Today our new course “The Secrets of Strong Players” is released! As I said earlier, I am the author of …
Teaser of the RCA Chess Course “The Secrets of Strong Players”
In our previous blog-post I’d informed you about RCA’s next chess course “The Secrets of Strong Players”, from which you …
What Makes a Strong Chess Player Strong?
I have often said that strong chess players win slowly, but surely. In other words, strong chess players, titled players, …
When to Start an Attack?
Today we are going to talk about a topic that most of the chess players love – ATTACK! Many chess …
5 Best Chess Opening Traps in the Center Game
Today I will share with you the 5 best chess opening traps in the Center Game. The Center Game is …
5 Best Tips for Effective Chess Calculation
First, I’d like to remind you of the special offers I’m providing you with in honour of the International Chess …
Game of The Year 2017 by Ding Liren
Chess never fails to make someone completely baffled! Or is it the chess players who do that? 😊 The history …
4 useful tips to avoid blunders
Blunders are always a nightmare for most chess players, even in the top GMs level. It is one of the …
Greatest Queen Sacrifice Ever by Rashid Nezhmetdinov
Sacrifices in chess are always nice to see, and feels really satisfying when we nail a perfect sacrifice to win …
Garry Kasparov’s Fantastic Exchange Sacrifice!
It always feels nice to go back in time and see some beautiful games from the past. Today we are …
Praggnanandhaa Masterpiece at Isle of Man
In this blog-post, we are going to see a beautiful game played by the young chess prodigy from India, Rameshbabu …
The Power of Playing Your Pieces in the Center
Chess players are often advised to play towards the center –to develop their pieces towards the center. And that’s just …
Bobby Fischer’s 21-move Brilliancy Against Byrne
First, I’d like to remind you of the celebration we’re having – the RCA YouTube Channel has recently crossed over …
How to Attack Your Opponent’s King?
About a month ago, we published an article on the topic “Why do you lose chess games?” – it was …
Mikhail Tal’s Greatest Game vs British Women’s Champion
First, I’d like to remind you of our new course “Mikhail Tal’s Magic Revealed” and the awesome offers we’re providing …
Why Mikhail Tal is called the Magician from Riga – Brilliant Sacrifice!
Mikhail Tal, the eighth world chess champion and the “Magician from Riga”, was known as a brilliant attacker, a creative …
WC 2018 Carlsen vs Caruana: Decision Making in Critical Moments Part-2
This is the second part of the lesson about the World Chess Championship 2018 between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. …
WC 2018 Carlsen vs Caruana: Critical Moments, Decision Making, Time Management
Magnus Carlsen won the World Chess Championship 2018 last month, successfully defending his title against the American Fabiano Caruana. All …
Kasparov vs Topalov: Hoogovens Tournament 1999
Today we’re going to see one of the most beautiful chess games ever played – it’s the game between the …
4 Tips for a Successful Attack
Attack in chess is one of the best (and most important) ways to checkmate your opponent and to win the …
Fabiano Caruana’s Fantastic Victory Against Magnus Carlsen!
First, I’d like to remind you of the special and massive 40% discount we’re providing you with on our courses …
Magnus Carlsen’s Exchange Sacrifice Against Fabiano Caruana in Biel Chess Festival
The world chess champions surely have contributed to the development of the chess game. Fischer, Tal, Botvinnik, Spassky, Kasparov, Karpov, …
5 Lessons I Have Learned from 25 Years in Chess
First, I’d like to remind you of the special offers I’m providing you with in honor of my birthday (on …
5 Greatest Queen Sacrifices by Magnus Carlsen
Today I’ve recorded a very interesting video lesson for you, in which I will show you the 5 greatest queen …
The Greatest Draw in the History of Chess!
“Chess is a terrible game. If you have no center, your opponent has a freer position. If you do have …
Chess Opening Traps in the Sicilian Defense (Part-2)
First, I’d like to remind you of the special offers on our new course “Master Sicilian Pawn Structures” by IM …
Chess Tactics in the Sicilian Defense
Today I’ve some great news for you – the RCA’s next chess course is in its final stages and it …
The Mighty Sicilian Dragon Bishop!
The Sicilian Defense is the most popular opening and one of the best responses to White’s first move 1.e4. The …
Chess Tactics: Fork, Pin and Discovered Check
What is meant by Chess Tactics? Chess Tactics means a sequence of mostly forced moves, where one side takes over …
The RCA Student Ashwin Subramanian becomes ACO World Champion!
Ashwin Subramanian is a 40-year old engineering manager in Intel Corporation. He participated in the World Amateur Chess Organization (ACO) …
The Greatest King Walk in Chess by Nigel Short!
A king walk in chess, also known as a king march, is when the king travels up around the board, …
How to Complicate a Position and Win?
The FIDE World Cup 2017 in Tbilisi featured 128 players in a series of knockout matches. Levon Aronian won the …
12-year-old Girl Sets a Deadly Chess Trap!
Judit Polgar is considered the strongest female chess player of all time. In 1991, Polgar achieved the title of Grandmaster …
Kasparov defeated 13-Year-old Carlsen in Rapid Chess Game!
First, I’d like to remind you of the special 30% discount we’re providing you with on all RCA courses in …
Mikhail Tal’s Fantastic Victory against the 16-Year-old Bobby Fischer!
First, I’d like to share with you something really cool – the RCA YouTube Channel has achieved a milestone of …
Amazing Piece Sacrifice to Get a Powerful Central Pawn Storm
Before going to the lesson, I’d like to inform you about something. RCA is growing and we’re looking for a French …
Adolf Anderssen’s Best Attacking Chess Games (Part – 2)
This is the second part of the article about Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879), a German chess master and the world’s leading …
Adolf Anderssen’s Best Attacking Chess Games
Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879) was a German chess master and he’s considered to have been the world’s leading chess player for …
Test Your Skills on Positional Chess
It’s always extremely important and instructive to follow positional principles in chess. Below I’ve presented a number of chess puzzles. …
A Unique Chess Pattern Which Will Help You Win Grandmasters!
I hope you are familiar with the oldest checkmate ever invented, the Arabian Mate. This fatal attack performs with the …
The Best Chess Strategy (simple and powerful)
Let me start this article with a question. What is the best chess strategy? Reading this, several important chess rules …
5 Key Ideas that Can Help Defeat Garry Kasparov!
It’s time again to brush through some classics from the past – today we’re going to learn from one of …
Chess Calculation Exercise
How to calculate chess tactics? How to make sure your calculation is both quick and accurate? These are the tough …
Fabulous Fabiano Caruana’s Candidates Victory!
After winning the FIDE Chess Candidates Tournament, Fabiano Caruana won another super tournament, the GRENKE Chess Classic, leaving behind the …
How to Attack a King in the Center?
There is a chess quote by Rob Sillars, which goes “Castle early and often”. Indeed, we know that castling our …
Positional Pawn Sacrifices of Garry Kasparov
Today we are going to have a look at some of the greatest positional pawn sacrifices of Garry Kasparov. The …
Garry Kasparov’s Immortal Chess Game
Today we are going to see one of the greatest chess games ever played in the history – it’s the …
Dream Start for Vladimir Kramnik at the Candidates 2018!
The FIDE Candidate Tournament 2018 in Berlin had a spectacular start. We saw several decisive games in the first three …
Weak Squares in Chess
Today we have an interesting topic to discuss. It is called the weak squares in chess. And the immediate question …
Chess Traps and How to Avoid them?
Chess traps are always fun and exciting as long as you’re the one who sets it and it’s even more …
5 Interesting Games from the Tata Steel Chess 2018
Magnus Carlsen won his record sixth Tata Steel Chess title last month. He beat Anish Giri in the tiebreaks, as …
Ideal and Demolishing Attack by Garry Kasparov against Fabiano Caruana!
Today, we are going to see one of the most impressive chess games ever played – it was the game …
Release of RCA Chess Course “How to Beat Stronger Opponents”
At a certain stage of your chess development, you are faced with the question “How to beat a stronger opponent?” …
The Game of a Genius: The 13-year-old Magnus Carlsen’s Aggressive Play!
Nowadays many chess players face problems when they are playing against stronger opponents – for instance, one who is higher …
Importance of Solving Positional Puzzles and Chess Compositions
First, I’d like to remind you of the survey we are conducting in order to know your needs and what …
6 Best Games of the World Rapid Chess Championship 2017
The King Salman World Rapid Chess Championship concluded on 28 December, and the 48-year old former World Champion Viswanathan Anand …
How Critical Converting Your Advantage into a Win is?
I would like to start off this article with some amazing news – today I will reveal the author of …
2 Best Games of Mikhail Tal – The Magician from Riga
Today we’re going to learn from the 8th World Chess Champion, Mikhail Tal, The Magician from Riga, who was widely …
How to Calculate Variations Efficiently?
Today we have an important topic to discuss about – how to calculate variations efficiently? Many chess players often start …
3 different Aspects of Attack in Chess
Today we’re going to discuss about something, the 3 different aspects of attack in chess. Our guest coach FM Marko …
Interesting Games from the FIDE World Cup 2017, Tbilisi
The FIDE World Cup 2017 was held from 2-27 September, 2017, in Tbilisi. In the final, after the four classical …
Can You Solve the Cat’s Chess Puzzle?
Before getting to the Cat’s Chess Puzzle, I’d like to remind you of the special 30% discount I’m providing you …
3 best chess traps you should know!
Today we’re going to talk about chess traps and most importantly, the idea behind them – how they are set …
Hikaru Nakamura’s dramatic and adventurous win in Dutch defense against Jovana Vojinovic
Today our guest coach, CM Tryfon Gavriel, has a very instructive game to show you, which he considers one of …
How to create a solid plan in challenging/passive positions?
Planning is one of the most important skills in chess. But how do we create a solid plan in a …
Interesting games from Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz (Part-2)
This is the second part of the article “Interesting games from Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz”. If you missed the …
Bobby Fischer punishes Paul Keres’s opening novelty!
The 1959 Candidates Tournament was hosted by three cities in Yugoslavia: Bled, Zagreb and Belgrade. The winner of this event …
Interesting games from Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz
The highly-anticipated return of the chess legend Garry Kasparov is real. The king of kings was back in real action …
Caro–Kann opening trap
Today I’d like to present to you a trap in one of the popular chess openings, the Caro–Kann defense. As …
The Kasparov Gambit: amazing win against Karpov in WC 1985
Today we’re going to look at one of the greatest chess games of all time, from the World Championship Match …
6 best chess games of Magnus Carlsen
Have you ever wondered what could Magnus Carlsen’s best chess games be? Today, I’d like to share with you a …
Tactics and tips from Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen is from Norway and he was born on 30 November 1990. The “chess prodigy” earned his grandmaster title …
Levon Aronian vs Magnus Carlsen – Norway Chess 2017
The fourth round of the 2017 Altibox Norway Chess tournament was nothing short of entertainment. Although there were three decisive …
Test your tactical skills
Tactics is a very important element in a chess game. You should always keep your tactical vision sharp in order …
Release of the course “From opening to middlegame”
The day is finally here – our new course “From opening to middlegame” is released today! This course deals with …
16-year old Bobby Fischer’s amazing game against Tigran Petrosian
Today we’re going to have a look at what can be called as an absolutely classic encounter between two of …
Top 5 ways to improve your chess skills
I know the question which has stuck in your head: “How can I improve myself?” This is a very logical …
Grunfeld defense: Bobby Fischer’s masterpiece!
Today I’ve some great news for you – our next course is titled “Master the Grunfeld defense as Black” dedicated …
Calculation and Evaluation in chess
Often during a chess game, you have so many different choices of moves in a position (especially, in a middlegame …
4 simple ways to deal with time trouble!
Recently, I have received a couple e-mails from my students who are having a hard time dealing with time trouble. …
What can you learn from our course “Crushing the King”?
Today is the LAST chance for you to get our new course “Crushing the King” with the special 20% discount. …
Basic conditions for a successful attack
In the previous article, we discussed about 5 biggest problems in attack and how to solve them. Today we’ll move …
5 biggest problems in attack and how to solve them!
Attack in chess is a fundamental topic, because without an attack we cannot win a single chess game. Perhaps strong …
5 most important attacking principles
“Attack is the best form of defense” is a well-known phrase, and it means that to attack or to strike …
How to use your rook effectively?
First, let me remind you of our survey – help us create an opening chess course tailored to your needs, …
RCA chess courses are effective: proven!
Today is the LAST chance for you to grab our special offer in honour of the World Chess Championship match …
Carlsen-Karjakin tiebreaks: Magnus is the World Champion!
Before going to the tie-break games, let me remind you of the massive 40% discount we’re providing you with on …
Special 40% discount in honour of the World Chess Championship
Let me remind you that we’re providing you with a really, really massive 40% discount on all the RCA comprehensive …
Magnus Carlsen’s immortal chess game (and his birthday)!
First, let me remind you of the special offer we’re providing you with, in honour of the World Championship match …
Improve your middlegame and comprehensive knowledge in chess
The World Chess Championship 2016 between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin is really a spectacle, as we have witnessed some …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-10: Magnus Carlsen makes a comeback!
The tenth game of the World Chess Championship in New York was crucial. Magnus Carlsen scored his first win, after …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-9: Magnus escapes with a draw!
Just before the start of the ninth game, a chess fan, Bobby Fiske, made a fantastic photo-edit saying…. The World …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-8: Karjakin wins, seizes lead
World Champion Magnus Carlsen is down! Sergey Karjakin takes the lead after eight rounds, with 3.5 – 4.5 in his …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-7: New opening, another draw
It was Carlsen’s time to put his head into the lion’s mouth and everybody expected the beast to snap. But …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-5: Carlsen "screwed up"
The fifth game of the World Chess Championship ended in a draw, but this time things were little different. It …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-4: Karjakin survives, again!
The ‘miracle’ continues at the World Championship! Karjakin managed to survive another extremely difficult position by defending, again, for 6.5 …
Carlsen-Karjakin Game-1: Surprising Trompowsky
One journalist asked Magnus Carlsen in the first official press conference who is the best chess player in the world. …
Top three amazing chess sacrifices (by GM Smirnov)
Finally, I’d like to thank you all for wishing me well on my birthday; therefore, I’ve prepared a gift for …
How to attack a central king? (Fischer’s great game)
Robert James “Bobby” Fischer, born March 9, 1943, was the strongest American Grandmaster ever. Many consider him the greatest chess …
Unknown stories about ‘Viktor the Terrible!’
Viktor Korchnoi: if he won a game, he was very polite with you and would analyze it happily. If he …
Best game from the Baku Chess Olympiad
After a dramatic last round, the United States of America won their first Olympic gold medal since 1976. The Ukrainian …
Interesting games from the Sinquefield Cup 2016
Today, we analyze the most interesting games from the recent Sinquefield Cup 2016. This tournament took place in St Louis, …
30% discount on middlegame chess courses
Today, I’d like to remind you of the huge 30% discount we’re providing you with on RCA’s two middlegame chess …
Chess Tactics – Knight Fork Part-2
In the first part of this lesson, we had a look at a few examples of the “knight fork” and …
Chess Tactics – Knight Fork
The knight fork is nothing more than a simultaneous attack on two or more pieces. The fork also occurs as …
How to exploit your opponent’s bad piece?
“Help your pieces so they can help you”, said Paul Morphy, one of the greatest chess masters. Indeed, that’s true …
Deadly attacks in chess: opposite castling
Opposite-side castling games are usually very exciting. Because both kings are on opposite wings, each player takes this opportunity to …
Power of centralised pieces in chess
There are several important advantages that come from centralising your pieces and aiming to have strong control over central squares. …
What are the consequences of neglecting the centre in chess?
The centre is the most important part of the chessboard, as pieces from the centre can easily move to either …
The advantage of space in chess
The advantage of space in chess enlarges your influence over the board and provides options that can be exploited tactically …
How to use an open file in chess Part-2
A few days ago, we published the first part of the lesson “How to use an open file in chess?” …
How to use an open file in chess?
Basically, an open file is one with no pawns of either colour on it. And a file with pawns of …
The power of the bishop pair in chess
The bishop, by itself, is a powerful piece. However, its value is more than doubled when another bishop is added …
Three ways to improve in chess
Nowadays, there are lots of chess tutorials out there, including books, video lessons, courses, DVDs and the list goes on. …
Weak Squares in Chess Part-2
In recent times, we have published several lessons for you on the topic of “Weak Squares”. In case you missed …
Chess Strategy: Weak Squares
A few weeks ago, we published an article “Transforming advantages in chess” which was prepared by one of the RCA …
Initiative in Chess
Today we have an interesting subject called “Initiative”. I’d like to recall a famous quote, “Only the player with the …
Who will it be – Carlsen or Karjakin?
The hottest news in these past few weeks is undoubtedly Sergey Karjakin winning the Candidates Tournament 2016, earning the right …
Transforming advantages in chess
Today, we have an interesting topic to discuss. It is entitled “Transforming Advantages” or converting advantages into a victory. This lesson …
Chess battles of the past between Candidate players
As competition is fierce in the 2016 Candidates Chess Tournament, today we’ll have a look at some interesting games played …
Tactical shots at the Candidates Chess Tournament 2016 and important news
First, I have some good news. For chess fans from Hong Kong, I’m going to visit it soon. If you …
How my lessons helped a student defeat an International Master
Sometime ago, I shared with you a message I received from one of my students, Ram S Krishnan. In that …
What happens when coordinated pieces occupy weak squares?
Recently, our guest coach IM Boroljub Zlatanovic published a video lesson for you on “Weak Squares”. In that lesson, Boroljub …
Meet me personally – reminder
A few days ago, I informed you that I’m planning my next trips to other countries to conduct several seminars. …
How to make use of important chess squares?
Some time ago, our guest coach IM Boroljub Zlatanovic prepared a lesson for you on the topic “Weak Squares”. If …
Bobby Fischer’s greatest chess game – game of the century
Today, we’ll have a look at the greatest chess game played by Bobby Fischer – the game that is also …
Chess, Life and Happiness – Summary
About two months ago, we published an article prepared by an RCA student, Luca Valsecchi, and it was called “Chess, …
The greatest chess game everyone MUST know
Millions of chess games have been played over the history of chess. But there is only a small percentage of …
Creating ideas in chess
This is the final part of the series of articles “Interpretation of chess moves” prepared by Srikanth G., a friend …
How to approach a position from a different angle?
A few days ago, we published the first part of the article “Interpretation of chess moves” prepared by Srikanth, a …
Interpretation of chess moves
Some time ago, we published an article about stress during a chess game and lots more. It was prepared by …
Useful story of an RCA student – Part-2
A few days ago, I shared with you the story of my friend and student, Ram S. Krishnan. If you …
Chess for Females
Today, I’d like to share with you a lesson for FREE from my new course “Your Top Chess Questions, Answered”. …
RCA Student Karthik stuns GM Roman Edouard
2015 has been a great year for most of the RCA students. There is no doubt about that! Many students …
Chess, Life and Happiness
Today, I’m glad to present to you a very special article. This time, it’s not written by me or any …
The Big Clash: Anand vs Carlsen
This is the second part of the article prepared by IM Saravanan, featuring the first game of the World Chess …
The three most important principles of chess: Round-10 Highlights
“Less is more” really is a very nice quote by Mies Van der Rohe. Sometimes, simple and logical decisions are …
Indian National Premier Chess Championship 2015, Round-9 Highlights
In this article, you can watch the highlights of the ninth round of Indian National Premier Chess Championship, annotated by …
Indian National Premier Chess Championship 2015, Round-8 Highlights
As the competition gets tough, IM Valeri Lilov continues to provide you with the highlights of the key games from …
Indian National Premier Chess Championship 2015 Round 7 Highlights
In the previous article, IM Valeri Lilov prepared a video lesson for you, annotating the games of the sixth round …
Instructive games from Indian National Premier Chess Championship
One of the most grand and popular events in India, the Indian National Premier Chess Championship is currently being held …
Feedback from a student who attend my seminar in Vellore
Recently, I received feedback from one of my students, Joshua, who attended my seminar in Vellore, India on 17 October. …
Evaluation of a position – Part-2
This is the second part of the lesson “How to evaluate a position in chess?” by GM Petr Velicka. To …
How to evaluate a position in chess?
Today, I’d like to share with you a very interesting article on the topic “How to evaluate a position in …
A 75-year-old chess teacher who fought off knife-wielding attacker during class
Today, I’d like to share with you an amazing story which involved a chess teacher. I just found it very …
Review of “Killer Endgames Part-2” by the RCA Academy Manager
First, let me remind you of the special 30% discount I’m providing you with, in honour of my birthday (28 …
World Chess Cup 2015 final: Karjakin vs Svidler – highlights
Today, I’d like to share with you an interesting article prepared by Srikanth G, a professional chess player and a …
Corner Pawn Attack in Chess Part-2
In the previous lesson, GM Levan Aroshidze gave you an introduction to the “Corner Pawn Attack” (CPA), along with a …
The Corner Pawn Attack: a new way to attack in chess
Even though the pawn is the smallest piece in chess, both in size and in power, it is good enough …
Another success story from an RCA student who defeated a Fide Master
Recently, I received a message from one of my students, Massimo Tricomi. He has shared some information about his wonderful …
How I defeated Fabiano Caruana in a blitz game!
<<Get the book now>> Talking about my new book A Promoted Pawn: My Chess Journey, this all started from a …
Two chess opening mistakes you should never make
I’ve prepared a chess opening lesson for you! 🙂 In this lesson, you’ll learn about two mistakes you should avoid …
How the course “GM’s Opening Lab” helped win a game against a FM
In my previous article, I informed you of my live seminar in India (for both students and coaches), which will …
How GM Igor Smirnov helped win a game against a Grandmaster
First, let me remind you of our new chess opening course, the “Bogo-Indian Defense” (LINK) and the special offers. You …
Fantastical chess defense and important announcement
First of all, let me remind you about the survey that we’re conducting to know your opinion about our existing …
Bobby Fischer’s pawn sacrifice
About a month ago, I wrote in an article that I had watched the trailer of the movie “Pawn Sacrifice”, …
Chess calculation training
First, let me remind you of the recent survey that I published for you. Please help us understand your needs …
Play like Tal and Killer Dragon
In my previous article (LINK), I told you that new premium videos would be added to our RCA shop very …
Play like Mikhail Tal
As of now, I can inform you that we’ll be adding the premium video “Play like Tal” by GM Simon …
RCA Student's Success
I’m very excited today, as I’m going to share with you the “hot news” from Remote Chess Academy. Before that, …
Middlegame Pawn Structures by GM Ivan Sokolov
In my previous article, I informed you that we’d have some new and interesting material in June. That’s why, today, …
Chess – a look at sharp tactics
Firstly, I’ve an important announcement about the game festival. (If you don’t know about our game festival, please see here: …
Special offer – final reminder
First, let me remind you that the special 20% discount (you save about $14) on our course “Unlocking the Grandmaster’s …
Special offers on book – final reminder
Let me remind you that today is the LAST chance for you to get my new book Champion Psychology (LINK) …
Happy Valentine’s Day, My New Book and Chess Tactics – Pin
Firstly, I wish you and your loved one a very happy Valentine’s Day. 🙂 Have a joyful day and have …
Survey – private coaching
Today, I’ve some good news for you. Recently, we conducted a survey and I’m glad that many of you took …
How Grandmasters think during a chess game?
Firstly, let me give you a nice present. I’ve published the shortened version of the introduction video on the new …
Hanging Pawn Structure PART-2
In the previous lesson, we discussed “Hanging Pawn Structures” (HPS) in a famous game between Kasparov and Portisch. Let’s continue …
How to handle opposite side castling?
While playing a game, the most important measure to protect your king is castling. There are certain situations where we …
My advice for your chess improvement
I’m glad to talk to you again after a little while. I hope your chess training is going well and …
How to use tactics in YOUR games – Part 2
In the previous blog-post, I shared with you the video lesson “How to use tactics in YOUR games?” (if you …
How to Eliminate Blunders?
Recently “ChessMate” (which is the biggest paper chess magazine in India) published my new lesson “How to Prevent Blunders”. If …
Your Chess Questions
First of all, let’s answer the previous chess task that I have given you: Were you able to find a …
Caution! Maniacs!
I’m sure you have heard something about mad and obsessive people before. Modern chess players share some of these traits. …
