Openings are always a point of discussion (and often a point of contention) for chess players of all ratings. Are you tactical or positional? Do you prefer open positions or closed positions? Knights or bishops? Long castle or short castle?&n...
By now you've seen our ranking of every opening move and our ranking of every possible response by Black to 1.e4 from White. Naturally, here comes every possible response by Black to 1.d4 from White. As in the e4 article, moves are given with th...
You sit down at the board or your computer and wait to see how your opponent will start the game. As they reach for the e-pawn, in your mind you roll your eyes and mutter, "Here we go again." With that quick sulk out of the way, it's...
There are 20 possible first moves in chess: each of the eight pawns can move one or two squares forward, and each of the two knights has two squares it can go to. But not everything that is equally legal is equally advisable as a course of actio...
Kevin Bordi, also known as BlitzStream, is France's most-watched chess streamer. As one of the earliest adopters of playing chess on Twitch, he has over a decade of experience creating chess content and has witnessed monumental shifts in the popul...
Arena Kings is a weekly event where streamers play in blitz arenas for their share of 400 Twitch subs. Arenas run every Wednesday starting at 9:00 a.m. PT/18:00 CEST. In this article, you will find the results for all the arenas that happened in 2...
Back in May I told you what your Chess.com board theme says about you... but what about your pieces? That's right, your preference between the snowman-style pawns of Icy Sea and the chic pointed pawns of the Alpha set truly speaks volumes. Are you...
You may not think that chess and horoscopes would usually intersect. Could the alignment of stars and planets really affect chess skills from month to month? Maybe. Spring is coming, everything is changing, and the world is brightening up again. H...
Chess is just a game, but as long as it is played by humans, emotions will be a factor. Sometimes we are faced with moves by our opponents that may ratchet up our sense of fear, even if they are not 100 percent sound. We've all played games wher...
Learning basic checkmates is one of the most important things a chess player can do when starting their journey through the magnificent labyrinth of chess. By learning the following checkmates, you can avoid some quick losses and maybe even notch ...
At one time there were no official titles in chess. In 1950 FIDE created the Grandmaster, the International Master and the International Women Master titles. The first two sets of titles weren't based on rating...
This is our archive of older, completed chess tournaments and events. Click here for our calendar of current chess events! September 2021 Date Event Location September 7 Titled TuesdayOur weekly blitz event for titled players, an ...
In the annual "Battle of the Sexes" at the 2017 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, where a teams of 5-10 square off, the men conjured some irregular openings against the ladies. On Saturday evening's three-game match, here's the trio of opening...
As a man that has many interests (UFOs, martial arts, philosophy, various forms of history [chess and non-chess], literature, art, film, music, and even criminology), I recently began reading an excellent book entitled "Shady Side: The Life and Cr...
I stumbled upon the following article while reading through the March 1903 edition of "Checkmate: Monthly Chess Review." It looked familiar and I was able to determine I had seen it before in "Pollock Memories,"&...
Dear Chess.com Members, After Chess 012, Chess 013, Chess 014, and Chess 024, Chess.com University is back with its fifth college-like chess course! Our college-like courses provide the best and most effective chess education available online. I...
In 1882, Australian cricketers came to London and won a test match in England for the first time ever. "The Ashes" of English cricket tradition were transported back with the victors to the Southern Hemisphere. The two countries continue t...
M asked: I have a question about a certain line in the accelerated dragon Maroczy Bind. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Be2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 0-0 10.Qd2 Be6 11.f3 Qa5 12.Nb5 Qxd2+ 13.Kxd2 a6 14.Nc7 Rac8 15.Nxe6 f...
I used to think that Grob attack was the worst possible chess opening. However, there is only so much damage you can do to your position with one little move. I'm now inclined to think that the cabbage attack is the worst possible chess opening ou...
For some reason some players get scared when faced with1.g4. There is no reason to fear this. True, if you waslk into the jaws of the beast, your head can get chopped off. But if you play sensibly there is no danger. Here are two examples of solid...
I believe these are most of the openings and gambits and traps there is.... Anderssen's Opening: 1. a3 Anderssen's Opening, Polish Gambit: 1. a3 a5 2. b4 Anderssen's Opening, Creepy Crawly Formation: 1. a3 e5 2. h3 d5 Anderssen&...
Irregular openings are chess openings with an unusual first move from White. Such openings include: Anderssen's Opening 1.a3 Amar Opening (also known as Paris Opening) 1.Nh3 Barnes Opening (also known as Gedult's Opening) 1.f3 Benko's ...
1. Arin Hellstroem was an obsessive man, to say the least. This trait had served him well in some endeavors, and in fact had made him fantastically wealthy. But the complication was that, once his mind got wrapped around a problem, it wouldn't...
Here is a list of Black responses to 1. e4: Enjoy! Cornstalk Defense, Corn Stalks, or Ware Defense: 1. e4 a5 St. George Defense, Baker Defense, or Birmingham Defense: 1. e4 a6 Owen's Defense, Que...
Here are some classifications of chess openings.Open games are usually double king pawn games (1.e4 e5).The most common response is 2.Nf3 (King's Knight Opening). However, White can play:2.a3 - Mengarini's Attack2.Bb5 - Portuguese Opening 2.c3 - ...
