USCF Blog
Shaun Sedice
You can find me working on my chess game, chess studies and enjoying excellent coffee in the Pacific Northwest. I hope you will soon bump into me at chess tournaments.
5 Reasons to Love the Jobava London
Are you looking for a fun, attacking opening for white that you can learn on the weekend? Yes, there is an opening that’s easy to learn and offers excellent winning chances. Here are five reasons you’ll love the Jobava London System or Rapport-Jobava System.
Take a Closer Look at Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon keeps on getting stronger, and this year it won the World Computer Chess Championship by defeating Lc0 in a tiebreak match. Now is your chance to play against a world chess champion rated above 3500 Elo. That's a staggering 25% higher than Magnus Carlsen's 2861 Elo rating, but there is no need to panic. Komodo Dragon will humble itself and play at lower levels to help you improve.
Master the Chess Middlegame With Prophylaxis
Prophylaxis is often associated with the chess middlegame, but it is helpful in all three phases of the game. Prophylaxis is the ability to anticipate and stop your opponent’s plans. Prophylaxis is used a lot in the chess middlegame because this is when both sides usually have all their pieces developed and ready to create threats. Although mainly used to prevent threats, you can also use prophylaxis to strengthen your position.
The Strong Stonewall Dutch Defense Chess Opening
Safety first does not mean safety always, and the Stonewall Dutch Defense in chess lends itself to excellent attacking play. The Dutch Defense in chess immediately seeks to create an unbalanced position that leads to dynamic play. The Stonewall Dutch Defense first secures the center before launching a kingside attack. While there are chances for white to create play on the queenside, black is attacking the white king. There is no doubt that playing for checkmate is more powerful than playing to win a pawn or two.
If You Don't Think Endgames Are Fun
They never will be fun. Nobody but you can change how you feel about endgames. All another person, or coach, can do is offer a suggestion or two about how you can increase the fun you experience playing endgames in chess. We all know there are three phases of a chess game – opening, middlegame, and endgame. Dreading endgames is denying yourself fun in thirty-three percent of your chess.
The English Opening: Chess Simple and Good
When you mention the English Opening in chess, people are most likely to think of 1.c4 with a kingside fianchetto. This is the most well-known way to play the English Opening. Of course, it is not the only way to play this chess opening, and if you are looking for something a little different to gain an edge, the English Opening without g3 is an excellent opening choice.
Chess Middlegame: Make Your Minor Pieces Powerful
In the chess middlegame, you want to engage your opponent with all your pieces. The minor pieces, bishops, and knights, make up a large part of your attacking force. Although the bishops and knights usually enjoy different positions, generalizations in chess can stop you from getting the most out of your pieces. A deeper understanding of the minor pieces will help you learn how to create positions that favor you.
Benoni Defense: Yes, You Can Win With Black
If you’re tired of the safe and solid Queen’s Gambit Declined and want to liven your games with dynamic imbalances, then the Benoni Defense is for you. There are few openings more dynamic than the Modern Benoni Defense. That’s not to say the Benoni Defense relies on traps and tricks. There is a sound strategy in the Modern Benoni Defense; it is just that sometimes it calls for courageous play.
5 Strong Chess Engines and the Best Ways to Train With Them
In essence, a chess engine is computer software that plays chess. We are fortunate to live in a time when the strongest chess engines are rated several hundred points higher than the world chess champion. One of the best things about current chess engines is you can download some of the strongest chess engines for free. In fact, the strongest chess engine today is Stockfish, which is a free chess engine.
Chess Opening Books: 10 of the Best
Selecting the ten best chess opening books is impossible since chess players have different playing styles. A positional player might rate an opening book on the Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack as the best chess opening book, while an attacking player will prefer a book on gambits. The other challenge in compiling a list of the best chess opening books is the different skill levels of chess players. The opening book that helps you when you are a beginner will differ from that which you find helpful as a strong club player.