Posts Tagged ‘quora’

A Plan for Adding New Chess Openings

December 13, 2019

Question: How do I manage my desire to learn multiple chess openings (I play 1 e4 and suddenly I want to learn the Catalan from a book I bought)?

Answer: Perhaps restrict yourself to playing online blitz games with your e4 repertoire on days that start with S and T and attempt to play the Catalan on the others. There is no harm in experimenting  https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-manage-my-desire-to-learn-multiple-chess-openings-I-play-1-e4-and-suddenly-I-want-to-learn-the-Catalan-from-a-book-I-bought/answer/Chris-Torres-13?ch=10&share=062f7db4&srid=i4Sz

Backwards Chess

December 12, 2019

Question: Who can play chess backwards?

By playing “chess backwards” I assume you are referring to retrograde analysis chess puzzles.

The individuals who appreciate these bewilders enjoy intelligent reasoning yet are exhausted by standard chess puzzles. A well conjured retrograde chess puzzle presents a harmless looking chess position and an apparently difficult to-respond to address about it, for example, “What was White’s past move?” or “On which square should the White pawn be found?” https://www.quora.com/Who-can-play-chess-backwards/answer/Chris-Torres-13?ch=10&share=dbf37a93&srid=i4Sz

Two Hands Aren’t Better Than One

December 9, 2019

Was playing with both hands ever allowed in chess?

You can play chess with either hand or both if you choose. The standard that you need to press the clock with the same hand that you use to move the pieces is there to keep players from touching the clock before they have finished the move….


My Answer on Quora to: “What is it like to meet Susan Polgar?”

June 26, 2014

(Link to Original Quora Answer)

Meeting Susan Polgar would be an awesome experience for any chess enthusiast. Susan was the first woman to be awarded a non-gender biased grandmaster title from FIDE, the first World Chess Champion to win Chess’ Triple Crown, has become a worldwide symbol of women’s achievement in intellectual competition and was just named the “World’s Top Chess Trainer by FIDE.”

The first time I met Susan at a large scholastic chess tournament, she was incredibly gracious and Susan’s demeanor toward her fans was a testament to the classy games she is an ambassador for. Everyone who meets her describes her as being “down to earth.” The obvious paradox is that she also has a super-nova like celebrity air about her that outshines that of many Hollywood stars I’ve met. After our first meeting, I couldn’t help but ponder what shame it is that children, especially girls, idolize celebrities with questionable talent rather than role models such as Susan Polgar. This is precisely why I have made arrangements for Susan to visit the Fremont Summer Chess Camp(www.FremontChess.com) in July and spend time with my own daughters.

Two Chess Books to Rule Them All

January 16, 2014
My very used copies of Chess: 5334 and Lasker's Manual of Chess.

My very used copies of Chess: 5334 and Lasker’s Manual of Chess.

Quora answer to: “What is the best chess book for learning chess?”

Empirical methods of training in chess have rapidly improved over the last century and a half. In the mid nineteenth century, only a few good chess manuals were available to learn strategies from and students of the game really had to live in certain chess locales in order to become proficient in chess. During the early twentieth century, the “Russian School of Chess” demonstrated the importance of early tactical training and a scientific approach to unraveling the mysteries of chess openings. Today, chess players of all ages have the advantage of easy access to online videos, tactic trainer apps and internet chess servers. Even with the perceived superiority and ease of using technology to understand chess, I find that I am still recommending just two books to chess parents who wish to have a greater role in a child’s chess education.

For an omnibus of chess strategy presented in an unambiguous manner, there is no greater book than Dr. Emanuel Lasker’s opus, Lasker’s Manual of Chess. First printed in 1947, Lasker’s Manual of Chess thoroughly presents universal strategies for every phase of the game. Lasker, who himself was World Champion for 28 years, explains his chess mastery using brilliant language and three hundred and eight ideal diagrams. Lasker’s manual of chess is always delightful to reread and I constantly find myself learning new ways to improve my chess teaching from this invaluable source.

Improving in chess also requires pattern recognition acquired through solving and studying thousands of chess positions. Perhaps, no one better understood this concept than Laszlo Polgar, who spent ten thousand hours training each of his three girls using famous chess puzzles and short games. After all three of his daughters became Grandmasters, Laszlo compiled his chess excercises into one book entitled, Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games. The beauty of Chess by Laszlo Polgar is that it really focuses on the critical skill of checkmating, common piece sacrifices, punishment for opening inaccuracies and tactics in endgames.  Laszlo Polgar’s masterpiece also requires no ability to read making it instantly accessible to chess players of all ages. To date, I consider the “Polgar Book” to be the best training method for rapid improvement in chess.

I literally have no idea how many chess books are in my collection do to its enormous size and unorganized structure. Most of my chess collection represent a desire to own a chess library rather than a need to learn from so many sources. With the advent of the information age, most of my chess books simply collect dust. However, Lasker’s Manual of Chess and Chess: 5334 regularly get opened to improve my own understanding of chess and to train my daughters.

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