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Posted by Matthew Sadler on 30th August 2025

The smallest details

One of the most striking pieces of analysis I have done on my Silicon Road YouTube channel was of game 86 of the Season 24 TCEC SuperFinal between Stockfish and Leela.  The video is here (https://youtu.be/ss0r2OIrHXU) And the game is available for viewing at the TCEC here (https://tcec-chess.com/#div=sf&game=86&season=24) Game: Stockfish-Leela after 40…Ra5 In the course

Posted by Matthew Sadler on 27th August 2025

A typical Colle-Zukertort position – Part 2

In the previous blog post, we looked through the game Conquest-Royal from the 8th round of the 2025 British Championships in Liverpool at a high level. Now it’s time to dive into the critical positions in more detail, starting as always from the end of the game and working our way backwards!   Game: 20.f5

Posted by Matthew Sadler on 23rd August 2025

A typical Colle-Zukertort position – Part 1

English grandmaster Stuart Conquest had a wonderful finish to the 2025 British Championships in Liverpool, winning his last 2 games against grandmasters Shreyas Royal and Nikita Vitiugiov to tie for first with Michael Adams and Peter Roberson, subsequently finishing second to the evergreen Mickey after a rapid playoff. I was particularly interested in the quick

Posted by Matthew Sadler on 19th August 2025

Explaining complex tactics – Part 6

So we’ve seen the wildest the engines have to offer us! But how could / would / should a human player approach such a position? Well I’ve mentioned a couple of times that in after these now well-known opening moves 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5

Posted by Matthew Sadler on 16th August 2025

Explaining complex tactics – Part 5

In this blog post we dive a little deeper into the main lines after 17…Be3+ 18.Kb1 Nxe5, focusing on lines that a human player (like me!) might think of while playing through the game! 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6