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When he was 19, Isaac Wiebe of Winnipeg decided to embark on a radical experiment to boost his chess rating.

An average Class C player, he studied as many as 200 tactical chess combinations and puzzles every day to sharpen his game. The results were dramatic. In a span of 19 months, he gained 700 official rating points and vaulted into master status with the Chess Federation of Canada.

I put huge effort and time into improving my tactical vision, Wiebe says. Combined with his aggressive playing style, his study plan turned him into one of Manitobas strongest players.

The highlight of Wiebes chess career came a few years ago when he won a contest to compete against world champion Magnus Carlsen in a simultaneous exhibition. Though he lost, he said it was a unique learning experience.

Now 27, Wiebe is in his last year of a Masters of Engineering program at Carlton University in Ottawa where he studies robotics and machine vision. As for others emulating his path to chess success, he says its doable.

You have to be rather disciplined to do it. If you believe in yourself, you have to commit the time and see it through all the way.

11. Rxg5 and after 12. hxg5 Bg4 13. Qd2 Nh5 14. g6 Nf4 15. gxf7+ Kxf7 16. g3 Nd4 Black won.

Read more:
From amateur to master in 19 months: All it takes is discipline to excel at chess - The Globe and Mail

A PORTARLINGTON chess club facilitator is accrediting a spike of interest in the game to Netflix series The Queens Gambit.

Released in 2020, the television miniseries is based on Walter Teviss 1983 novel of the same name and follows the life of a fictional chess prodigy on her rise to the top of the chess world.

Facilitator of Portarlingtons chess club Stan Rusiniak said hes seen an increase in people wanting to join local clubs, including women.

They have enjoyed playing their first game online or have recently bought a new chess board and are keen to learn more about the game,he said.

Actively involved with three of the Bellarines prominent chess groups, Mr Rusiniak said friends have contacted him or his fellows chess players with a newfound enthusiasm and questions about chess and the chess groups activities.

We have all been delighted by the shows success, Ralph Wright of the Ocean Grove Chess group said.

The Queens Gambit which refers to a centuries-old opening move of the game has been internationally credited with elevating chess board sales and drawing people online to play, particularly during the pandemic.

Google Trends data reveals people searching for chess doubled after the series was released in 2020 and leading online playing platform chess.com reported daily active players jumped from 1.3 million in March 2020 to more than 3.1 million in under a year.

All the Bellarine chess clubs are open and welcoming new members, giving them the opportunity to learn more about the game that has been played in various forms for more than1,000 years.

Even expressing an interest in the game can be beneficial to people young and old, Hugh Peters of the St Leonards Chess group said.

Chess is a wonderful way to improve your concentration, patience, memory, and creativity.

Read more here:
Queen's Gambit credited with renewed interest in chess - Bellarine Times - Bellarine Times

A proposal has been made to withdraw honorary membership of Northern Irelands leading chess organisation from a world-renowned Russian player over the war in Ukraine.

he Sunday Independent has learned a motion requesting the removal of Dina Belenkaya from the honorary position with the Ulster Chess Union (UCU) will be discussed at the organisations Annual General Meeting (AGM) tomorrow evening.

No reason for the proposal has been outlined in the agenda for the organisations AGM, but sources have said those behind the motion believe it will send a message of support to the people of Ukraine as the Russian invasion of their country continues.

However, Ms Belenkaya told the Sunday Independent she stopped representing Russia earlier this year and now plays chess for Israel.

Chess is a hugely important sport in Russia and its leading players are major stars.

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine in February, many Russian players were prevented from taking part in international tournaments in a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

However, many Russian chess players have also spoken out against the invasion.In April, 44 of the countrys top players published an open letter to Vladimir Putin, highlighting their opposition to the war and expressing solidarity with those suffering in Ukraine.

Ms Belenkaya is a Woman Grandmaster, the highest title awarded to female chess players. The 28-year-old was born in St Petersburg and has won a number of leading international tournaments.

She is also a popular online figure in the world of chess and has her own channels on the YouTube and Twitch platforms.

Her links with UCU, which has 12 affiliated clubs in Northern Ireland, began several years ago when she travelled to Belfast to play against some local chess players. Ms Belenkaya was made an honorary member of the organisation after this event.

Although some UCU members now want to end that relationship as a result of the conflict, it is understoodthere is little support within the organisation for the proposal.

UCU chair Mark Newman said members were allowed to propose motions of their choice.

These motions can lead to quite heated but friendly discussion. We are looking at ways we can support Ukraine, for instance, by welcoming Ukrainian chess players. We do welcome all chess players, said Mr Newman.

When contacted by the Sunday Independent, Ms Belenkaya said she was unaware of the motion to remove her honorary membership of UCU. However, she said she no longer represented Russia.

I suppose people willing to remove me are not aware that Ive changed federation to Israel in March 2022. Either way, its their call to decide, she said.

When asked if her decision to change affiliation from Russia to Israel was linked to the war in Ukraine, Ms Belenkaya said she did not wish to comment further because the situation is very delicate unfortunately.

Hopefully peace will come soon, she added.

The rest is here:
Ulster Chess Union has motion to cut ties with Russian Grandmaster over Ukraine conflict - Belfast Telegraph

When Cassa offers a gift, one must accept it. For the goddess is often vengeful towards those who fail to take advantage of her largesse.

The fifth round of the 2022 FIDE Candidatessaw two players GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Ding Liren failing to capitalize on significant advantages. With missed chances beginning to pile up, and with 16 of 20 games drawn thus far, one wonders who has causedCassa to turn her face from them, and who may yet claim her favor.

Image Caption

courtesy FIDE / Stev Bonhage

After grabbing an edge in a non-theoretical Petroff, Nakamura was unable to find key moves against current leader GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, and had to accede to a draw by repetition.

Nakamura was remarkably sanguine in his post-game recap, but the video title Dear Youtube, I Am Disgusted may be more indicative of his true feels. (Or it might be clickbait. Hard to say.)

Meanwhile, GM Ding Liren missed an opportunity to take the full point against tailender GM Teimour Radjabov. Our annotator GM Jacob Aagaard pulls no punches in his assessment of Dings performance thus far.

Ding Liren has disappointed. He lost with White against Nepomniachtchi and failed to convert a winning position against Rapport. But the idea that he would come out of isolation after two and a half years confinement in China and do amazingly well... it was perhaps too optimistic. I was slightly pessimistic about his chances, but I was also reluctant to say that he would fail. Which is funny, as my confidence in saying that Nepomniachtchi will not qualify has not been dented. I still predict a poorer performance in the second half of the tournament.

The game against Radjabov with black had to be won for Ding to remain within a reasonable chance of qualifying. A score of +3 has most often been enough to win the tournament, while +2 could possibly suffice. Getting back to 50% would be a desirable start.

This is the reasoning behind a lot of the unforcing moves by Black in the opening. Rather than seeking equality, Ding looks for a position to play. It is an old strategy: to win with Black, often you don't need to play sharper, but you need the game to be longer, so the opponent has additional chances of making mistakes.

Image Caption

courtesy FIDE / Stev Bonhage

GM Fabiano Caruana got the worse of things in his game against GM Richard Rapport, and almost as soon as the opening phase was over he had to pull the ripcord and head for a draw.

Despite wasting another turn with White, Caruana remains in clear second place after five rounds, trailing Nepomniachtchi by just a half-point. Theres still plenty of time for the American to make his move and overtake the Russian.

Finally, GM Alireza Firouzja failed to get anything out of the opening against GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, with a fairly bloodless draw as the result.

Aagaard is blunt in his assessment of Firouzjas play thus far: You have to produce magic at some point to win the Candidates. The 19-year old super talent is not deliveringthe goods this time, but the tournament remains is a fabulous learning experience.

Thursday sees the sixth round of play, the third in three days, and the last before the second rest day on Friday. Play begins at 9 a.m. Eastern. Pairings for round six are:

Radjabov - RapportFirouzja - CaruanaNakamura - DingNepomniachtchi - Duda

FIDE Candidates homepageUS Chess Candidates homepageCandidates Overview (including streaming links)Lichess analysis study (Aagaard)Round 1Round 2Round 3Round 4

Originally posted here:
Missed Opportunities in Madrid | US Chess.org - uschess.org

The Cincinnati Bengals may have been a secret last year, but the cats out of the bag in 2022, as the targets are on their backs in the AFC. One of the teams looking for a redemption this season, oddly enough, are the always-competitive Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though they made the playoffs last year, the 2021 Steelers were a shell of other powerhouse teams weve seen up-close-and-personal in recent years. Who better to help us talk about the 2022 Steelers than a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the team in defensive back Ike Taylor, as well as his tag-team partner who has excellently covered the team for years in Mark Bergin?

Well, both join us for a chat this week, courtesy of the BLEAV podcast network. Larry Ogunjobi signed with the Steelers this week, so we cover that, as well as providing another Remember When...?.

Our thanks to those who joined us for the live recordingif you didnt you can now get it on your favorite audio platform!

Of course, go check out the great show from Mr. Bergin and Mr. Taylor on the BLEAV podcast network. The BLEAV in Steelers podcast can be found here!

If youre unable to join us live here at Cincy Jungle or YouTube for every episode, all of our podcast content is available here on CJ, the Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio and Google Play Music apps, our Orange and Black Insider YouTube channel, as well as through Megaphone and, as always, on iTunes! Thanks for listening and go subscribe to our channels to be notified when were going live and when new episodes are available!

See more here:
The Orange and Black Insider Bengals podcast: Chess match on the Riverbanks - Cincy Jungle