iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Totally. If we had a millionaire donor I’d get on that… but cheers, for now I’ll check out the cheaper option.

Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Has anyone come across a demonstration board that’s not ugly as sin? I’d like one for our club but they’re all awful, as far as I can see.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Fun times at the ChessCom SCC / FourCorner meetup.

Hanging with GM David Howell, who was just lovely.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I like my takebacks like I like my in-game chat: off by default.

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Why must I lose to this idiot? @wmiltti.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

In case people are looking for a list of chess accounts, there’s a good one here: go.bsky.app/6DLYrt6

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Or the frankly unforgiveable dxe5 here, inviting Black to stomp all over me. (My opponent mercifully declined the invitation by playing …Qxe5 instead.)

Chess position from Bowles–Ainscow, Dec 2024. White is about to do something stupid. FEN: r3k2r/pp1n1p2/2p2q2/2Pppb2/1P1P2p1/2R1P1Q1/P2N1PBP/4K2R w Kkq - 0 18

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Let’s go with …Nc5 here, described in my scribbled post-game notes as ‘equalising‘ (!?) but that I would now describe as ‘just totally giving away one of my two passers due to either 1) apparent hallucinatory freakout or 2) as-yet-undiscovered passivity kink’

Chess board: Hall–Bowles, Dec 2024. FEN: 1r2k3/5ppp/4n3/Pp1r4/1B1p4/7P/5PP1/R2R1K2 b. Black is about to do something stupid.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Upside of tackling your huge game review backlog - if you’ve improved in the meantime it’s almost amusing to see how bad your moves were back then. Almost.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Giving up on the unwatchable World Blitz coverage. The live boards are so useless the commentators have to analyse a low-res sideways camera image. Pointless.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

Magnus v Hans simultaneously the most exciting and tiresome pairing possible. Forced drama! r/chess must be losing its mind.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

SwissManager with an experimental neomorphic interface inspired by the Nintendo Wii U eShop circa 2014

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

My dream is, like, Teenage Engineering taking on DGT’s monopoly. Live boards with optional arpeggiator modules. Clocks with increment and stereo drum sampler and triple low-frequency oscillators.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

I was wondering about this. It’s got to be a setup, right? Like there are enough obvious differences that it’s not the same bg

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Well, at the least the boards are transmitting live-ish this year. But chess tournaments still desperately better hardware and technical direction.

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JJ @chesscom.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

chessfeels.substack.com/p/the-solution Subscribe to my stacksub and for under a dollar a week you'll get an exercise like this in your inbox with this level of description and explanation. Please?

chessfeels.substack.com

The Solution

Don't forget to, like, subscribe!

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Reposted by Cennydd

LionChess_Coach @lionchess.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

🎄 CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY 🎄 I’m giving away 2 FREE chess lessons each to 2 lucky winners! ♟️✨ How to enter: 👉 Comment “Giveaway” - that’s it! ⏰ Ends: Sunday 21st at 23:59 CET You can keep the lessons or gift them as a Christmas present 🎁 Good luck! 🍀 #chess #chesspunks 🦁

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Final rated game of the season: good win vs slightly lower rated opponent. Cute intermezzo tactic to win. Think I’ll end the year on 1599 ECF.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Natural order somewhat restored today with two losses to strong players. Finished the tournament joint eighth on 3/5. Still beyond my wildest dreams, and should see me heading towards 1600 ECF / 1700 FIDE.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

I’ll tell you something: people DO NOT like losing to people 300 points below them.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

uh, won another two games. both against 1860-rated players. leading the tournament. what the fuck is happening

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Round 1 of the Central London Congress at Imperial: dropped a pawn in an exchange QGD but counterpunched well and caught my overpursuing opponent (1704) in a minor piece mating net. Playing up in the 2000s so might not get much else from the tournament. But a great start.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Helping start a club is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in chess. If you’re considering it, DO IT. It takes persistence and a fair bit of work, but if you’re 1. dedicated to your community and 2. in possession of reasonable admin skills, you can do a good job.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

More importantly than that, though: this was Walthamstow Chess Club’s first competitive outing! I’m happy with our overall performance and we had a ton of fun. The club’s going great now: energising, relaxed, inclusive. Got a website and everything. www.walthamstowchess.com

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

First victory over a titled player last night! Albeit at 5+0 blitz. 2073-rated CM. I had pressure in a Catalan middlegame before my opponent dropped a queen, because blitz does horrible things to good people. Finished the event with 7 wins and just 2 losses. Shame it wasn’t rated.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Spent some time rewatching this yesterday. It was already a moving video. Now even more so.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Ashes scoreline prediction?

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your posts, Dawn. Always a pleasure to read.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

First rated game of the season, last Sat: strong middlegame edge from Sielecki‘s anti-KID (6. b3) line, but I stumble and let my opponent force me into desperate defence. I hold on by my fingertips and lo, he misses the critical line. Draw accepted. Not quite robbery, but undeserved.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

If you ever want a task to put you off both chess and life itself, volunteer to arrange a club’s league fixtures. Four teams, three divisions, a thousand regrets.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

In Amsterdam. Didn’t take many photos at the Max Euwe museum. But this little paperback set is cute.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Second in the Essex U1600 Rapid (4.5/6) and a rating prize in the Essex Blitz (3.5/7) brings my lifetime chess winnings to around £150. A lucrative pro career beckons.

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Bold move by Dan @boldmovebydan.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Spend time learning openings if 1) poor opening play is costing you games, which can happen at any rating level, or 2) you feel like it. Chess is optional. Do what makes you happy.

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Reposted by Cennydd

Bold move by Dan @boldmovebydan.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

If Apple AI can actually answer this question then it must be better at chess than Stockfish, which requires the whole board.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

I want some of whatever O’Higgins took before the tournament

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Bold move by Dan @boldmovebydan.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Black has 20 legal moves after 1. e4. Eighteen of them have names. The only two that don’t are the best move and the worst move.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

I once spent ten whole minutes reviewing my Morra → Alapin transposition before playing a known Morra player. Was mildly useful. That’s as far as I’ve ever taken prep.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Quite - if I’m hauling my ass over to Iceland I’m not prepping obscure Sveshnikov lines in my hotel…

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

+1 for the Classic. Although one game a day makes it quite a long trip!

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

I’m helping start a chess club here in Walthamstow. Anyone in North or East London, you’d be most welcome at our monthly meetup next Sunday 2–5pm (Lord Palmerston, E17 5JN). I’d be grateful for any shares too – we’re eager to ensnare new people in the clutches of this maddening game, etc

Image of chess pieces overlaid with text: 'Walthamstow chess meetup, last Sunday of the month. Sunday 29 June 2–5pm. Lord Palmerston pub garden, E17 5JN. Free to attend. Boards and sets provided. All ages, abilities, and dogs welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult).

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

So… does this belong on my chess shelf or my philosophy shelves?

Book: Philosophy Looks At Chess, edited by Benjamin Hale.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

After my final classical game of the season, I’ve ended up 25 ECF points higher than in September. Not huge progress, but given my dreadful start (three losses) I’ll take it. Hopefully I can push on next season. Bit of rapid and blitz until then.

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Oh shit, no way?! Yeah, I played in my regular cohort after like a whole season of playing up. Let me know when you play another London-ish one, be great to say hi!

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Lost a 77-move epic in rd4 against the eventual winner who was unrated but ended up with – and I shit you not – a performance rating of 2129, after which I understandably bailed on rd5 to drink some beer and contemplate my life. Fun game but fucking hell man

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Cennydd @cennyddchess.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

LCL Weekender rd2 and 3: two wins with Black. The first, a prolonged (metaphorical) strangulation of a small child. The second, a pleasing technical win, winning a pawn with a nice zwischenzug and picking my way through an awkward knight and pawn ending. Joint leader overnight.

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