FM Zig_Zag_Zug_Zwang's Blog
I BEAT A SUPER-GM!! | Day #1 of World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship
When my friend Tim first suggested we play the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship together, it …
Road to IM | Day 1
Hi everyone! If you guys didn’t know it already, my name is Vidar. I'm an 18-year-old FIDE Master fr…
Chess is a Mirror of Real Life
As chess players, we’ve all been there. The tournament hall is dead quiet, par for the rhythmic thum…
When Life Moves Faster Than Your Elo
Every chess player goes through a rough patch. Progress is rarely linear, but that doesn’t make it a…
3 Super-GMs in 3 Rounds!!! | World Team Blitz Championship
If you caught my last two blogs, you know how the rapid part of the World Rapid and Blitz Team Champ…
Good End to a Tough Day | Day #2 of World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship
After a night of perhaps one too many blitz games, we rolled into Day 2 looking pretty rough. I felt…
Introducing The Chessathon
Let me ask you something. Have you ever woken up at 3 a.m.? Not for a flight. Not because of a bad d…
I'm so lucky! | Day 2 of road to IM
Today was rounds 3 and 4 of the IM tournament I’m playing in. First up, I was paired with the strong…
Learn From One Of The Best Coaches In The World
In December of 2022 I attended a weekend long chess camp in Uppsala, Sweden. The man who was coachin…
The 100 Game Marathon
I’m writing this about an hour and a half before the marathon starts, and honestly, I’m both excited…
What Reading About Human Intelligence Has Taught Me About Chess
In the room where I often sit to study chess, there’s a sort of "mini-library" filled with my dad’s …
A Data-Driven Approach to Chess Improvement [Part 2 - Chessable Effectiveness]
By combining science-backed learning techniques, most notably SRS (spaced repetition), with interact…
How To Improve At Chess In 4 Simple Steps
In this post I’ll talk about 4 simple steps to improve at chess. To complement it, I’ve also decided…
How You Can Win By Becoming An Endgame Expert
Hello! I'm back with another blog and today I'd like to touch on a subject I haven't talked about in…
How To Choose The Right Openings To Play
When it comes to chess, choosing the right opening and studying it effectively can feel overwhelming…
The Best Exercise for Improving Positional Understanding
Throughout my life, I’ve attended numerous chess camps worldwide, learning from some of the best coa…
A Simple Rule for Knowing Where to Attack
When creating a plan in chess, it's crucial to determine where to direct your attack. While I often …
My Journey To The World Championship
Hi, I’m Vidar, an 18-year-old FM from Sweden. You might recognize me from my blog or various free li…
Which Openings Should You Play?
To preface this post, I just want to mention that this post goes hand-in-hand with my new study, The…
A Data-Driven Approach to Chess Improvement [Part 1 - SRS & Woodpecker-Method]
Hello! I'm back with a new blogpost, but this time it's going to be a bit different. Usually I write…
The 7-Step Thought Process
To preface this post I’d like to mention it goes hand-in-hand with my new study on The Ultimate Ches…
The Blueprint On How to Prepare Against Your Opponent
Preparation is key to success in chess, and knowing how to effectively prepare for your opponent can…
How to Prepare for Your First OTB Tournament (Part 1 - Rules & Norms)
Playing in your first over-the-board (OTB) tournament can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. While…