Notes from the desk.
Short essays on training, tactics and chess culture — written around the board you play on.
FIDE’s rapid and blitz fee waiver: what it means for your next event
FIDE has extended its rapid and blitz rating-fee waiver through 2027. Separate that federation charge from tournament entry costs, then prepare for one manageable first event.
Blindfold Chess Is a Skill, Not a Gift
Visualisation feels like something you either have or you don't. It isn't. Here is how the blindfold ladder actually builds the picture in your head.
Light or Dark: The Foundation Skill Nobody Trains
Knowing the colour of every square without counting sounds trivial. It quietly underpins bishops, endgames and every calculation you will ever make.
Memory Palaces and the 64 Squares
Chess memory is not photographic. It is structural — which is why the techniques that work for memorising positions look nothing like flashcards.
New editions Tuesday and Friday. Retrospectives show their archive date and actual publication date.