AzeezA

As any chess lover/ proselytizer should, I prefer and recommend that chess be played mano a mano, live in the flesh – rather than over the internet. But, in reality, a ready and willing opponent, can be hard to find. It's understandable therefore that nowadays most chess gets played on a glowing screen. Truth be told, I also play most of my chess on my phone, and were it not for the convenience and accessibility afforded by chess apps, the noble game would likely have stayed as only a feature of my childhood. Thankfully, chess apps breathed new life into my love affair with chess; allowing me to go toe to toe with opponents all over the globe without so much as having to leave the comfort of my toilet seat. And therein lies a sticky problem.  In the past, to play chess with a human being, you either had to be diligent in your arrangements. Otherwise, you simply had to go along with the schedule of your local club. Nowadays, however, anytime we get the itch, us...

Much ado about coffee If you've played chess more than a few times you'll know that your results are very much linked to your state of mind. My fellow chessheads, feel free to nod your head in agreement; if you feel good, optimistic, sharp, these feelings naturally play out on the board as you skillfully defend your king - whilst simultaneously applying pressure till your opponent cracks. But, when we feel negative, drained, scattered, then this is reflected in a lacklustre performance that can be worlds apart from the chess we know we're capable of. The Rza said something similar to this in his book, The Tao of the Wu ; it was the first time I'd come across someone articulate my experience and I remember thinking, ahhh, so I'm not alone... Now, this brings me to coffee - specifically its chief component, caffeine - as many can attest, a fresh brew is a reliable vehicle for delivering a tasty dose of motivation. Recently, there was a ...

I was recently in Amsterdam for a couple of days (a reward for making it to the ripe old age of 35) and obviously anywhere I go, I scratch and sniff for chess related things. So, I’m googling for a chess café and what do I stumble across? but a chess museum! Now, I’d heard about a chess museum in Louisiana (thanks to this book ), but had no idea that Amsterdam could also boast to host such an attraction.  Being the chess head I am, I was pleased as pie with my discovery. What's in a name? The chess museum is actually called Max Euwe Centrum, named after Dutch chess boss, Dr Max Euwe (World Champ, 1935–37). His biography shows him to be thoroughly accomplished in the world of chess so I guess if anyone deserves a chess museum  in Amsterdam, it’s him. Even with the assistance of Google maps it was difficult to find - but once we came across some big kids chessing on an outdoor, giant chess set I knew we were on the right trac...