Chess Improvement
Great post by Dr. Nick Vasquez about what Weight-Lifting taught him about chess. “More study is not progress, but time under focus is.” (Chess in Small Doses)
Two insightful short features on IM Christof Sielecki and IM Yuriy Kyrkun, who are coaching for the #chesspunks tournament. “Do a bit of short-move tactics every day (5-10 minutes). Spend the rest reviewing your games, played with at least rapid time control. If possible, do that with the help of a coach or a friend. Don't expect miracles, as 3 hours a week is not a lot, to be honest. “ - IM Christof Sielecki (Chess.com Blogs- Sielecki, Krykun)
FM Nate Solon has set a goal to hit a new blitz high in one month, but wonders if chess players should even have rating goals (Zwischenzug Blog)
And Evan Seghers is going to take up a similar challenge to Nate (and Alexandra Botez) (An Ocean of Chess)
FM Dalton Perrine annotates a game where a stronger player exploits a space advantage. (Chess Chatter)
Books/History
Martin Justesen drops the big reveal of the top 8 most Instructive Chess Books (Say Chess Blog)
Sam Kahn on the legacy of Akiba Rubinstein (Chess.com Blog)
Chess News
Fascinating article and research by CM Vjekoslav Nemec about the many problems with “norm factory” tournaments. (Chessentials Blog)
A new organization called the Women in Chess Foundation aims to work to ensure that chess tournaments are safer for all participants (Leon Watson for Chess.com)
The Qatar Open had a quieter round 3 today (after a controversial Round 2) with 5 players now 3-0. (Colin McGourty for Chess.com)
Chess.com’s always entertaining “I am Not a GM” tournament is off and running. NM Anthony Levin catches you up on Day 1, where IM Levy Rozman and IM Greg Shahade advanced (Chess.com News) and also on Day 2, where IM Lawrence Trent and IM Polina Shuvalova also advanced to the final 4.
IM Carissa Yip and WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova are off to great starts in the US Women’s Championship, and GM Fabiano Caruana leads the Open (NM Vanessa West for Chess.com)
Have a good weekend everyone!- Ben