my latest books
"Re-Engineering the Chess Classics"
Nominated for the 2023 Chess.com Book of the Year
"The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement"
"Game Changer" won the ECF Book of the Year 2019 and the FIDE Book of the Year 2019
The most beautiful game of the 1952 Saltsjobaden Interzonal
In Tidskrift för Schack 1952/10-11, Stahlberg is quoted as referring to Stoltz as “an extinct volcano”! However, the volcano still had some danger to it from time to time as this game – which won the beauty prize at the 1952 Interzonal – demonstrates. Translation: “Today’s sensational match was provided by Stoltz and Steiner. The read more…
At Hamburg with Herman!
Sweden performed very creditably in the 1930 Hamburg Olympiad, coming in 9th after the winners Poland. Stoltz scored 10/17 (+7 = 6 -4) on board 3 (behind Stahlberg and Berndtsson and ahead of Lundin) and this win against the American team was typically exciting! Stoltz,Gosta – Steiner,Herman [C89] Olympiad–03 Hamburg (9), 19.07.1930 Comments marked [EB] read more…
The Stoltz Immortal game!
In this article we will enjoy Stoltz’ best-known game, also featured – as the author Steve Giddins mentioned in a YouTube comment – in New in Chess’ “The Most Exciting Games of Chess Ever Played” (slight digression, I did a short video series of 4 games for that book). It was former World Champion Ruslan read more…
A King’s Gambit Declined Theory Battle in the 1920s!
One of the nice side-effects of reading the first part of the fabulous biography of Gideon Stahlberg (“Gideon Stahlberg – An Epoch in Swedish Chess. Volume I. The Musketeer Years 1908-1939”) by Peter Holmgren (Verendel Publishing) was that I developed a strong interest in his compatriot and rival Gosta Stoltz (May 9, 1904 – July read more…
"The secret of my success: with every move I force the opponent to think for themselves!"
- Alexander Alekhine
about
I am a Chess Grandmaster and writer, and one of England's top players. When I am not doing my job as an IT Consultant, I fill my free time with as much chess as possible
my work
Writing and discussing chess has always been one of my passions. I review chess books in a regular column for New in Chess magazine and have written 8 books myself. I also contribute to chess videos regularly.
contact me
I hope that you enjoy the site. I will enrich its content over time and would love to hear what you think. Let me know whether there are any topics you would like me to cover in my blog.
"How many moves do I consider when analysing? Only one, but it's always the best one!"
- Emanuel Lasker
