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.

Go here to read the rest:

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.

Read the original here:

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

The 2024 Chess Olympiad is set to be held in September this year in Budapest, Hungary. Gukesh Dommaraju will be leading the Indian contingent at the event alongside the talented Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

Latest sports betting and odds

The Olympiad will serve as a great rehearsal for Gukesh before he champions the FIDE World Champion, Ding Liren in November this year. Gukesh won the FIDE Candidates tournament earlier in April this year, earning himself a title shot against Chinas Liren.

Gukesh became the youngest player to win a Candidates tournament. The 18-year-old won the prestigious tournament in Toronto in April.

Apart from Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa, Grand Masters Arjun Erigaisi, Vidith Gujrathi and Harikrishna Pentala will be representing the tri-colour in Budapest in the mens department.

When it comes to the womens department, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Harika Dronavalli and Tania Sachdev will be the Indian representatives at the 2024 Chess Olympiad.

The 2024 Chess Olympiad will start on Tuesday, September 10 in Budapest, Hungary. The tournament will last for a total of 14 days, up until Monday, September 23.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Sporting News has editorial oversight for this content. Learn more >

Read more from the original source:

Chess Olympiad 2024: Gukesh Dommaraju to spearhead Indian challenge - Sporting News

We're excited to announce that members can now use the Torch chess engine on our Analysis page. Torch is a new engine developed by the Chess.com team that has quickly risen to the top of the chess engine rankings. Developed in less than eight months, Torch has taken the number two spot from Leela, edging out wins in the CCC bullet and blitz championships, only losing in the CCC rapid event.

Torch has sparked a renewed interest in the competitive nature of computer chess. The engine's performance lit a fire under the heels of developers all over the globe who contribute to projects like Stockfish and Leela, which power most chess products today.

Below, you can see IM Levy Rozman's video about one of Torch's recent wins against Leela, Komodo, Ethereal, and Stockfish:

You can also enjoy a video of GM Hikaru Nakamura playing against Torch:

To use Torch, go to Analysis, click the cog icon at the top right of the chessboard, and then select Torch on the dropdown Chess Engine menu. You can choose between a lighter and much faster option that uses a miniature neural network or the more robust full version.

NOTE: Some versions of Torch use Neural Networks partially trained on data published by the Leela Chess Zero team, licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL), located on the Leela Chess Website.

Go to our Analysis page to give the new chess engine Torch a try, and let us know what you think in the comment section below!

Originally posted here:

Enlighten Your Analysis With Torch, The New Top Engine Now Available On Chess.com - Chess.com

Playing chess helps combat social isolation and promotes brain health. Connect with AARP New York as we present Beyond the Basics of Chess, a 4-part virtual series with National Master, John Michael Silvederio.

AARP members and guests will be guided through the complex and exciting game of chess, with lessons designed to help participants build new chess skills in an easy-to-follow format.

Sign up to gain new skills to help level up your chess game!

*All virtual sessions are Mondays from 6 7 p.m.

Monday, August 5, 2024 | Part 1: Checkmate Patterns Register: https://events.aarp.org/chess1

Monday, August 12, 2024 | Part 2: Defending Against Mate Register: https://events.aarp.org/chess2

Monday, August 19, 2024 | Part 3: Tactics (1) Register: https://events.aarp.org/chess3

Monday, August 26, 2024 | Part 4: Tactics (2) Register: https://events.aarp.org/chess4

Stay Connected with AARP New York Follow us onFacebook | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

See more here:

Level Up! Go Beyond the Basics of Chess - AARP States

IM Aksel Bu Kvaloy is Norway's new national champion, copying the feat of GMs Simen Agdestein and Magnus Carlsen by winning the title at age 15.

The Norwegian Championship took place from June 28 to July 5 in the mountain resort of Gol, drawing 514 players across 17 sections. The Elite group had 18 players, of whom six were GMs, eight IMs, and four FMs.

In the spotlight was the 15-year-old seventh seed Kvaloy, who maintained his lead from the start, finishing on an undefeated 6.5/9. He drew his final four games, eventually edging out GM Frode Urkedal on tiebreak points. IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen took third place with 5.5 points.

2024 Norwegian Championship Final Standings

In 1982, Agdestein became the youngest-ever Norwegian Champion at 15 years and seven months, a record that still stands 42 years later. Carlsen was two months older when he took his first and only title in 2006 and hasn't played since. Kvaloy, who turns 16 next month, has now joined the greats to become the third player in history to achieve the title at 15.

"It hasn't quite sunk in yet. To be in the same category as them is really nice," he told Aftenposten. When asked about his motivation for the future, he said: "I just want to have fun and perform in something I enjoy."

I just want to have fun and perform in something I enjoy.

Aksel Bu Kvaloy

Admittedly, this year's Norwegian Championship wasn't the strongest, with the country's top-three ranked players all missing. Norway's new number-two GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen and two-time champion GM Aryan Tari both prioritized events abroad. In addition, fifth-ranked Agdestein, who won his ninth title last year, was unable to defend his title as he has been competing in 'Mesternes Mester,' an immensely popular Norwegian reality show for former sports stars.

Kvaloy's four wins, all in the first five rounds, secured him a one-point lead. His win in round two was particularly crushing, as he gradually built up a strong attack on the kingside until White was defenseless against the threats.

Kvaloy needed only a draw with White against GM Lars Oskar Hauge in the final round to secure his second GM norm and at least shared first place, but he played aggressively from the opening and achieved an excellent position before offering a draw anyway.

Urkedal, thanks to a win against IM Semen Mitusov, caught up with Kvaloy and also finished on 6.5 points. The first and second tiebreak criteria were equal, but Kvaloy edged ahead on the third tiebreak criterion, the Buchholz score, thanks to a win by 14-year-old FM Havard Haug over GM Torbjorn Hansen.

Kvaloy hails from Norway's West coast city Stavanger and doesn't come from a chess family. His father is Ola Kvaloy, a well-known Norwegian professor in economics, and a vocalist in the local rock band Lano Places. He learned the rules at the age of four thanks to a chess set he found at his grandfather's place, and by watching YouTube videos of NRK's regular chess commentator IM Torstein Bae on his iPad.

He made headlines as a seven-year-old when he became the youngest-ever Under 11 champion in 2016. The following year he became the youngest Norwegian to defeat a titled player.

He completed his IM title before his 15th birthday last year and, with two GM norms and just 15 points shy of the 2500 rating requirement, is a hot candidate to become Norway's 19th grandmaster. Norway's other hot prospect is 19-year-old GM Elham Amar, who completed his title last year.

In an interview with local newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad, Kvaloy said he plans to focus on his chess career for the next few years: "I want to put some effort in to see how strong I can become. A decision on a profession and future career is currently a plan B."

I want to put some effort in to see how strong I can become. A decision on a profession and future career, is currently a plan B.

Kvaloy will get a chance to secure his final norm at the Paleochora Open in Greece, starting July 20.

Read this article:

15-year-old Follows In Footsteps Of Carlsen, Agdestein To Win Norwegian Title - Chess.com

FM Faustino Oro, dubbed the 'Messi of Chess,' has created a media frenzy in his native Argentina by setting a prestigious new world record. This week he followed up by beating none other than GM Hikaru Nakamura twice.

Oro achieved his final norm and completed all requirements for the international master (IM) title in Barcelona last week, becoming the youngest in chess history to do so at 10 years, eight months, and 16 days. The extraordinary achievement was met with celebrations and praise, yet Oro remained remarkably composed, taking selfies with fans, signing autographs, and playing blitz games.

In an interview with Chess.com, the 10-year-old shared his excitement: "I feel very happy because it doesn't happen every day. In addition, I broke the world record held by Mishra, so I'm very happy to surpass it and have the title."

He admitted feeling nervous during the final round against IM Fernando Valenzuela Gomez, when he needed a draw to secure the title: "Yes, I suffered, I suffered, but I managed to hold on in a difficult position and win the title."

Asked about the significance of having such a record, he said: "Yes, I wanted to achieve it. It's not that records are so important, but it's nice to have one. I can always say that I'm the youngest."

It's not that records are so important, but it's nice to have one. I can always say that I'm the youngest.

Faustino Oro

This week the IM-elect returned to Chess.com, as he beat world number-two Nakamura in blitz. Twice. "The #1 prodigy in the world right now," IM Levy Rozman/GothamChess noted, while sharing this clip from Oro's stream. The celebration at the end is a must-watch.

The full-time streamer and content-creator went through some of their games in this video.

Back home in Argentina, the 'Messi of Chess' has clearly captured the attention of the people, with mainstream newspapers extensively covering his journey. The 10-year-old has been featured in some of the nation's biggest newspapers, side-by-side with the national heroes currently fighting for a title in the Copa America.

The recognition reached another peak when Argentina's president Javier Milei praised Oro to his three million X/Twitter followers, calling him 'a pride for all Argentinians."

Former President Mauricio Macri said "You are a boss who fills us with pride," while Daniel Scioli, Argentina's Minister of Tourism and Sports, emphasized the broader significance of Oro's success:

"Chess is a symbol of discipline, strategy, enduring pressure, planning, and managing time, thinking about the next moves. As someone passionate about this discipline and being the Secretary in charge of Tourism and Sports, I know it is a source of pride for our country."

Carlos Ilardo, a journalist from one of Argentina's biggest papers InfoBae, is likely the journalist who has followed Oro most closely over the last two years.

"Since Faustino achieved his second norm at the Continental in Colombia, they havent stopped asking me for articles about him. According to my bosses, the boy has a huge following. People want to know more about him," he told Chess.com.

He noted that while chess lags behind football and tennis in terms of popularity, Argentina has a rich chess culture dating back to Jose Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine's World Championship match in 1927, Chess Olympiads in Buenos Aires in 1939 and 1978, and the Argentina vs. USSR match in 1954.

"Since the news broke on Sunday morning, it had more space, and various newspapers even mentioned it or featured a photo on the front page."

Ilardo doesn't remember any chess-related news with such significance in the country since Garry Kasparov's first visit to the country to play the Argentine Olympiad team in 1992. "It's perhaps similar to the Kasparov vs. Deep Blue rematch in 1997."

He added: "There was a general buzz and excitement within the Argentine chess community. Personally, even friends who don't know how to play chess called or sent me messages congratulating me or asking about the importance of Faustinos achievement."

Even friends who don't know how to play chess called or sent me messages congratulating me or asking about the importance of Faustinos achievement.

Carlos Ilardo, Argentinian journalist

He noted that the parents have taken a cautious approach in terms of media exposure, similar to how GM Magnus Carlsen's parents dealt with the attention at the time.

"I understand Faustinos parents position; they are very concerned about the childs media exposure, but perhaps if they had allowed some interviews on channels, radio, blogs, or newspapers here, the impact would have been even greater," Ilardo said.

Spanish journalist Federico Marin Bellon writes for El Mundo and runs the chess news website Damas y Reyes, where he noted that 'Faustimania is unleashed' in a recent story. He has covered Oro extensively, for Chess.com as well, and expained the young prodigy's growing popularity in his new home country Spain.

"Faustino Oro has what it takes to be an idol. I have been to several tournaments with him, three of them in Spain, and I have seen his charisma grow at the same pace as his level of play. He gets more and more requests for photos and autographs and is always attentive to the fans," he told Chess.com.

Faustino Oro has what it takes to be an idol.

Federico Marin, Spanish journalist

"He's not thrilled with all the attention, but he's very professional about it. His mother tells him to look up to GM Pepe Cuenca, who is one of his idols, and he is very disciplined."

Marin also noted that Oro's surprising personality has contributed to his popularity: "Faustino has nothing to do with the cliche of the shy, introverted child. He can even be very funny. In Madrid, he won everyone over by playing quick games and even practising trash-talking before the awards ceremony. He is also very cheerful and assertive in interviews, not just saying platitudes to make a good impression."

In the interview with Chess.com, 'Fausti' mentioned his recent milestone of becoming the youngest to surpass 3000 in blitz. "Playing improves your game. What doesn't help you improve is the speed. I mean, it's too fast. Sometimes you have to play quickly; it doesnt matter so much the position, sometimes if you have ten seconds you have to play, sometimes with the mouse too."

Oro now has a total of five coaches, thanks to an anonymous group of Argentinian businessmen covering all expenses for training, travel and accommodation. His aspirations are as high as they come, targetting the biggest title in chess. "I would like to become world champion. I always say it, but its very long-term. But I would like it."

I would like to become world champion.

Faustino Oro

Meanwhile, Faustino's father, Alejandro Oro, offered a grounded perspective on his son's talent: Fausti is a bright child, but he doesnt stand out in everything he does; hes not gifted. For example, he has a hard time learning English. He doesnt read much, not even chess books. He simply has a prodigious ability to play chess," he told InfoBae.

In September, Oro will start school in Badalona, Spain, where he has moved with his parents. He doesn't turn 11 until October.

See the article here:

How the 'Messi of Chess' Is Creating 'Faustimania' In Argentina - Chess.com

GamesBeat is excited to partner with Lil Snack to have customized games just for our audience! We know as gamers ourselves, this is an exciting way to engage through play with the GamesBeat content you have already come to love. Start playing games here.

Chess.com announced today that it is partnering with CrunchLabs on the CrunchLabs Masters tour, the next leg of its Champions Chess Tour (CCT), which will run from July 17-24. As part of the CrunchLabs Masters, chess pros will compete for a $300,000 prize pool, with winners also having a chance to compete in the CCT finals. Some of the competitors include Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, Wesley So and Maxime Vachier Lagrave.

As part of the event, CrunchLabs and Chess.com are also unveiling a bot based on the formers head nerd, YouTuber Mark Rober. The RoberBot is designed to help burgeoning chess players improve their game, according to CrunchLabs. Fans can play against RoberBot while also receiving personalized quotes from Rober. CrunchLabs is also offering a limited-time discount to Chess.com fans who sign up for its subscription boxes.

Rober said in a statement, Its been awesome working with Erik and the Chess.com team and seeing how these Chess Masters dominate the game. The CrunchLabs formula is meant to get people stoked about science while having tons of fun. Similarly, Chess.com brings even more engagement and excitement to the game of chess and allows people to have a good time while learning more about the intricate sport. We cant wait to see who comes out on top at The CrunchLabs Masters.

Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com, said of the collaboration, Im a huge fan of both Mark Rober and CrunchLabs, my son and I have spent many years assembling science projects in a box and it has been incredibly bonding. Ive been to the CrunchLabs offices and seen the passion driving their team and the ingenuity they bring to their projects, which we then get to enjoy at home. Were thrilled to be collaborating with the CrunchLabs team.

GB Daily

Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily

By subscribing, you agree to VentureBeat's Terms of Service.

Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.

An error occured.

See the rest here:

Chess.com partners with CrunchLabs on Masters tour and Mark Rober Bot - VentureBeat