A reader asks:

As someone that spends too much time thinking about buying a lake house, I would love to hear your thoughts. The argument that you will feel tied down and obligated to go to the lake house at the expense of other travel worries me.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my all-time high in savings and why it was a mistake. Heres something I shared:

But I no longer feel its necessary to go over and above when it comes to saving. I want to enjoy some of my money now while I can.

Thats the biggest reason our savings fell off a little in 2022 and 2023. We took a bunch of trips. We did some minor renovations to the house that added hangout spaces. We bought a boat. We own a lake house.

A few people asked if I would share my experience of owning a vacation house.

Were in a fortunate position to own a house on the lake but there was also some fortuitous timing involved along with some risk.

Our oldest daughter was 3 years old when our twins were born in 2017. We quickly realized travel was going to be nearly impossible what with all the car seats, strollers, pack-n-plays and such.

That same year our good friends were building a house on a lake so we got to spend some time in a new area. We loved it. And it just so happened that a brand new development was getting underway right on the water.

We had always discussed buying a lake house someday but never explored it too seriously until we saw this place. There were plans for a community pool, a marina, and a restaurant (that never happened), but the development was still in its infancy, so lots werent selling all that quickly. It was a risk, and prices reflected that.

We got a really good deal in 2018 and built a wonderful place right by the water. As they slowly but surely added more homes we decided we would eventually trade up when the second phase got underway and lots with better views opened up. Those conversations with the builder took place starting in 2019.

Then the pandemic hit. Plans to build more houses were shelved because of the supply chain issues. Our house skyrocketed in value. By the time we sold it in 2022, it was up ~75% in less than four years.

We used that equity to buy a new house in a better location with better lake views. The timing of that purchase will be the best investment well ever make.

The builder allowed us to lock in the price in late-2021, which was still reasonable at the time. The lender allowed us to lock in a rate before the construction even started when mortgage rates were still 3%. The house took 18 months to build as the construction industry slowly thawed. By the time it was done in the spring of 2023 mortgage rates were approaching 7% while the price of houses exactly like ours were going for 50% more than we paid.1

If you just base it on the down payments we made, were talking Nvidia-like returns here. Sure, we took some risk by buying one of the first homes in a new development but we got very lucky with how the timing of everything worked out.

Id call it 20% the risk we took2 and 80% luck.

Thats our story. Now lets discuss some pros and cons of owning a vacation home.

Lets start with the cons:

Two mortgages.Obviously, its more expensive.

Higher property taxes.The property taxes on a second home are much higher than a primary residence. The property taxes on our vacation house are roughly double what we pay on our primary home.

The upkeep. Taking care of another property when you dont live there full-time an be challenging.

Luckily, were part of an association that handles landscaping, snow removal and upkeep. Thats another monthly cost (even though its worth it).

Its also a pain to take deliveries and get things serviced since youre not there all the time.

Usage. I saw a statistic estimating that people spend an average of about six weeks a year in their vacation homes.

Were higher than that (it helps that our place is only an hour away from home base) butsome people might not use it enough to justify the cost.

I love going to the lake most weekends but some people might prefer more variety.

Concentration risk.Owning multiple homes makes you concentrated in the housing market. We have a big chunk of our net worth invested in Michigan real estate.

Im OK with this risk but its a risk nonetheless.

Now for the benefits:

It feels like a vacation every time. The anticipation of a vacation often gives you the biggest psychological boost. I get that feeling on a weekly basis in the summer.

I still get excited every time we head north.

More time spent outdoors.We spend far less time indoors looking at our phones, social media or television.

Our kids are outside all the time swimming, boating, fishing, going for walks, playing on the beach, going for bike rides, etc.

We could do more of this at home, but having a lake house forces you to be outside more.

You could rent it out.Our association doesnt allow Airbnbs and the like but I know some people who own a second home who rent it out to help cover the costs.

Remote semi-retirement. My job affords me the flexibility to work from anywhere.

We often extend our weekends in the summer to spend Friday-Monday at the lake. We were there for ten days around the 4th of July.

The ability to combine work with relaxation and fun is one of my favorite parts of having another place.

The water.Being around water puts me in a better mood.

[my happy place]

Its also a valuable selling point as an investment. A friend told me a house on the water will never go down in value.

This is an exaggeration but probably right 90% of the time.

The memories. Buying a second home was the best/luckiest financial decision weve ever made.

But even if we lost money on our second house experiment, the investment would have been worth it.

Were creating memories that will last a lifetime and its hard to put a price on that.

The best thing about having a vacation home is that it provides an excuse to spend more time with friends and family.

I discussed this question on Ask the Compound:

Bill Sweet joined me on the show to discuss questions about executing a die with zero retirement strategy, changing tax status on your tax return, tax-optimizing your retirement distributions and muni bond funds.

Further Reading: My All-Time High in Savings

1Prices caught up in a hurry. The first-mover advantage helped here too.

2We had a few friends, family members and unnamed financial advisors try to talk us out of it. Im glad they didnt.

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The Best Investment I Ever Made (the Pros & Cons of Owning a Vacation Home) - A Wealth of Common Sense

One of the quiet joys of being a restaurant pastry chef is that you arrive early, typically before anyone else, probably just an hour or two after the last of the line cooks are done scrubbing and sanitizing the splashbacks and lowboys. The room invariably still smells like degreaser and leftover wine, no matter how immaculate. That is, at least until you pop your first espresso shot, then a third and a fourth. Here you make yourself a kind of force field. You get to take time to enjoy the kind of inspiration that being alone in a giant kitchen full of your tools and favorite recipes might bring.

On those mornings, I would use my early arrival as a chance to thumb through my cookbooks. Some of these books were by renowned pastry chefs, but a majority were castoffs from rummage sales and free bins at the library. They were full of recipes that people once exchanged verbally before eventually typing them up and binding them with plastic spirals. In these volumes, I found inspiration and personal stories and often scrap papers with handwritten recipes tucked among the pages.

Then I would get to work on my own recipes. I would roll out a dozen or two pie shells to pop in a freezer and begin my near-daily dance with buttermilk chess pies, where I would be at the center of a carefully choreographed performance of whisking, filling, baking, rotating, cooling.

While it was a very simple recipe, I had, without knowing it, created quite an art of the thing. Timing was essential: never missing a step, never letting my timer outsmart my sense of smell, never letting a young baker crack the door too soon to check the wiggle. I aimed for nothing less than a particular type of perfection with that pie. I knew it, and it knew me. It wasnt quite right unless the crackle appeared on top, the edges were flaky and tender and the bottom was both crisp and soft.

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The Pie Ill Never Shut Up About - The New York Times

Some tests are just harder and more nerve-inducing than others. After IM Levy Rozman in January, then GM Magnus Carlsenand GM David Howell in April, this month, it was time to submit GM Hikaru Nakamura to the polygraph. And as if he didn't get enough of it with Levy, IM Danny Rensch became the first person to come back for more "Lie Detector Chess."

The results were just as chaotic as before, with no subject too delicate to discuss: career regrets, cheating in chess, drinking before tournament games... whether you'd ever attributed your flatulence to someone else. Before it all, Hikaru would declare, "For me it's very hard to actually lie, so I'm going to try but probably fail miserably." The statement passed the polygraph, but would Hikaru be better at fooling the contraption than he gave himself credit for?

For me it's very hard to actually lie, so I'm going to try but probably fail miserably.

- Hikaru Nakamura

Examiner Orjan Hesjedal, who also monitored the machine with Carlsen and Howell, suspected Hikaru of manipulating his breathing to trick the test. Sure enough, after he was finally unhooked from the "medieval device," as Danny called it, Hikaru admitted he'd gotten away with a few things. But it took a lot of efforthe allowed Danny to get a draw in the ongoing chess game.

As for Danny's turn hooked up to all the wires and whatnot, well, we got some "TMI" related to undergarments, in addition to more serious insights into his thoughts about the popularization of chess, cheating in Titled Tuesday, whether there is an intimidation factor between himself, Hikaru, and Magnus; and more.

To find out exactly what Hikaru and Danny think about these things, or about Levy's chances at becoming a grandmaster, or the likeability of the world's top 10 chess playerswell, maybe not exactly what they thinkyou'll just have to watch. Don't worry, no one will be wiring you up to measure your vitals.

And we're still looking to make more "Lie Detector Chess" videos. Who else would you like to see? Be honest!

Original post:

Hikaru Nakamura and Danny Rensch Face the Polygraph - Chess.com

GM Daniel Naroditsky has moved one step closer to seizing the top spot on the all-time Bullet Brawlleaderboard after winning the latest edition ahead of GMs Arjun Erigaisi, Hikaru Nakamura, and 132 other titled players.

Now sitting on 21 victories, Naroditsky has won over $10,000 in prize money from Bullet Brawl tournaments since its inception and is just four wins shy of Nakamura's record of 25.

The $100 top women's prize was won by the prolific IM Meri Arabidze, who outpaced regulars FM Anastasia Avramidou and WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya, while the community brawl was won by AiriChesslol.

The next Bullet Brawl will commence on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at noon ET/18:00 CEST.

Standings

Naroditky's mastery of the arena format has never been in doubt but in 2024, the U.S.-based content creator has stepped it up a notch and learned how to frequently usurp the previously indomitable Nakamura.

The aura stemming from Naroditsky's recent performances has transcended the Twittersphere and one chess fan (Steve Leibrock) has called for Bullet Brawl to be renamed "DanyaBrawl," though it has to be said that the best pun involving the eventual winner is still the self-titled "Danya Naroblitzky."

Naroditsky kicked off the event with a punchy, 19-move win over the world number-four Arjun on the white side of the Caro-Kann Defense, Fantasy Variation. Opting for a move-six pawn gambit, Naroditsky confused Arjun and capitalized on several consecutive mistakes.

GMs Emin Ohanyan, Tuan Minh Le, Andrew Tang, and IM-elect Faustino Oro were all opponents that Naroditsky had to face in his first 10 games, and he scored 8/10 against them, allowing him to stay just in front of Nakamura, who scored 7/10 against similar opposition.

The quality that seems to separate Naroditsky from his GM colleagues is his ability to procure more miniatures, and this is what allowed him to surge further ahead of his chasers.

In the first half of the event, he was able to produce six miniatures; two lasted just 13 moves (one was also finished in 11 but this was the result of a catastrophic blunder). The first of these, against French FM Tristan Breuil, features an aesthetically pleasing knight sacrifice.

In the second game, against Spanish CM Javier Ruiz Vasquez, Naroditsky showed that aggressive moves that would be considered suboptimal in classical chess can turn into wrecking balls in quicker time controls.

Before Bullet Brawl began, Naroditsky showed off just how quick he is in a match against NM James Chirilov while streaming on Twitch.

Arjun's second-placed finish was also impressive as he played nine fewer games than the winner. Earlier in the day, Arjun was announced as the board one for team India at the 45th Chess Olympiad alongside GMs Gukesh Dommaraju, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna.

With three of the world's top 10 on this team, expect it to contest the podium come September.

Because the Olympiad will see many of the world's top players unavailable for two of September's Bullet Brawls, we may see the emergence of new winners.

How to review games? The games from this week's Bullet Brawl can be found here.

Bullet Brawl is an exciting titled arena that features Chess.com's top bullet specialists and takes place weekly on Saturdays. The format is a two-hour arena with a 1+0 time control; the prize fund is $1,000.

Much like Titled Tuesday and Arena Kings, Bullet Brawl often features top GMs, including Hikaru Nakamura, Daniel Naroditsky, Andrew Tang, Tuan Minh Le, and many more!

Previous coverage:

Read the rest here:

Bullet Brawl July 13, 2024: Naroditsky Wins 21st Brawl, Closes In On Nakamura's All-Time Record - Chess.com

Sigrun en (1963-2024), a chemical engineer and the mother of 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, passed away in Oslo on Tuesday at the age of just 61. She died peacefully with her family around her after suffering a long illness.

Sigrun was the mother of the former world chess champion and three daughters, Ingrid, Ellen, and Signe, and the wife of Henrik. Ellen shared the news of her mothers death in a Facebook post that linked to a memorial page: My dear, good mother and the childrens grandmother passed away far too soon. The loss is great.

On the page Henrik writes: Farewell my dear irreplaceable Sigrun. Thank you for everything for more than 41 years.

The sad news explains Carlsens withdrawal from the Grand Chess Tour event in Croatia.

Sigrun was a rock of support for Carlsen during his chess career, with the family taking a European trip together to enable a young Magnus to pursue his chess dreams.

Although it was later Henrik who would usually travel with their son, Sigrun would occasionally travel to events, often with the whole family.

The funeral will take place on July 17, with the family suggesting donations to the Norwegian Cancer Society as an alternative to flowers.

We extend our condolences to all Sigruns family and friends. May she rest in peace.

Read more:

Sigrun en, Mother Of Magnus Carlsen, Passes Away At 61 - Chess.com

GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura won the July 9 editions of Titled Tuesday. It's the fourth time the world's two best blitz chess players have each won one of the Tuesday events, but only the first time this year, last occurring on December 19, 2023.

Carlsen won the early event on 10 points after defeating GM Hans Niemann in the final round. Nakamura then blew away the late field with 10.5 points. Additionally, IM Anna M. Sargsyan swept both women's prizes.

In the field of 706 players, Carlsen and GM Andrey Esipenko both started on 7/7, but would draw their game in the eighth round before Carlsen drew and Esipenko lost in round nine. Now five players shared the lead, but only two of them would win in the 10th round.

Carlsen was one of them, of course, beating 13-year-old GM-elect Ivan Zemlyanskii in 37 moves with the unusual 3.Bc4 in the Sicilian.

The only player to keep up with Carlsen was Niemann, who did so with a win against GM Aleksandar Indjic. It took Niemann a bit longer, 54 moves, but again the result was a White win on time with checkmate imminent.

And so the showdown between these two adversaries was set. Niemann had the advantage of moving first and built up a solid center, but Carlsen found four "only moves" in a stretch of five turns from 19-23, and coasted to victory from there. Niemann played to the bitter end and was checkmated on move 41.

Niemann still finished in third place but was leapfrogged by GM Denis Lazavik who, like Carlsen, won his last two games. A single blunder on move 49 from 12-year-old FM Ethan Vaz dropped a pawn, deciding the game as Lazavik finished an outright second place on 9.5 points.

July 9 Titled Tuesday | Early | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Carlsen won $1,000 for his efforts while Lazavik earned $750. Niemann claimed $350 in third place, GM Jose Martinez $200 in fourth, and 12-year-old CM Dau Khuong Duy $100 in fifth, while four other players on nine points missed out on the top five by tiebreaks. Sargsyan won the $100 women's prize by scoring eight points.

For Nakamura, his victory over a field of 520 players was his second straight late event win. After needing tiebreaks last week, this performance was far more dominant, with a sixth-round draw against GM Christopher Yoo the only thing keeping Nakamura from his third perfect score in Titled Tuesday. Instead, he "only" earned his sixth 10.5-point Tuesday.

Because his draw came somewhat early, Nakamura didn't take sole lead of the tournament until his eighth-round win over IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti. Despite having the second move, Nakamura won the game rather easily after Harmon-Vellotti decided not to play the usual 2.exd5 against Nakamura's Scandinavian Defense.

After that, it was smooth sailing for Nakamura. He defeated GM Arjun Erigaisi in round nine and GM David Anton in round 10, ballooning his lead to a full point as the final round began. GM Fabiano Caruana was his opponent, and had a chance to take a share of the lead.

The game was a 61-move battle in which Caruana's ambitious 15th move didn't quite pay off. Still, Nakamura had to win the game three times in a tricky endgame. Caruana's 53.Nf2 was the final blow to his chances.

With the final result, Caruana fell to sixth place, while Nakamura put together his 15th Titled Tuesday win of the year and 60th of the two-a-day era.

July 9 Titled Tuesday | Late | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Nakamura won the $1,000 first-place prize while Harmon-Vellotti claimed second place and $750. Arjun finished third for $350 and GM Maksim Chigaev fourth for $200. In a relative rarity, 8.5 points was good enough for fifth place, which went to GM Javokhir Sindarov for $100. With 7.5 points, Sargsyan won another $100 women's prize, for $200 on the day.

Nakamura is three more 10.5-point performances from an unthinkable 200 points in the Titled Cup standings, and given he has five already, he is actually on pace to pull it off. Meanwhile we are down to five points of separation between first and fifth in the women's standings, with only one point different between first-place GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and second-place GM Aleksandra Goryachkina. Despite her sweep this week, Sargsyan has only played 18 events so far and currently ranks 15th.

Juniors: GM Denis Lazavik (180.0 points)

Seniors: GM Gata Kamsky (167.5 points)

Girls: WCM Veronika Shubenkova (113.5 points)

The Titled Cup fantasy game Chess Prophet continues as well. Current standings can be found here. (Login required.)

Titled Tuesday is Chess.com's weekly tournament for titled players, with two tournaments held each Tuesday. The first tournament begins at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time/17:00 Central European/20:30 Indian Standard Time, and the second at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/23:00 Central European/2:30 Indian Standard Time (next day).

See the original post here:

Titled Tuesday July 9, 2024 - Chess.com

Chess.com is excited to announce the winners of the 2023 Create Your Own Course contest, authors IceBreaker and Benedictine! Their courses, Killer Kings: The King as a Fighting Piece in Chess and Advanced Chess Patterns, are now available on Chessable, presented by the legendary GM Maurice Ashley.

The Create Your Own Course contest is Chessable's yearly competition that encourages members to publish a course. In 2023, we received so many strong submissions that we couldn't pick just oneso we went ahead and elected two winners!

Below, you can learn more about the 2023 contest winners and their courses:

"I was super excited to work with this material right away," said presenter GM Maurice Ashley about this course. "This is the kind of stuff that all of us fierce tacticians, gladiators, wannabe Tal-like tacticians want to learn everything about."

Try out the free Killer Kings lesson with 41 minutes of free video presented by Ashley by clicking the button below:

Try Killer Kings

IceBreaker's course will teach you how to turn your seemingly fragile king into a close-quarters fighting powerhouse that will take you to victory. Strengthen your nerves and get ready to reset your mindset to look at the king in an entirely new way. Turn your king into a war general and learn how to use its full potential while never compromising its safety!

Among other things, Killer Kings will help you:

A FIDE-rated expert, IceBreaker is an adult improver passionate about getting better. With many Chessable courses already under his belt, IceBreaker was twice a finalist for the Spanish edition of previous Create Your Own Course contests.

Are you ready to turn your king into an unstoppable fighting machine? Then click here to try the free sample of Killer Kings: The King As A Fighting Piece In Chess.

Tactics decide most chess games. The question is: will you be the one delivering the decisive blows, or will you be on the receiving end of them? Benedictine's Advanced Chess Patterns course is here to build your tactical muscle, so that you can always find winning combinations and defend against your opponent's threats!

Start working on your tactics with the Advanced Chess Patterns' free lesson, featuring 29 minutes of free video presented by Ashley:

Try Advanced Chess Patterns

Benedictine's course will take your chess to the next level using "isolation chess exercises." You'll first drill a tactical pattern in its bare bones, with very few pieces on the board, and learn to recognize it instantly. Only after you internalize that pattern, you'll move on to more complex tactical exercises resembling real game positions.

A follow-up to Benedictine's Common Chess Patterns course, Advanced Chess Patterns is perfect for intermediate to advanced players who want to improve. In this course, you'll learn to:

Benedictine is an experienced Chessable author who has published multiple courses. His thousands of students have awarded him over 2,200 star-studded ratings, with his Common Chess Patterns course being among his most popular releases.

Are you ready to take your tactics to the next level? Then click here to try out Benedictine's Advanced Chess Patterns free lesson!

Read the rest here:

Announcing The 2023 Create Your Own Course Winners - Chess.com

Returning from an expedition to the archaeological wonders of Minoan Crete, I have arrived in London with plenty of time to spare to watch England in the Euro Final at the Berlin Olympiastadion tomorrow. In virtually any sport, watching the global elite in action is always instructive.

My trip to Crete set me thinking about the relationship between physical and mental sport. In particular, the views of Beethovens inspiration for the9th Symphony, the German philosopher and dramatist, Friedrich Schiller, who evidently saw no distinction between mental and physical play.

To preface the following quotation, a brief biography of the translator is deserved:what is a self-contained quote inthe native German, does not transpose to English easily.

The treatment is a sensitiveinsightby an eminent German journalist, who earned her doctorate in Slavic philologyafter attending Hamburg University. Chairwoman of theGerman Journalists Associations admissions committee, she more recently lectured on Ethical Journalism at the Free University of Berlin.

Der Menschspieltnur, wo er invollerBedeutungdesWortesMenschist, und eristnurdaganzMensch, wo erspielt.Thus the mighty Schiller.

The following elucidation (Man is only fully Human When at Play) isfromFriedrich SchillersIdeasConcerning the Aesthetical Education of Man,by GesineDrnberg.

In Schillers opinion, to play means to act free from the force of need as well as of duty and thus to enjoy liberation from necessity. It is this experience of freedom that links play with the aesthetical phenomenon of beauty and causes its high educational value. The quality that we call beauty represents the same lightness of spirit as the game does. In the beautiful work of art, the material is not dominated by the form or vice versa. The work of art shows a free play between form and matter, between beauty and necessity, and thus represents the highest kind of play. Games are steps on the way to beauty, because they educate the player to enjoy the freedom of creativity.

In Crete the prevailing view, since the early 20th century daysof heroic excavations by Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos, has been that Minoan sport centred very much around bronzed, scantily clad youths, performing amazing acrobatics with bulls. Largely responsible for such impressions have been the fantastic illustrations and reproductions commissioned by Evans from theSwissGillironfather and son artistic team. To my mind, though, their work has more to do with Diaghilevs then fashionable set designer, Leonid Bakst, than with BC Bullocks.

For a start, the mountainous Cretan landscape is far better suited to the cultivation of sheep and goats, rather than cattle. Next, I believe that Crete was essentially a maritime and trading civilisation, dealing with dried fish, ivory, both elephantine and hippo in origin, copper, tin, cedar wood and precious minerals and metals, not bovine produce. The proliferation of rollocks (or oar points for galleys) in the archaeological testament could easily lead to confusion, since humble curved rollocks, given an overheated romantic imagination, might easily be misinterpreted as a bovine rather than maritime infatuation.

Knossos was lauded as the palace of King Minos. Millia, further to the east of Crete, has equally been touted as the palatial residence of King Minoss brother, Sarpedon. On my recent visit I felt, however, that I was more at the epicentre of some vast granary, olive oil and wine store, rather than the hub of a sports training ground for golden Cretan youth.

Cretes eminence amongst that antique topographical ring of advanced cultures, including Mycenae, Egypt, Cyprus, Hittite and Assyrian, suffered from the volcanic explosion of Santorini and later from the unexplained and universal collapse of Aegean-centric civilisation in that fateful year 1177 BC. Whether the cause was famine, epidemic, climate change, drought or incursions of the mysterious Sea People, it is hard to establish.

Views of Cretan sport have been, in my opinion, excessively coloured by the legends of Theseus and the monstrous Minotaur. As with so many cultures, the Aztec arena (Ullamaliztli),Bushkaziin the East, the most popular usually involve a kind of ball.

I have been impressed by an erudite manual, taking Schillers conclusions on the identity of physical and mind sports even further. Comparing the two mind and physical sports activities,Football and Chess:Tactics, Strategy, Beauty by Adam Wells, published by HardingeSimpole,convincingly demonstrates Schillers philosophical position, thatthere are, indeed, more similarities than one might expect. In what follows, I have drawn heavily on the authors conclusions:

At the most fundamental level, football and chess are games that involve using space effectively and getting the timing right in order to break down an opponents defence, whilst preventing them from breaking down yours.

Thats it. There are very few limiting rules. There are no complicated scoring systems and procedures of play that have to be followed. It is clear-cut: we must capture pieces or score goals while staying within the confines of the board or pitch. However you choose to do this is entirely up to you. Since players have such freedom to do what they want, they are presented with a huge number of options of how to act in a given situation. Thus, it is the very simplicity of the games that paradoxically makes them so complex.

Aside from the freedom of choice that the games allow players, it is also the teamwork element which creates the complexity. No other team sport places such an emphasis on harmony between players as football. As in chess, every movement or action affects everything else around it. One badly positioned player (or piece in chess) can be ruinous.

Consequently, a group of superior footballers willsometimes lose to technically weaker players who are interacting more harmoniously. In the same way, as every serious chess player knows, having more powerful pieces left on the board does not guarantee a win. It is the power of the interactions between these pieces which is decisive. This weeks main game is a case in point. Whites nominally more powerful queen can make little headway against Blacks entrenched bishop and knight.

Perhaps it is no surprise that both Rafael Benitez (a Champions League winner when he managed Liverpool FC) and Karel Brckner (long-standing coach of the Czech Republic national team) are both avid chess players, and know only too well how much greater the whole can be than the sum of its parts. Both are famous for their ability to create exceptional teams without exceptional players. Indeed, according to his agent, Benitez has no particular aptitude for noticing good players, such is his preoccupation with watching the team as a whole.

Aneven more contemporarycase for the cross-over between the battlefield of chess and the territorialstrategies of football isexemplified by the appointment of the new Chelsea manager,Enza Maresca. Hisplaying credentials were impressive, having represented Juventus, Sevilla and Olympiacos, among several others. However, his managerial experienceis already exceptional, despitehisscarce years in charge.

Most notably, he managed Leicester Citys return to the Premiership last season, after acting as assistant to the legendary Pep Guardiolaon two separate occasions. While he was studying for his coaching badges at the premier Italian Football University atCovercianoin Florence, his thesis was entitledFootballand Chess.In it,he expanded his conception ofthe positional parallels between the contests.

As a result of the endless possibilities of harmony and interaction, both games are limitless: infinitely complicated, infinitely interesting, forever elusive and mysterious, and always open to new interpretation. This makes them very exciting to play and watch. And so, because, in essence, both games are based on the same concept, if you were a fan of one game, it is likely that you will enjoy the other.

One of the popular misconceptions about chess is that it is a game of pure calculation. Either you have a brain that could work through 10 moves ahead, or you dont. This is not true. Of course, calculation is a large part of chess, but also important is positional knowledge, instinct and creativity. If two players with equal powers of calculation play each other, the player with the greater positional knowledge and better chess intuition will usually win. Great chess players like Mikhail Tal frequently came up with creative responses to problems, and often relied entirely on intuition when they could not work through all the possibilities in their head. As Garry Kasparov says, it takes more than logic to be a world-class chess player. Intuition is the defining quality of a great chess player.

By the same token, playing football well is not just about good positioning, creativity and instinctive reactions. It also requires a lot of calculation.

In most situations on the field, there is more than one option of what to do at any given moment. Players have to make a quick decision on which one to choose. If a player has moved out of position, do you cover? Do you play a fast ball up to the strikers or do you play it into space to build up an attack more slowly? Do you overlap the winger or is it too dangerous? The game involves constant calculation quickly assessing the situation and then making an instantaneous decision. Football, according to former Dutch international ArnoldMhren, is a game you play with your brains, not with your feet.

In other words, the games are not so different in the way that you play and understand them than it seems at first. If you like playing or watching football, you can use the understanding you have to play chess. Similarly, if you are a chess fanatic, you will find that your understanding of chess will help you appreciate a good game of football.

An obvious difference between the games is that one is constantly moving, while the other is static for the most part. However, while many conceive of chess as a slow game, theexperience of playing a good game contradicts this. In every static position movement is implied. As long as your mind is constantly thinking through movements and ideas, the game will be as alive and as exciting as any other sport.

In many senses, chess gives you the opportunity to play a game of football on a board, controlling every piece of developing your understanding of positioning, movement and combinations with every game you play.This is discussedin the followingYouTubeclip offormer world championMagnus Carlsen and Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City FC and widely considered to be the greatest football coach alive.

Despitethe fact thatparallels betweensuch a cerebral pastime andall-action athletic pursuitseem counter-intuitive,their positionalstrategies share much in common.This is the view explored in a fascinatingexamination of the firstNorwegian toplay both sports at the highest level, includingrepresenting his nation in international competition.

Simen Agdestein(born 15 May 1967) is aNorwegianchess grandmaster, coach and author and a former professionalfootballer,astrikerfor theNorwegian national football team.

Simen was awarded the IM title in 1983 and the GM title in 1985. He has won a record nine Norwegian chess championships, including the 2022 and 2023 championships. He holds records for being both the youngest (at15, in 1982) and oldest (at56, in 2023)champion.

Agdestein is also the former coach ofMagnus Carlsen, and is the brother of Carlsens present manager,Espen Agdestein. He has authored and co-authored several books on chess, including a biography of Carlsen.

All these detailsand moreare included in a new biographicalexercise,Games and Goals:The Fascinating Chess and Football Careers of Simen Agdestein(NiC) byAtle Grnn.Oneexcerptshould suffice to demonstrate the accomplishments of Norways firstchess grandmaster: His international football career was cut short when he refused to play for Norway in a World Cup qualifier against Scotland. He opted instead to play Garry Kasparov in a chess tournament in Belgrade.

Our featured game this week combines football and chess. My game against Agdestein was a serious exercise, where the full point was required, and yet I hope you will agree, vividly epitomises thespiritof, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

SimenAgdesteinvs. Raymond Keene

Gausdal Jubilee, rd. 2, 1983

1.d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. e4 Nc6 5. d5 Nd4 6. Be3 c5 7. Nge2 Qb6 8. Nxd4?!

Adiffident continuationwhich discountsthemotive behind Blacks last: to overprotect d4.Strongeris8. Na4 Qa5+ 9. Bd2 Qc7, when after10. Bc3,for example,10e5 11. dxe6 Nxe6 12. Bxg7Nxg7, when White can demonstrate aslight, yettangibleadvantage.

8 cxd4 9. Na4

9dxe3?

Spectacular, even astonishing but probably bad. My position regarding this provocative move, recorded in 2005,wasthatIhadplayedQa5+ againstSeirawanthe previous year and didnt like it.TheQueen sacrificewasnt played to draw;it was played to get an interesting positionI thinkMiles might have later refuted the variation but asAgdestein played I feltIwas the one who was pressing for the win.Igave a draw in the final position rather reluctantly, asI couldntsee any way to improveBlacks chances then, nor has one been successfullyproposed since.

The engine confirms that after,9 Qa5+,Whitecanmaintain parity with,10. Bd2(10. b4 draws immediately: 10 Qxb4+ 11. Bd2 Qa3 12.Bc1 Qb4+ 13. Bd2 etc.) 10Qd8 11.c5 (11.Bd3Nf6 12. O-O e6 13. h3 O-O 14. Rc1 b6 15.Re1 Bd716.b4b617.a3)11 Bd7 12. Bd3 Nf6 13. O-OO-O14. b4e6 15. dxe6 Bxe6 16. cxd6 Ng4 17. f4 Qxd6 18. e5, and it is equal.

10.Nxb6 exf2+ 11. Kxf2 axb6 12. Qc2

A year later, in 1984, Miles played instead,12. Qd2againstRohde,and won in 30 moves.

12 Bd4+ 13. Ke1 Nf6 14. Be2 O-O 15. Rd1?!

A strangely ineffective way of activating Whitesrooks.The engine prefers15. Kd2(also good is15. a4 Bd7 16. h3 Kg7 17. Rf1)15 Kg716. a4 Bd7 17. h3 h5 18. Rhf1,with initiative.

15 Be5 16. a4 h5 17. b3 Bd7 18. Qd3?!

Stronger is18. Kf2, when Whitebothguardstheg3-square after a subsequenth2-h3,and also enables the king to find a modicum of safety after the h1-rookisactivated.Black has a cramped positionfrom which to prosecute an attack with his kingside pawn majority, whichwouldalso leave his own kingproneto attack.Thecandidate responses, 18Rac8, h4andNg4,are all insufficientcontinuationsand leave White with a significant advantage.

18e6 19. dxe6 Bxe6 20. Bf3?

An error which relinquishes Whitesadvantage.Considerably better is20. Qe3, which is more consistent withWhites previous move, and forces Blacks hand:20b5 21.cxb5 Rac8 (21 Rfc8 22. Rf1 Rc3 23.Rd3 Rac8 transposes)22.Bd1 Rc1 25. h3 Nd7 26. Kf2 Nc5 27. Rd4 (Whiteis happy tooffer a rookin exchangefor the powerful black-squared bishop) 27Rb1 28. Kg1 Nxb3 29. Bxb3Rxb3 30.Rd3, when Whitesucceedsinhanging on.

20 Nd7 21. Kf2 b5 22. axb5 Ra2+?!

Full equalityisavailable after,22Nc5(22Ra323. Qc2Nc5transposes)23.Qc2Ra324. b4 Nb3 25.Rd3 Rfa8 26. Rxb3Ra227. Rc1 Bxc428. Re3 Bd4 29. Be2Rxc2(29 R8a3 30. Kf1 Rxc2 31.Rxc2Rxe332.Rxc4 Be5transposes)30.Rxc2Ra3 31. Kf1Rxe3 32.Rxc4 Be5 33. h3 Bg3 34. b6 Ra335. Bd1 Ra6 36. Rc7 Rxb6,whena draw is themost likely outcome.

24.Rd2 Nc5 24. Qe3 Rxd2+ 25. Qxd2 Nxb3 26. Qc2 Bd4+ 27. Kg3 Be5+

If there was one very slight improvementI could have introduced at this late stage, it was here, when27 Nc5isalsopossible. However,28.Rd1Be5+ 29. Kf2 Ra8 30. Kg1 Kg7 31. Be2 h4 32.Bf1 Ra333. Qf2 g5 34. Be2 Ra2 35. h3 b6,or alternatively,28. h3 Be5+ 29. Kf2 Ra830. Rd1 Ra331.Kg1 Rc3 32. Qd2 Bxc4 33. Bxh5Bb3 34. Re1 Rc2 35. Qh6 gxh5alsodraw.

28.Kf2 Bd4+ 29. Kg3Game drawn -

Ever-resonant, twelve years later in 1995 the motifreappeared forour eponymous hero, only with colours reversed.In this epilogue, the thematic sacrifice is playedwith great effect by Agdestein against an unfortunateNigel Short then at the height of his career.

Rays206th book, Chess in the Year of the King , written in collaboration with Adam Black, and his 207th, Napoleon and Goethe: The Touchstone of Genius (which discusses their relationship with chess) areavailable from Amazon and Blackwells.

We are the only publication thats committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one thats needed now more than ever, and we need your help to continue publishing throughout these hard economic times. So please, make a donation.

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Football and chess: the art of play from Crete to Berlin - TheArticle

As 17-year-old GM Gukesh Dommaraju prepares for the FIDE World Championship in November, this month 10-year-old IM Faustino Oro and nine-year-old CM Ethan Pang set records while and nine-year-old WCM Bodhana Sivanandan made England's Olympiad team!

Of course, this month isn't all about the amazing talents born this millennium. This July, we go back... way back.

Here's what this update covers:

Have you ever wanted to do battle with the larger-than-life ancient rulers of the Roman Empire? This month you have your chance!

If you are in tech and would like to join our team, we're hiring!

The Bullet Chess Championship wrapped up, the Speed Chess Championship field was set, and GM Magnus Carlsen continued his recent domination of the Norway Chess tournament.

Chess.com was in both Vegas and the Netherlands simultaneously on June 29! How did we do it? And why were we there?

If the day-to-day life of the competitive chess world our community events didn't keep you busy enough, maybe you caught our videos and articles?

Chessable continues to release some of the very best instructional chess content you can find anywhere. And who knows, maybe even you will be a Chessable author someday soon! How? Read on...

As we mentioned at the jump, it was a huge month for ChessKid and its prodigious ambassadors.

The Fair Play team is always hard at work to keep Chess.com a safe and fair place to play for everyone in the community.

Fair Play stats for May:

The team has integrated AI into their work, making the first-response time immediate, while still following up with human action as soon as possible.

Thank you for being part of the world's largest chess community. Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!

Missed an update? You'll find last month's edition here.

Excerpt from:

The Next Youth Movement In Chess Is Here - Chess.com

The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships concluded on July 11 in Krakow, Poland with the U.S. finishing at the top of the 50+ section and England claiming the 65+ tournament. In total, 65 teams and 307 players, including 32 grandmasters, participated.

Teams consisted of four players, and Women's teams competed together with the Open tournaments. Each event was a nine-round Swiss, with 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move.

The U.S. team consisted of GMs Jaan Ehlvest, Alexander Shabalov, Melikset Khachiyan, Igor Novikov, and Alex Yermolinsky. The same players, with the exception of Khachiyan replacing GM Gregory Kaidanov, were repeat winners from last year's tournament in North Macedonia.

Top 10 Teams | 50+ Seniors

The U.S. suffered its only loss against Iceland but ultimately won every other round. They took the sole lead after round seven and held onto it.

Round eight was their most dominant, with a 4-0 clean sweep against Israel. On the top board, Ehlvest demolished GM Michael Oratovsky's Sicilian Defense in 20 moves with a pretty finish:

There were six Women's teams, and Estonia outpaced the U.S. team by a half-point. The players were WIM Monika Tsiganova, WFM Regina Narva, WGM Tatyana Fomina, and Kersti Korge. Board-one Tsiganova scored a respectable 6/9, being the underdog in every individual matchup; with a rating of 1999, she had a performance of 2347 and gained 78 rating points.

Her biggest upset was in the last round against FM Karsten Schuster. She unleashed a great attack against the Caro-Kann in that game:

England won gold in the 65+ section, led by GMs John Nunn, Anthony Kosten, Jonathan Mestel, IM Paul Littlewood, and FM Terry Chapman.

Top 10 Teams | 65+ Seniors

(See full standings here.)

It was more than a team victory for England, as legendary GMs Michael Adams and Nunnwho are the reigning individual senior world champions for 50+ and 65+ won individual gold in their respective categories.

England went undefeated, scoring seven victories and two draws. With the exception of round six, when France momentarily took the sole lead, England was always at least tied for first.

Nunn put up a 15-move miniature in the final round against Finland's IM Timothy Binham, with an elegant "sacrifice" on the final move.

Speaking of miniatures, Adams' 19-move win against GM Johan Hjartarson should be mentioned, although it was in the +50 groupanother fine showing for England.

Latvia won Women's gold out of three competing teams (Poland and the U.S.), with +2 -3 =4. The players were WGM Tamara Vilerte, Astra Goldmane, WFM Liga Ungure, WFM Ingrida Priedite, and Vija Rozlapa.

The World Senior Chess Championships, for individuals, will take place in November in Porto Santo, Portugal. And even more presently, the U.S. Senior Championship begins in St. Louis next week, on July 16 through 26.

How to review?

The 2024 FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships took place in Krakow, Poland on July 2-11. There were 50+ and 65+ categories, with Women's teams competing together with the Open teams. Each event was a nine-round Swiss, with teams of four players. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move.

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U.S. Wins World Senior Team Championship 50+, England Takes Gold In 65+ - Chess.com