Dave Shapland

I never grant take back requests and would never ask for one myself. A mouse slip is an unfortunate part of playing online chess.

Smoked Haddock with Cannellini Beans in a cream, mustard and parsley sauce

Not made this for ages… Smoked Haddock with Cannellini Beans in a cream, mustard and parsley sauce. Just steamed veg to go with. OMG!! 🤤

A sunny day with blue sky hangs over a grassy footpath running between open moorland and farm pasture with Great Manstead in Calderdale rising in the distance.

A view over moorland in Calderdale.

A view over moorland towards the saddleback shape of Great Manstead in Calderdale, Yorkshire, UK

A slice of white chocolate and raspberry cake at Craggies Farm Shop and Cafe in Cragg Vale, Calderdale.

On a gorgeous sunny Sunday in Yorkshire what could be better than a wonderful moor top walk in Calderdale to clear the cobwebs and lift the spirits. 🤩
There might have been a slice of cake at the end of it too… 🍰 😋

I’ve had some success with this line before. 8.Bb5+ is a very tricky line for Black to deal with. Some great analysis here though. Thanks 🙏

Interesting. Thanks for the tip

To avoid 3…c5 could we play the move order… 1.e4 c6 2.Ne2!? d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Ng3 Bg6 5.d4 e6 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 or is this line materially different?

This looks great. We still need to have a line ready if Black plays
3…c5 though…

Visited Dominic’s top castle today as we took a trip to Yoros. Excellent recommendation and an antidote to Topkapi. The views are stunning and there is indeed no health and safety on the ruined walls. Whilst there the call to prayer echoed across the Bosphorus. Wow! 🤩
@theresthistory.bsky.social

Kasparovchess History Podcast · Garry Kasparov ruled the chess world for decades, and his influence reaches far beyond the chessboard. Get a glimpse into Garry's career, his life and his legacy through this series ...

2.) And such a shame that the Kasparov Chess podcast didn’t continue after the first season. I really enjoyed this one as Garry himself talks you through memorable moments in his early career…

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/k...

Nice list Chris! Here’s a couple more for you.

1.) It’s long defunked, but was really good while it lasted. Let’s Talk About Chess with Eric Van Reem
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/l....

There may be good reasons for this but it does seem poor that FIDE are taking so long to act as this is effectively just an interim ruling.

Let’s hope they take suitably robust action when they finally do come to make a judgement and use this as an opportunity to send a clear message.

2.) there are clear further allegations that are being considered, but why not separate out this first case which seems pretty open and shut instead of seemingly considering them all together?

Totally agree that harassment has no place in chess. But has FIDE done it right. This statement leaves me with some questions.
1.) why hasn’t FIDE been able to make a ruling on whether to agree to making the USCFs penalty an international one when the USCF made it’s decision over 6 months ago?

Whassup #chesspunk!
Been a long time since I last posted but here’s an interesting position from my classical game last night in a friendly match against Burnley chess club.
Black to play. In a tough position I had elected to give up material to try and expose the White king. What would you do here?

Very good advice. I don’t analyse my games as thoroughly as I used to (that used to be how I spent my daily commute on the train - but now I have to drive to work 😢). It is a process that requires some time and effort but it is THE most useful way to improve your chess and learn about yourself too.

I’m sure there will be plenty of players who disagree with me and don’t mind playing three games in one day. 😁

Looks great and I wish you luck, but I’m afraid I’m firmly in the ‘3 games of classical chess in 1 day is inhumane’ camp.

Thanks @danielkingchess.bsky.social perhaps I should add that I’ve also had some success with your recommendations vs the Rossolimo, though those games were more positional. I’ve also had a ‘fail’ vs the main alternative to the Advance French, the 4.exd5 variation. So still lots to learn and improve

YouTube video by PowerPlayChess How to tackle the Alapin

What’s up #chesspunks?
Today I wanted to thank @danielkingchess.bsky.social for featuring one of my games on his ever-excellent PowerPlayChess YouTube channel.
I’ve been using his Anti-Sicilians for black repertoire recently and have been getting some encouraging results.

youtu.be/EMEK3LIVgCQ?...

Yes, I’m Kasparov era too. Agree that some of the concepts he deployed (especially in the opening) were sometimes hard to grasp.

Totally agree. In Spassky’s best games he makes attacking look so easy and natural. His play is so direct and his understanding of the openings in his repertoire was masterful. So much to admire. I think Spassky is one of our most under-appreciated World Champions simply because he lost to Fischer.

I find this one really tough too. I think that, if you’re a natural optimist at the board, then it’s particularly challenging to be vigilant. It’s easier when you’re defending I think to spot your opponent’s best ideas. When you’re attacking it’s sometimes harder to see defensive resources.

Yes, I started out thinking about Re7 but then realised that after Rb1 one of my b or d pawns are going and white will be ready to force mass exchanges and simplify into a winning ending. Lucky for me that I had Rh4 in the position and was able to find it.

It’s Rc1 immediately. If 1…Rc1 2.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 3.Kh2 Qb1 is terminal. Or if 1…Rc1 2.Rh2 as played in the game then 2…Qb1 3.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 4.Kg2 Qe4+ 5.f3 Qc2#

Yes. That was what I decided on too. It’s psychologically a very practical move. Needless to say, my opponent didn’t want to take the draw and instead continued with Rh1. That put him on the back foot until we reached the position below. See if you can find the break through for Black…

Morning #chesspunks!
This is from my game in the 4NCL Online last night. I’d been slowly outplayed by my higher rated opponent. I’m positionally busted what to do? What would you play with Black here?

I wrote it to celebrate Spassky’s 75th birthday in 2012. It’s part celebration and part fiction but it seems appropriate to put a link to it here as my tribute to him. Unfortunately, the game viewer in the post no longer works but there are links to all the games mentioned in the article.
(2 of 2)

R.I.P. Boris Spassky

Hey #chesspunks,
The 10th World Champ was one of my chess heroes. Today’s sad news triggered a memory of an old post I put on my chess club website in the days when writing about chess was as important to me as playing. (1 of 2)

www.hebdenbridgechessclub.co.uk/learn-french...

Tiredness is never an excuse for me. In this instance I simply couldn’t see a way to continue without exposing myself to significant risk. Maybe I’d managed about as much tension as I could handle over the course of the weekend by then! 😂

Yes. I was looking at something similar. But after, say 1…Qf6 2.Kg2 Bf8 3.Rd7 white doesn’t have to move the knight into d6 if he doesn’t want to. He can just maintain pressie on f7 and it’s hard to see how Black can make progress or make exchanges. BTW the engine assessment in that position is -0.3