Chess/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| About castling | 1/11/2012 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: I want to know what is castling and in which situation castling is made? A: Castling is the only move which involves two of your own pieces at the same time. You can either ... | ||
| French Defence | 12/13/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: For the French Defence, I am wondering what are white's usual third moves and the reason behinf for ... A: The usual 3rd move in the Sicilian Defense is: 3.Nf3 ===== The reason for 3.Nf3 is that is develops ... | ||
| French Defence | 12/11/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: For the French Defence, I am wondering what are white's usual third moves and the reason behinf for ... A: The usual third moves in the French Defence are Nc3 and e5. 3.Nc3 ===== The reason for 3.Nc3 is ... | ||
| False claims of checkmate and what follows | 12/2/2011 | Wuyanbu Zutali |
| Q: I'm coaching young scholastic players, and I've seen in matches more than once where one player ... A: Great question! This is a common occurrence in scholastic chess. Inexperience and too much respect ... | ||
| Kasparov's games & King's Indian Defense | 11/23/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: What is unique about Kasparov's playing style ? Thanks, I appreciate your reponse ANSWER: Hi ... A: Black's basic plan in the King's Indian Defense is to let White occupy the center, then strike back ... | ||
| sicilian defense | 11/21/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: I am USCF 1300 (my practical level is probably about 1500) and vs 1e4 I normally play the French ... A: I would say the Scheveningen. Be prepared though for quite a bit different sort of a game than you ... | ||
| Kasparov's games | 11/19/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: What is unique about Kasparov's playing style ? Thanks, I appreciate your reponse A: To sum up his playing style: Garry Kasparov was known as a dynamic, aggressive and energetic player. ... | ||
| The King's Gambit | 11/17/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: can u give me advice on how to play the king's gambit in chess and is it is affective or risky. im ... A: The king's gambit is considered a somewhat unsound opening at the higher levels of chess, but for ... | ||
| Bobby Fischer + chess openings | 11/7/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: How did Bobby Fischer study chess openings? A: From what I know, Bobby Fischer studied chess openings the way we all had to in the pre-computer ... | ||
| Paul Keres | 10/28/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: Mr.Molden: Thank you in advance for your time and expertise. In the past you have given me very good ... A: Paul Keres was a great attacking player, and is known as the "strongest player never to become World ... | ||
| Tactical books based on grandmasters? | 10/11/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: I appreciate your responses over the past. Is there books that are similar to Mikhail Tal:Tactical ... A: There is one book that I've heard about that uses the same format: ... | ||
| Best way to learn chess openings | 10/8/2011 | Wuyanbu Zutali |
| Q: i am an intermediate level player i always play openings by following the basic principles like ... A: This is a very good question! Grandmaster Ruben Fine once said that the purpose of the openings is ... | ||
| Chess Indoor Game - Reinventing. | 9/30/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: Re engineered Chess Board Layout. where the Total Number of squares will be 144 i.e. 12 square ... A: Your ideas are very good and I like the concept of the Jack (or Lieutenant as it is also called). ... | ||
| Chess Indoor Game - Reinventing. | 9/26/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: Re engineered Chess Board Layout. where the Total Number of squares will be 144 i.e. 12 square ... A: Your new chess variant sounds quite interesting and I wish you all the best in promoting it. It ... | ||
| Chess Indoor Game - Reinventing - Maths Application. | 9/26/2011 | Chuck Kinzie |
| Q: Re engineered Chess Board Layout. where the Total Number of squares will be 144 i.e. 12 square ... A: Your "expanded" version of chess should lead to some really interesting games. The games that ... | ||
| Chess opening | 9/12/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: Respected sir! Will you please let me know that which chess opening(s) is/are the best for a chess ... A: The general consensus backed by statistical data is that the best first move for White is either ... | ||
| queen's gambit accepted bishop defends pawn | 9/10/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: I am trying to understand the variations in Queens Gambit. In the accepted line, I try to reclaim ... A: You can try the usual number-crunchers, like Fritz, Shredder, etc. Honestly though, I wouldn't ... | ||
| queen's gambit accepted bishop defends pawn | 9/10/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: I am trying to understand the variations in Queens Gambit. In the accepted line, I try to reclaim ... A: It looks to me like 5 Na3 does the trick. Then if 5... Qd5 6 Qa4+. The line you give (5 Qa4+ Qd7) ... | ||
| Fischer v. karpov | 8/27/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: I'm just finishing "Endgame," the recent biography of Bobby Fischer, whom I idolized as a kid ... A: As far as I know, they never played a game. Certainly they never met officially, i.e, in a ... | ||
| caluculation | 8/24/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: and my second question is my freind told that white will attack on kingside and black will attack on ... A: I'm afraid I'm probably not going to be able to offer too much help for your questions. In chess ... | ||
| Chess Puzzle Opening Book Follow-up | 8/21/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: I was wondering what are the best chess puzzle books? Thanks. ANSWER: Hi Edward, Thanks for this ... A: Actually if you can it would be good to get both, as not only Evans a good instructional chess ... | ||
| Chess Puzzle Opening Book Follow-up | 8/21/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: I was wondering what are the best chess puzzle books? Thanks. ANSWER: Hi Edward, Thanks for this ... A: Yes, there are two books that I really like that do this: <a ... | ||
| Chess Puzzle Opening Book | 8/21/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: I was wondering what are the best chess puzzle books? Thanks. A: as chess puzzle books are an excellent way to keep your combinational ability sharp. Here's one of ... | ||
| Question about a position that arose tonight | 8/16/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: Hey, Me and my friend were playing chess tonight and we encountered this situation, a unique one ... A: Sorry it has taken me so long to reply, but I have been away from my computer for a few days. It's ... | ||
| Dutch Opening | 8/1/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: I am a d4 player. for dutch I play staunton gambit or Bg5.( I dont like g3 system against dutch) ... A: This is a good way for Black to enter the Dutch Defense if they also play the French Defense as ... | ||
| Question About Playing Style | 7/29/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: now first let's start with how do I know my style or of the others to see what to play for ,what ... A: To answer them: 1) What makes me aggressive or defensive? === This largely depends on whether you ... | ||
| Device to practice chess | 7/14/2011 | Wuyanbu Zutali |
| Q: What is the best electronic device that I can use to practice chess. I have the CD "Chessmaster 10th ... A: This is a great question but I am ill-suited to answer it. I study with my computer, chess ... | ||
| Check mate or draw | 7/7/2011 | Chuck Kinzie |
| Q: I'm learning chess and using the chess game that comes with windows 7. I'm white and the game ends ... A: The position you gave me is a draw. A player automatically draws a game if BOTH of the following ... | ||
| Chess - finishing question | 6/29/2011 | Chuck Kinzie |
| Q: I was hunting down check mate with positions covered by my queen, bishop and rook. My question is ... A: Wayne. Thanks for your question. It is against the rules for a king to directly attack another ... | ||
| horse defeat queen and/or king | 5/30/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: thanks A: King + knight vs. king is a draw. But King + queen vs. king + knight is a win. The best way to ... | ||
| defense against Nf3 and c4 | 5/7/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: Hey Len, I've built up a nice repetoir against e4 (french) and d4 (Benko Gambit). However, I can't ... A: I too faced this issue for a long time and tried a variety of setups. What finally brought me good ... | ||
| Study Program | 4/24/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: Tony, I wanted to thank you for answering one of my questions on Yahoo Answers. I'm glad to see you ... A: I'm not really sure what you're asking (or indeed if you are asking anything). In order to ... | ||
| Study Program | 4/24/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: Tony, I wanted to thank you for answering one of my questions on Yahoo Answers. I'm glad to see you ... A: It looks to me like you're doing fine as it is. I wouldn't worry too much about structure; imposing ... | ||
| en passant | 4/15/2011 | Tony D'Aloisio |
| Q: If my opponent moves a pawn from rank 7 to rank 5 and I have a pawn on rank 6, normally I can take ... A: Actually, your pawn has to be on the fifth rank to capture en passant. You remove your opponent's ... | ||
| Certain Opening issue | 4/13/2011 | Wuyanbu Zutali |
| Q: when moving your bishops to take the opponents rooks in the corners of their second rank I always ... A: Sounds to me you are very new to chess. I suggest you read Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. It is a ... | ||
| Philidor's Defence: | 3/29/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 c5 5.? How do I punish this because I looked in the M.C.O. and it ... A: White can get a slight advantage from: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 c5 ...with play something ... | ||
| Chess Business | 3/27/2011 | Wuyanbu Zutali |
| Q: I have a small K-12 chess teaching business,wanting to ask you have any idea's on how to increase ... A: Ted, I am delighted to see that you have a chess business, however I am a semi professional coach. ... | ||
| Gruenfeld Nadanian Variation | 3/21/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Na4 Ashot Nadanian recommends 5...Bg7. What is wrong ... A: The problem with both of these moves is the weaknesses it creates on the white squares: 5...Bf5 ... | ||
| Sicilian Defense | 3/16/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: 1.e4 c5 2.e5 ? What is wrong with e5 for white and give me the line up to move 10. A: The problem with 2.e5 is that Black can play this: 2...Nc6 3.f4 (if Nf3, then it will be difficult ... | ||
| Sicilian Defense | 3/16/2011 | Len Molden |
| Q: 1.e4 c5 2.g3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Qf3 ? What I want to know is the line up to say move 10. Also why does ... A: 4.Qf3 is the best move in this position and is an old idea of Emmanuel Lasker. Even though most GM ... | ||
Chess
Answers by Expert:
Len Molden
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions about specific chess openings and advice about which opening repertoire is suited to a particular style. For example, the Sicilian Defense is suited to aggressive players, while the Caro Kann Defense appeals to defensive players.
Experience
I've been studying chess since I was 12. Apart from a vast library of specialized chess opening books, I also have a huge database collection of games.
Education/Credentials
University, College
Past/Present Clients
I've been playing in chess tournaments in the United States and Canada since 1972. I've won many tournaments in both countries and I'm ranked as a Canadian Expert. I've also written articles for chess magazines and one of my best victories ever is featured here:
Chess Team Competition
My chessmastery.com site helps chess players from around the world with free advice.
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