featured blogs

Want to make Tal Smile!? By Sir Adorwa

The blog title was introspection on what will put a smile on the face of the late former World Champion, Mikhail Tal. You should first understand Tal used to play unconventional piece sacrifices through intuitions

The Road to Budapest By Sir Adorwa

I almost entitled this blog the "Battle of WFMs" as both the featured players have conditional recognition to the title, should they reach a certain rating prescribed by World Chess Body (FIDE).

Taming a “Strong” Chess Player By Sir Adorwa

On this blog we will be highlighting one of the debutants who fought tooth and nail to be in the National Team that would be representing Kenya at the 45th Olympiad Championship at Budapest, Hungary.

Ever Heard of Middlegame Zugzwang? By Lenox Mangi

Before we dive into the details, let's set the stage for a battle that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Two evenly matched players, each with a score to settle.

$300k Meltwater Champs By Sir Adorwa

Meltwater Champions Chess Tour attracted Forty-four of the world’s best chess players, representing 18 different countries. It was reported that it reached a growing audience of more than 100 million live views.

Chess Queens By Matthew Kanegeni

Fide Instructor Matthew Kanegeni was appointed as the Head Coach during the All African Games held in Casablanca, Morocco. Prior to the team being selected for the event, there was a fierce qualification system in place

Training a Champion By Hugh Misiko

It was on 13th March 2020 that the national government declared a national pandemic and all learning institutes were ordered to close with immediate effect, halting and in the process stopping most business.

Seven Simple Tricks By Mukii Kenneth

Do you desire to get better at playing chess? Maybe your rating has stagnated despite playing numerous online games. You may even be considering taking a break from playing chess since you keep losing.

Training Demystified By Sir Adorwa

Most of us have been asking how I will go about training a group of kids. What should I consider during the training? Is training a higher rated player feasible? What is the number of hours to put in?

Lesson From Istanbul By Kanegeni

The climax of the closing ceremony during the 2019 Kenya National Chess Championship was marked by the pretty models who escorted Mehul Gohil onto the podium to receive his first prize.

Brilliancy Prize By Hugh Misiko

The 2021 African individual chess championships that occurred online (1st Feb. - 5th Feb 2021) produced plenty of stunning games. A lot of fire-works and breathtaking combinations were seen on board.

Learning to Defend By Mukii Kenneth

As a chess trainer, many new learners approach me with the question which is the best skill to learn at the moment? I usually feel their disappointment when I recommend they learn how to defend.

AimChess US Rapid By Sir Adorwa

Aimchess is a start-up, and a fast-growing chess analytics service that was founded by 33-year-old Russian Anton Gora in early 2020.

Chessable Masters By Sir Adorwa

Chessable were the main sponsors and is believed to have helped transform chess education through science based learning on the Move Trainer spaced-repetition system.

Goldmoney Asian Rapid By Sir Adorwa

The Goldmoney Asian Rapid was sponsored by Goldmoney. Goldmoney is a Canadian precious metal financial services and technology company that makes it easy to purchase gold.

FTX Crypto Cup By Sir Adorwa

FTX Crypto cup was dubbed the world’s first bitcoin chess tournament. The star-studded FTX Crypto Cup which had an inclusivity of top 10 Chess players in the world.

New In Chess Classic By Sir Adorwa

"New In Chess" was acquired by Play Magnus Group, the organizer of the Tour, in February. Prior to the event, the FIDE Candidates event was going on.

Improvement Barriers By Mukii Kenneth

Many intermediate chess players struggle to break a given rating class like 1800 elo. These players participate in numerous OTB and online tournaments.

Chess Endgame Ideas By Mukii Kenneth

It is a pity when you misplay an endgame and your opponent escapes with a draw. When playing the game deep down you may feel you had a win.

Chess Strategies By Hugh Misiko

Everywhere you go, you will encounter such statements as: ‘chess is 99% of tactics’, ‘if it wasn’t for my tactical vision, I wouldn’t have won that game’.

The London System By Mukii Kenneth

It’s a hassle for many people to balance between playing chess and working or studying. Many chess players are yet to reach a level where they can depend solely on chess.

Carlsen Invitational {2} By Sir Adorwa

As it can be recalled the Magnus Carlsen Invitational ignited an upheaval in the game when it was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chess Imbalances By Mukii Kenneth

If you are given a random chess position, do you know how to analyze it? To check it and provide a definitive answer on who is better and why.

My Immortal Game By Hugh Misiko

Most of the greatest chess players in history have what is considered to be an ‘immortal’ game. These are games that contain mind blowing combinations.

Piece Sacrifices By Mukii Kenneth

The most exciting chess games are when one player plays a brilliant piece, sacrifice, and wins the game. We all yearn to make such sacrifices in our games.

Aspiring Juniors By Hugh Misiko

Chess is a game that knows no gender, ethnicity, race, religion, financial-status, IQ-level and most importantly age. This means that a 6 year old can understand this ‘royal-game’.

Middle Game Moves By Mukii Kenneth

After completing the piece development and castling many chess beginners struggle to develop an effective middle game plan. The reason is that most positions are quiet.

Opera Euro Rapid By Sir Adorwa

World Chess Champion GM Magnus Carlsen who was the highly rated player in the field of 16 Grand masters led the pack in the Opera Euro Rapid. This is the third stage of the Meltwater Champions.

Tactical GMs By Hugh Misiko

In chess, a tactic refers to a sequence of moves that limits the opponent’s options and may result in tangible gain. “Chess is 99% tactics”! Is it an overstatement?

Solving Puzzles By Mukii Kenneth

One way of getting better in chess is through frequently solving tactical puzzles. The puzzles will help you learn to see moves that checkmate.

International Debut By Matthew Kanegeni

Fide Instructor Matthew Kanegeni was appointed as the Head Coach during the recently concluded 2020 Africa Online Individual Schools Chess Championship by Chess Kenya.