John Bartholomew

A 1.e4-heavy session, featuring a pair of Alapin Sicilian games (2.c3) against IMs, and a memorable finish out of the Caro-Kann! My goals in this series are to 1) stay even or ahead of my opponents on the clock, and 2) trust my decision-making. Follow along as I try to avoid perfectionist tendencies and apply pressure with the ultimate equalizer in competitive chess: the clock! … [Read more...] about Powerhouse Pawns | Using the Clock as a Weapon #33

In this 3+0 blitz game played on my Twitch stream on Nov. 15, 2020, I stumble into a Classical Sicilian line from the white side that I recently had as Black in my "Sicilian Patience" video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8rB5lIUnnU). Saddled with a pair of knights and a damaged pawn structure, I'm forced to do the only thing you can in such situations: fight for counterplay! … [Read more...] about Sharp Calculation in the Classical Sicilian

Transposing into the Queen's Gambit Declined via the English (1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5), I deploy my mainstay Exchange Variation, 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5. Though the word "exchange" may induce drowsiness or eye-rolling from some, this line actually leads to rich, full-blooded play. Here, I adopt the Ng1-e2 and f2-f3 setup, which was a favorite of former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, and … [Read more...] about Botvinnik & Kasparov’s Central Pawn Roller | Standard Chess #291 (Queen’s Gambit Declined)

A nice mix of strong opponents here! My goals in this series are to 1) stay even or ahead of my opponents on the clock, and 2) trust my decision-making. Follow along as I try to avoid perfectionist tendencies and apply pressure with the ultimate equalizer in competitive chess: the clock! #Chess #BlitzChess #ClockAsAWeapon Support the channel: … [Read more...] about Success vs. a GM, Struggling vs. FMs | Using the Clock as a Weapon #32

From Aug. 16-18, 2019, I participated in the eighth-annual Twin Ports Open in Superior, Wisconsin. I played (and subsequently won) the main tournament (final standings here: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?201908187092.1-12718516), and on Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, I played a fun exhibition blitz event that was open to the public. In this game I take on an important … [Read more...] about Mayor Jim tries 2…f6 | Twin Ports Open 2019