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| #1 – December 13, 2002 Ask the Masters: Online blitz, good or bad? Ninja Tactics: Power of the pin Analyze This: Rustemov-Vera, 2002 Trial by Trivia: World Champions |
#1 – December 19, 2002 The Master Writes: IM Cyrus Lakdawala annotates his game versus Yermolinsky, Los Angeles, 2002 Piece & Harmony: Study by Timman Ninja Tactics: Useful patterns |
| #2 – December 24,
2002 Ask the Masters: Why not to study openings? Ninja Tactics: Attacking the castled king Analyze This: Two beginner games annotated (controlling the center, wasting time in the opening, avoiding panic) |
#2 – December 26,
2002 The Master Writes: IM Cyrus Lakdawala annotates Karpov-Kasparov (3), X3D rapid match Ninja Tactics: Surprising shots Assume the Position: Bondarevsky-Lilienthal, 1941 |
| #3 – December 31, 2002 Ask the Masters: Thinking processes during a game Ninja Tactics: Typical themes (back-rank, clearance, discovered attacks, removing the guard) Analyze This: Beginner game annotated (playing the best moves in the opening, exploiting weak squares) Trial by Trivia: Name that Grandmaster |
#3 – January 2, 2003 The Master Writes: IM Cyrus Lakdawala annotates Nielsen-Karjakin, Hastings Premier Puzzled: Study by Selesniev Super Structure: Larsen-Panno, 1980. Opposite side pawn breakthroughs Assume the Position: Anand-Karpov (8.6), FIDE WCh, 1998. Kingside demonstration |
| #4 – January 7, 2003 Ask the Masters: Opening play for amateurs Ninja Tactics: Mating methodology Opening Book: Smashing the Sicilian! |
#4 – January 9, 2003 The Master Writes: GM Viswanathan Anand annotates his win over Ponomariov, Mainz (4), 2002 In Theory: Maroczy Bind play from five Judit Polgar games |
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| #5 – January 14, 2003 In the Spotlight: GM Alexander Grischuk Ninja Tactics: From Grischuk's games Analyze This: Typical psychological blunders in annotated amateur game |
#5 – January 16, 2003 The Master Writes: IM Sofia Polgar annotates Krasenkow-Karpov, Corus Wijk aan Zee, 2003 Piece & Harmony: Queen + pawn vs. queen Special Report: Four games from the 2003 US Ch with annotations from Seirawan, Benjamin, J.Shahade |
| #6 – January 21, 2003 Games of the Weak: Opening blunders in mini-games Analyze This: Annotated amateur game (passive play, bad exchanges, one-move attacks) Trial by Trivia: Name that Grandmaster |
#6 – January 23, 2003 The Master Writes: IM Cyrus Lakdawala annotates Shabalov-Akobian, US Ch (9), Seattle, 2003 Ninja Tactics: Deflection / overloading theme Assume the Position: Simagin-Petrosian, Bannik-Petrosian in Nimzo-Indian line |
| #7 – January 28, 2003 Ask the Masters: Ways to train with your chess software Ninja Tactics: Essential checkmating patterns The Bitter End: Rook vs. Rook + pawn themes |
#7 – January 30, 2003 The Masters Write: Games 1 and 3 of Kasparov-Deep Junior, annotations by Seirawan, Ashley, Kasparov Puzzled: Study by Shapiro (rook vs. passed pawns) |
| #8 – February 4, 2003 Ask the Masters: Getting the most from chess books Analyze This: Why did they resign? (planning, penetration, ideal squares for pieces, patience) Puzzled: Exercise to improve knight visualization |
#8 – February 6, 2003 In Theory: Hedgehog formation and annotated games (Deep Junior-Kasparov (4), 2003. Kramnik-Leko, Budapest (5), 2001) Ninja Tactics: Endgame combinations |
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| #9 – February 11, 2003 Ask the Masters: Making rules from annotated games Analyze This: A reader's game analyzed in depth (pawn vs. tempo, when to exchange, when not to resign. Trial by Trivia: Name that Grandmaster |
#9 – February 13, 2003 The Master Writes: Zvjaginsev-Popov, Aeroflot 2003, annotated by Mig. (Typical ..e5-..f5 lines against the English, four and two-rook endgame play) Piece & Harmony: More on rook endgames (a Troitsky study and two game extracts with notes). |
| #10 – February 18, 2003 Ask the Masters: Chess psychology. Know your preferences, play the man or the board? Ninja Tactics: Ingredients to look for and create in two-move combinations. The Bitter End: Normal vs weak pawns. Different types of weak pawn formations (doubled, isolated, etc.) |
#10 – February 20, 2003 Super Structure: Pawn sacrifices to break up opponent's structure. Three objectives Puzzled: Troitsky study (sacrificial pawn play) Assume the Position: Modern Benoni plans. Game Lukacs-Psakhis annotated. |
| #11 – February 25, 2003 Ask the Masters: What and how can amateurs learn from watching Grandmaster games? Ninja Tactics: Pawn pushes and move orders. (Tactics section expanded by popular demand.) Analyze This: Amateur game annotated by player (Jack Martin) and Mig. How not to play vs. and unrated player. |
#11 – February 27, 2003 The Master Writes: IM Lackdawala annotates Kasparov-Radjabov, Linares 2003 Puzzled: Loyd mates in three visualization exercises In Theory: 3.Bb5 "anti-Sveshnikov" Sicilians all the rage in Linares. Main lines and typical plans for both sides. |
| #12 – March 4, 2003 Ask the Masters: Developing a study plan. Analyze This: Laura Ross-Larry Kaufman, US Championship 2003. Comments from Laura Ross. The Bitter End: Essential rook and pawn endgame positions for homework. |
#12 – March 6, 2003 The Bitter End: Deep analysis (seven pages) of Kasparov-Anand, Linares 2003 endgame. Principles and explanations of endgame evaluation and play. Ninja Tactics: Tactics from Vishy Anand's games. |
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| #13 – March 11, 2003 Ask the Masters: Tips to break out of a chess rut. Analyze This: Amateur game annotated by player and Mig. Planning, central pawn play, endgame chances. The Bitter End: Rook and pawn endgame homework reviewed. Euwe studies with typical pawn races. |
#13 – March 13, 2003 In Theory: Extensive survey of the Sveshnikov/Pelikan, Kalashnikov, and Lowenthal Sicilian lines. Themes for white and black, currently popular variations, many sample games with notes. Piece & Harmony: Study by Zakhodiakin, king vs knight. |
| #14 – March 18, 2003 Ask the Masters: Studying your own games. Ninja Tactics: Move order improvements and in-between moves. Opening Book: Caro-Kann strategic themes and main lines. Many sample games with notes. |
#14 – March 20, 2003 The Master Writes: Kramnik-Topalov, Monaco 2003. Exchanging pieces to accentuate lead in development. Puzzled: Mate in three. Assume the Position: Kingside attack against fianchetto. Strong center to support flank offensive. Steinitz-Lasker, 1894 (Match game 2) |
| #15 – March 25, 2003 Ask the Masters: Tips for the transition from the middlegame to the endgame. In the Spotlight: "The Other Hungarian GM" Profile and games of Zoltan Almasi The Bitter End: More essential positions. Three king and pawn endgame standards. |
#15 – March 27, 2003 The Master Writes: Two games with notes from 2003 US Women's Champion Anna Hahn. Piece & Harmony: Study by A and K Sarychev. Greatest Hits: New section, great non-famous games. Larsen-Geller, Copenhagen 1960. Hypermodern center play, fianchettoed bishop pair, shift to attack. |
| #16 – April 1, 2003 Analyze This: Two reader games analyzed. Passive opening play, opening lines, when (not) to sacrifice for attack, bad piece exchanges, bad pawn pushes. The Bitter End: Rook versus minor piece endgame exercise for practice. |
#16 – April 3, 2003 The Master Writes: More from US Women's Champion Anna Hahn. Commentary and analysis of her games versus O.Sagalchik and Ippolito. Special Report: Kasparov simultaneous exhibitions. Game with notes, photos. |
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| #17 – April 8, 2003 Ask the Masters: h3 or not h3? When is preventing or breaking a pin a good or bad idea? Analyze This: Reader game analyzed. Wasting a move in the opening, stalemate tricks in pawn endgames. Ninja Tactics: New and improved tactics section (again!). Black to move diagrams flipped 180 degrees. Half the exercises (4) are questions instead of standard "find the best move" format. |
#17 – April 10, 2003 The Master Writes: Long annotated Kasparov simultaneous game. Extensive comments from the player and analysis and commentary by Mig. Opening move order tips, passive versus active defense. Assume the Position: Breakthrough and line-opening in blocked position with all heavy pieces. Vilner-Romanovsky annotated. |
| #18 – April 15, 2003 Ask the Masters: Pawn vs pawn combat. Creating weaknesses. What is a minority attack? Puzzled: Pawns vs minor pieces. The Bitter End: Essential mates. Checkmating the bare king with rook and with two bishops. |
#18 – April 17, 2003 The Master Writes: IM Lakdawala annotates Macieja-Karpov, eighth match game. Opposite-colored bishop attack. Piece & Harmony: Opposite-colored bishop endgame. In Theory...: c3 Sicilian. Tiviakov-Illescas with notes, concepts, and sidelines of the opening. |
| #19 – April 22, 2003 Analyze This: Reader game annotated. Playing for traps, knights before bishops, king in the center Games of the Weak: Tactical opening disasters. The Bitter End: Rook vs knight. Zugzwang concept. Domination of knights by rooks and bishops. |
#19 – April 24, 2003 Ninja Tactics: Tactics with pawns Piece & Harmony: Breakdown of a fascinating combination. Developing tactical fantasy. Greatest Hits: Annotation of Keres-Byrne, 1972. Isolated queen pawn play, mobility and space advantages. |
| #20 – April 29, 2003 Ask the Masters: Clock management. Avoiding time trouble and playing in time trouble. Ninja Tactics: Deflection/overloading theme. Puzzled: Mate in 3 visualization exercises. |
#20 – May 1, 2003 The Master Writes: Isolated queen's pawn in the Tarrasch Defense. Christiansen-Bluvshtein with post-mortem comments from the players. Piece & Harmony: Study: bishop vs pawns. Assume the Position: Initiative vs pawn in Euwe-Keres, 1948. Light-squared weaknesses, line opening. |
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| #21 – May 6, 2003 Ask the Masters: Tips to motivate you to study and to improve your study time. Puzzled: Knights versus pawns in endgames. Analyze This: Reader game with few tactics. Need for planning, how to set goals, passive vs active defense. |
#21 – May 8, 2003 The Master Writes: Dynamic pawn play, when to sac a pawn, when to be greedy. Four annotated positions. The Bitter End: Corresponding squares and triangulation in pawn endgames. Super Structure: Giving up a g7 bishop for c3 knight to attack the c3-c4-d5 pawn structure. |
| #22 – May 13, 2003 Ask the Masters: Open and closed positions and openings explained. The Bitter End: Double-rook endgame into a pawn endgame. Opposition, counting tempo moves. Analyze This: Middlegame planning, thematic play with a blocked center. |
#22 – May 15, 2003 In Theory..: Sharp, sacrificial line in the Grunfeld. Two McShane games from the Sigeman & Co tournament. Annotations and sample games. The Bitter End: Pawn endgame, sacrifice to rupture structure. |
| #23 – May 20, 2003 Analyze This: Amateur game with symmetrical king-pawn opening. Premature exchanges, patience in the opening, counterplay when down material. Ninja Tactics: Rooks attacking the king. |
#23 – May 22, 2003 The Master Writes: Discussion of the King's Indian. Damljanovic-Radjabov from Sarajevo, dozens of opening variations with notes. Assume the Position: Queen+opposite-colored bishop endgame. Smejkal-Karpov, 1973. |
| #24 – May 27, 2003 Ask the Masters: Defending against the kingside pawn storm. The h-pawn vs fianchetto in particular. Opening Book: Standard and premature h-pawn pushes in the opening against fianchetto. Analyze This: Annotated GM game illustrating the themes of opposite-side castling attacks. |
#24 – May 29, 2003 Ninja Tactics: Surprising and unusual tactics in quiet positions. In Theory...: Review of King's Indian Defense with 7...Na6 as played in many games in the Bosnia 2003 tournament. Annotated game: I.Sokolov - Damljanovic with many supplementary games and notes. |
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| #25 – June 3, 2003 Ask the Masters: Bishop and pawn endgame. Analyze This: Reader game with hypermodern opening. Planning against pawn weaknesses. Analyze This II: Reader game. Knights before bishops, opening blunders, attacking down the h-file. |
#25 – June 5, 2003 Greatest Hits: Karpov squeeze. Space advantage, infiltration on color weakness. Puzzled: Spectacular pawn study by N.Grigoriev. The Master Writes: Meijers-Kilicaslan, European Championship. Unusual Bird's Defense against Spanish. Pawn pushes creating weaknesses. |
| #26 – June 10, 2003 Ask the Masters: Style in chess. Beating a defensive player with patient attacking play. The Bitter End: Bishops and knights in blockaded pawn endgames. In the Spotlight: Veselin Topalov bio and games. |
#26 – June 12, 2003 Ninja Tactics: GMs losing miniatures. Puzzled: Mate in three by Riemann. The Bitter End: Bishop beating rook in certain endgames. Transition and evaluation of factors in these positions. Two annotated sample games. |
| #27 – June 17, 2003 Ask the Masters: Breaking your improvement plateau. Ninja Tactics: Recognizing themes. The Bitter End: Same position with three pawns with B vs B, B vs N, N vs N, and N vs B. Differences and strategies in blockaded pawn positions. |
#27 – June 19, 2003 The Master Writes: Gelfand-Radjabov, Enghien. 3.Bb5 Sicilian reviewed, strategic planning of pawn breaks. Bad plan vs no plan. Puzzled: Two mate in three problems. Greatest Hits: Radulov-Larsen, 1972. Line-opening pawn play, annotations. |
| #28 – June 24, 2003 Ask the Masters: Planning and positional play series begins. The advanced outpost. Analyze This: Outpost examples from two annotated Grandmaster games. The Bitter End: Q vs pawn on 7th homework. |
#28 – June 26, 2003 The Master Writes: J Polgar-Lautier, Enghien. Main-line Sveshnikov Sicilian. Spectacular tactics. Puzzled: Two "mental geometry" mate in threes. Greatest Hits: Radulov-Larsen, 1972. Line-opening pawn play, annotations. |
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| #29 – July 1, 2003 Ask the Masters: Planning and positional play, part 2. Analyze This: Opening lines and diagonals with pawn sacrifices. The Bitter End: Q vs pawn on the 7th rank. Rook, knight, bishop, and center pawn differences. Drawing tricks. |
#29 – July 4, 2003 Special Report: (Mini-issue due to Mig playing in the World Open at the time.) Two of Mig's games from the World Open annotated. Philidor's Defense, play against doubled pawns. |
| #30 – July 8, 2003 Ask the Masters: A return to tournament play. Analyze This: Master vs White Belt game. Inconsistency in opening play. Breaking an advanced pawn center. Ninja Tactics: Quiet moves and set-up moves. Greatest Hits (New famous games section): Ed.Lasker-Thomas, 1912 annotated. King hunt. |
#30 – July 10, 2003 The Master Writes: Benjamin-Bartholomew, World Open. Post-mortem comments from GM Benjamin. Double-bishop "Lasker" sacrifice. NinjaGrams: Reader game with notes from player and Mig. Sveshnikov Sicilian. Ninja Tactics: Fouts-Firman, World Open Rapid. 800-point rating upset in tactical complications. |
| #31 – July 15, 2003 Ask the Masters: Why don't GMs play offbeat openings like 1.b4? Analyze This: Using and defending against early kingside pawn storms. Trial by Trivia: 10 questions on the World Champions. |
#31 – July 17, 2003 The Master Writes: Sasikiran-Hansen, North Sea Cup. Nimzo-Indian with 7.f3. The Bitter End: Capablanca+Reti consultation, full game annotated. Planning for the endgame, outposted bishop with rooks against pawn weaknesses. |
| #32 – July 22, 2003 Analyze This: Positional factors series, pawn breaks. Good breaks and bad ones, typical structures. Games of the Weak: Eight short, instructive, disasters from amateur games. Trial by Trivia: Answers, facts, and photos of the world champions. |
#32 – July 24, 2003 The Master Writes: Four Morozevich games from Biel annotated. (Pelletier, Bacrot, Smirin, Lutz) Includes theoretical on Winawer French, novelty in the Petroff Defense. Assume the Position: Homework for knight-bishop endgame. |
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#33 – July 30, 2003 |
#33 – August 1, 2003 The Master Writes: Lutz-Morozevich, Biel 2003 annotated. Notes on modern handling of French Defense. Sacrifice for initiative. Greatest Hits: Tal-Botvinnik, Moscow WC 1960. Defensive sacrifice. Notes by Garry Kasparov. Assume the Position: King blockade in pawn ending. |
| #34 – August 6, 2003 Ask the Masters: Q vs R endgame technique and other things NOT to study! Analyze This: Reader game analyzed. Opening gambit play and initiative. Four-rook endgame. The Bitter End: Homework checked and extra example of knight and rook pawn versus bishop ending. |
#34 – August 8, 2003 The Master Writes: Naiditsch-Anand, Dortmund 2003. Strategic planning in the opening. Fatal loss of tempi. Puzzled: Study by Timman. Pawns versus bishop, two important drawing techniques. In Theory...: Review of latest games in Kalashnikov/Pelikan-Sveshnikov openings. |
| #35 – August 13, 2003 Ask the Masters: The advantage of the bishop pair. Ninja Tactics: New "Future Tactics" section to improve visualization skills. Very popular new feature. Analyze This: Radjabov-Naiditsch, Dortmund 2003. Direct kingside attack, keeping options open, the weakness of static pawn structures. |
#35 – August 15, 2003 Ninja Tactics: Advanced "Future Tactics," finding the solution a few moves after the diagram. The Master Writes: Anand-Bologan, Dortmund 2003. Review of Caro-Kann Defense. Super Structure: "Sweeper-sealer" pawn maneuvers in the center. e4-e5 pawn sac with Ne4 follow-up. |
| #36 – August 20, 2003 Ask the Masters: What are hypermodern openings and what are the important strategies behind them? VisualEyes: New section to improve visualization skills. This week, opening mistakes. Analyze This: Reader game annotated. How one horrible positional blunder can ruin the game. |
#36 – August 22, 2003 The Master Writes: Grandmasters versus amateurs. Mistakes from four US Open games annotated. Kaidanov, Benjamin, Granda Zuniga. Puzzled: Mate in four miniature. Greatest Hits: Queen sacrifice for two minor piece, Nezhmetdinov-Chernikov, Rostov, 1962. |
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| #37 – August 27, 2003 Ninja Tactics: Identifying threats, defensive moves. Puzzled: Mate in 4 and a R + P vs B study. Analyze This: Reader game annotated. Use of central pawn roller. Tactical missed opportunity. |
#37 – August 29, 2003 The Master Writes: The power of the plan. Long-term strategic planning. Eight games and positions from the Continental Championship. The Bitter End: Rook and pawn endgame. Pawn race. Assume the Position: Homework from Botvinnik game. |
| #38 – September 3, 2003 Ask the Masters: Long discussion of positional play. What it is, some terms and basics from famous books. The Bitter End: "Win, lose, or draw?" Four endgame positions to evaluate and solve. VisualEyes: Tactical positions to solve. |
#38 – September 5, 2003 Ask the Masters: Making the move from 1500 to 2000. The Master Writes: Two wins by Peter Svidler in the Russian Ch. Vs. Sherbakov and Popov. 5.Qb3 Grunfeld. Puzzled: Rook vs pawns study by Krikheli. Assume the Position: Botvinnik-Chekhover, 1938. "Which rook" situation. |
| #39 – September 10, 2003 Ask the Masters: Why we include positional chess when tactics are so important for White Belts. Ninja Tactics: Mix of standard and VisualEyes positions. Themes of overload and fork. In the Spotlight: 4-time Russian champ Peter Svidler. Facts and annotated games. |
#39 – September 12, 2003 The Master Writes: Svidler-Volkov from Russian Championship. Discussion of French Defense Advance Variation with many annotated games. Divine Strategy: New section. Good and bad piece exchanges. Five examples from Russian Ch. Piece&Harmony: Pawn endgame study. |
| #40 – September 17, 2003 Ask the Masters: Teaching kids, correcting mistakes, positional vs tactical redux. Analyze This: Losing a won endgame. Game with many typical errors in ending. Divine Strategy: New section looks at middlegame positions and how to plan in them. |
#40 – September 19, 2003 The Master Writes: Vaisser-Bauer annotated. Large pawn front and sacrifices to open lines. Yemelin-Dolmatov, a great tactical game. Deflection theme. The Bitter End: Two king and pawn endgame studies. Assume the Position: Taimanov-Uhlmann. Playing for a kingside attack. Pawn weaknesses, piece exchanges. |
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| #41 – September 24, 2003 Ask the Masters: How do strong players slip away from you? Common errors when playing with advantage. Analyze This: Reader game annotated. Failure to seek counterplay quickly. Ninja Tactics: A selection of tactics from reader games. The Bitter End: The opposition in pawn endgames |
#41 – September 26, 2003 The Bitter End: Epic analysis of the king and pawn endgame from Kasparov-Azmaiparashvili. In Theory...: The latest in the Najdorf from the Russian Championship. 6.f3 in particular. Dozens of games. Piece & Harmony: Pawn endgame study. Greatest Hits: Spassky-Stein annotated. Initiative in the Grunfeld Defense. |
| #42 – October 1, 2003 Analyze This: Annotated reader game. Positional advantages, attack on the f-file. VisualEyes: Finding defensive moves and themes. The Bitter End: King and pawn endings with queening and mate threats. |
#42 – October 3, 2003 The Master Writes: Filippov-Lautier, ECC. Sacrifice loses to counterattack. Evaluating kingside chances. Piece&Harmony: Study by Kondratjev. Super Structure: Creating and exploiting pawn weaknesses. Examples and annotated games. |
| #43 – October 8, 2003 Ask the Masters: Ways to use, and not use, your f-pawn and the f-file. Analyze This: Two annotated reader games. Closed position and pawn breaks. Back rank tactics. Trial by Trivia: Current events quiz, 10 questions. |
#43 – October 10, 2003 The Master Writes: Kasparov-Grischuk, ECC. Maintaining and using the two bishops. Ninja Tactics: Theme review. Discovery and deflection. The Bitter End: Revisits Kasparov-Azmai endgame from BB #41. Comments from Kasparov, corrections. |
| #44 – October 15, 2003 Ask the Masters: Why you should study the games of the Old Masters. Anderssen & Morphy games. VisualEyes: Find the losing move! Trial by Trivia: Answers to the current events quiz. |
#44 – October 17, 2003 VisualEyes: Nine tough positions from Alekhine games. Piece&Harmony: Bishops vs pawns. Studies by Kasparian and Kuznetsov. Assume the Position: Homework from a Dragon Sicilian. |
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| #45 – October 22, 2003 Analyze This: Two extensively annotated reader games. Powerful pawn breaks. Closed positions and controlling counterplay. Opening Book: Typical opening blunders explained with four annotated amateur games. |
#45 – October 24, 2003 The Master Writes: All six of Judit Polgar's games from her win in the Essent tournament. Piece&Harmony: Two studies with bishop play. Assume the Position: Dragon Sicilian position planning. Browne-Sosonko. Queen sacrifice, central pawn break. |
| #46 – October 29, 2003 Ask the Masters: Progress report issue! Key areas for improvement. Playing longer games, annotating them. Ninja Tactics: Classic themes revisited for review. The Bitter End: Pawn endgame review. Zugzwang and tempo-losing moves. |
#46 – October 31, 2003 The Master Writes: Three games from Cap D'Agde annotated. Anand, Kramnik, Topalov Piece&Harmony: Geometric queen study. Divine Strategy: Playing against an isolated pawn. Annotated Reti game. Extra: Marshall Sicilian line. |
| #47 – November 5, 2003 Analyze This #1: Reader game annotated by player and Mig. Playing with and against a space advantage. Kingside attack and defense. Analyze This #2: Reader game annotated by both players and Mig. Attacking with mobile pawn center. |
#47 – November 7, 2003 The Master Writes: Five annotated GM games from the Corsica Rapid tournament. Topalov, Grischuk, Radjabov, Anand, Shirov, etc. VisualEyes: Tough tactics from Havana Olympiad '66. |
| #48 – November 12, 2003 Ask the Masters: Tips from the programmers of Fritz on how to get the most from your chess software. VisualEyes: More advanced tactics. Find the winning move in a variety of themes. |
#48 – November 14, 2003 The Master Writes: Game two of the Kasparov-X3D Fritz match. Includes notes from Seirawan and Kasparov. Puzzled: Sacrificial problem from Kalinin. Super Structure: The King's Indian structure and endgame. Four annotated examples of typical plans. |
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| #49 – November 19, 2003 Ask the Masters: Pros and cons of pawn pushing. Analyze This: Reader game annotated. Crushing win against the Sicilian, typical plans for White. The Bitter End: Rook and pawn transition to drawn pawn endgame. "Square of the pawn" concept. |
#49 – November 21, 2003 Special Report: Large selection of wins by humans over computers. Kasparov-X3D Fritz games 3 and 4. Piece&Harmony: Knight and pawn study by Kuznetsov. The Master Writes: Recent miniature games lost by Grandmasters annotated. |
| #50 – November 26, 2003 Ask the Masters: Garry Kasparov answers reader questions! Long thinks, books, more. VisualEyes: Mental exercises with no diagrams. In the Spotlight: Yasser Seirawan bio, dossier, and great games annotated. |
#50 – November 28, 2003 The Master Writes: Annotated games from the Hotel Bali Rapid. Anand-Azmaiparashvili, Romero Holmes-Karjakin, more. Puzzled: Clever study by Bondarenko and Kakovin. Greatest Hits: Kramnik-Nunn, Manila 1992. |
| #51 – December 3, 2003 Puzzled: Two important tactical devices. Attraction and skewer. Analyze This: Blunderful openings 2. Eight games of master vs amateur with typical and instructive mistakes in the opening phase. |
#51 – December 5, 2003 VisualEyes: Four difficult tactics from the Euro Blitz Championship. Mentally "removing" pieces. The Master Writes: Nine annotated games from Santo Domingo. All games are GMs vs Masters. Artificial moves, opening inaccuracies. |
| #52 – December 10, 2003 Ask the Masters: How about the Colle System? Analyze This: Three annotated reader games. Opening plans, one-move threats, transition to won endgame. The Bitter End: Rook and two pawns vs rook. |
#52 – December 12, 2003 The Master Writes: Two extensively annotated games from Santo Domingo. Ehlvest, Milov. Maintaining complications by avoiding exchanges. In Theory...: Survey of recent games in the Nimzo-Indian Rubinstein Variation. Notes and themes. |
| #53 – December 17, 2003 Ask the Masters: Recommendations for tactics training. Analyze This: Two games from Mig's online simul against Ninjas. Tough defense against wild attacks. Opening Book: The Smith-Morra Gambit. Hot or not? |
#53 – December 19, 2003 The Master Writes: M.Gurevich-Le Roux, Belfort. Long-term power of strong pawn center in Nimzo-Indian Rubinstein. Expansion of center and attack. Ninja Tactics: 13 interesting tactics from the Indian Championship. Extensive annotations. |
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| #54 – December 24, 2003 Analyze This: Four more Ninja simul games. Early tactical blunders, kingside attack, bishop vs knight endgame blockade. VisualEyes: Marathon of 16 tactical positions. Find the best move, with explanations. |
#54 – December 26, 2003 The Master Writes: McShane-Bologan, Belfort. Destroying and counterattacking a static advanced pawn center. Bologan-Karjakin, blunder. In Theory...: Classical Nimzo-Indian (4.Qc2) Survey of recent games, main line and ideas explained. |
| #55 – December 31, 2003 Ask the Masters: Classic Ninja maxims not to forget in the new year. Analyze This: Reader game annotated. Early fianchetto opening, piece activity in queenless middlegame. Ninja Tactics: Four tough tactical themes. Puzzled: Domination theme study by Troitsky. |
#55 – January 2, 2004 The Master Writes: Nielsen-Lahno, Hastings. Exploding a fragile pawn structure, play against weak pawns. The Bitter End: Double-rook endgame, rooks as blockaders, counterplay at all costs. Assume the Position: Homework from #53. Em. Lasker-Maroczy, NY 1924. Strategic defensive planning. |
| #56 – January 7, 2004 Ask the Masters: Pattern recognition in tactics vs pure calculation. How to improve. Analyze This 1: Reader game annotated by both players and by Mig. What were they thinking!? Lack of development in opening, playing with extra material. Analyze This 2: Reader game. Ignoring danger. |
#56– January 9, 2004 Ninja Tactics: It's a tactics marathon! The popular "find the blunder" section teaches theme recognition and defensive play. All positions from Sicilian miniatures. Must select worst move of options given. Full games and notes included. |
| #57 – January 14, 2004 Ask the Masters: Studying mating patterns. The Bitter End: Queen or rook vs passed pawn. Analyze This: Another triple-annotated game! Both players and Mig give their thoughts. Playing aggressively in the opening, saving time. |
#57 – January 16, 2004 The Master Writes: Two games from the Corus B group. Granda-Fressinet, Nakamura-Lobron. Splitting the board in two, leaving pawns in conflict. Piece & Harmony: Four studies with winning king vs pawn maneuvers. |
| #58 – January 21, 2004 Ask the Masters: Setting up tactics. Ninja Tactics: Mating position marathon! 26 positions with different mating themes, fully annotated solutions. |
#58 – January 23, 2004 The Master Writes: Tiviakov-Stefanova from Corus B. Gambit pawn in opening, keeping initiative or bailing out to equality. The Bitter End: Endgame van Wely-Adams, Corus A. Black misses a draw. Analysis by Luis Banquero. |
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| #59 – January 28, 2004 Ask the Masters: How to pick your openings. Colle vs. 1.e4 openings. Analyze This: Annotated reader game including comments from player. Aggressive endgame play. The Bitter End: Early resignation in Ninja game. |
#59 – January 30, 2004 The Master Writes: Three tactical games by 13-year-old Carlsen in Wijk aan Zee C Group. In Theory...: Review of the Najdorf games played in Wijk aan Zee. Main lines and sample games. |
| #60 – February 4, 2003 Ask the Masters: Methods for eliminating blunders. Analyze This: Reader game dual annotated. Passive opening play, wrong capturing, endgame defense. Opening Book: Annotated reader game with general opening tips. |
#60 – February 6, 2004 Special Report: Kasparov interview video! His comments on his Predecessors book series. Assume the Position: Euwe-Maroczy homework with analysis by Euwe and Kasparov. Super Structure: Eight examples of early pawn advances on the kingside. Themes and concepts. |
| #61 – February 11, 2004 Ask the Masters: Why white is better, but not for you. Ninja Tactics: Find the blunder! Develop your defensive tactics and pattern recognition. Analyze This: Reader battles Grandmaster. Very instructive crush by GM Alterman. Great notes. |
#61 – February 13, 2004 The Master Writes: Kramnik simul win over Huebner. Methodical strategic play and transition to endgame. Ninja Tactics: Three sharp wins from Nigel Short. Greatest Hits: Two offbeat Pillsbury games. Blocking lines on defense. |
| #62 – February 18, 2004 Analyze This: Annotated reader game. Maintaining tension in the center, surviving tactical chaos. VisualEyes: Checkmate themed visualization exercises. Trial by Trivia: Name that GM! |
#62 – February 20, 2004 The Master Writes: Shirov-Kasparov, Linares 03. Najdorf plans, pawn sacrifices. VisualEyes: Very tough tactics before they appear in the diagram. Diagrams flipped for your inconvenience. The Bitter End: Connected paws vs rook study. |
| #63 – February 25, 2004 Ask the Masters: Developing chess intuition. Analyze This: Reader game. Good example of why to play longer games. One-move loss. Trial by Trivia: Answers with anecdotes and photos. |
#63 – February 27, 2004 The Master Writes: Shirov-Radjabov, Linares 03. King's Indian, tempo moves, kingside attack. VisualEyes: Fischer simul winners. Special Report: Bobby Fischer birthday special. Euwe book excerpts with analysis of two Fischer attacks. |
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| #64 – March 3, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Find the blunder, the favorite! Improve your tactics and your defensive skills. Puzzled: A brilliant study shows knight power. Analyze This: Reader plays powerful tactical game. |
#64 – March 5, 2004 The Master Writes: Kasparov-Topalov, Linares 03. Ruy Lopez and Marshall Gambit lines. Incredible tactics. The Bitter End: Both Kasparov-Radjabov games from Linares 03. Missed wins in pawn endgames. Some notes from Kasparov. |
| #65 – March 10, 2004 Ask the Masters: The meaning of a rating. The Bitter End: Endgame quiz! Win, lose, or draw? In the Spotlight: GM Alexei Shirov. Best results, style, repertoire, trivia, and selection of annotated games. |
#65 – March 12, 2004 The Master Writes: "Splitting the board" with pawn advances to facilitate wing attacks. Many examples. Ninja Tactics: GMs versus Masters. How and why the weaker players lose tactically. |
| #66 – March 17, 2004 Ask the Masters: Holes and pawn weaknesses. Follow-up to analysis in WB 61. Opening Book: 14 opening blunders in short losses by amateurs. Typical problems and how to avoid them. |
#66 – March 19, 2004 Ask the Masters: Should you study with a 2D board or a 3D board or a real set? The Master Writes: Kasparov-Carlsen, Reykjavik. Model attack with runaway pawn in center. Standard plans. |
| #67 – March 24, 2004 Ask the Masters: Blindfold chess and a great variation to build your own visualization skills. Puzzled: Stalemate trick against rooks. Analyze This: Annotated reader game. Slow-developing attack, counterattack against extended pawns. |
#67 – March 26, 2004 The Master Writes: Three interesting annotated games from the Poikovsky tournament in Russia. Assume the Position: Homework corrected. Bischoff-Larsen, 1982. Notes by Korchnoi and Nunn. |
| #68 – March 31, 2004 VisualEyes: Tricky mating tactics. Analyze This: Amateur vs Master. Missed tactics, how to lose a winning endgame. Lots of great annotations. |
#68 – April 2 , 2004 VisualEyes: Find the winning move, difficult tactics. In Theory...: Discussion of opening fashion and influence. Quotes from Petrosian. Games from Melody Amber and theory of English Attack formation against ..e6 Sicilian. |
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| #69 – April 7, 2004 The Bitter End: Deflection tactics and calculation in pawn and knight endgame. Analyze This: Reader game with curious opening choices. Queen vs rook on open board. |
#69 – April 9, 2004 The Master Writes: Soppe-Larsen, Pinamar. Real vs imagined positional advantages. Also Ricardi-Lopez Silva, opening disaster. The Bitter End: Content from new Dvoretsky Endgame Manual from ChessBase. Rook vs bishop. |
| #70 – April 14, 2004 Analyze This: Two tactical reader games with blunders and excitement. Piece sacrifice. Ninja Tactics: Discussion and examples of classic knight sacrifice on g5 (..g5 Nxg5 hxg5 Bxg5). |
#70 – April 16, 2004 VisualEyes: Tactical finishes. The Bitter End: King and two-pawn endgames. Opposition and outflanking from side and behind. The Master Writes: Timman-van Wely, Almelo. Bb5 Sicilian, dubious novelty, exploiting backwards pawn. |
| #71 – April 21, 2004 Ask the Masters: How to use pawns for an attack? Pros and cons of pawn storms. Analyze This: Ten annotated Master games with kingside pawn storms. Sealing vs opening lines. Attacking weakened pawn structures. |
#71 – April 23, 2004 Greatest Hits: Korchnoi-Kasparov, Lucerne 1981. Notes both new and old from Kasparov. Ninja Tactics: Two very tactical GM blitz games annotated. Attacking without queens. Divine Strategy: King power. Defensive king moves. |
| #72 – April 28, 2004 Ask the Masters: Classic advice from classic books. Mason, Lasker, Kasparov on improving. The Bitter End: Two bishop vs knight positions. Analyze This: Very instructive pawn endgame in annotated reader game. |
#72 – April 30, 2004 The Bitter End: Kasparov-Kramnik bishops vs rook endgame, notes by Vladimir Kramnik. Ninja Tactics: Eight positions from Botvinnik's games. The Master Writes: Four exciting games by Morozevich annotated. Tactics, kingside breakthrough. |
| #73 – May 5, 2004 VisualEyes: It's a marathon! 20 positions to solve in your head. Varying difficulty of tactical problems with annotated solutions. |
#73 – May 7, 2004 Diving Strategy: Very smooth win by Mickey Adams. Play in the center, isolated pawn, fatal pin. Piece and Harmony: Tough drawing sequence. Ninja Tactics: Eight annotated GM games that finished as tactical miniatures. Many themes. |
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| #74 – May 12, 2004 Puzzled: Six classic endgame themes. Analyze This: Two annotated reader games. Neglected development, king in the center, tactics in time trouble. |
#74 – May 14, 2004 The Master Writes: Five annotated games. Material imbalance. Ftacnik-Anand with rook vs bishop and knight. Shirov-van Wely with piece vs three pawns. VisualEyes: Checkmate patterns. |
| #75, May 19, 2004 VisualEyes: Tactics in the opening. Analyze This: Two annotated reader games. Desperado tactics, king hunting. In the Spotlight: World #4 Peter Leko. Characteristics, repertoire, best results, games, etc. |
#75 – May 21, 2004 The Master Writes: Three Shirov games from Sarajevo. Opening disaster, mating attack, playing against weak pawns, converting pawn-up endgame. Assume the Position: Open the center, lock the center, or let opponent capture? Reshevsky-Keres |
| #76 – May 26, 2004 Ask the Masters: More on when to and not to pin a knight with bishop. Standard strategies. Ninja Tactics: Four two-movers. Analyze This: Reader game with great notes by the player. Bad "out of book" opening. Saving lost position. |
#76 – May 28, 2004 Piece&Harmony: One tactical position and one subtle pawn endgame study. Divine Strategy: Four annotated GM games with play against weak pawns. Sokolov-Kurajica, Dreev-Riazantsev, |
| #77 – June 2, 2004 Ask the Masters: Study the opening, not openings! Long talk on opening principles and lines. Puzzled: Two clever positions with valuable themes. Opening Book: The Petroff Defense. Basic concepts, main lines, annotated GM example game. |
#77 – June 4, 2004 Greatest Hits: Three classic Fischer games, all with new notes from Garry Kasparov, given during his training session with US women's Olympiad team. VisualEyes: Long mating variations. NinjaGrams: Annotated reader game, wild king walk attempt to save the game in the notes. |
| #78 – June 9, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Review and quiz. The Bitter End: Review, pawn and pawn+rook. Analyze This: Annotated reader game. Passive moves in weak position. Hopeless defense instead of desperate counterplay. |
#78 – June 11, 2004 Special Report: Inspiration and instruction for analyzing your own games. Excerpts from Botvinnik, Krogius. Piece & Harmony: Four important king and pawn endgame positions. The Master Writes: Lputian-Svidler mating net; annotated reader game with interesting endgame. |
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| #79, June 16, 2004 VisualEyes: Eight tactics with instructive blunders. Analyze This: Annotated reader game. Exchanges leave to heavy-piece endgame and then rook and pawn. Notes from player and Mig. |
#79 – June 18, 2004 VisualEyes: 10 positions, all with attacks on the king on the h-file. Typical sacrifices. Divine Strategy: Four Korchnoi games from Marx Memorial. Careful maneuvering leading to superior endgames. |
| #80 – June 23, 2004 Games of the Weak: Marathon! 24 annotated short games with early blunders. Common tactical conditions explained in detail. |
#80 – June 25, 2004 Piece&Harmony: Two elegant miniature studies. The Master Writes: Three games from the FIDE KO WCh. Nakamura-Lastin x2; great attacking game Almasi-Ye Jiangchuan |
| #81 – June 30, 2004 The Bitter End: Eight classic positions for review. Greatest Hits: Beautiful Lowenthal-Anderssen, 1851 In the Spotlight: Rustam Kasimdzhanov, before he won the FIDE world championship! |
#81 – July 2, 2004 VisualEyes: Very deep variations. The Master Writes: Three annotated games from the FIDE KO in Libya. Dominguez-Radjabov x2, Kharlov-Topalov. Najdorf novelty. |
| #82 – July 7, 2004 Ask the Masters: Cute tactic submitted by reader. Analyze This: Annotated reader game vs master in simul. Over-complication, Scandinavian Defense. Ninja Tactics: 10 forced mates from games. Trial by Trivia: 10 when and where questions. |
#82 – July 9, 2004 The Bitter End: Zugzwang endgame by Keres. In Theory...: A line to avoid the Berlin Defense with 6.dxe5!? Comments by IM V Belov. Piece & Harmony: Pretty defensive maneuvers. |
| #83 – July 14, 2004 Ask the Masters: Zugzwang and its uses. Analyze This: Annotated reader game. Najdorf Sicilian. Single blunder, material advantage and liquidation. Opening Book: The Vienna Game. Main lines and concepts, sample games. |
#83 – July 16, 2004 The Master Writes: Great notes by Vladimir Kramnik on two of his games from 2001. Leko and Sadvakasov. Piece & Harmony: Stopping a passed pawn. Assume the Position: Converting superior middlegame into winning endgame. Notes by GM Shipov. |
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| #84 – July 21, 2004 Ask the Masters: Space advantage with e5 pawn chain attacked by ...f6. VisualEyes: Eight positions, many with "loose" pieces. Divine Strategy: Three recent games with powerful passed pawns in the middlegame. |
#84 – July 23, 2004 The Master Writes: McShane-Ponomariov, Biel. Passive play by white, sudden tactical blunder by black. Ninja Tactics: Combination of themes. Deflection meets fork in six positions. The Bitter End: Great rook endgame by Rubinstein. |
| #85 – July 28, 2004 Ask the Masters: Sicilian in old master games. Ninja Tactics: Timed test with simple themes. Analyze This: Great annotations by GM Sergey Shipov on Open Sicilian. Khalifman-van Wely, 2002. |
#85 – July 30, 2004 Piece & Harmony: Rook vs bishop and pawns. The Master Writes: Moromania! Four amazing Morozevich games from Biel. |
| #86 – August 4, 2004 VisualEyes: Six tactics with queen power. Analyze This: Annotated reader game. The power of the initiative, attack without queens, wasted moves. Trial by Trivia: Answers to #82 with photos. |
#86 – August 6, 2004 Puzzled: Pretty bishop play. The Master Writes: All four Karjakin-Kramnik games from Dortmund annotated. Notes from Karjakin. Greatest Hits: Anand-Ftacnik, Biel, 1993 |
| #87 – August 11, 2004 VisualEyes: A marathon of find-the-blunder positions. A blackjack of 21 multiple choice problems to find the tactical mistake. |
#87 – August 13, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Five annotated tactical games from the UK Championship. The Master Writes: Six annotated games from the North Urals Cup. Skripchenko, others. |
| #88 – August 18, 2004 Puzzled: Subtle pawn tempo play. Analyze This: Two annotated reader games. Finding a plan and following through. Trade-off between attacking and king safety. |
#88 – August 20, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Interference themed positions. The Master Writes: 10 instructive annotated games with Master vs Grandmaster. Typical mistakes, underestimating tactical resources. |
| #89 – August 25, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Pins and classic themes. The Bitter End: Two deeply annotated practical rook endgames from Master play. Analyze This: GM game with queen sacrifice. Power of passed pawns. |
#89 – August 27, 2004 Puzzled: Two geometric forced mates. Greatest Hits: Smyslov demolition of Spassky, 1959. In Theory...: Recent games in the Scheveningen Sicilian (not Keres Attack). Typical moves and plans. |
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| #90 – September 1, 2004 VisualEyes: Playing for mate. Analyze This: Two annotated reader games. Instructive tactics. Getting into trouble with prepared opening lines. Opposite-side castling attacks. |
#90 – September 3, 2004 The Master Writes: Two annotated games from the Ukrainian Ch. Queen sacrifice and knight vs bishop endgame. Piece & Harmony: Pieces versus pawns. In Theory...: Recent games in Scheveningen Sicilian part 2. Keres Attack lines and ideas. |
| #91 – September 8, 2004 The Bitter End: Knight versus bishop studies. Games of the Weak: 10 annotated miniature games. Opening blunders, typical tactical mistakes. |
#91 – September 10, 2004 The Master Writes: Seven annotated games from the Pune tournament. Hedgehog opening. Ninja Tactics: Wild tactical game annotated. Yudasin-Gelfand, 1991. In Theory...: Smith-Morra Gambit. Best lines for black. |
| #92 – September 15, 2004 VisualEyes: Tricky combinations, two with deep visualization required. Analyze This: Two annotated reader games. Slow play in a fast opening. Coming back from a blunder. To sacrifice or not to sacrifice? Evaluation tips. |
#92 – September 22, 2004 VisualEyes: Very long and sequences with tactical finishes. Piece & Harmony: A cooked study. Super Structure: The good and bad of the protected middlegame passed pawn on d5. |
| #93 – September 22, 2004 The Bitter End: Knight vs bishop endgame. McShane-Mamedyarov, Lausanne. Ninja Tactics: 10 annotated tactical games with illustrative arrows to show geometry and themes. |
#93 – September 29, 2004 The Master Writes: McShane-Lahno, Lausanne. Strong square exploitation and transit. Piece & Harmony: Knight vs pawns study. In Theory...: Article on the King's Gambit with 4.d4 Qh4+. Many sample games. |
| #94 – September 29, 2004 VisualEyes: Find the blunders, higher difficulty. Puzzled: Two instructive studies. Trial by Trivia: World Championship theme. |
#94 – October 1, 2004 The Bitter End: Leko-Kramnik match game one. Drawing sequence, some notes by Kasparov. The Master Writes: Eight lightly annotated games with instructive moments. Rook and pawn endgame. |
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| #95 – October 6, 2004 Analyze This: Tactical reader game annotated. Blunders in a rook and pawn endgame. Trial by Trivia: Answers, explanations, and photos. |
#95 – October 8, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Six surprising conclusions. The Bitter End: Karpov in a rook endgame. The Master Writes: Six annotated games with a focus on attacking the king. |
| #96 – October 13, 2004 VisualEyes: Extended problems for deep thinking... Analyze This: Wild reader game with notes from player. Dubious opening move order. Opposite-side king attacks. The Bitter End: Leko-Kramnik game 5 endgame. Lines from Garry Kasparov. |
#96 – October 15, 2004 The Master Writes: Kramnik-Leko game 12. Novelty from Kramnik in the Caro-Kann, strong pawn push counterplay by Leko. Ninja Tactics: Eight unusual and entertaining tactical games annotated. |
| #97 – October 20, 2004 Games of the Weak: Two blunderful games from the Calvia Olympiad. The Bitter End: Eight critical pawn endgame positions. Opposition, breakthrough, stalemate, passers, breaking pawn chains, etc. |
#97 – October 22, 2004 The Master Writes: Three interesting games from Calvia Olympiad. Gelfand-Morozevich, Anand-van Wely. Piece & Harmony: Spectacular Mitrofanov study. Divine Strategy: The art and science of defense. Tips and a few sample positions. |
| #98 – October 27, 2004 Analyze This: Annotated reader game with player notes. Weak opening by black, attack on king in center. Puzzled: Two subtle endgames. Opening Book: Hypermodern openings, the Nimzo-Indian. Main ideas and lines, sample games. |
#98 – October 29, 2004 Divine Strategy: Sacrifice to form defensive blockade. Piece & Harmony: Tough Cheron study. The Master Writes: Great technique game: Kasimdzhanov-Shirov, Calvia. Greatest Hits: J.Polgar-Polugaevsky, 1991. Persistent kingside attack. |
| #99 – November 3, 2004 Ninja Tactics: Checkmate marathon! 25 positions with typical mating themes. Analyze This: Reader game with comments by player. Passive opening, superfluous pins. Hammering a backward pawn weakness. |
#99 – November 5, 2004 |
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