Hey Impressive Chessers! In this blog we are going to time travel back to the prehistoric ages of the early 2000s. So as some of you know I’ve been teaching/coaching chess for almost a quarter century! I started teaching chess in 2001, a f...
Hey Impressive Chessers! You may have seen my last post: www.chess.com/blog/NMChesstoImpress/want-to-play-impressive-chess-do-these-5-things and thought this NM has no idea what he’s talking about… and you’d be right! That...
Hey Impressive Chessers! So, you want to be an impressive chess player? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Follow these five foolproof strategies, and I guarantee you’ll stay on the path to greatness. These are battle-tested techni...
Hey Impressive Chessers! How many of you have played a great game, maybe it ended with a beautiful Queen sac for mate, but somewhere in the game, you played an inaccurate move in the opening or had a non-ideal strategy? What does our brain usual...
Hey Impressive Chessers! You’ve probably heard the idiom: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” In modern times, this phrase often carries a negative connotation. While I may disagree that this should be seen as ...
Hey Impressive Chessers! You’ve heard it all before, “Don’t study openings, just develop your pieces, control the center and get your King safe by castling it to a safe side” - A ton of content creating titled ...
Hey Impressive Chessers On Thursday, February 27th, we lost the chess legend Boris Spassky. I never got the chance to meet the man, but I’ve heard countless stories of what a fine gentleman he was. I’m not the right person to write ...
Hey Impressive Chessers! This blog is all about pressure, and boy, do people have a lot to say on this subject! We all know these words are all just a ruse to sneak in your games and puzzles without appearing narcissistic.Click --> Puzzle...
Hey Impressive Chessers! When I first got into chess, we had to fend off velociraptors... okay, sorry, too many dad jokes. What really happened was that the "four-move checkmate" was all the rage. As White, I either checkmated my opponent b...
Hey Impressive Chessers! How many times has this happened to you? Let’s say you’re “Katie.” Katie is playing a higher-rated opponent, and she’s managed to trick them—now she’s up two pawns. Woohoo! But no...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Most of us get into chess because we see all of these brilliant sacrificial games from Tal, Morphy, Kasparov, or my personal favorite: Nezhmetdinov. Maybe later we might appreciate the subtlety of a Capablanca, Petrosian...
Hey Impressive Chessers! I'm sure something like this has happened in your chess career-You've developed all or most of your pieces, you've castled your King, you have good central control, basically you've done everything "right". But, your ins...
Hey, Impressive Chessers! Let’s set the stage. You’re playing a game you’re sure your coach will be proud of. You’re not only looking at all the cool moves you can play but also countering everything your opponent throws ...
Hey Impressive Chessers! I'm back and ready to keep you impressive in 2025! Today, I want to share a position that could’ve easily arisen from a 3|0 game I played on chess.com. Even in blitz, where the time is always ticking, certain criti...
Hey Impressive Chessers! This blog centers around the timeless advice from the legendary Emanuel Lasker, the 2nd World Chess Champion: "When you see a good move, look for a better one." We’re diving into a game that embodies this ...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Happy Holidays, and if you celebrate, Happy Feast of the Seven Fishes. The holiday season is a time for feasting, and what better feast for a chess enthusiast than a table of seven “chess fishes”? No, we&rs...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Today, I’m revisiting a blog from last year that, funnily enough, revisited a blog I wrote all the way back in 2016. Talk about layers! If you’re curious to dig into the archives, here’s the original po...
I’m beyond grateful to announce that my blog, 7 Things I’m Thankful for in Chess, was awarded Blog of the Month for November 2024! This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without you—my readers and commenters. Your ins...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Since today is a rest day for the World Championship match, I wanted to get into something a little lighter and something I've been thinking about lately. Here in USA, American Football dominates TV/streaming ratin...
Hey Impressive Chessers! And to my fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍁 Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! As we celebrate this day of gratitude, I can’t think of a better time to reflect on the many blessings chess ...
Hey Impressive Chessers! After my last blog post, Simplify to Winify!, I felt the need to clarify something: I don’t advocate trading pieces in a vacuum—only after you’ve won material. There’s a huge difference between sim...
#ImpressiveChess = #SimpleChess #SimplifyToWinify Embracing the KISS Principle: Keep It Simple S****d Hey Impressive Chessers! I want to share a principle with you today that I see too many players—especially those who are already up ...
#Chess #Improvement #Learn from a #ChessMaster #Calculation > #Feelings Proud Teacher Moment: When Students Take Initiative in Studying Instructive Games One of the things I find most rewarding as a chess teacher is seeing my students go...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Happy Halloween! 🎃 Today, we're revisiting a classic Halloween topic: the infamous Halloween Gambit! This gambit is a spooky trick that arises in the Four Knights Opening, where White sacrifices a knight with 4. Nxe5, ai...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Today, we’re going to revisit a topic that you’re probably getting pretty tired of hearing about: dealing with your opponent’s threats. If you’re tired of hearing about it—good! It means it's...
