Category: Musings

Two Queens, Two Problems

As we all sit and enjoy the sweet sounds of Feist on World Cafe’s sense of place visit to Toronto (home of the greatest mayor in North America) I was shocked to see not one, but TWO queens on the board in the World Championship game. I got to thinking about these two queens, and remembered some fairly amusing examples… Read more →

A New Perspective on Zugzwang

So I’m sure many of you are wondering what exactly Zugzwang is. Today I’m going to dispel some mysteries surrounding Zugzwang and I will show you some classic (as well as) new examples that can only be found on this site. These examples have been meticulously chosen by me, and the final Zugzwang position is one that I’m sure has… Read more →

Don Quixote

Tilting at Windmills

Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, “Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with… Read more →

Parting With The Lady

At this point much of my interest in chess comes from what I call “Chess Oddities” or irregularities in the game (ie. glitches in the matrix). These gems are what makes chess interesting to me, it’s a big part of the reason I play. I’m always elated when I’m playing and I find some beautiful or exotic idea and reach… Read more →

Accurate Bullet Chess?

In honor of memorial day I figured we should talk about bullets; no not those kind of bullets; bullet chess! Bullet chess is where each side is given 1 minute to move. I became a bit tired of playing 3 minute and felt it was hurting my chess (because I was playing too much of it). So in lieu of… Read more →