Being a Grandmaster and a Chess Mom can be tricky sometimes. After a lot of dedication and hard work, my elder son Tommy finally broke through and won the National 2nd Grade Championship in December 2006. He also became the #1 ranked 7 year old in the country. This was the beginning of the downfall. […]
Important Scholastic Coaching Tips
Coaching Tips Since I started attending scholastic chess events some years ago when my children began to play chess, I saw things in a different light and there were routines my sons and I have to follow. The most important thing is that my sons have to enjoy playing chess, studying the game and competing […]
My Chess Quotes Over The Years
Below are some of my quotes over the years! Enjoy! * Win with grace, lose with dignity! * What does it take to be a champion? Desire, dedication, determination, personal and professional discipline, focus, concentration, strong nerves, the will to win, and yes, talent! * No matter how successful you are (or will be), never […]
My kids know chess rules. What’s next?
Q: How can I attract my children to the game, maintain their enthusiasm and make chess fun, too? A: That is an excellent question, one which has been asked by many parents. First of all, it depends on the ages of the children. From the age of 2 or 3 years old, you can start […]
Chess Parenting
How should parents/coaches handle the success and failure of their children/students during chess tournaments? This is my take about this complicated issue. The most important thing for me is that my son has to enjoy playing chess, studying the game and competing in tournaments. I have seen too many incidents of parents and coaches screaming […]
UNDERSTANDING CHESS WITH GM ILLIA NYZHNYK: ATTACKING THE KING!
Hello everybody, and welcome to a third article of the “Understanding Chess with Grandmaster Illia Nyzhnyk” series. In the last article, I talked about king safety, and what one should be looking for when making a decision on how to defend their king. This time, I would like to “reverse the roles” and discuss what […]
Understanding Chess with GM Illia Nyzhnyk: King Safety (2)
Hello everybody, and welcome to a second article of the “Understanding Chess with Grandmaster Illia Nyzhnyk” series. I would like to pick up where the previous article left off – how to hide your king properly and avoid getting checkmated. Please consider the following position: The only way to save the white king is to […]
Understanding Chess with GM Illia Nyzhnyk – Introduction (1)
Hello everybody, and welcome to the “Understanding Chess with Grandmaster Illia Nyzhnyk”, a series of short chess articles. My goal for these articles is to show you fundamental chess principles with simple examples, something you can use as a reference while learning the game and becoming a better player. To start things off, I would […]
More Special Endgame!
White to move! How should white proceed? Please write out the plan for white, and not just 1-2 moves.