John Bartholomew

A dialed-in session! 💪 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: https://streamlabs.com/johnbartholomew … [Read more...] about Move First, Talk Second | Using the Clock as a Weapon #31

In this continuation of the "Climbing the Rating Ladder" series I take on players of various ratings levels while pointing out typical mistakes and spots for improvement along the way (possibly my own!? :)). Here I commentate a 10+5 game against a player rated 1710 on Chess.com. White chooses the slightly dubious 6.Be3 against the Classical Sicilian, after which I achieve a … [Read more...] about Sicilian Patience | Climbing the Rating Ladder vs. KamrulHasanMilton (1710)

Due to COVID-19 and the increasing number of online players, Titled Tuesday is now a weekly event! In this November 3 edition, 702 players battled it out for prizes and glory (mostly glory :)). Follow along for the good, the bad, and the ugly in this always-tense 11 round, 3+1 blitz event! #Chess #TitledTuesday Final standings: … [Read more...] about Who says the Scandi is Boring? | Titled Tuesday – Nov. 3, 2020

The English Rat Defense (1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5) often produces a queenless middlegame (3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Qxd8+ Kxd8) where Black has comfortable play. My 2120 rated opponent plays some solid albeit unspectacular moves, and though I gain the bishop pair, I lag in development. An ill-timed move then forces me to surrender my biggest asset, the bishop pair, after which I must adjust to the … [Read more...] about Recovering from Shaky Calculation | Standard Chess #290 (English Rat Defense)

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. Here I face the president of the Twin Ports … [Read more...] about Caging the Bishop Pair | Twin Ports Open 2019