Problems & Puzzles Archives

Posts categorized “Problems & Puzzles”

Garry Kasparov vs. David Navara. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Stunning Tactics and Kasparov’s Turbulent Return at the STL Rapid & Blitz

After 9 captivating rounds of rapid chess, Levon Aronian is the clear leader with 5 impressive victories.

Lenderman Dances Home with $6,600 and His 3rd U.S. Open Title

Okay, perhaps it’s by now passé to bring up GM Aleksandr Lenderman’s unbridled 2009 victory dance (ranking alongside Elaine’s famous Seinfeld gyrations) at the Copper State International, celebrating his third GM norm. But this Sunday night in Norfolk, Virginia, Lenderman did have another reason to cut loose, as he took clear first ahead of nearly 400 others at the U.S. Open.

Halftime at the Sinquefield Cup

Here are a few of the most interesting tactical, positional, and endgame moments that have occurred in the event so far.

Grand Chess Tour: Wesley So Wins the Leuven Rapid

Follow along in So’s footsteps by solving tactical puzzles from his games.

2017 Camp Participants & Staff. Photo credit: Fun Fong

A Dream In Atlanta: Emory Castle Chess Camp and Grand Prix Tournament

In 1977, inspiration struck. Dr. Robert Ferguson, an avid player and chess philanthropist started Castle Chess Camp in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Janelle Losoff, 2017 National Open Champion Tigran L. Petrosian, and Alan Losoff

National Open: The Ninth World Champion’s Namesake Triumphs

The winner’s name mirrors the 9th World Champion, Tigran V. Petrosian, nicknamed “Iron Tigran”, a great player known for his nearly impenetrable defensive playing style and his brilliant positional exchange sacrifices.

Happy Summer Vacation from Benko!

Kick off the summer with these checkmate puzzles composed by GM Pal Benko. Can you solve all six?

A “Behind the Scenes” Guide to Brilliant Attacks — Review: Attacking Chess for Club Players

Most of us of have seen Mikhail Tal’s daring yet inaccurate sacrifices blow his opponents off the board. We’ve seen Fischer’s “Sac, sac, mate!” to tame the once fire-breathing Sicilian Dragon. We’ve seen the mind-boggling calculation abilities of Garry Kasparov in his attacking brilliancies. Yet, when it comes to our own games, attacking play can be a different story. What brilliant attackers seem to do effortlessly can be unimaginable to most chessplayers.

Can You Wow Like Awonder and Sam?

Congrats to 14-year-old Awonder Liang, who earned his second GM norm on the way to winning his section of the 2017 Spring Chess Classic. A trio of…

Can You Calculate Like a Grenke Classic Grandmaster?

Levon Aronian recently won the Grenke Classic, which featured a top-notch field, including Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Maxime-Vachier-Lagrave, and Hou Yifan.

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