John Bartholomew

"Tactics flow from a superior position." - Bobby Fischer In this 10+0 rapid game on lichess.org, I play a strategic line in the Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD) where White launches the so-called "minority attack," aiming to weaken Black's pawn structure. When my opponent blunders the pawn on d5, the game takes a sharp (and decisive!) tactical turn! Replay this game on … [Read more...] about Strategic Line Yields Rare Checkmate

This is an excerpt from a 5+0 blitz game I played/streamed against a 2021 on lichess on Oct. 9, 2020. After I captured an enemy knight, my opponent surprised me by taking my other knight rather than recapturing. This triggered my tactical spidey sense! How would you play for White? Review this game on lichess.org: https://lichess.org/ME0smpH4Xem3 Support the channel: … [Read more...] about Reacting to an Unexpected Capture

This is an excerpt from a 5+0 blitz game I played/streamed against an 1893 on lichess on Oct. 9, 2020 (apologies for the clock being cut off!). In a sharp opposite-side castling position, I reached a critical position where I had to decide how best to execute my attack. Try to figure it out for yourself! Review this game on lichess.org: … [Read more...] about Nailing your Move Order

Due to COVID-19 and the increasing number of online players, Titled Tuesday is now a weekly event! In this October 6 edition, 641 players battled it out for prizes and glory (mostly glory :)). Follow along for the good, the bad, and the ugly in this always-tense 10 round, 3+1 blitz event! #Chess #TitledTuesday Final standings: … [Read more...] about Testing the 3…Qa5 Scandi | Titled Tuesday – Oct. 6, 2020

This was the fun conclusion to my Twitch stream on Oct. 4, 2020. I late-joined a lichess bullet arena (1+0 time control), and the Twitch chat encouraged me to try and berserk for the podium! The Logitech G502 mouse I've returned to recently definitely helped (no, I'm not sponsored :)). Final standings: https://lichess.org/tournament/I2QZiYkh Support the channel: … [Read more...] about Late-joining & Berserking for the Podium!