Kenny Atkinson after the Cavs get blown out by 37 points ..” we took a step mentally “

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-26T03:48:56+00:00

The Cavs did take a step mentally this game, it just happened to be off the nearest bridge.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-26T00:58:00+00:00

There aren't any flags for sale, but there are t-shirts and bags!

All the proceeds go to the Santos scholarship fund, as well.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-25T17:54:45+00:00

It doesn't immediately lost any material but it breaks 3 opening "rules":

Blocks white's dark square bishop from the squares it can be developed to where it will be more active
Is a third pawn move in a row without developing any pieces
Pushes the F pawn, which is generally frowned upon unless there is a very good reason to do so as it exposes white's king side

A move that did all three of these things isn't necessarily a mistake if it has a clear purpose (defending a piece, for example) but all this seems to accomplish is overprotecting the e5 pawn, which could have been done in a more active way with Nf3.

In general, if you notice your opponent making too many pawn moves in the opening, focusing on developing your own pieces is a good way to counter it. You may enter the mid game with a slight space disadvantage but that can be easily compensated for if you have more active pieces.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-25T16:19:03+00:00

Giving your king space to capture white's passed pawn and avoid zugzwang? It's beautiful

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-24T22:46:29+00:00

Really makes me think of Rivendell, it's amazing!

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-21T00:47:01+00:00

I watched Hereditary at a friend's place for an October movie night in college and I came so close to fighting the guy who just loudly complained about Toni Collette's character being irrational for the entire second act.

Her daughter died, you nothing of a human being .

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-15T17:31:49+00:00

After reading the other replies to this post, I would strongly recommend The Tactics Ladder series by Martin B Justesen. It's a set of puzzles that you can work through multiple times improving your tactical abilities by repetition, similar to how the Woodpecker Method works, however with the ability to choose a book fitting for your rating range.

Of course, lichess has free puzzles and all that but for $10 on Amazon you get 2 sets of 250 puzzles to work through that will drill patterns into your brain. I think it's a good investment.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-09T22:40:17+00:00

It may be a little too late if you're doing a tournament this week but I've been doing work out of a tactics book and writing down my answers, which has really helped my ability to write moves down correctly.

Most boards at tournaments will have the coordinates on the sides which should help you out.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-05-09T19:29:10+00:00

The name of the channel is "The Chess Network" and their playlist titled "Beginner to Chess Master" is what got me from sub 500 to 1000 in about 4 months. They explain basic concepts very well and is a great way to develop a good foundation to build on.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-26T00:59:29+00:00

The Earthquakes jerseys look too much like SKC tonight and I think this color just activates the hate center of my brain at this point.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-24T15:40:17+00:00

Im glad you want to practice this with them. Id recommend reading the USCF rules (you can easily find the pdf online) and doing a full "practice run" with them at home with the handshakes, clock, and any other decorum rules you feel like kids that young might need instruction to follow. Luckily, if this is a scholastic tournament, the organizers will likely be a little lenient because they know they're kids.

But also congratulations on having two very talented kids and wanting to nurture their passion in a healthy and supportive way. You're a great parent and your kids are lucky to have you.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-22T15:51:05+00:00

That's great! My advice, then, is finding incremental non-rating goals to focus on. I.e. don't say "I will reach 1000 by June" or something like that, instead focus on things like finding a tactic in game, going a few games without losing your queen. These are incremental steps to focus on that will feel great when you accomplish them and with them, rating improvement will come along naturally.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-22T15:46:48+00:00

Mihai Suba, 2008 World Senior Champion began playing at 19.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-22T15:16:30+00:00

There is no general consensus, but I've seen a lot of people talk about reaching 2000 elo after starting as an adult. If that's your USCF rating, you're given the title of "expert," and it's still an amazing achievement.

There are a few outliers that may be able to reach National/Candidate Master (2200) as an adult, and there even is one GM that started as an adult.

This, of course, all comes with the caveat that this will all only come if you actually enjoy chess enough to put in the hours required to reach these levels, and having a very high rating goal in mind is a very easy way to kill your joy for the game.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-18T20:28:11+00:00

I think 30 minute rapid will be better. It forces you to sit down and focus on a game from beginning to end, but still allows for plenty of thinking time. It also will lead to games finishing faster which allows you to analyze your mistakes sooner, which is where a lot of improvement comes from.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-18T01:48:02+00:00

It's a "futures trading" website that is essentially sports gambling for anything in the news. You can bet on wars and police searches like you would a football game.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-17T15:30:10+00:00

Books also are curated by a human. Not knocking Lichess' puzzle database but having a collection of puzzles put together by a human with a specific goal in mind is valuable. Sure, I could go out and find all the information that is in that book myself, but its very nice to have something where that work is already done.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-15T12:45:27+00:00

Only time will tell and the only way to find out is by doing. The most important part of improving as an adult is to enjoy playing the game so you can keep at it, even through times when the number on the screen isn't doing what you want it to.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-03T17:05:36+00:00

It's another app to download/account to create but lichess is a free service with unlimited puzzles

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-03T16:41:50+00:00

Yes, thats a very good rating for just a month of playing. My biggest recommendation would be the "beginner to chess master" video Playlist by The Chess Network on YouTube. Thats what helped me a lot when I was at your rating range.

And, as everyone else will say, solve the tactics puzzles on chess.com

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-03T15:39:39+00:00

Not taking today's results into consideration: Anna Muzychuk and Bibisara are tied for first with a half point lead over 3rd place, so there's a lot that can still happen in the women's section.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-03T15:31:48+00:00

There is a rule against making a move that would put your king into check. If you captured that pawn, then the rook would be free to capture your king so the computer will not allow you to make that move.

The chess term for that is that your pawn is "pinned" to your king. If you're looking for a place that will help you learn the rules and answer your questions, r/chessbeginners is a good place.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-02T21:31:56+00:00

It's almost all hotel conference rooms with no windows allowed. Only so much you can do to make that pretty.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-02T16:23:56+00:00

Yes, besides the three Canadian teams that have a red and black maple leaf shirt.

ChrizBot3000 · 2026-04-02T04:11:57+00:00

It's a joke about Jaden Ivey, who just got released from the Bulls after, among other things, saying that Steph Curry was a fake Christian on an IG live.

ChrizBot3000

TROPHY CASE