Why must I lose to this idiot?

New pinned message…

Told a colleague I once played Rachel Reeves at chess - he thought I said Rachel Riley. That’s all i have to say on the matter.

@aleksastunikas @chessfeelspod @chessfeels @juliacheerios Does this work? share.transistor.fm/s/3cc3953a

@wmiltti @chessfeelspod @chessfeels @juliacheerios Sorry guys do we have direct media links for that for poor fans by any chance?

Listening to the latest @chessfeelspod (yay!) and reflecting that my rating would be much lower if 18-1900s didn’t take weirdly long in non-forcing positions… @chessfeels @juliacheerios podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/che…

@natesolon Absolutely correct! I’m a bit above 2100 ECF (say 2000-2050 FIDE) and had my first OTB draw of 2025 last week - 8 wins, 4 losses against opponents rated 2160 average (range 1950 to IM).

If you’re not at least a master, you don’t need to do anything special with your opening choices to avoid draws. There are few draws in any opening below master level. Your opponents will make mistakes, you just need to play better moves.

@chessfan_9 @Kaldas90 Simple!

@Kaldas90 Kamil! The problem is not the Sicilian but the Caro-kaan! What do we play there to put pressure on black???

5) #Kamils1e4 "Tears of the Dragon" The Dragon Variation is still debated whether it gives Black adequate chances in practice or not. My opinion is that, yes, it gives Black good chances, but only when White agrees to fight a double-edged battle. My suggestion (in the main position after 9...d5) is in style with some other lines of the Sicilian - we will play 10.Nxc6 (as in the Classical Variation) 10...bxc6 and here I like 11.Bh6. We want to combine plans such as h4-h5, e5 or sometimes even exd5. On the other hand, Black doesn't have typical counterplay connected with central play or utilizing the bishop on the long diagonal. The central structure is different, so Black's best chance to organize counterplay will be to place the rook on b8 and then do something clever. The best part? Even if Black does something clever and stacks their heavy pieces on the b-file, we will have b3 and what next? How about the long diagonal pressure? Forget it! We will trade the bishops every single time when there is even a glimpse of initiative for Black. In practice, White scores over 60% and resulting positions seem easier to play for White (especially after you learn my course!). Black might be able to get ery close to full equality, but there is always going to be practical pressure for us. Tomorrow I will share how easily we deal with all the Dragon sidelines.

@simplydt @chessable I think you’ve spelled John’s name wrong on the home page?

I started building what became @chessable back in 2012. Exited in 2021. Nearly 10 years of grind, doubt, and breakthroughs. I thought about quitting early, a lot. But I didn’t. We made every mistake possible. Wrong hires. Product rewrites. Tech debt nightmares. Competitors 100x our size. Somehow, persistence paid off. We turned a small spaced-repetition idea into a global chess platform used by everyone from beginners to GMs. Eventually joined Play Magnus Group, then Chess com. Now I’m part of the next chapter: Chessiverse, where my Chessable co-founder @fins0905, just launched an incredible new course: Scandinavian Defense – The Ultimate Course chessiverse.com/courses/scandi Startups don’t get easier. You just get stronger. ♟️

@lmldias @thechessnerd Rxg2!!

@thechessnerd How does it work after Rxf4?

Dubov misses Nf5 to seal the win vs Pragg but instead equalizes with Qf5?

Seems like Sevian and Lodici came dressed as each other for today’s game #2025FIDEWorldCup

@BishopPair @warrantinthat But why?

@wmiltti @warrantinthat Play some FIDE events!

I think I’m now (by live rating) the highest rated player in England without a real title. I’m just praying this doesn’t end up being a Sisyphus situation!

@GatoFranco90 @warrantinthat @BishopPair Ok so I’ve got a way to go!

@wmiltti @warrantinthat @BishopPair Last season I drew against Jeremy Leake who is over 2300 ECF with no fide rating!

@warrantinthat @BishopPair Thanks! My published rating is 2118 but I won yesterday to go to 2130 which is about 190 in old money - I’m sure there are a few above me without FIDE ratings but I suspect not many!

@wmiltti @BishopPair Wow. That's quite an achievement 👏 May I ask what your ECF rating is? I'm 66 years old, but was rated a lowly 148 about 5 years ago. I don't play in a club any longer.....

@ChessProblem I don’t have an Elo but I can beat most people who do.

the best measures of playing level are: active elo inactive elo everything else

Random bit of chess trivia - my opponent last night played the game that Kasparov rated the most exciting he ever saw!

From last night’s game - I played 18.Nxh5 which is OK but not best. I rejected 18.Qxh5 because of 18…Bg7 with pressure for Black on the h-file, but I should have looked deeper - what would have happened next?

Just got to 3/3 OTB this season after a win against a 2200 ECF opponent - not sure what’s going on but quite happy for it to continue for a while!

@chesscom I sometimes play IMs, and I don’t always lose.

describe how good you are at chess without saying your rating 👇

Fun bit of lunchtime blitz!#BeatTheSicilian

@Jon_Mackenzie Always

@wmiltti Resign?

Another OTB win with Black last night, opponent around 2000 ECF. What did I play here?