Huge psychological moments in @ArjunErigaisi v Wei Yi. Complexity of 24 Bxd5 Qxd5 25 Rxc3 Ng5 26 e4 Rxe4 27 Rd1! brought home by the fact that only check on e8 'saves' White after 27...Rd4?! Later capture on d5 with bishop rather than queen was for me more suggestive of nerves.

Future books on chess and mindset should find a special place for Alexander Donchenko. A winning advantage jettisoned in the 2nd Classical game, twice failing to hold a draw with White in rapid/blitz he nonetheless summoned the mental strength to win through. The stuff of legend!

As an eventful 1st Coventry International draws to a close with notable successes for English players young and old, I'd recommend catching these final moments with the excellent commentary from @gmmds and @NatashaRegan123 via Lichess/YouTube etc. @ecfchess @EngChessTrack

However, this turns out to be 'mutual zugzwang' since with Black to move he either has to release White's king, when the e-pawn will become a threat, or try 1...Kg8 2 Rxg6+ Kh7 when 3 Rg7+! Kh6 4 Rg8! holds. So, the solution is 1 Rh1! Rd2 2 Rg1!! - the diagram with Black to play!

Thanks to all who engaged with this study. As some of you saw, whilst Black's pieces are optimally placed to control White's e-pawn, they also create stalemate motifs. White's priority is to prevent the g-pawn advancing but 1 Rg1 allows 1...Rd2! and White has no good move (diag)

I will not try to deny that this position is the product of engine-assisted analysis, but I still find it rather beautiful and encourage others to try to solve it by human effort alone! White to play and draw. @chesscoachandra @JonathanLevitt7 @GMJacobAagaard @askavrukh

So many on here saying they've never felt so sad at the loss of someone they didn't know personally. Daniel Naroditsky's contributions to chess were always top tier, but it was his human warmth and empathy - exemplified after his game with Ivanchuk, which made him so special. RIP

Very exciting final round underway in the #etcc2025 with many teams still in the medal hunt. England v the leaders Ukraine looking balanced but with plenty of play left, whilst Serbia are putting some pressure on Azerbaijan. Well worth checking in on! @EngChessTrack @ecfchess

Huge success for England against the formidable hosts - a great recovery from being edged out in a tense match the round before. Congrats and a special mention for the two winners: @GMGawain whose performance has been stellar and Luke McShane who incredibly has no draws so far!

Going live with the irrepressible @chesscoachandra from 10.30 tomorrow morning UK time (a more civilised hour in Australia🙂). He is providing the material, so I'm confident I will not be put on the spot or embarrassed in any way! https://t.co/jyAY5YfskY https://t.co/I9sHjfyiBb

Strong start for the England in the #etcc2025 with the Open team winning 2.5-1.5 against Sweden thanks to a nice game from @GMGawain and the Women convincingly beating Croatia 3.5-0.5. International team chess always entails added pressure, but hopefully this helps calm nerves.

I've long been a fan of @chesscoachandra's awesome coaching style and his excellent YouTube channel has just got even better!😉 Seriously, though - do check out our first video which was a lot of fun to make. Very excited about what this collaboration can produce going forward.

I've long been a fan of @chesscoachandra's awesome coaching style and his excellent YouTube channel has just got even better!😉 Seriously, though - do check out our first video which was a lot of fun to make. Very excited about what this collaboration can produce going forward.

Many congratulations to @anishgiri and to Matthias Bluebaum - who showed incredible resilience in the later rounds. To sense the scale of their achievement, take a look at the group on +1 (Gukesh, Nepo, Pragg etc) and check out the legends further down too. A truly great event!

Glad that Black didn't quite need the 50-move rule to draw B+N v N? Modern chess is really no picnic! #FIDEGrandSwiss

Beyond my own misery, it has been an extraordinarily hard-fought championship in a splendid venue. Many thanks to @ecfchess for organising and congratulations to Michael Adams, Stuart Conquest and Peter Roberson on reaching what I hope will be a play-off well worthy of the event!

Chess can be so cruel. Missing clear wins just 2 moves from defeat twice in three days is crazy - even when in a spiral of low confidence/time-trouble. Whilst I still totally believe in the message of our Mindset book, it is time to attend to mental health with a very long break!

I am used to extolling the incredible consistency of @MickeyAdamsGM - into his 50s but still so often victorious . Still, this latest victory in the @ecfchess Champs (after a tense play-off) was something else. Superb chess throughout, for me his finest since the 2023 Classic.👏

Smooth enough victory for 'Malcolm's Mates' in the all-English clash against @GSharks4NCL with Ameet Ghasi reminded it's always risky to 'mix it' against Luke McShane. Still, a terrific scalp for Ben Purton as Black against the formidable Ivan Saric after 42...Nh3!! decides.

Tricky round for simplistic 'youth v experience' narratives at the #FIDERapidBlitzTeams as the prodigy Oro Fautino defeats Nihal Sarin in fine style whilst the legendary @vishy64theking takes down Arjun Erigaisi with the Black pieces. Great to see Vishy back in the thick of it!