The Chess Mind

This week we'll go against concept and look at a very recent game, the battle between Peter Leko and Teimour Radjabov from the 2006 Morelia/Linares tournament. Both players were in excellent form in this event, and this game was no exception. Radjabov essayed one of the most popular lines in contemporary chess, the Sveshnikov Sicilian, which Leko - himself a long-time devotee of the Sveshnikov - met with an intriguing near-novelty.

Radjabov did not find (or perhaps did find but rejected) what most commentators, including Leko himself, have declared the best continuation, but refuting Radjabov's idea proved quite difficult. When Leko is in good form, however, his play is a fine blend of strategic depth combined with accurate, deep calculation, and a 30-minute think produced the solution. From that point on, Leko increased his advantage bit by bit, exploiting Black's weak light squares and compromised king's position while simultaneously quashing Black's various attempts at counterplay. Finally, Leko crowned his efforts with a tactical finish leading to mate - a beautiful bow wrapping the package.

It's a great game; a bit calmer than the wild Velimirovic Attack we saw the last two weeks, but still plenty sharp. Strategically, Leko's play is a model worthy of emulation, and considering the prominence of the Sveshnikov in current practice, this game deserves a close look by anyone who plays this variation or faces it. We'll provide a bit of a primer on the line, so even if you're just curious about it, you'll want to watch this Monday night at 9 pm!

Newcomers in need of directions for watching the show (and for watching older, archived shows later), click here; for a list of games covered in previous shows, this is the link for you.

Last week we started to look at the terrific correspondence chess battle between former world champion Vytas Palciauskas and Vytautas Andriulaitis, but we didn't even make it out of the opening! The Velimirovic Attack in the Classical Sicilian leads to wild, sacrifice-filled play, and it's important to have some idea of what in the world is going on before rushing to the middlegame.

It isn't any less complicated where we left off, but at least now we'll have some understanding of what's happening, some markers to help find our way through the terrain. Surprisingly, the ultra-complicated phase only lasts another 10 moves or so, when it resolves into a more generality-friendly position. Ironically, it is at that point that Andriulaitis finally errs, after which his opponent's accurate play gradually brings in the point.

A fascinating opening, wild variations, and accurate positional play - what more could a chess fan want? Join me this Monday night at 9 pm on the playchess server for a truly great game; you'll be glad you did!

Don't know how? Click here for directions. Concerned about having missed last week's show? No problem: click that same link - it also explains how to watch archived shows. If you're curious about what else you might find in those archives (two years' worth!), then this is the link for you.

It's time once more for a trip to the badly, wrongly neglected realm of correspondence chess. Of course, there are plenty of terrible correspondence games - as there are plenty of lousy OTB games - but the number of strong players (including OTB GMs) engaged in correspondence make it a treasure trove of great, theoretically significant games.

Naturally, this week's show features just such a game, and in one of my all-time favorite variations (as a fan, not a practitioner!): the Velimirovic Attack against the Classical Sicilian. White launches his pieces into the center and turns to a kingside attack, seemingly without caring how many of them are en prise at any given moment. White's characteristic setup makes a strong aesthetic impression, and often his concluding attack does as well, yet time after time Black has proven to have sufficient resources to hold the balance - even if they are found only after a painful loss.

And that's what happens in this game. Palciauskas, the 10th correspondence world champion and an American who emigrated from Lithuania to the United States as a child, introduced an important novelty on move 18 against his opponent in this USA-Lithuania correspondence match. Andriulaitis defended well through the initial firestorm, but on move 26 his one and only error cost him the game.

If you're a lover of sharp openings and wild tactics, this is the game for you! Just tune in this Monday night at 9 pm ET; you'll be glad you did. Directions for watching the show live (and for watching archived shows, for that matter) can be found here, while a list of games covered in previous shows can be accessed here.

The best game of the past 20 years?

That’s what Jan Timman said at the time about the game Ljubomir Ljubojevic-Ulf Andersson, Wijk aan Zee 1976. I’m not sure I’d agree, but it’s got all the elements to contend for that high honor: two of the world’s best players, both playing excellently in a very rich, complex game. Adding to the game’s value is that both players assumed their “official” roles: “Ljubo”, the superlative attacker and lover of complications, was in his element on the White side of a sharp Be2 Scheveningen, while Andersson, the consummate defender, successfully fought off wave after wave of the attack. Finally, one of the players blinked.

Who was it?

For that, and to see some of the deep, beautiful variations behind the scenes, you’ll just have to tune in this Monday night at 9 pm ET. You’ll be glad you did!

If you're new to the show and need viewing directions, all the info you'll need is here, while a list of games covered in previous shows is available here.

This year, we won’t exactly have an April Fool’s show, but we’ll look at some examples one of the most outrageous themes in chess: the successful king walk. One of the most fundamental of all chess lessons is that prior to the endgame, the king should be squirreled away in a safe, castled position; bringing the king out into the open is foolhardy and a sure path to a quick loss. And that’s true – usually. But not always! Sometimes the king’s natural home is in such danger that a trip to other parts is an exodus to safety. Sometimes a player will want to open lines for attack on one side of the board, and so he preemptively relocates his king in advance of commencing the aggressive operation. And sometimes, the king has a job of its own to do, and it becomes a full participant in the offense.

The latter is the rarest case, and we’ll take a look at what must be the most famous example in at least recent chess history, Short’s famous king walk game against Jan Timman. But in the interest of putting this unusual theme on full display, we’ll take a quick look at a variety of king walks before turning to our featured game. It’s not exactly an April Fool’s show, but the games are in the spirit of that tradition: you see it, but you’re not sure if you should believe it!

Hope to see everyone this Monday night at 9 p.m. ET – don’t forget to set your clocks forward, if you haven’t already. If you're new to the show, you can find directions for watching (both live and archived shows) here, while a list of games covered in previous shows can be found here.