Correspondence Chess

Leave a Comment / Correspondence Chess, Gameknot /
I have started playing a few correspondence chess games online at Gameknot. I have a few friends that I was keen to play against so I thought this would be a fun and easy way to play games against each other.
We have agreed to only use online tools and information on openings etc. (such as chessgames.com or wiki) to help prepare and influence our moves. We have also agreed to no engine checking.
 I have also started a few games against people I do not know on the site and have been quite successful so far but I currently have a provisional rating and have been matched against weaker players then myself.
I have found it interesting how quickly I have won some of my matches against my opponents as I would have expected correspondence games to not end quickly as players would be taking time to analyse the position and make the best moves.
Here are two of the games I have played so far.
Both games show the importance of having some opening theory and developing all your pieces in the opening. The games also show why it is important to get your King to safety by castling, not having your King stuck in the center of the board.

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Blitz Game

Leave a Comment / Blitz, Smith Morra Gambit /
It has been a while since I have shared a blitz game on this blog.
The truth is I have not played that many games recently and have not played many games that I would consider good to share. I haven’t won many games with interesting tactics or positions. I looked through to see if there where any good games to show where I had lost but generally my losses came from making blunders and dropping pieces (I seem to drop pieces far to often in blitz, or get them trapped or forked?!) and I did not find them that instructive.

This game I have chosen is a Smith Morra Gambit game. I love this opening for the tactics and the fun that it brings to a game. It is a great one for blitz! There are a few interesting tactical moves and the final position leaves Black with a lost position where Black cannot stop checkmate occurring without giving up substantial material.

The following game was played on Chesscube. I really enjoy playing on Chesscube and find the site quite easy to use. My online chess name is Clivek if you are ever on Chesscube and see my name or find yourself playing me! Hope you enjoy!

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My Game Against A GM

Leave a Comment / Ian Rogers, Junior Chess /
Recently I was having a look at a few games I had kept from when I was playing junior chess. I found a game I had played against GM Ian Rogers. He played a simultaneous match against all the competitors that played in the 2005 NSW Junior Championships. I am surprised at how well I went in the game and until I made a decisive blunder my position and ideas where quite good. I was only 15 at the time.


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