danthedestroyer317's Blog

Who was Akiba Rubinstein?

2026-04-24T07:59:38.689Z

Akiba Rubinstein was born in Poland in 1880 as the youngest of 12 children. His brilliant chess career made him perhaps the strongest player of his time not to be crowned World Champion.

Gioachino Greco: The First Chess Master

2026-04-17T05:30:14.116Z

The 15th and 16th centuries saw the first published chess books with Pedro Damiano’s and Ruy Lopez de Segura’s works. While there were undoubtedly strong players showcasing their skills in the royal courts of Europe at the time, none really separated themselves from their peers in the way that Gioachino Greco, the first true master of the game, did in the early 17th century.

Paris 1900: The Last World Exposition Tournament

2026-04-10T05:04:07.479Z

The second half of the 19th century saw a number of World Expositions held in major cities across the globe. These “Expos” were an opportunity for cities to showcase their scientific and technical progress on the world stage. Often, they were held in conjunction with a major international chess tournament.

Karpov and the Caro-Kann

2026-04-03T06:19:22.022Z

The Caro-Kann defense is often mentioned in conjunction when talking about chess openings and the great Anatoly Karpov. It suited Karpov’s positional style and indeed a variation of the defense is named after him.

The Final Round of the Curaçao 1962 Candidates Tournament

2026-03-27T05:34:27.328Z

The date is June 26, 1962. It is the final round of the 28-round Curaçao Candidates Tournament and Miroslav Filip has just played 14... b5 in a Queen’s Gambit Declined against Tigran Petrosian.

Ståhlberg's Losing Streak in Zürich 1953

2026-03-20T09:50:18.986Z

In the 1953 Candidates Tournament, Swedish Grandmaster Gideon Ståhlberg finished in last place scoring 8/28. His run of poor form included a four game losing streak towards the end of the tournament. Here that losing streak is analyzed to see what lessons can be learned.