285) Daniel (Danya) Naroditsky, 1995-2025
The chess world received some extremely sad news yesterday, with the loss of GM Daniel Naroditsky.
274) The Canadian Chess Championship
Whatever the purpose of life is (if indeed, there is any at all), it must have to do with the phenomenological quality of life, the quality of our moments of being. It MUST have to do with joy. With concentrated immersion in the pursuit of excellence. With play. With community.
269) A Trans Girl Playing Chess
You cannot TRY to live with wisdom. Kind of like Yoda said, “Do or do not; there is no try.” You cannot TRY to be authentic. You can just be authentic, or not. Because the simple truth is, if you are not fully connected within yourself, if you are not plugged into your Self, if you are not grounded in Love, then everything is half-hearted.
And as Rumi says, “Half-heartedness does not reach into majesty.”
203) The Emotional Lessons I Learned From Getting My Ass Kicked
I can THINK that I deserve to win. But my FEELINGS are different. In fact, the closer I get to winning, my emotions become a maelstrom of chaos. I don’t even know what I’m feeling in those moments. Just — squirrelly. And needless to say, squirrels suck at chess.
192) How to Slay in Chess, Part 3: The Middle-game -- Intermediate Level
Following what I’ve outlined here took me past more than 99% of chess players, based on chess.com’s stats. So, based on my own experience, this is where I’d recommend starting.
191) How to Slay in Chess, Part 2: The Middle-game -- Beginner Level
If I had to choose the single-most-important mid-game strategy, it’s this one — If all else fails, and all you’re doing, move by move, is moving pieces in weak positions, into stronger positions, then you have a fighting chance.
181) How to Slay in Chess — From 1200 to over 1850 in 1 year (without in-depth study, coaching, or training): My System, Part 1
Will this turn you, or me, into a Master? I highly doubt it. But it took me, in one year, to the top 99.8% of players on chess.com. That’s not a boast; it’s just straightforward statistical evidence.
It turns out, a few good “strategic heuristics” can take you pretty far.