Mastering the Sicilian Najdorf

The Opocensky Variation of the Sicilian Najdorf with 6. Be2 remains one of the most commonly played lines for white against the Najdorf. In Fischer’s time in the 1950s and 1960s, more aggressive variations such as the Fischer-Sozin Attack, the 6. Bg5 Main Line, and the 6. f4 Amsterdam Variation were favored over the quieter Opocensky Variation with 6. Be2. However sufficient sources of counterplay were identified for black against the sharper continuations, and in […]

The 2012 World Chess Championship is taking place in Moscow, Russia on May 11-30 and features two of the best players in the game today: Defending World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand (India) and World Chess Championship Challenger Boris Gelfand (Israel). These two seasoned veterans in the chess elite are fighting it out for a prize fund of $2.5 million dollars (the winner will receive $1.5 million and the loser will receive $1 million). While Anand […]

The value of the truth is an enduring trope of the American cinema. In Tom Cruise’s Vanilla Sky, the protagonist is offered a choice to live in a world of his fancy, or to face the sometimes-gritty truth of a world far more real. Ditto the Matrix movie in which the main character can take either the blue pill or red pill. I chose the red one and, apparently, was involved in a chess game shortly […]

Winning is chess is often over-thought and underachieved. Chess players by nature are very interested in psychology, and this often leads to detrimental effects on their quality of play as it easy to “psych yourself out” and over-think simple decisions. For the experienced player, playing chess should be ingrained in your brain similar to seasoned athletes retain muscle memory in sports. The best way to approach a game of chess is with a strong mentality […]

William Stewart is a National Master. He specializes in Online Chess Coaching and maintains a daily updated Chess Blog