Oracle Tutoring, Campbell River, BC
(250) 203-6544 (text) or (250) 830-0295 (talk)
Self-tutoring about chess: the tutor makes an observation. Most chess players seem to prefer playing white. The reason is obvious: white moves first, and chess is about choosing and occupying the best squares on the board. Being first at a …
Self-tutoring about chess: the tutor shares a term he picked up from the channel of MatoJelic. minority attack: a pawn invasion on the side where the defender has more. Source: MatoJelic
The tutor explores the two common styles of chess seen at high level. I’ve read that Bobby Fischer was a positional player; I’ve also read his being a tactical player. Though a given player can exhibit both styles, they arise …
The tutor reflects on some of his early chess discoveries. I always play black against the computer. I set the difficulty so that I win about 30% of the time. Therefore, if I don’t play carefully, I lose. The defense …
The tutor discusses the (dis)advantage of opening files. I suffered some chess burnout earlier this holiday season, but hope I’m making a recovery. I still lose more than I win, but computers aren’t prone to error the way a human …
The tutor introduces a resource to help with endgame play. Some tough games, I’ve won by queening a pawn. (I mainly play the computer, and I lose more often than I win.) Towards the end of a long, tiring game, …
The tutor defines an oft-used term in chess. I’m sure I first heard zugzwang used by Sean Godley of Killegar Chess. I got the impression it meant “overextended” – that one piece was protecting two others. Therefore, after an exchange, …
The tutor reflects on his evolving chess experience. When I played chess as a kid, I knew little about it. Eventually I came to believe that tactical finesse was the key to winning. For me, in those early days, it …
The tutor shares a chess observation. The summer hasn’t left me with substantial mental resources for chess playing, but I’ve had some good games. I’ve also been watching kingscrusher and MatoJelic on YouTube. From all three sources, I’ve noticed an …
The tutor offers a few comments from his chess experience. Castling, I have read, doubles the king’s security. Therefore, one idea is that a player should castle as early as possible. Since it develops the rook used to castle, it …