ArcaMax

Here’s a position from the 2026 FIDE Men’s Candidates Tournament. Giri, as Black stuns Caruana with a mating attack.

Here’s another position from the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. At first glance Black is definitely on the ropes and waiting for a knockout, but Black has a game saving jab.

Hope you enjoyed the 21 instructional games which should have given you insights to all the amazing things that can happen on a chessboard. Today’s position is a case in point. Black is in dire straits here, yet she finds a way out.

Number 21 in our series of instructional games. Seidman - Santasiere B29 New York, 1939 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6? (Best is 2...Nc6) 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 Nxc3 5.dxc3 (White is already more mobile.) 5...b6 6.Bc4 (Also fun is 6.e6 dxe6 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 8.Ne5 Ke8 9.Bb5+ Nd7 10.Bc6 Rb8 11.Bf4) 6...e6 7.Bf4 (Zeroing in on Black's hole on d6.)7...Qc7 8.0–0 Bb7 9....

Number 20 in our series of instructional games. Shamkovich - Nezhmetdinov (E97)Baku, 1961

This is a wild game. The King's Indian Defense is very difficult for both sides. This game demonstrates the war between Black's pawn storm on the kingside vs. White's pawn storm on the queenside. If you play either side, it's worth looking at the notes to ...

Number 19 in our series of instructional games. This is a good one for beginners to learn from the early notes. Shilov - Razdobarin B28 1959

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c3 d5! (A good idea against c3 with the Sicilian Defense.) 4.exd5 Qxd5 (The knight can't come to c3 to attack the queen, so this is good for Black. An equal game,but...) 5.d4! (White has...