my latest books
"The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement"
"Game Changer" won the ECF Book of the Year 2019 and the FIDE Book of the Year 2019
"Chess for Life" won the ECF Book of the Year 2016 prize
Engine Snacks! An exchange sacrifice you should never forget!
We showcase a strong and unexpected exchange sacrifice in a typical structure that can arise from many openings: Caro-Kann, Scandinavian, Alekhine’s and even Modern.
Knowing this idea might just net you a quick win against an incautious opponent!
Mysterious pawn sacrifices!
In “The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement” I devote a whole chapter to engine sacrifices. In particular I noted the astonishing pawn sacrifices that engines make for long-term dynamic compensation. Stockfish’s pawn sacrifice against AllieStein is right up there in terms of mystery and superhuman judgement! Knowing this idea and the reasoning behind it will broaden your understanding of chess and open up a whole new range of possibilities in many positions!
Silicon Road: Engine Snacks! Know this double rook endgame!
ck article is in our Engine Snacks series! Leela counters a positional squeeze from Stockfish by transposing into a double-rook endgame a pawn down. To my shock and surprise, this endgame – with Stockfish having a far-advanced a-pawn – was a simple draw!
Knowing this position and its unexpected result might save you a half point or two in your career!
"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
