| Rafael Leitão

06 Dec

The Man Who Assembled Bicycles and Defeated Grandmasters

The history of chess in the 20th century has some enigmatic characters who are unknown to the general public. One of them is the Slovenian grandmaster Albin Planinc.

18 Feb

The Day Spassky Cried

Boris Spassky is known for his coolness and for not being afraid of anyone. Considered a universal chess player, that is, he played any type of position equally well, be it on defense, on attack, with compensation for sacrificed material or a technical endgame. The only criticism that can be made ...

15 Feb

Having breakfast with Vishy Anand

In 2006, I spent a month playing tournaments in Europe. I went to Belgium, Germany and Spain. The most memorable was the event in Mainz, Germany. It was a traditional rapid and Fischer Random tournament (which is also called Chess960 and in 2024 even "Freestyle" Chess. Regardless of the name, I ...

19 Sep

The Triumph and Tragedy of Alexander Alekhine

They say that the games reflect the personality of a professional chess player. This is certainly the case of Alexander Alekhine, a World Champion with an aggressive, complex, risky, optimistic style, all good adjectives for the mysterious player who died under misterious circunstances on the ...

03 Jan

Theoretical Endgames: The Bishop and Knight Checkmate

Theoretical Endgames: The Bishop and Knight Checkmate Although it is an elementary endgame, the bishop and knight checkmate has its complexities and must be studied seriously. In 2013, the women's World Champion GM Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) failed to win it in an important game. To avoid such a ...

24 Dec

The Top Ten Chess Players of All Time

The Top Ten Chess Players of All Time Yes I know. Lists are controversial. Nobody agrees and in extreme cases even friendships are broken. I have seen close relatives block themselves on facebook (in modern times AKA: I will never talk to you again) because one of them dared to say Cristiano ...

12 Dec

The Top 5 Blunders in Chess History

03 Sep

The 20 Chess Books That Helped Me To Become a Grandmaster

20 Aug

Lies And Truths About Bobby Fischer: Take The Test!

Who would you choose for dinner - alive or dead - in Paris? Be careful with the answer if you're married, dating or thinking about dating someone! Ever wondered if you could choose the company of the legendary chess world champion Bobby Fischer? Since this is not possible, you will have to ...