk
12th Women's World Chess Champion
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