This week, we are looking at the president of the Chinese Chess Federation, someone who played Chinese Chess before pivoting to Western Chess at the age of 10, a Women’s World Champion, the first Asian Woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and someone who has influenced millions of people to start playing the game - Xie Jun. 

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1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Ne4  8. Qe2 Bf5 9. Be3 Qc8 10. Nd4 Bc5 11. f3 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 Ng5 13. Nc3 Ne6 14. g4  Bg6 15. f4 f5 16. exf6 O-O 17. f5 Re8 18. fxg6 gxf6 19. gxh7+ Kg7 20. Qf2 Kxh7  21. Be3 Ng7 22. Qf4 Re5 23. Ne4 Qe6 24. Nxf6+ 1-0

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2505563

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xie_Jun 

https://cassidynoble.com/ 

This week, we are looking at the longest reigning world champion in the history of the game. The 2nd World Champion, aiding in the handoff process from former to new champion, and a prolific author in not only chess, but also mathematics and philosophy - Emanuel Lasker. 

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1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qe6 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bb5+ c6 7. Ba4 Ne7 8. O-O Nd7 9. Bb3 Nd5 10. d4 f6 11. dxe5 fxe5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Bxd5 Bc5+ 14. Kh1 Qa6 15. fxe5 Nb6 16. Bb3 Bg4 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bf7+ Kxf7 19. Nh4+ Ke8 20. Qxg4 hxg5 21. Qe6+ Be7 22. Nf5 Nc8 23. Rad1 1-0

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1075869 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Lasker 

http://cassidynoble.com/ 

One of the strongest playing women players in the history of the game, a gold medal Olympiad winner, a World Rapid Champion, a World Blitz Champion, a World Champion runner-up, and being willing to sacrifice her titles to make a point to make a change in the World - Anna Muzychuk has made and continue to make a lasting impact on the chess world that many aspire to today.

So that is all that we have for this week, tune in next time where we will continue to work on our blindfold skills and look at another game of the Masters! 

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1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 c6 5. Qd2 Bg7 6. Bh6 Bxh6 7. Qxh6 Nbd7 8. O-O-O Qa5 9. Nf3 b5 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Ng4 12. Qf4 b4 13. Bc4 Ndxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Nd5 f6 16. Nxf6+ exf6 17. Qxf6 Rf8 18. Qg7 Bd7 19. Rhe1 O-O-O 20. Rxe5 1-0
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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1573672

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Muzychuk

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at another Indian superstar, an individual and team Olympiad medalist (and winner), a Candidates participant, a Fischer Random World Championship Quarterfinalist, a Biel Chess Festival winner, and a Grand Swiss winner - - Vidit Gujrathi. 

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1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8.O-O cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Qe2 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Ne5 Ne7 14.Rad1 Rc8 15. Rd3 Ne4 16. Bh4 Qc7 17. Rh3 Nf5 18. Bd3 Nxc3 19. Qh5 h6 20.Bf6 Be4 21. Bxg7 Bxd3 22. Bxh6 Be2 23. Qg5+ 1-0

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2569156 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidit_Gujrathi

https://cassidynoble.com/ 

This week, we are looking at one of the youngest Grandmasters Masters in history, a European Rapid and Blitz champion, a World Blitz Champion, and a 3 time French Champion - Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. 

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Sicilian Defense: Najdorf (B91)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 Be6 9. f4 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. Qd2 O-O 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. Kb1 Rc8 15. h3 b5 16. a3 Qb6 17. g4 b4 18. axb4 Qxb4 19. g5 Rxc3 20. gxf6 Rb8 21. Nb3 Rxb3 22. cxb3 Qxe4+ 23. Ka1 Bxf6 24. Bg2 Nf3 25. Qe3 Qc2 0-1

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxime_Vachier-Lagraven 

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2013739 

 http://cassidynoble.com/ 

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode! It is puzzle time! These are some of my favorite episodes to record. 

I will be giving you the location of each piece that is on the board, and I will give you a little time to consider the solution and solve the puzzle before I present the solution. I highly recommend attempting the puzzles on your own before listening to the solution. 

This week, we will be looking at 3 different puzzles. I will give an easy one, a medium one, and a difficult one. 

Puzzle number 1: 

White has a King on f7

White has a Bishop on d4

White has a Bishop on f3

Black has a King on h6

You are playing white and it is white to move. 

On to puzzle number 2! 

 It is white to move in this game and you are playing white. 

White has a Rook on b3

White has a King on g2

White has a pawn on h2

Black has a pawn on g5 

Black has a pawn on g4

Black has a pawn on h5

Black has a King on h4

Puzzle 3: 

You are playing white and it is white to move.

White has a Bishop on b4

White has a King on d3

White has a Rook on g8 

Black has a Knight on d6

Black has a King on e5 

Black has a Bishop on b2

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week we are looking at a rising star. A 3-time US Women’s Chess Champion, the youngest female player to defeat a Grandmaster, the youngest American woman in history to earn the International Master title - all before the age of 22 - Carissa Yip.

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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd7 7.O-O Nc6 8.Nb3 a6 9.Re1 Nf6 10.Nbxd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Qc7 12.Qe2 Bd7 13.Bg5 O-O-O 14.Rad1 Bd6 15.Bxa6 Bb4 16.c3 Bd6 17.h3 bxa6 18.Qxa6+ Kb8 19.c4 Bc5 20.Rd3 Ba4 21.Qxa4 Rxd4 22.Rb3+ Bb6 23.Be3 Rd6 24.c5 Rc6 25.Bf4 1-0

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2768625 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carissa_Yip

http://cassidynoble.com/

This week, we are looking at the history of a 3 time World Blitz Champion, a 5 time World Champion Candidate, and who some have nicknamed as the ‘funniest’ or the ‘thug life’ Grandmaster - Alexander Grischuk. 

He never quite reached the pinnacle of the classical chess world. He qualified for multiple Candidates tournaments and World Championship tournaments, landing just short of the title on a couple occasions. 

But! He did win the World Blitz Champion on 3 different occasions, maintained a 2700+ rating for over 22 years, was the number 3 player in the world and spent a quarter of a century in the top 100 players in the world. 

So that is all that we have for this week, tune in next time where we will continue to work on our blindfold skills and look at another game of the Masters. 

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1. b3 Nf6 2. Bb2 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 c5 5. e3 O-O 6. Ne2 d5 7. c4 d4 8. exd4 Ng4 9. Na3 Nc6 10. Nc2 cxd4 11. d3 Qa5+ 12. Kf1 Qf5 13. f4 Nb4 14. Nexd4 Qc5 15. Ba3 a5 16. h3 Qxd4 17. Nxd4 Ne3+ 18. Ke2 Nxd1 19. Raxd1 Bxd4 20. Rhe1 Rd8 21. Kd2 e6 22. Re2 Nxa2 0-1

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1669171 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Grischuk 

http://cassidynoble.com/ 

Adorned with 10 different gold medals from team events, being the 10th woman to earn the Grandmaster title, being the Russian Women’s Champion, Europe’s Rapid and Blitz Champion, a 2 time Chess960 World Champion, and a Women’s World Champion - Alexandra Kosteniuk has made a splash in the world of women’s chess. 

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1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O c5 5. c4 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd5 exd5 8.Nxd4 Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Nb3 Be6 11. Be3 b6 12. Rc1 Qd7 13. Nd4 Ne5 14. Bf4 Ng6 15. Bg5 h6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd5+ Kh7 20. Bg8+ 1-0

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2078732

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Kosteniuk 

http://cassidynoble.com/ 

Nowadays, we may hear about Vladimir Kramnik as someone highly suspicious of chess cheating including accusing high level players of misconduct, but that has not always been the case. He was the youngest person to ever reach world number 1 in ratings, he was a World Champion for 7 years, and was a 2 time Chess Oscar winner. So let’s dive into this chess legend’s career. A career that included - being world number 1 several times, a 7-year world champion, a lasting impact on chess opening theory, helping be a voice for those that have cheating accusations against them, and now helping teach the game to a new generation - Vladimir Kramnik has had an impactful career in the chess community. 

For our game this week, we are going back to the Qatar Masters of 2014. Vladimir Kramnik versus Sanan Sjugirov. 

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1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. d3 Bg4 5. O-O Nbd7 6. Qe1 e5 7. e4 Bd6 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nh4 O-O 10. g4 Bg6 11. g5 Nh5 12. Exd5 cxd5 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Bxd5 Nf4 15. Bxf4 exf4 16. h4 Qc8 17. Qe4 Qxc2 18. Nc3 Qxb2 19. Qxg6 Bc5 20. Ne4 Qe5 21. Bb3 Bxf2+ 22. Nxf2 f3 23. Ne4 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 Qb2 25. Nf6+ 1-0

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1779624

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Kramnik

http://cassidynoble.com/