My recent successful tournament in Wijk aan Zee propelled me above 1900 for the first time 😁 #chesspunks

Let's dive into my third and final game from Wijk. This one is more complicated so I'll post more positions from it. After this d5-push in the Queen's Indian, I was out of book. I'm still not sure how I should have responded. What would you do? #chesspunks

My second game at Wijk was very short. Here my opponent played e3-e4 in a Botvinnik-gone-wrong. What's the best way to deal with this move? #chesspunks

I wanted to briefly show some positions from my games in Wijk aan Zee. In my first game, my opponent was effectively playing blitz, making all of his moves very quickly. Here white is putting some pressure on f6 and f7. What sequence did I find to get out of trouble? #chesspunks

How to BEAT Hypermodern Openings in Chess! I talk about how to beat hypermodern openings (where the center isn't occupied by your opponent) - AT EACH LEVEL! 😁 Link --> youtu.be/ZEHnavhdU2k Another one requested by viewers - enjoy! 🥰 #chess #chesspunks 🦁🔥

This is Why You Should NEVER TRUST Your Opponent in Chess! 😁 Sometimes the opponent plays a seemingly BRILLIANT move.. but it's actually a blunder!!😲 Link --> youtu.be/k549sTQuJGc Enjoy! 😍 #chess #chesspunks 🦁🔥

Parham Maghsoodloo retained the lead in Round 6 of the FIDE Grand Swiss, while Kateryna Lagno and Vaishali Rameshbabu are once again the two joint leaders of the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss. ➡️ Read our recap, with annotations by GM Renier Castellanos and WIM Raluca Sgîrcea: lichess.org/@/Lichess/bl...

♟️QGD JUNGLES (PART 1)♟️ Kicking off a mini-series on building a strategic White repertoire against QGD: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 0-0 6.e3 Today’s focus: the main line 6...h6, against which I recommend the rare 7.Bxf6!?(D) Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 #chess #chesspunks #Day172

♟️TAME THE KALASHNIKOV♟️ Don't want to learn the mainline theory against the Kalashnikov Sicilian? Try this underrated sideline with little theory and clear positional goals: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb3!?(D) Let’s break it down! 🧵👇 #chess #chesspunks #Day169

Yesterday I played the Final of my club's cup. Here we are with my club's oldest member making the ceremonial first move. Shoutout to my "sponsor" @chessable.com @patty43.bsky.social 😉 See below for some positions #chesspunks

🎯 New series! "Wednesday Weapons" kicks off with 10 essential chess opening principles ♟️ Whether you play e4 or d4, this is your foundation. 🎥 Watch the intro: youtu.be/siOttQiapGg?... #WednesdayWeapons #ChessLife #ChessFundamentals #LearnChess #CNCC #ChessPunks

I Defeated a GRANDMASTER in Classical Chess, Here's How! 😍 In this video, there are 14 instructive takeaways in the description! Link --> youtu.be/7fzhNONyhjY Enjoy! 🥰 #chess #chesspunks 🦁🔥

♟️CHECKMATING WITH KNIGHT & BISHOP♟️ Today, I’ll walk you through a 5-step method to checkmate with a knight and bishop — one of the most elegant endgames in chess. Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 #chess #chesspunks #Day150

I fully agree. Let's also include the #chesspunks so everyone can enjoy his messages.

A very welcome arrival to the chess scene on Bluesky! If you're not familiar with Mark and his fantastic project The Week in Chess, you absolutely should start reading and subscribe: theweekinchess.com?go (resending to fix my typo)

♟️ Throwdown Thursday! Figuring out what to play vs 1.d4 as Black was one of the toughest parts of my chess journey. Now I want to hear from you: What’s your go-to reply to 1.d4, and what do you love about it? Let’s hear your favorites! 👇 #ThrowdownThursday #ChessOpenings #CNCC #Chesspunks

A new game at the club, and quite a complicated one 😅 Let's dive in! Here I was already out of book. What would you play with the white pieces? #chesspunks

♟️PAWN WEDGE♟️ A pawn wedge is a pawn advanced deep into enemy territory—usually to the 6th rank. It cramps the opponent, restricts the king, and creates deadly attacking chances. Let’s explore some examples!🧵👇 ❓What did White play in Havasi-Sacconi (1933)?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day130

I played another game in my club's internal league. I had the black pieces, and we soon had a Sicilian on the board. Let's dive in! #chesspunks 🧵

A fun one from ChessTempo! Black to play. #chesspunks

♟️AMATEUR MISTAKES: LACK OF POST-GAME REVIEW♟️ One of the biggest growth-killers in chess? 👉 Not reviewing your own games. Today I’ll explain why post-game review is essential—and how to do it effectively. 🧵👇 #chess #chesspunks #Day104

I played a game yesterday in our team league. Get ready; this was a wild one. #chesspunks Out of the opening (a Botvinnik Semi-Slav), white maneuvered their knight to c5. How do we deal with it?

Black to move in this cool puzzle from a game featuring two chess tweeters (puzzle from 1001 Chess Exercises for Advanced Club Players). Can you name both players for bonus points? #chesspunks

♟️MATING PATTERNS (PART 5)♟️ Today we wrap up our series on must-know checkmate patterns with some rare and stunning examples. Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 ❓What did White play in the final game of the WC match Carlsen-Karjakin (2016)?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day92

Visiting Amsterdam, not a chess related trip but I had to meet two famous Dutch players: Max Euwe and @meermaurits.bsky.social! #chesspunks

After a full year of designing, testing, and refining, I’m beyond excited to announce the release of my 10th (!) @chessable.com course: Preventing Blunders in Chess: chessable.com/blundercheck Thread 🧵

♟️LURING THE OPPONENT'S KING OUT OF ITS SHELTER♟️ Exposing the opponent's king is a deadly attacking weapon. Today, we’ll explore brilliant examples of how to lure the king out and finish the game in style!🧵👇 ❓What did White play in Petrosian-Pachman (1961)?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day86

My dear colleague Sophia wrote an inspiring piece about IM Andras Toth for the @chessable.com blog. A must-read for #chesspunks and everyone who needs a reminder that finding your calling sometimes takes unexpected turns. www.chess.com/blog/Chessab...

No analysis this week, as I lost a painful game in which too many things went wrong. But the most important lesson is this one: If you resign, you get no chance to fight back. What should I have done instead of resigning here? 🤷‍♂️ #chesspunks

The Crucial Moment: When to END Your Calculation in Chess! 😍 You'll learn: - The perfect moment to end your variation - How many moves should your calculation be - The power of intuition - Calculating a sacrifice and more! Link in first comment! Enjoy! 😀 #chess #chesspunks 🦁🔥

In the latest episode, I sat down with Nate Solon, and we challenged each other by evaluating a series of interesting positions. #chess #chesspunks #evaluation #calculation www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMoK...

Inspired by @meermaurits.bsky.social and @wmiltti.bsky.social I’m going to break up in instructive moments my last league game. Most of them would be puzzles or critical moments of the game. I played the Sicilian, and we reached this position. ⁉️ What would you play here? 🤔 #chesspunks (1/7)

Hey #chesspunks, check out my Substack focused on adult improvers nickvasquezmd.substack.com/p/how-to-imp...

Here’s my @meermaurits.bsky.social thread on my OTB game from Monday - I was White, my opponent was rated slightly over 2100 ECF. There will be 10 positions, as promised!

♟️MY MEMORABLE GAMES♟️ Today, on my 27th birthday, I want to share some unforgettable moments from my chess journey. Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 ❓What did Black play in Giri-Sirosh (2020)?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day78

I played another game at the club last night. The game was drawn although I felt I had some chances (that I failed to convert). Let's dive in! #chesspunks Out of the opening, we get this hybrid Catalan-Slav. How would you proceed?

We tried to map all the free chess clubs/meet-ups in London. Please tell us what we missed. www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/e... #chess #chesspunks #AlphaChess

Not from my own game but this happened last night at the club and is instructive. Black just played h6-h5. How can white hold a draw? (white went on to lose this) #chesspunks

My first course has been published on @chessable today! It focuses on making our tactical knowledge more accessible during games. As I've talked a lot about on Chess Journeys, turning knowledge into skill. Let me know what you think of it. #chesspunks www.chessable.com/chess-journe...

♟️DO NOT FORGET ABOUT YOUR OPPONENT♟️ A common mistake at all levels: blindly following your plan while ignoring your opponent’s ideas. Even strong grandmasters have fallen into this trap! Let’s see some examples!🧵👇 ❓What did Black miss in Tal-Geller (1958)?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day71

I played another game in the team league yesterday. I have a big backlog of games to analyze, but let's dive into this one first. Out of the opening, we get this hybrid modern/King's Indian position. How would you play from here? #chesspunks

♟️SECRETS OF THE KING'S INDIAN BISHOP♟️ Today, I'll reveal 3 SECRETS about the King's Indian bishop that every KID player must know! Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 #chess #chesspunks #Day70

A very cool puzzle. Black to play! #chesspunks

♟️OPPOSITE-COLOR BISHOP ENDGAMES (PART 3)♟️ Today, we continue exploring opposite-color bishop endgames, where an extra passed pawn is blocked by the opponent’s king, covering key winning and defensive ideas. Let’s dive in!🧵👇 ❓How can White try to play for the win?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day68

♟️OPPOSITE-COLOR BISHOP ENDGAMES (PART 1)♟️ Today, we begin exploring opposite-color bishop endgames and uncover key defensive concepts. Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 ❓What should White play?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day66

♟️OPPOSITE-COLOR BISHOP ENDGAMES (PART 2)♟️ Today, we continue exploring opposite-color bishop endgames, focusing on positions where one side has two connected extra pawns with no other material on the board. Let’s dive in! 🧵👇 ❓How should Black defend?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day67

A fun one from the 50-day Tactics Challenge part 2. White to play! #chesspunks

It was a great pleasure to host NM Ben Johnson, the voice behind the legendary Perpetual Chess Podcast! We dived into his journey as a podcaster and lessons from his book Perpetual Chess Improvement. 🎙️♟️ #chess #chesspunks www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRO...

Challenging puzzle. White to move! #chesspunks

♟️BREAKING UP A PAWN CHAIN♟️ Pawns are strongest when they work together! That’s why breaking up pawn chains is a key strategic idea in chess. Let’s dive in, starting with Petrosian-Psakhis (1982).🧵👇 ❓What is the strongest plan for White?🤔 #chess #chesspunks #Day63