Toadofsky's Blog
Lies, damned lies, and statistics
Statistics, while often used for accurate representation, can also be misused to distort the truth.
Long-Term Goals Are Malarkey
What is your chess goal for 2024?
International Shogi Festival 2021 New Events
This article is original, not sponsored. Shogi is not a "chess variant", but chess variant players m…
Hope Chess Is Better Than Hopeless Chess
"Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack." - Wilhelm Steinitz
Ratings Science is Hard
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
What is Creativity?
Are we creative at using technology, or do computers have a mind of their own?
World Championship Format Comparison
We've heard of e-sports like Pokémon having annual championships, so why are chess and other board g…
Logistic Growth of Chess
How do parlor games become popular, and why are some more popular than others?
Monoculture Mediocrity
"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools?" (C.S. Le…
Chess Does Not Speak For Itself
Voice of online chess Naroditsky passes at 29
God Bless America
One Country! One Language! One Flag!
On On recent changes to Lichess analysis
Old man yells at cloud
Art of the Nerd Snipe
The threat is stronger than the execution!
Tactics Flow From Plans
To compete as a tactical player, you also need to be a positional player who can find plans until ta…
History Always Repeats
We live in an era where people fail to listen to one another.
Chess is a Skill-Based Game
There is no luck in chess.
Canadians Quit Hockey to Play Chess.com
According to Nathanial Green, more Canadians play chess than hockey.
More 2025 FIDE Sexual Harassment
Does FIDE care about women?
Humans Make Consecutive Errors
"If you make consecutive threats, your opponent will blunder." - GM Dimitri Komarov
Right to Earn a Rating
Collective action problems exist in our modern world.
You Are Your Rating
The world may not care for your achievements, but they are yours to celebrate.
art is dead.
AI replaces human intelligence
Road Back to 2300
Ratings aren't what they used to be.