Coach decided to play e4 instead of his usual C4 for some reason which in turn gave me the opportunity to played my preferred Scandinavian. Though my kingside looked vulnerable, I determined the pawn advance would be relatively slow and that I’d have some time to make threats on his king. I think the move 17. bishop to a3 caused some stress. The key blunder from white was not recapturing on b3 with the bishop but instead going for the …
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I decided that I needed a logo for my chess.com account. I’d just watched the movie 300. And since I’m also a javelin thrower, I decided to combine my favorite hobbies of javelin and chess into one image. Thanks to Bivas (@Sobisss on Freelancer) for designing my logo for me. Here is a link to his Freelancer account. Psyching my opponents out It appears that my new logo has aided in psyching out or distracting my opponents a little bit. …
This image is an untimely reminder that if you are trying to disrespect/troll your opponent in chess, you better make sure you do a proper job of it. (See game). Playing the only pawn forward (assuming auto-promotion is on) was my only move that didn’t lead to immediate mate, and that just made the fail that much more epic. Well done to Rhattt on taking a point. …
Last week was probably my best ever week of chess. But as Newton would agree what comes up must come down. Pros I defeated 3 players rated 2554, 2266 and 2112. In my last 5 games against 2000+ rated players in blitz, I’ve had 3 wins and 2 defeats. I felt that as a 1720 ranked rapid/1600 blitz player I was finally on the cusp of greatness in chess. Cons Recent results against players rated between 1500 and 1700 are …
I just recorded my highest rated ever chess win by far. Here’s how the game played out. The opening The position transposed into the Ruy Lopez and as it turns out I played the old Steinitz defense (I kind of just winged it). Up to move 12 the position was approximately equal. I made a sizeable error by elevating my rook to b7 instead of castling. Castling was the more sensible option as my king was a bit exposed but …
The scholar’s mate is a commonly attempted 4 move checkmate trap for white that you’ll encounter mainly at the beginning and intermediate levels. My first chess teacher who happened to be a grandmaster said that a GM from Hungary once lost to scholars mate in the 1900’s, but it could be a false memory as I can’t seem to find any record of such a game. At master level, the sequence is not considered the most accurate play as it …
Collecting ancient antiques seems like it could be an expensive hobby. However, you might be surprised that there are an abundance of super cool artefacts out there for casual collectors that won’t break the bank. Here’s a short guide to what you can find for those thinking about starting a collection. There’s a lot out there, from fossils of ancient sea creatures to coins depicting notorious Roman Rulers. Orthoceras Fossils Orthoceras Fossils Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Orthoceras Fossils Fossil …
Are British Soldiers Responsible for the Mysterious Origin of the Oak Island Money Pit? The Oak Island Money Pit is arguably one of the most peculiar mysteries in the last 300 years. Hidden away on a tiny island off the coast of Nova Scotia, the pit was discovered in 1795 by a curious teenage boy named Daniel McGinnis. Since its discovery, countless historians and treasure hunters have been determined to unveil its mysteries. Oak Island Conspiracies The true nature of …
Today I had the opportunity to consume a box of Arnott’s Fully Loaded Epic Garlic Bread shapes. These shapes definitely have a strong flavor. I would say that it is a similar experience to eating garlic bread that is made hard through overcooking, with texture similar to that of a bagel bite. One part of the flavor combination I find particularly agreeable is that the taste seems to improve somehow throughout the eating process. I guess the strong flavoring requires …
Australia vs Argentina is a surprising fixture given Australia were considered unlikely to make it out of the group. Argentina were shocked by Saudi Arabia in their opening game and were unable to get back into the match in the second half. This is despite the club form of Lionel Messi. Australia has shown much more threat on the counter than in the 2018 world cup. They also have a huge aerial threat from the Australian Maguire Harry Soutar. I …