WIM Alexey Root, PhD

Alexey Root is a Woman International Master and the 1989 U.S. Women's chess champion. Her peak US Chess rating was 2260. She has a PhD in education from UCLA. You can find her books on chess on Amazon.com.

The Russian Endgame: Don’t Turn Chess Wins into Draws

In the endgame, it is easy to turn a win into a draw. If you don’t know the winning pattern, you may not stumble into it. When you play inaccurate moves, your win turns into a draw. If you do know the winning pattern, you will get the full point. This article has two examples from recent games, both of which were broadcast on Twitch. More 🡢

Chess Excuses and Weight Loss

Chess players make excuses for losing games and rating points. We lose chess games because we have not had dinner or because we have had dinner. We complain about the ratings formula. Likewise, we may make excuses for our extra pounds. More 🡢

Chess: U.S. Amateur Team West

The U.S. Amateur Team Championship—West (USATW) was first held in February of 1984, attracting 29 teams. This year, the USATW was hosted by the Mechanics’ Institute, the oldest chess club in the U.S. For the first time, the chess teams played online rather than in-person. Three more U.S. Amateur Team Championships are coming up online, on the last three weekends in February. More 🡢

U.S. Women’s Chess Championships: Participants, Champions, Crosstables

In the 60 U.S. Women’s Chess Championships held between 1937 and 2020, there have been 148 competitors. Of those, 29 have earned the title of U.S. Women’s Champion. This article provides some facts and graphics about those participants and champions, plus a link to crosstables. More 🡢

600 Modern Chess Puzzles

If your eyes are usually in front of a screen, switching to reading a paperback book helps your vision. If you choose the book 600 Modern Chess Puzzles by Grandmaster Martyn Kravtsiv, your chess vision improves too. More 🡢

Sherlock Holmes and Chess

There was a triple dose of Sherlock Holmes and chess at US Chess in December of 2020. On December 10, 2020, the 2017 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion Sabina Foisor appeared in the Girls Club to discuss Sherlock’s Method: The Working Tool for the Club Player, written with Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi. The December Ladies Knight podcast featured Maria Konnikova, author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. On December 18, The Madwoman’s Book Club discussed Konnikova’s book, with Konnikova herself appearing in the first 10 minutes, and retrograde analysis. More 🡢

Online Chess: ChessTech and BotezLive

Up through November 30, you can get a free ticket to attend ChessTech2020, which happens December 5-6. From December 1, 2020 onwards, ChessTech2020 tickets will cost money. BotezLive is free to watch, 24/7, as the Twitch channel is either live or provides videos of past broadcasts. This article discusses how chess players around the world can connect via ChessTech2020 and BotezLive. More 🡢

Chess Ideas for Losing Weight

In the pre-COVID era of in-person university classes, the “Freshman 15” referred to the 15 pounds that many freshmen gained during their first year of living on campus. Now most freshmen, along with the rest of us, are living at home. Yet home life has also led to weight gain for many people. More 🡢