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Every player with internet access now has a 3500-rated-plus assistant for analysis. Switch on "Infinite Analysis," go to the kitchen, make yourself a cup of coffee, return, and voila: decades of analysis at your fingertips.

Games of the not-so-distant past did not have this luxury, and even today your average reader might find mistakes in older chess books. Some games have even gone down in history as masterpieces, only to be shredded to pieces by today's engines.

Despite the "objective" merits of the following games, they still deserve the reputations they earned for their creativity and, at times, audacity. I recommend readers first click through the game "cold" without looking at the analysis. Then, take a look at my notes to see a more truthful picture.

The first example, Yakov Estrin vs. Hans Berliner 1965, has been exalted as the greatest correspondence chess game ever. Played in the Fifth World Correspondence Chess Championship, the second player ultimately won.

Google the game and you can find many claiming it to be one of or the best game ever. Indeed, it is the first game in GM Andy Soltis' book The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century. Severalpoints are praised by NM Sam Copeland in this blog post, although he acknowledges that there were some very real mistakes. While portions of the game are astounding after White gave Black a winning position after 15.Be2??, they would not have been possible without cooperation by the first player. The same line does not score so well for Black now despite this success in the pre-computer era.

The following game between GM Efim Geller and former world champion Max Euwe is taken from one of the strongest and most famous tournaments in history, Zurich 1953, largely popularized by GM David Bronstein and GM Miguel Najdorf's books on the event. The game, which first seems like a defensive masterpiece, has some flaws, and the flashy move 22...Rh8? (you can find "!!" attached to it in online forums) could have thrown the win away.

The following example, with the unforgettable 18.Qxg6!!, looks flat-out awesome when you click through it for the first time (please do). However, besides the fact that the flashy 17.Ndc4?? doesn't even work, there has been speculation as to whether A.W. Fox existed or whether this game was ever genuinely played.

Readers should certainly expect a game by former world champion Mikhail Tal to make it into this article. While his play was not sound in the scientific sense, the greatest players in the world succumbed to his daring, challenging, and hyper-aggressive style of play.

The following game immediately became one of my favorites once I read it in his book about the Tal-Botvinnik 1960 World Championship Match that he won. Likely the most famous move of the match, 21...Nf4 in game six is nothing short of legendary.

Unlike some of the other examples in this article, nobodyincluding Talpretended that this move is an irrefutable sacrifice, but I include it to expose more readers to this great game and add notes that are not in Tal's book, written many, many decades ago.

With the best play, White should achieve a much-better-to-winning position, but keep in mind that he was playing a person with feelings and fears, not a 3700-rated silicon monster.

The second world champion Emanuel Lasker called this game against Harry Pillsbury "the best I ever played" after he was "able to ward off a furious attack and then succeed in carrying my own counterattack through" (quoted here). He admitted to making some mistakes due to tiredness and time pressure.

Brilliant games are not produced without mistakes by the other side (as I write this, I think of Kasparov's immortal 24.Rxd4!!?? against Topalov in 1999), but this attack certainly needed a bit of help from Caissa to work at all and ultimately survive in the great book of time.

The last example is special and is, in many ways, the antithesis of this article's topic. But I wanted to use this opportunity to set the record straight about a widespread misconception.

World Champion Bobby Fischer's infamous 29...Bxh2!? against then-reigning World Champion Boris Spassky in game one of the 1972 World Championship Match was nota blunder. Although many people still reference this game when teaching beginners about piece-traps, or casually reference similar moves as "pulling a Bobby Fischer," the move in itself is not losing and could have led to a draw with the best play.

The real mistake occurred on 39...f5??, a detail that has been overlooked and not talked about as much, and I hope our dear readers may better appreciate the creativity behind Fischer's piece sacrifice after reading my notes.

I hope this article helps shed greater insight into some of the most exciting chess games out there. I also hope that the mistakes annotated above do not take away from the brilliance of these players and games because chess is played between two people on a board with a clock, and not in a laboratory.

Happy reading and please share any examples that are relevant to the topic in the comments below.

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5 Chess Brilliancies That Stockfish Hates - Chess.com

Isolated pawns are a key concept in chess endgames and mid-games. It is one of the first concepts that gets introduced to intermediate players. Isolated pawns are, as the name would suggest, alone and separated from their counterparts, which means that they can only be protected by pieces. This makes them juicy targets for the enemy and finicky weakness to defend for you.

That isnt to say theyre without advantages: earlier in the game, when many pieces are still on the board, the lines opened up around the isolated pawn offer great attacking opportunities for you as long as you know how to take advantage of them.

Hopefully youve got a plan in mind if youve purposefully gotten yourself into a position where you ended up with an isolated pawn! They can emerge from any of the popular mainstream chess openings, if you play your cards right. Though the isolated pawn is a long-term weakness, it also grants you great attacking opportunities in the mid-game.

Try to set up an attack on the enemy king by using open lines to your advantage.

Theres often enough space and territory to execute a rook lift in these positions. Any time you can get in a pawn break and push the isolated pawn further should also be a big step forward for you as it can give you control of very valuable squares in the enemy position.

The most important element of playing against isolated pawns is to stop them from moving. They can become a real thorn in your side (or worse still, in your middle) if they can run up the board, escorted by a myriad of pieces.

To make sure this cannot happen, you need to blockade them by placing a piece on the square immediately in front of them. The best piece to get the job done is a knight because of its unique way of attacking as it can still take care of vital targets on the board while right ahead of a pawn, while most other pieces on the chessboard would see their mobility greatly reduced by this activity.

The other thing with isolated pawns, as mentioned before, is that they are ultimately a source of weakness in the endgame.

To get there, youll need to trade-off most of the pieces on the board.

With most of the knights, bishops, and rooks gone (not to mention the queens), it will become much more difficult to defend an isolated pawn. Gobble it up and enjoy your clear advantage in the endgame!

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What is an isolated pawn in chess? - Dot Esports

AICF Madurai Schools Chess Selection Tournament is to be held for boys and girls on June 11 and 12 here organised by Madurai District Chess Association.

Participants below the age of 15 are eligible to participate. The registration fee is 250.

Players have to be registered with the All India Chess Federation before enrolling themselves for the tournament on https://prs.aicf.in/playerswebsite along with the players photo and birth certificate.

The last date for registration is 6 pm on June 9.

The venue for the event is MRR MAVMM Matriculation Higher Secondary School on Collector Office Road, Madurai.

The winners under both categories would grab a chance to visit the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad at Mahabalipuram to be held from July 28 to August 10.

Around 1800 players from more than 180 countries are expected to participate in the Olympiad.

For further details contact Madurai District Chess Association Secretary B T Sethuraman on 9843155560.

More:
Chess selection tournament to be held - The Hindu

This weeks puzzle is a chance to enter an annual national contest where FT readers traditionally perform strongly. White in the diagram, playing up the board, is to play and checkmate in two moves, against any black defence.

The puzzle is the first stage of the annual Winton British Solving Championship, organised by the British Chess Problem Society. This competition is open only to British residents, and entry is free. The prize fund is expected to be at least 1,200, plus awards to juniors.

To take part, simply send Whites first move to Nigel Dennis, Boundary House, 230 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1QY or by email towinton@theproblemist.org. Please include your name, home address and postcode and mark your entry Financial Times. If under 18 on August 31 2021, please give your date of birth.

The closing date is July 31. After that, all solvers will receive the answer and those who get it right will also be sent a postal round of eight problems, with plenty of time for solving. The best 20-25 entries from the postal round plus the best juniors will be invited to the final in February 2023 (subject to Covid).

The champion will qualify for the Great Britain team in the 2023 world solving championship, an event where GB is often a medal contender. The starter problem is tricky,though less so than in a previous year when it even defeated some computer programs.Obvious moves rarely work. Double check your answer before sending it. Good luck!

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Chess: your chance to enter the Winton British Solving Championship - Financial Times

Chess Grandmaster (GM), Arjun Erigiasi shot to fame last year with his solid display at the 2021 Tata Steel Chess in Kolkata. The Telangana lad has since gone strength to strength and is rated 2675 currently.

Erigiasi attributes his rise in the chess world to his decision to drop out of college and shift his focus entirely to the age-old strategy game.

"I was pursuing Data Science as recently as December 2021. I was very keen on going to college and having my share of fun. But a series of bad performances over the board made me realise that it is simply not possible for me to balance both chess and studies," Arjun tells The Bridge.

"I think this decision has certainly helped me improve my game. I can clearly feel the difference in the way I was playing in 2021 and this year. The results show for themselves as well," he smiles.

Arjun, on Monday, clinched the 2022 Junior Speed Chess Championships title beating compatriot and the speed monster Nihal Sarin. By the virtue of this win, he has made his way into the main round of the Speed Chess Championships.

"I had to win, I had no option," he tweeted after the win.

Winning was always the only thing in Arjun's mind, even when he took up chess as an eight-year-old.

"I was quite a naughty and mischievous kid. Hence my parents forced me into various kinds of sports. I tried my hands at skating, swimming, but was never good at anything. Chess is something I was a bit better at and it just drew me in," said Arjun, who spends quite a bit of his time watching football.

With the 44th Chess Olympiad around the corner where he would play in the India A team, Arjun is currently on lookout for a small break.

"We had a 10-day camp in Chennai recently. It was refreshing to train under the likes of Gelfand and Anand. I will soon take a break from competitive chess ahead of the Olympiad and focus solely on training. I think it is much needed for me to have a break now to be able to give my best when the team needs me during the Olympiad," he states.

The 18-year-old has just one aim right now to break the 2700 rating barrier as soon as possible.

"The focus is to do well in the Olympiad, but the immediate goal is to cross the 2700 rating margin as soon as possible. That's something I have been working on since a long time and it would be surreal to achieve that."

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Chess over studies How quitting college took Arjun Erigiasi to Indian Olympiad team - The Bridge