Raymond Keene

Raymond Keene is The Spectator's chess columnist.

Double fianchetto

28 September 2019 9:00 am

In my pantheon of heroes a particular place of honour is occupied by the hypermodern grandmaster Richard Réti, the first…

no. 573

28 September 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This position is from Van Foreest-Bortnyk, St Louis 2019. How did White break through on the kingside…

Adopt a hero

21 September 2019 9:00 am

I am often asked which players I admire most and which grandmasters, writers and champions exerted the most influence on…

No. 572

21 September 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This is from Nguyen-Alekseenko, Khanty-Mansiysk 2019. White’s queen and rook are both attacked. How does he maintain…

Benko’s endgame

14 September 2019 9:00 am

The Hungarian/American grandmaster Pal Benko has died at the age of 91. Among his numerous distinguished achievements was his double qualification…

No. 571

14 September 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This position is from Benko-Jeney, Budapest 1950. Benko has just sacrificed rook for knight. What is his…

Ding an sich

7 September 2019 9:00 am

Ding Liren, the Chinese grandmaster, has scored a career best in the Classical time limit section of the Grand Tour…

no. 570

7 September 2019 9:00 am

Black to play. This is from Carlsen-Ding, St Louis 2019. The black pieces are converging on the white king but…

Peace conference

31 August 2019 9:00 am

The classical section of the elite Grand Tour event in St Louis, which ended earlier this week, resembled a peace…

no. 569

31 August 2019 9:00 am

Black to play. This is from Nepomniachtchi-Anand, St Louis 2019. How did Anand exploit his opponent’s lapse? Answers to me…

No garlands

24 August 2019 9:00 am

At St Louis, world champion Magnus Carlsen met with unexpected setbacks in both the rapid and blitz sections. In both…

no. 568

24 August 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This is from Aronian-Mamedyarov, St Louis 2019. We are only just out of the opening but White…

Zugger zugged

17 August 2019 9:00 am

The German expression zugzwang means ‘compulsion to move’ and is most often seen in the endgame. Consider the following position…

no. 567

17 August 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This position is from Alekhine-Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930. Can you spot the quiet move that puts black…

Adams Avalanche

10 August 2019 9:00 am

Mickey Adams won the British Championship, which finished last week in Torquay, for the seventh time. Leading scores (out of…

no. 566

10 August 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This position is a variation from Adams-Pigott, Torquay 2019. How can White crash through to gain a…

Game plan

3 August 2019 9:00 am

What distinguishes the expert from the amateur in chess is partly tactical fluency, but also the ability to map out long-term…

no. 565

3 August 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This position is from Capablanca-Lasker, Havana 1921. Capablanca was another great champion famed for his ability to…

Black Death

27 July 2019 9:00 am

There are comparisons to be made between tennis and chess. Player X (aka White) serves. Player Y (Black) responds. The…

no. 564

27 July 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This is from Giri-Mamedyarov, ­Croatia 2019. White is a piece down and needs a dramatic continuation. What…

Tal story

20 July 2019 9:00 am

Sixty years ago, the great Mikhail Tal won the Candidates tournament by a massive margin to qualify for a world…

no. 563

20 July 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This position is from Tal-Rantanen, Tallinn 1979. This game features a typically brilliant Tal finish. Can you…

Howard Staunton

13 July 2019 9:00 am

Staunton was the most successful British player of all time, winning three matches against European masters in the 1840s which…

no. 562

13 July 2019 9:00 am

White to play. This is from Wassin-Grigorchuk, Izola 2019. Although the game is only just out of the opening, White…

Tigran, Tigran, burning bright

6 July 2019 9:00 am

This year Tigran Petrosian would have celebrated his 90th birthday. The Armenian grandmaster and world champion was noted for the…