The opening is a race to see who can get their pieces out first while keeping at least a share of control of the center.’ To illustrate this point, we will be introducing the Evans Gambit.

The Evan's Gambit - Position after 4.b4

If you chose to play this opening, you will be able to rapidly deploy your pieces, create positions that require tactical play, and can apply a great deal of pressure on your opponent. Perhaps the most famous example of the opening occurs between the Grandmasters, Robert Fischer and Robert Fine.


Fischer,R - Fine,R [C52]
New York, 1963

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 dxc3 8.Qb3 Qe7
9.Nxc3 Nf6 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Ne5 12.Nxe5 Qxe5 13.Bb2 Qg5 14.h4 Qxh4 15.Bxg7 Rg8
16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg3 1-0

Excerpt from Chess Step by Step - by Frank Marshall and J.C.H. Macbeth

Title:Back to Basics:Tactics

I am reading  Dan Heisman’s Back To Basics: Tactics about a week ago. The book aims to teach tactical concepts to “beginning players who have never played tournament chess or who possess a U.S. Chess Federation rating lower than 1500″ or online players with a rating below 1700. I believe the book is well-suited for this purpose and audience. I also think players rated 100-200 points higher might use this book for a quick “tactical tune-up” if they are a bit rusty.

Chess is a game of intellectuals and Indians have always been good at it. It is also no wonder that this classic game was originated in India only. Today, Indians like Vishwanathan Anand don the cap of world champion in this classic game. You could also be the next super hero of this game. All you have to do to be a champ is download the game Chess Magician from www.home.mastersites.com/mailexpert/chess.htm .


Chess Magician is a multi-featured chess game for Windows. However, unlike the conventional way, for playing this game you do not need another player as you can pitch yourself against the gigantic computer. Chess Magician is basically Internet-integrated to connect you to the official server. The opponent is designed to be difficult, though you can set the level of difficulty from one to nine (or, 900 ELO to 2400 ELO). Thus you can test your chess skills and can also improve it further as this game offers tips whenever you need them. The selection of the skill level makes it a very user-friendly game as anybody can play this game, though it will have a lot of punch for the experts. Furthermore, it is also the best way of learning this game as this download provide extensive help at every stage and regardless of skill level, Chess Magician has the potential to improve your overall game.

Some of the other value added features of this program include the ability to set a time limit rule. Also, if you have taken a wrong step, this game provides you the chance of reversing it as there are navigational buttons for reverting to past moves. Moreover, you can also keep a track of all your moves. Furthermore you can also take a print out of your chessboard and strategies to further improve your gaming skills.

An excellent software for game lovers.

Probably the quietest sport, chess has given India all the reason to shout about. We have a world champion, Viswanathan Anand.

This sure must have inspired some of us to go back to the chequered board. After all, if in the cricket season everyone takes to three sticks, even if in the middle of a road, why not chess; moreover, it’s all in black and white and not mud coloured as in the game of white clothes. The Net has a plethora of content for the chess buff, or even the novice for that matter. Beginning with learning, you can read up on all the chess news, have discussions on the mind sport, debate on the famous games played, and, the best of all, actually play it online at all levels. You’ll even come across online tournaments.


While a simple search at msn.com would conveniently lead you to several relevant sites, the foremost would be it’s own rather-interactive http://zone.msn.com/chess/. You can chat, get news, download or shop stuff, even "get started" if need be. But the USP is the number of ‘gaming rooms’. Players of different levels can meet each other in separate categories, and test themselves. So no more looking for an idle friend to sit on that board—you can have real, human opponents on a virtual board. All you do is register yourself at the site with minimal information being asked for. Enter a game room, ‘sit’ on a board and wait for a player to come along. There could be upward of 400 players on the site at any given time, so the wait is not really long. Then for the ‘Anand-inspired,’ there are the tournament rooms. All these games are played using a small software that is downloaded from the site itself and installed automatically — no cause for non-geeks to worry. This site is free.

While most of us can slide a few pieces across the board as if trying to dodge rickshaws in a crowded Indian market, not many would know the difference between Queen’s English and Queen’s Pawn Openings. To learn about that you can go to www.princeton.edu/~jedwards/cif/chess.html, a site that can teach you basic as well advanced strategies for all pieces.

Then there is the Internet Chess Club at www.chessclub.com. A good site, but this is a paid site — $ 49 per annum — and, thus, may not be suitable for Indians without credit cards.

The organisation whose championship our boy won, the World Chess Federation, can be accessed at www.fide.com. You can view the famous games played, get news and other information on chess, see photos of events, or get a calendar of chess happenings scheduled.

Chess is a game with a rich history, in which India is believed to have the role of the place of birth. To learn more on this and the variants of the game, you check out www.chessvariants.com. You will find a description of Chaturanga, the oldest known form of chess, played in India in or before the 7th century after Christ.

While we are at it, you can may also like refresh your memory of how Deep Blue, the famous IBM computer, beat Garry Kasparov, in a six-game rematch in May 1997. You can do that at www.research.ibm.com/ deepblue/home/html/b.html. There are commentaries on the match by experts, including Viswanathan, as well as the technologies involved in the whole affair.

By the time you have taken a peek at these sites, you would surely sound like a heavyweight, if not play like one. Also, in the process you would come across a whole lot of other interesting links — sites on the game are by the thousand.

Just this evening one of the chess players I knew about 3 years ago contacted me through this blog. He did not remember me that well i guess as he is still a young boy 14 years of age and at that time must have been 10 or 11. I was in Belgaum then and was just a club player (Now it is just a hobby). He was an upcoming talent and due to lack of coaching and also due to financial reasons was stuck playing local competitions.

So it was a pleasant surprise when he contacted me via my email. Niranjan Navalgund is a rated chess player from India Rating 2065 .He runs a few blogs of his own on chess. I would be glad if you visited the BELGAUM CHESS blog or his Chess India Blog.

Wishing you all the best Niranjan. Do well young champ.

There is bright future for chess players in Goa provided there is more governmental support, parental help and expert coaching exposure.Ivana Maria Furtado, Bhakti Kulkarni, Anurag Mhamal, Pranav Zantye, Riya Sawant, Cyrus Pereira, Umang Kaisare, Anirudh Bhat are already doing exceedingly well among the younger lot, winning state championships with promising performances at national levels in their age-group categories. However, to make a mark at the higher level, be it international or national, the budding players will need the help of expert coaches who are not available in Goa.

Individual coaching is essential in chess to cater to particular style of the player. No two players adopt similar strategies. It is something like what happens in cricket where everyone cannot be a leg spinner or fast bowler. One has to respect and develop individual features and strong points of a player.Internet use, books and software is essential in chess and this is easily available today. What Goa needs now is expert coaches, who will have to be invited from elsewhere.

To make a mark at the top, one needs to earn Master, FIDE, International Master and Grand Master norms. The first step, however, is to obtain a rating, without which one cannot make it big in chess. Subsequently, exposure assumes great importance but this has to be necessarily at international level where international players participate. According to FIDE rules, there must be a presence of players from different countries in such events.A big international tournament in which 20 Grand Masters have already confirmed their participation is in offing in Mumbai from May 10 and Goan players have a great opportunity of making an appearance there.

Grand Masters can get job offers from Petroleum and Banking institutions. That apart, there is prize money and government incentives aplenty. For example, Sashikiran makes about Rs 20-25 lakh per year. Koneru Humpy is in the Rs 20-25 lakh bracket also while world champ V Anand is in the crore group. Besides, one is entitled for appearance money, the minimum being Rs 30,000 besides first class lodging, boarding and transportation.

Chess prospects in India are very bright. Remember in the last Asiad Games in Doha we won 3 gold. That’s very encouraging sign. We can do still better, as genius are not borne, but made. Hungarian chess wizard, psychologist Lazlo Polgar saw to it that his three daughters - Susan, Sofia and Judith - became chess greats (WGMs) with Judith retaining the number one position in the world for 15 years. Judith plays alongside men and has even defeated V Anand.

If you are a beginner or a good player who wants to further improve your game i would recommend you to have a look at this website. A Field Guide to Chess Tactics is a good web based chess learning site where you can review or practice some of the tactics most commonly used in chess.

You will get a good idea of the various tactics employed by chess players and the various hidden attacks such as discovered check, poisoned pawns , pinning and en passant to name only a few.