Improve Chess Openings Now - Studying Rauzer Sicilian with Chess Positio...

This chess software review will show you how to learn and practice chess openings without risking rating points! More about Chess Position Trainer on my blog: http://roman-chess.blogspot.ca/search/label/Software%20-%20Chess%20Position%20Trainer

Best Combinations of 2015 – Quarterly Chess Tactics Volume 3 - July, August, September

Best Combinations of 2015 - Quarterly Chess Tactics – Volume 3 is now out with over 500 puzzles for you to solve. It is available on Amazon and on Kobo. The Kindle free sample contains dozens of combinations, so you can first practice those positions and see if you like the selection. This publication is a collection of over 500 best combinations played by strong chess players in tournaments that took place the third quarter of 2015. I first filtered the correct combinations with various computer-assisted approaches, and then manually went through the entire collection to select only the puzzles useful to practical chess players.

As criteria for including the games into this book - I used Mikhail Botvinnik's definition of a combination, which defines it as "a forced maneuver or maneuvers combined with a sacrifice, as a result of which the active side gains an objective advantage." Finding such combinations is typically the most useful type of exercise for those who want to sharpen their tactical skills.

The book is the third in the "Quarterly Chess Tactics" series, which provides instructive tactical positions from the most recent top chess tournaments.

Best Chess Combinations of 2015 - Part 1 Screencast

This is a preview  (NO SOUND) of the ebook with 10 seconds per each chess puzzle -  Feel free to pause the video and take longer to figure out the solution if you need to. Feedback on the puzzles as well as on the format of either the video or the ebook would be much appreciated.

Training Tactics with Chess Position Trainer - Best Combinations of 2014

Here is another way to study tactics - via Chess Position Trainer. The Combinations are taken from my ebook "Best Combinations of August 2014".

Baku Chess World Cup 2015–Selected Fragments

The Chess World Cup is my favourite tournament to follow since 2011, and I dedicated an ebook to it back in 2013. I intend to cover all combinations from the 2015 Baku World Cup in the Quarterly Tactics series, but for now here are some selected fragments:

Sergei Zhigalko - Ivan Bukavshin
World Cup   2015.09.13 , B47

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. Be3 a6 8. O-O Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Qe1 O-O 11. Qg3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. Kh1 Bc6 15. Rae1 Rad816. Bf3 Qb7 17. Nd1 Ne8 18. Nf2 Bf6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. e5 Ne8 21. Ng4 Bxf3 22. Rxf3 dxe5 23. fxe5 Qe7

White to move

Solution:

24. Nf6+ Kh8 25. Qh4 h6

( 25. ... gxf6 26. Rh3 +- )

26. Qe4 Nxf6 27. exf6 Qd6 28. Rd3 Qb6 29. fxg7+ Kxg7 30. Rg3+ Kh8 31. Qf4 e5 32. Qxe5+ f6 33. Qh5 Qc7 34. Qxh6+ Qh7 35. Qf4 Qxc2 36. Rh3+ Kg8 37. Qg4+ Kf7 38. Qe6+ Kg7 39. Qe7+ 1-0

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Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - Yifan Hou
World Cup   2015.09.16 , E54

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Qe2 h6

12. d5 Bxc3 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. bxc3 Bd5 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Nd4 Rc8 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Qb5 Qf7 19. Rfe1 Nd7 20. Nc6 a6 21. Qxd5 Qxd5 22. Ne7+ Kf8 23. Nxd5 Rc5 24. Rad1 Re8 25. Kf1 Rxe1+ 26. Kxe1 Kf7 27. Ke2 g5 28. Ne3 Ke6 29. c4 Ne5 30. Rb1 b5 31. cxb5 axb5 32. g3 h5 33. h3 Nf7 34. Rb4 Nd6 35. h4 g4 36. Kd2 Rc7 37. Nd1 Nc4+ 38. Ke2 Nd6 39. Kd3 Rf7 40. Kd4 Rf3 41. Rb3 Rf5 42. Re3+ Kf6 43. Ra3 Ke6 44. Re3+ Kf6 45. Re2 Rf3 46. Kc5 Nf5 47. Rd2 Nxg3 48. fxg3 Rxg3 49. Rd6+ Kg7 50. Rd7+ Kg6 51. Rd6+ Kg7 52. Rd5 Kg6 53. Rg5+ Kh6 54. Re5 Rg2 55. a3 Ra2 56. Kb4 Rh2 57. Ne3 Rb2+ 58. Kc3 Rf2 59. Rg5 Rf3 60. Kd4 Rh3 61. Nf5+ Kh7 62. Ke5 Rxa3 63. Rxh5+ Kg6 64. Rg5+ Kh7 65. Rg7+ Kh8 66. Rxg4 Ra5 67. Kf6 Ra6+ 68. Kg5 Ra4 69. Rg1 Rb4 70. Rd1 Rb2 71. Rd8+ Kh7 72. Rd7+ Kg8 73. Nh6+ Kh8 74. h5 Rg2+ 75. Ng4 1-0

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Alexander Grischuk - Vladimir Fedoseev
World Cup   2015.09.16 , A15

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e5 3. Bg2 c6 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 Na6 6. Nf3 Bc5 7. Qe5+ Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Re8 10. Rd1 Bc5 11. Qf4 Nc7 12. Qf5 d5 13. Qc2 Qe7 14. cxd5 Ncxd5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Bf4 Bg4 17. h3 Rac8 18. Qd3 Ne4 19. Be3 Bf5 20. Bxc5 Rxc5 21. Qe3 Qd7 22. g4 Bg6 23. Rac1 b6 24. Qf4 Qa4 25. h4 f6 26. a3 Rc4 27. Qh2 Qb3 28. h5 Bf7 29. Rb1

29. ... Nxf2 30. Kxf2 Qe3+ 31. Kf1 Rxg4

( 31. ... Qxe2+ 32. Kg1 Rxg4 33. Kh1! ~ )

32. Bh3 Rf4 33. Qf2 Bxh5 34. Qxe3 Rxe3 35. Bg2 d4 36. Kf2 g5 37. Rxd4 Rxe2+ 38. Kxe2 Rxd4 39. Rc1 Rd7 40. Ke3 Bg6 41. Rc6 Rd3+ 42. Ke2 Rb3 43. Rxf6 Rxb2+ 44. Kf1 Bd3+ 45. Kg1 Be4 46. Re6 Bxf3 47. Bxf3 Rb3 48. Bd5 Rd3 49. Re5+ Kg7 50. Rxg5+ Kf6 51. Rh5 Rxa3 52. Rxh7 Ke5 53. Bc6 Kd6 54. Be8 Re3 55. Ba4 Re7 56. Rxe7 1/2-1/2

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Mamedyarov, S. - Sethuraman, S.
FIDE World Cup 2015   2015.09.17 , B13

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Qxd4 8. Qxd4 Nxd4 9. O-O-O e5 10. f4 Bg4 11. Nf3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Rc8 13. fxe5 Rxc4 14. exf6 Ne6 15. Rhe1 g6 16. Kb1 Bb4

17. Rxe6+ fxe6 18. f7+ Kxf7 19. Rd7+ Kf8 20. Rd8+ Kg7 21. Rd7+ Kf8 22. Ne4 h6 23. Rd8+ Kf7 24. Rxh8 hxg5 25. Rh7+ Kf8 26. Nxg5 Be7 27. Nxe6+ Ke8 28. a3 b5 29. Rg7 a5 30. f4 b4 31. axb4 Bf6 32. Rxg6 Kf7 33. f5 Rxb4 34. Rg2 Be5 35. Nd8+ Kf6 36. Nc6 Rf4 37. Re2 Bc7 38. Ne7 Rf1+ 39. Ka2 Bf4 40. Nd5+ Kxf5 41. Re8 1-0

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Kramnik, V. - Andreikin, D.
FIDE World Cup 2015   2015.09.18 , D73

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 Nf6 5. c4 c6 6. Qb3 O-O 7. Nc3 Qb6 8. O-O Be6 9. Na4 Qxb3 10. axb3 Nbd7 11. Nc3 h6 12. Ne5 Nb6 13. c5 Nbd7 14. f4 a6 15. b4 Bf5 16. h3 h5 17. Be3 Rab8 18. Rfd1 Ne8 19. Bf2 Ndf6 20. b5 axb5 21. Ra7 Bh6 22. Na2 Ng7 23. Nb4 Rfc8 24. Rda1 g5 25. e3 Be6

26. Nbxc6 Rxc6 27. Nxc6 bxc6 28. Rxe7 Nd7 29. Ra7 Rd8 30. Be1 gxf4 31. gxf4 Nf5 32. Ba5 Rc8 33. Rexd7 Bxd7 34. Rxd7 Nxe3 35. Bf3 Nf5 36. Bxh5 +=

36. ... Bxf4 37. Bxf7+ Kh8 38. Bd8 Be3+ 39. Kg2 Bxd4 40. b4 Ne3+ 41. Kf3 Nc2 42. Kg4 Nxb4 43. Kf5 Nd3 44. Be7 Ra8 45. Be6 Ra1 46. Bxd5 Rf1+ 47. Ke4 Bxc5 48. Kxd3 Bxe7 49. Bxc6 Rd1+ 50. Kc2 1/2-1/2

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Karjakin, Sergey - Andreikin, D.
FIDE World Cup 2015   2015.09.22 , A11

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. d4 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Ne5 Nc6 9. O-O Bf5 10. Be3 Rc8 11. Rc1 Be6 12. Nd3 Bf5 13. Ne5 e6 14. h3 h5 15. f3 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd7 17. g4 hxg4 18. hxg4 Bxg4 19. fxg4 Nxe5 20. Bd4 Qh4 21. Qe1 Qxg4 22. Rd1 Nf3+ 23. Rxf3 Bxd4+ 24. Kf1 Be5 25. Qd2 Rc4 26. Qe3 Bg7 27. Qxa7 Rb4 28. b3 Rc8 29. Rdd3 Qg5 30. Nd1 Rg4 31. Qxb7 Rf8 32. Ne3 Bd4 33. Rxd4 Rxd4 34. Qc7 Rd2 35. a4 Rb2 36. Nd1 Rb1 37. Rd3 Rc1 38. Qh2 Rfc8 39. Kf2 Qf6+ 40. Bf3 e5 41. Ne3 d4 42. Ng4 Qg5 43. Nxe5 R8c3

44. Qh8+ Kxh8 45. Nxf7+ Kg7 46. Nxg5 Rxd3 47. exd3 Rc3 48. a5 Rxd3 49. a6 Rd2+ 50. Ke1 Ra2 51. Ne6+ Kf6 52. Nc5 Ra5 53. b4 Ra2 54. b5 1-0