Chess Zendō

Articles and Essays

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Latest articles and essays

  • The best ways to review your games
    by Christefano Reyes
    Get an expert game review of 3 of your recent games, or get a free 20-minute introductory lesson with me in person at the McMinnville Chess Club. 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 ways I recommend for reviewing your games that lead to quick growth and improvement in your chess games, and there’s a… Read more: The best ways to review your games
  • Chess Bingō
    by Christefano Reyes
    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. These scorecards are free for personal and chess club use, and I’m excited to share them with everyone in the club and beyond. High quality PDFs are available upon request. Download: chesszendo-chess-bingo-scorecards-v3.zip How to play There are a few different ways… Read more: Chess Bingō
  • How chess teaches the skills for a successful life
    by Christefano Reyes
    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

Expert game review

Get a review of 3 of your most recent games with detailed analysis of critical moments and opportunities you missed, areas of your game to focus on, and my personalized recommendation for how to level up your game.

Chess Bingō

Try the newest way to enjoy chess, learn the lingo, and (when played with teams) turn up the heat, get competitive, and develop team-building skills.

Chess Bingō scorecards are free for personal and chess club use.

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Contact me, check out my Frequently, Asked Questions, or meet up with me in person at the McMinnville Chess Club.