Online chess community where you can play chess, learn strategies and tactics, read chess news, see book reviews, find rules & tips, get free downloads, and more! http://www.chess.com/ 2007 Chess.com Are you embarrassed each time you thump a rook down on the chessboard in a blitz game because the weight inside rattles badly?  You are not alone; my own pieces did this very thing for quite some time.  Then one day I got motivated and d... http://www.chess.com/article/view/fixing-chess-pieces-that-rattle Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:42:45 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/fixing-chess-pieces-that-rattle White to play and mate in two. Hint: A close look at Black's possible moves shows that in every single case White can reply with an immediate mate. It follows that a waiting move would solve the problem. But this is another typical example of dec... http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--6 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:53:54 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--6 Once upon a time, chess was a game for kings! How irresistible it is to note that this graceful and imaginative game indeed inherited a touch of nobility. Everything about this game was carefully crafted yet, what brings it to life is two creative... http://www.chess.com/article/view/chessmen Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:07:03 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/chessmen White to play and mate in two. Hint:Black threatens to take on b1, so White must create a strong threat. At the moment White's queen is under-employed, doing nothing more than cover b4 and c5, a job which could  equally well be performed by a bi... http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--5 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:54:43 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--5 Figured I would share them. I analyzed them in Fritz 9. Click on "Moves List" to see the proposed variants. Some interesting games, in my opinion. I nearly blew the second one. I finished the tournament 2-1-2 (two bye's, due to a conflict on the m... http://www.chess.com/article/view/eastern-ontario-open-june-2009---my-tournament-games Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:14:10 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/eastern-ontario-open-june-2009---my-tournament-games White to play and mate in 2. Hint:Black has a whole range of powerful threats, including 1...Nxd3 and 1...Bxb7 so white's first move has to be fairly blunt. A sacrifice may be necessary. Since black threatens to play 1...Nxd3 or 1...Bxb7, White... http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--4 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:25:11 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--4 At the moment all White's mating threats are covered by the four black pieces on the back rack, so how can white break the deadlock?White to play and mate in two. Hint:If you check all black's available moves, you will find that all but two allow... http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--3 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:44:16 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-problem--3 Doomclaw asks:I am fairly new to tournament chess, but in the few OTB tournaments I have played I can’t seem to avoid getting very nervous before and during my games, which sometimes causes me to blunder. Can you make suggestions on how to stay ... http://www.chess.com/article/view/nerves Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:58:51 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/nerves The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Political Tangent As most of you know who regularly read my column, I like to dwell on the lighter side of chess.  I sit down and think outrageous thoughts about chess and then put 'em down on paper... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---political-tangent Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:05:36 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---political-tangent Anon asked:I’m a fairly new player with a low rating. My first question addresses the person who asked whether becoming a world class player at the age of 44 was out of the question and Andrew replied yes, it is; how about 21? I’ve bought some... http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-goals Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:57:33 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-goals The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Volunteers I just got through doing some volunteer work for a local public television station in my area.  We had a TV auction that lasted for a week and I was doing some auctioneering on live telev... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---volunteers Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:38:31 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---volunteers Rabbi Evan Gary asks: Could you recommend a good old classic book (the more classical the more interesting) giving theoretical (perhaps even some philosophical, esoteric) information about Chess? Thank you very much.     Dear Rabbi Gary: On... http://www.chess.com/article/view/classic-books2 Sun, 31 May 2009 23:53:37 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/classic-books2 The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)The REAL Chess Player Quiz So you think you're a chess player.  You play in tournaments.  You play in your local club events.  You play on Chess.com.  You're even a member of your country's fede... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---the-real-chess-player-quiz Tue, 26 May 2009 07:15:07 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---the-real-chess-player-quiz Unfortunately this is the last Q&A Chess.com column from International Master Andrew Martin.  I'm sure you will join me in thanking Andrew for his insightful columns and wishing him all the best for the future!   But if you still have an un... http://www.chess.com/article/view/your-questions-answered-by-andrew-martin16 Sun, 24 May 2009 23:21:26 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/your-questions-answered-by-andrew-martin16 The brouhaha over using opening tables and chess books during correspondence play has puzzled me for a little while now. I figured I’d throw my two cents into the debate and see if I come out unscathed (or unflamed) however unlikely that may be.... http://www.chess.com/article/view/concerning-the-use-of-opening-tables-and-other-learning-tools Sat, 23 May 2009 09:52:16 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/concerning-the-use-of-opening-tables-and-other-learning-tools Being a chess second of #14 female player in the world WGM Natalia Pogonina, I would like to share with you her article on home preparation and advanced chess (originally published at her website - Pogonina.com). Hope you'll find it useful: The a... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-controversial-computer Thu, 21 May 2009 20:19:09 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-controversial-computer The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Tip of the Iceberg There is a general consensus of opinion among non-chess players that the game is a dry mathematical exercise that attracts stuffy, boring people.  If only they could get a look i... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---tip-of-the-iceberg Wed, 20 May 2009 07:04:50 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---tip-of-the-iceberg This is final 3rd game of the westfield quads and god I am tired by even the third game. I was very fine with a draw, in the toss I won and took white. its a each 45 minutes game and quad championship, so I get to play the remaining 3 top rated pl... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-game-that-lead-to-my-first-championship-in-the-us Mon, 18 May 2009 17:26:57 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-game-that-lead-to-my-first-championship-in-the-us International Master Andrew Martin from England presents a regular series of articles to answer any questions that Chess.com readers have about the game of chess.  If you want to ask Andrew a question, then send an email to askandrew@chess.com a... http://www.chess.com/article/view/your-questions-answered-by-andrew-martin15 Sun, 17 May 2009 22:45:27 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/your-questions-answered-by-andrew-martin15 The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Busy, Busy, Busy I was just browsing over my collection of old Chess Life magazines.  I have them going back to the 1970's.  Anyway, the issue that caught my attention this time was the 50th annive... http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---busy-busy-busy Tue, 12 May 2009 10:55:06 -0700 http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-open-file---busy-busy-busy