Jayden’s Chess Journal Edition #2

Your guide to learn about the wonderful world of chess!

Let’s start things off with a joke:

“I beat a grandmaster in 3 moves… it turns out he sucks at karate!”

💡Puzzle #2

Black to move, find that move that leads to either winning a queen or checkmate.

✅Solution

The solution to this puzzle is the amazing Bd5. This move is a double attack attacking the Queen and threatening checkmate! White will either lose their Queen to keep playing, or get checkmated and lose.

♟️Tip of the Week

Try to create Double Attacks like we just saw in Puzzle #2. This means creating two pressing threats on your opponent’s position. This will force them to play some difficult moves that can help you gain initiative in the game.

🪶Chess History

Picking up from the last edition we are now in Europe. Now let’s take a look at a position from the oldest recorded chess game played in history, the Scachs d’Amor played in 1497 in Valencia, Spain. This game was part of a poem as an allegory for love, and in its plot it laid out the modern rules of chess we have today. Take a look at just a sample of the poem, and see how it lines up with today’s rules.

The first rule you must abide by
Is, in this game, that a piece once touched
Firmly, admitting neither debate nor confront,
By any player, true, must be played.
It falls to reason: for a lover's thoughts
Having chosen, cannot freedom afford
Or doubt, but take full submission.
Thus the saying: “Courage and folly
In every move, as once done, done it is!”

This snippet describes Touch-move! The poem then goes on to describe a full game, but I think the Scachs d’Amor’s importance comes not just from being the oldest game, but from laying out the modern rules of today.

🏠Course Reminder

If you are looking to improve your in-game analysis skills, check out my free, online course that will help you develop clear steps of in-game analysis.

That wraps up this edition of Jayden’s Chess Journal

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and if you know anyone looking for more chess knowledge, send them this link so they can access this awesome newsletter.

Thank you so much for reading this edition, until next time!