Chess is everywhere around us. Its been a game that has resonated with billions of people for almost 1500 years. A game about strategy, hierarchies, players that don’t know it rising to the top of the game, humans that break barriers while playing it - everyone who plays this game has their own stories to tell - be that the games that got away, the games that will go down in their memories forever, or just a funny moment between friends - and that is why we continue to play. There are always more stories to discover, learn, and share with one another.

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Phiona Mutesi versus Mustafa Manour Zienab.

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Nge2 Bg7 7. h3 Rb8 8. Be3 O-O 9. O-O b5 10. Qd2 b4 11. Nd1 Nd7 12. f4 a5 13. Rb1 Nd4 14. g4 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Bd4 16. Bxd4 cxd4 17. Qf2 Qb6 18. f5 Ne5 19. Qh4 e6 20. f6 Kh8 21. Qh6 Rg8 22. g5 Bb7 23. Rf4 Nd7 24. Qxh7+ 1-0

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So that is all that we have for this week. Tune in next time where we will continue to work on our blindfold skills and look at another game of the Masters.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1768889

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phiona_Mutesi

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at the rising star Vaishali Rameshbabu, the 3rd woman in India to achieve the Grandmaster title. She and her brother are the first 2 siblings in history to be Grandmasters, to play in the Candidates, and to play in the Candidates in the same year.

For today though, we are going back just a couple of years to the 2022 Tata Steel Blitz tournament - Vaishali Rameshbabu versus Kulkarni Bhakti.

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1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 Bd6 5. Bg3 c5 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. c3 b6 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Ne5 Nc6 10. f4 Ne7 11. Qf3 Nf5 12. Bf2 Be7 13. g4 Nd6 14. g5 Nfe4 15.Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qg4 cxd4 17.cxd4 Rc8 18. h4 Rc2 19. h5 b5 20. g6 Qa5 21. Rd1 Nc4 22. gxf7+ Kh8 23. Ng6+ hxg6 24. hxg6+ 1-0

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Being the 3rd woman to achieve the Grandmaster title in India, playing in her first Candidates tournament last year, and setting her sights at the World Championship - it’ll be great to continue to watch Vaishali improve.

So that is all that we have for this week. Tune in next time where we will continue to work on our blindfold skills and look at another game of the Masters.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishali_Rameshbabu

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2420745

https://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at the tumultuous and impressive life of the 4th World Champion - Alexander Alekhine.

Alekhine’s fingerprints are all over the game we know today - he had many openings named over him including the: Alekhine Defense (e4 Nf6), Alekhine Variations found in the Budapest Gambit, Vienna Game, Ruy Lopez, Winawer Variation, Sicilian Dragon, QGA, Slav, Queens Pawn, Catalan, and Dutch, he had composed several endgame studies, he wrote over 20 chess books, and he had a cat named ‘Chess’ that he took with him to tournaments.

Though not officially given the Grandmaster title since FIDE did not give those until 1950, he was given it unofficially from Tsar Nicholas II at the St Petersburg tournament of 1914.

This week, we are traveling back to 1921 - before he became world champion to The Hague - Alexander Alekhine versus Max Euwe.

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1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4 e6 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. a3 Bd6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Rc1 Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Qxd5 a5 14. Bb5 axb4 15. a4 Rd8 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 Ne5 18. Ng5 f6 19. Bxe5 fxg5 20. Bc4+ 1-0

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Being ensnared in World War I, World War II, the Russian Revolution, leaving your home country to never return, all while being at the top of the chess world for 17 years, playing in 5 chess Olympiads, and breaking the simultaneous Blindfold Chess record 3 different times - Alexander Alekhine has earned his plaque in the Chess Hall of Fame.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012076

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Alekhine

http://cassidynoble.com/