Practice Tactics at ChessTempo.com

(Black to move and win. Final position from Mamedyarov vs Kurnosov at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow. White resigned in disgust and then accused his opponent of cheating. Instead of being a bad sport, maybe he should have worked on tactics puzzles instead.)

This post has been reprinted from May 2008. The internet has so many cool websites that it is impossible to know each one. Sometimes you stumble on a new site either by luck or upon a suggestion. I came across the chess tactics server www.chesstempo.com on advice from one of my opponents. This chess tactics website is nearly everything that I could have dreamed of!

This Chess Tactics Server allows users to solve tactics puzzles and receive a rating. The standard rating requires only accuracy (get the correct solution) while the blitz rating requires accuracy plus speed (lose points if you take too long). The interface is quite easy to use. They are still growing; since last year, they added two endgame puzzle categories. Best of all, registering for this exciting website is free!

Advantages:

1. Nearly 40,000 problems! You won't run out anytime soon.
2. A new problem pops up automatically (click on "last problem for session" to stop).
3. Wide variety of puzzles so that you won't get bored.
4. Harder problems have a higher rating and you get more points for solving.
5. All problems are from real games.
6. Some positions are easy (e.g. 1-movers) but the correct move is difficult to spot.
   
7. Can view your solving history and go back to problems you missed.
8. Solve endgame puzzles, both theoretical and practical.
   

Disadvantages:

1. A few problems are dumb (e.g. a piece is hanging).
2. It is frustrating when you find an easily winning move, but there is a better one (e.g. winning queen instead of checkmate or different mates in 2). This has improved.
   
3. There is no partial credit if you get the first move but mess up in the full variation.
   
4. Standard ratings are lower than USCF. Ratings seem to be closer to USCF now.
   
5. Blitz ratings are higher than USCF.
6. Can't search the database for specific types of tactics. Premium option.
   

I highly recommend this site to all of my students as well as other chess players. One hint: When you find a good move, first stop and try to find a better one!

Stunning Upset in Round 1 of CalChess Scholastics

(This is the position after move 12 of the round 1 game between Avinash Kumar and Danya Naroditsky. White to move. What would you play here?)

State and national level scholastic tournaments are a hotbed for upsets, and the annual CalChess Scholastics are certainly no exception. However, nobody could predict that the top seed and defending champion in K-12 would lose in the first round. Congrats to Avinash Kumar (1552) of Saratoga High School (see photo) for the upset of the year against World U12 Champion FM Daniel Naroditsky (2329).

Click on this link to view the game in Chess Publisher's game viewer. Black's position began falling apart with 11... d5, although after 12.exd5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Qxd5 he still could have played Be7 15.Qxa8 Qxf4+ 16. Kb1 O-O with some compensation for the material lost in the form of a bishop pair. Would it be enough? We will never know because Danya slipped with the catastrophic blunder 14... Rb8, allowing mate in 3.

However, Danya is a well-known fighter. Despite the obvious disappointment and having very little to play for unless all of the results go his way, he did not withdraw. Good luck!

Chess Tactics Server

(Black to move and mate. Position from Inarkiev vs Kamsky, FIDE Grand Prix in Baku.)

The internet has so many cool websites that it is impossible to know each one. Sometimes you stumble on a great new site either by luck or upon another person's advice. When my round 4 opponent last Saturday suggested that I check out www.chesstempo.com, I was a bit puzzled. When I checked it out later, I was stunned. This chess tactics website is nearly everything that I could have dreamed of! Thanks to Alvin Pulley for this tip.

This Chess Tactics Server allows users to solve tactics puzzles and receive a rating. The standard rating requires only accuracy (get the correct solution) while the blitz rating requires accuracy plus speed (lose points if you take too long). The interface is quite easy to use. Best of all, registering for this exciting website is free!

Advantages:

1. Over 25,000 problems! You won't run out anytime soon.
2. A new problem pops up automatically (click on "last problem for session" to stop).
3. Wide variety of puzzles so that you won't get bored.
4. Harder problems have a higher rating and you get more points for solving.
5. All problems are from real games.
6. Some positions are easy (e.g. 1-movers) but the correct move is difficult to spot.
   
7. Can view your solving history and go back to problems you missed.

Disadvantages:

1. A few problems are dumb (e.g. a piece is hanging).
2. It is frustrating when you find an easily winning move, but there is an equal or better one (e.g. winning queen instead of checkmate or two different mates in 2).
3. There is no partial credit if you get the first move but mess up in the full variation.
   
4. Standard ratings are much lower than USCF (I'm about 1800).
5. Blitz ratings are higher than USCF (I'm about 2400).
6. Can't search the database for specific types of tactics.

I recommend this site to all of my students as well as other chess players. With the CalChess Scholastics coming up in two weeks, now would be a great time to sharpen your tactics by solving a few hundred positions on www.chesstempo.com! One hint: When you find a good move, first stop and try to find a better one!