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Latest articles and essays

• The best ways to review your games
  by Christefano Reyes
  November 26, 2025
  Are you looking for a way to send me your PGN files for a game review? Contact me and send up to 3 PGN files. Please note priority goes to my chess students, and you can sign up at any time or get a free 20-minute introductory lesson. Improving at chess involves much more than just playing more games. Improvement comes from learning from the games you’ve already played, especially the games that you’ve lost. “You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win.” — José Raúl Capablanca There are a number of… Read more: The best ways to review your games
• How chess teaches the skills for a successful life
  by Christefano Reyes
  March 29, 2025
  This essay is based on a presentation I gave in February, 2024 at McMinnville Kiwanis, a nonprofit that’s dedicated to improving the lives of children everywhere, and it’s re-presented here to help share some of the benefits and values that chess provides. I believe in the values of learning, playing, and improving in chess — and in the power that chess has to develop the skills for a successful life. Having been both a teacher and a life-long chess player, I was delighted to realize later in my life how many life skills chess has taught me, and these are the… Read more: How chess teaches the skills for a successful life
• Chess Bingō
  by Christefano Reyes
  March 29, 2025
  Introducing Chess Bingō, a new way to enjoy chess, learn the lingo, and (when played with teams) turn up the heat, get competitive, and develop team-building skills. I created and have used this new bingo format with my chess students as a fun teaching tool, and I’ve tested these scorecards with help from the McMinnville Chess Club with great success. I’m excited to share them with everyone in the club and beyond. These scorecards are free for personal and chess club use. High quality PDFs are available upon request. How to play There are a few different ways to play. You… Read more: Chess Bingō