achja's Blog
My 2025 "immortal" game
I did it! I played my most fun game so far in 2025. I can hardly believe it!
Titled Arena Philidor bishop sacrifice
Watching live I saw a well-known theme but an incorrect one
Chernev's book with Capablanca's best endings - 60 games (part 1)
Just a brief intro to endgames by Capablanca
Sharpen your razor and let your opponents grab pawns with check
You do not always have to defend your pawns, there are nice exceptions
Blitz bullet opening tricks, part 1
Win very fast if the opponent is too fast
Crazy July queen sacrifice adventure
Unbelievable, almost unbelievable what happened in this game :)
Gambits for U2000 players, part 4
The Bf4 line of Budapest gambit
Walking into a Steinitz King
During a fresh 3 0 game things became messy and complicated. Then I noticed my king could simply wal…
Gambits for U2000 players, part 3
Budapest gambit, where some lines are perfect for fun tactics and checkmate
Queen sac adventures
Sacrificing your queen can be very good for you when you want to make progress as tactical player. I…
No regrets
Two exchange sacrifices in one game but there was a hidden gem
Gambits for U2000 players, part 2
Let's look at the a4 variation of the Scandi b4 gambit
Gambits for U2000 players, part 1
Now that I got lots of U2000 rated followers I'd like to share some unusual gambits for you ...
Obsession with queens - Climbing the rating ladder
Attacking the opponent queen should not be your first priority. Chess is nicer and better when it is…
Sharing a bold defensive queen sacrifice
My opponent had three active pieces close to my king, which I didn't like very much. Time for unusua…
Some impressions from the 50th OKU tourney June 2025 Utrecht (NL)
This weekend I had a look at the OKU tourney with some 300 participants.
Making a better move after analysis
Three hours ago I had exactly the same position on the chess board and noticed that Stockfish sugges…
In honor of my chess teacher - 2025
Boris Spassky, Robert Hübner and Vlasti Hort all died this year and so did my chess teacher
Temptation tactics (1)
Sometimes it is OK to play a slightly worse move to make nice tactics possible
Double horsey coincidence
A horsey was lost twice in a row
Introducing : Impulsive chess, part 2
New adventures with a Move first, Think later attitude
Some puzzle grinding
What to do when you're sure about the key move ...
Introducing : Impulsive chess, part 1
There's absolutely no need to calculate variations all the time. Kotov was wrong and IM Willy Hendri…