Chess author on chessable.com. "Secrets of Trapping Pieces" are solo ventures. "KIMPLODES!", an analysis book, with IM Turzo published 23 April 2026. Husband. Dad. Son. Brother. Retired pilot, cybersecurity guy, marathoner. 2d dan black belt.https://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mzkrn2q4f22p#21 in the chess Hall of Fame, and one of my favorite players since I was but a wee lad. This is my take on The Crown Prince of Chess, Paul Keres. Enjoy the quotes, games, images, bio, and links to other sources. Cheers! Kevin https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-22-paul-keres-the-crown-prince-of-chess05 Nov 2026 11:35 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mzkrn2q4f22phttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mytyfls3ac2nMy latest post analysis looks at a striking imbalance of material. If you're interested, chessable.com is having a sale on this course over the next few days. Always look for sales! 🤣 https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/use-kimplodes-to-analyze-imbalances-queen-sac-for-bishop-knight-initiative27 Oct 2026 10:05 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mytyfls3ac2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3myhb2vtmg22dNext up in the greatest chess authors of all time: Greco! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-gioachino-greco22 Oct 2026 08:36 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3myhb2vtmg22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mxefxjast22hMy latest post on the Chess Author GOATs! You can find all my posts, on this and other topics, at https://donateopen.com/@kevinchesssmith. Hope you enjoy it https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-svetozar-gligoric-gliga08 Oct 2026 12:00 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mxefxjast22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mwvamtzhjk2i27th in the series, working from #50 to #1. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-24-howard-staunton You can find all my blogs, with tags to make it easier to direct your search, at https://donateopen.com/@kevinchesssmith02 Oct 2026 11:15 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvamtzhjk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mwczaemmm22gReturning to a topic fraught with opinions: Who are the Chess Writing GOATs? Today, Bobby Fischer takes center stage as I discuss whether he was one of the GOATs, or had great ghost writers. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-bobby-fischer25 Sep 2026 05:15 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwczaemmm22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mvpldbykfk2yJust posted my blog on #25 among the top 50 chess players in history: GM David Bronstein. A brief bio, quotes, pictures, games he analyzed, and more. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-25-david-bronstein-a-true-chess-artist17 Sep 2026 11:45 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvpldbykfk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mv75hx7qi22kToday I posted my 150th blog, my 26th as a Top Blogger on my most visited chess site. Seemed like a good time to revisit the circuitous path I took and waypoints along the way, lessons learned, and how it applied to writing several books. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/road-to-top-blogger10 Sep 2026 22:55 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv75hx7qi22khttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3muop4mmgas2sA bit of fun this week. I collaborated with @Lunar_Silence to produce a post about chess bloggers and Zodiac signs. Enjoy. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/a-chess-blogger-zodiac04 Sep 2026 09:55 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3muop4mmgas2shttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mu54cpuqhc2vWas given a chance over the past month to review the Royal Chess Mall | Windsor Executive Magnetic Travel Chess Set. It's a great set, very portable for my travels. Had a lot of fun doing that, as you'll gather from the tone of voice and pictures in a post I made today. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/unboxing-review-royal-chess-mall-windsor-executive-magnetic-travel-chess-set-lets-go28 Aug 2026 10:03 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu54cpuqhc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mtln6ggjvc2xTime to talk about GM Reuben Fine, one of the titans of chess in the 1930s who effectively retired by not competing in a 1948 World Championship event. He wrote numerous chess books. Was he a GOAT author? https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-reuben-fine21 Aug 2026 11:17 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtln6ggjvc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mt6xt5ixok2zIt's back to the 19th century and Adolf Anderssen, the author of two immortal games. As usual, there are images, quotes, a discussion of his writings, what others had to say about him, and a game he analyzed. Plus, multiple links to other articles about him. Enjoy! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-26-adolf-anderssen-the-immortal-evergreen-guy16 Aug 2026 10:23 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt6xt5ixok2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mso6ofljqs2aMy chessable books are on sale under KevinChessSmith.😁 Here's a link to a blog that talks about two of the books. The books are all about trapping pieces, and when it is sometimes okay to step into a trap because it's flawed! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/secrets-of-trapping-pieces09 Aug 2026 18:10 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mso6ofljqs2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mrwqv2c7a223It's been two weeks since the last Hall of Fame player was discussed...so I'm on schedule😉. We jump back to the 19th century for Johannes Zukertort, considered #1 globally for multiple years and known as The Artist of the Chessboard. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hof-27-johannes-zukertort-artist-of-the-chessboard31 Jul 2026 10:32 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrwqv2c7a223https://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mrf5gr7gis26Max Euwe, former World Chess Champion, was also a prodigious writer. Was he a chess author GOAT? Well, I'll discuss that in the blog at the link below. Cheers! Kevin https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-max-euwe24 Jul 2026 10:29 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrf5gr7gis26https://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mqtlii5ldc2zTurning my eye towards an early 18th-century chess player who is #28 in at least one chess Hall of Fame, Louis Charles de la Bourdannais. This required stalwart research on my part, and he still remains somewhat a mystery! You can read why at https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-28-charles-de-labourdonnais17 Jul 2026 10:53 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqtlii5ldc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mqayy4nx222bReturning to the chess author GOATs with Mark Dvoretsky, a truly brilliant chess coach and teacher. A brief bio, a few quotes, a discussion of why his writing was so remarkable, and links to other sources who agree with me. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-mark-dvoretsky10 Jul 2026 01:34 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqayy4nx222bhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mpqiucontk2hA meta-blog today! ~38K words, tons of images, and info on more than a thousand titled chess players! It's all in good fun, so grab a chocolate wafer (celebrated today), a drink to dunk the wafer in, and enjoy. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-babies-a-titled-player-chess-zodiac03 Jul 2026 12:02 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqiucontk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mp6q5vasis2j#29 in the chess .com Hall of Fame, Bent Larsen. Lots of quotes, the usual two deeply analyzed games, a short bio...enjoy! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hof-29-bent-larsen-the-great-dane26 Jun 2026 10:25 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp6q5vasis2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mokyqysmnk2tAnother week, another blog. This time diving back into the GOATs of chess authorship...and returning to the front of the alphabet because I missed Aagard initially. Talk about timing, his newest book came out on chessable yesterday! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-jacob-aagaard18 Jun 2026 14:06 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mokyqysmnk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mo3l5nukwk2jNext up in my Hall of Fame series is Samuel Reshevsky, eight-time US CC, former #1 worldwide, and accountant...because he had to make a living somehow. Chess didn't provide enough income for most players back then, even at the top of the sport. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-30-samuel-reshevsky-the-boy-prodigy12 Jun 2026 10:52 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo3l5nukwk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mnpjdyghvc2pTime for the next GOAT Chess Author, Jesús de la Villa! He's written multiple titles in the past couple of decades that can already be considered classics and merited translation into multiple languages. Another one for the ages, here's my take on why! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-jesus-de-la-villa07 Jun 2026 15:48 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnpjdyghvc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mmwh4apnk22tAnother week, another chess blog! This time I return to the chess Hall of Fame with Efim Bogoljubow, one of the best players in the world from the 1920s to the 1930s. Quotes, images, his writings, some games...enjoy! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-31-efim-bogoljubov28 May 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmwh4apnk22thttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mmi6lasv5c25Who are the greatest chess authors of all time? And who falls into the category of maybe, maybe not, and nope, we won't mention their name (really, I probably won't). Here's my latest entry. Pedro Damiano earned chess fame from the late 15th century to the early 16th. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-pedro-damiano23 May 2026 00:22 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmi6lasv5c25https://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mlxw6dpqw22iTime to visit #32 in the Hall of Fame, Reuben Fine. Facts, quotes, images, some games he analyzed, links to related material about him, and much more! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-32-reuben-fine16 May 2026 13:09 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlxw6dpqw22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mljlskzlvk2sA new post about my most recent chess book. I'm following up on a blog by my co-author, IM Attila Turzo. It's an example of how our analytic model can be useful when encountering an opening surprise. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/when-the-opening-ends-and-you-lose-your-compass-an-example10 May 2026 20:26 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljlskzlvk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mledugynis22Time for #4 in my series of the greatest chess authors of all time. It was my pleasure to gather scads of material about NM Irving Chernev. Enjoy! https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/chess-writing-goats-irving-chernev08 May 2026 18:20 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mledugynis22https://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mksl4gylws2wLatest in my chess Hall of Fame series, exploring some fun details of Levon Aronian's career. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/hall-of-fame-33-levon-aronian-the-armenian-lion01 May 2026 16:42 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksl4gylws2whttps://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mkfkbva4kc23Thought I'd provide a link to a blog that talks about material similar to that found in my new book (co-authored by IM Turzo), published on 23 April on the chessable website. https://www.chess.com/blog/KevinChessSmith/analyze-with-kimplodes-youre-gonna-lose-your-queen-so-what26 Apr 2026 12:23 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkfkbva4kc23https://bsky.app/profile/kevinchesssmith.bsky.social/post/3mk63n5r43c2nMy third chess book was published today, a collaborative effort with IM Attila Turzo. We deliver a useful checklist for analyzing a position. Our effort includes numerous examples and quizzes to test your improving skills. You can read a summary of the book at https://www.chessable.com/kimplodes-a-systemic-approach-to-chess-analysis/course/245999/23 Apr 2026 13:12 +0000at://did:plc:gkgjtkrewffiohammiigobmn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk63n5r43c2n