Chess in the Loft at Sachem Public Library

02/06/2018

Possibly the most accurate game I've ever played. I don't play the french often, but I have been trying out the Modern version of the Scandinavian (1.e4 d5 2. dxe4 Nf6). If they don't accept the trade on move two, and push the d-pawn, you find yourself transposed into the French Defense Advanced Variation.

https://lichess.org/embed/Qyl6xVof

01/03/2018

Leonardo Da Vinci included sketches of chess positions in his famous notebooks. We know that the rules of the game, with a few minor exceptions, have been unchanged since his time. No other modern game with millions of daily players can even come close to its legacy.

01/02/2018

I found myself in a very dangerous position as black, playing the Gruenfeld against a Colle setup from white. Was able to pull out a win after spotting a tactical sacrifice after white's 24th move. Can you spot it? Black to move and gain a crippling advantage.

01/02/2018

Chess in the Loft is on tonight, don't let the cold weather keep you away!

12/26/2017

A good miniature that demonstrates the center fork trick in the Four Knights:Italian Variation, 4. Nxe4 (C47).

Remember, if two of your pieces are on the same color squares and are close together, they can be forked by a knight (and other pieces as well).

alkbab (1194) vs AlexMccaffrey (1209). AlexMccaffrey won by resignation in 14 moves. Was this game balanced — or were they just lucky? Click to review the game, move by move.

12/08/2017

Theoretically, there are 71,852 positions that can be obtained in chess after each player's fourth move, the vast majority of which are strategically useless. So where to start? This remarkable visualization shows how the opinions on this matter have changed over time.

11/14/2017

Checkmate in 8 moves in the Petrov Defense. While the Petrov is a sound defense, there are many pitfalls if you don't play accurately.

AlexMccaffrey (1044) vs babyboy45 (1121). AlexMccaffrey won by checkmate in 8 moves. The average chess game takes 25 moves — can you identify when the offense took control? Click to review the game, move...

11/07/2017

November is here and the move to Tuesday nights is in effect. Come down to the Loft@ SPL, beginners through masters welcome!

10/04/2017

Starting in November, our meetings will be moved to Tuesday nights. We will continue to meet on Wednesdays through the end of October. Hope to see some new players tonight!

08/30/2017

Here is a trap in the Italian Game playing as black. It comes from the Blackburn Shillling Gambit continuation (3. ...Nd4).

klawida (1022) vs AlexMccaffrey (1030). AlexMccaffrey won by checkmate in 7 moves. The average chess game takes 25 moves — can you identify when the offense took control? Click to review the game, move...

08/19/2017

This Wednesday Candidate Master Henry Despres will be having a simultaneous exhibition in the loft. Boards will be limited and fill up fast so please BYOB (bring your own board or tournament set if you are able.) Special that is to Henry for hosting this!

08/07/2017

I would like to discuss three or four openings in detail next Wednesday. Perhaps two king's pawn and two queen's pawn, with appropriate opening theory for white and black. Any suggestions/requests?