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 I've created a number of pieces of avatar 'art' over the years, mostly for fun and many to support my user name in some respect. Most have been very simple, like the following one: Simple is a form of elegant, in my view - but then I've never ...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/avatar---the-art-of-drawingMon, 23 May 2011 12:08:55 -0700http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/avatar---the-art-of-drawingQuestion: Can K+N mate K+P? Answer: Yes and no. Explanation: Well, we all pretty much know that K+N vs K is a draw. Now, if we give the underprivileged lone king a pawn to help out, surely K+N can't make K+P. Of course not ... UNLESS the player ...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/a-most-powerful-steedWed, 09 Feb 2011 19:28:50 -0800http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/a-most-powerful-steed(Personal opinion below, and does not necessarily represent the views of chess.com management or anyone else with authority or insight.) Hardly a day goes by in Live Chess Main Hall chat without at least one member asking some form of the follo...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/a-comparison-of-chesscom-live-chess-ratings-with-uscf-ratingsFri, 17 Dec 2010 17:50:52 -0800http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/a-comparison-of-chesscom-live-chess-ratings-with-uscf-ratingsMost of us are aware that a King with the help of a single knight cannot deliver mate. Some of us are aware that even with the help of a second knight, the King cannot force mate, but needs the help of his opponent. Here we see Black accommodating...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/kings-knights-and-mate--oh-myMon, 23 Aug 2010 16:47:33 -0700http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/kings-knights-and-mate--oh-my(Personal opinion below, and does not necessarily represent the views of chess.com management or anyone else with authority or insight.) OK, I've been around here long enough to have assayed the lay of the land, at least in Live Chess. Notwithsta...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/drawmasters-rules-for-live-chessSun, 11 Jul 2010 11:19:34 -0700http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/drawmasters-rules-for-live-chess(Personal opinion below, and does not necessarily represent the views of chess.com management or anyone else with authority or insight.) Not many minutes go by in Live Chess chat without some player asking the question: "Is a premium membership w...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/premium-membership-correlates-with-player-ratingFri, 07 Aug 2009 20:20:31 -0700http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/premium-membership-correlates-with-player-ratingAfter you've played in Live Chess for a few days or more, you recognize that there are three separately rated game types: Quick, Blitz, and Long. You also note that time controls of 1 0 and 2 0 games are Quick, that 3 0 through 14 0 are Blitz, and...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/how-to-calculate-the-effect-of-bonus-timeSun, 03 May 2009 16:23:55 -0700http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/how-to-calculate-the-effect-of-bonus-timeMany people ask, "What is an average player rating?" Well, there are many answers to that, but here I'll present just two possible measures. You can decide if these are representative and helpful. The first of these is a snapshot of the ratings ...http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/uscf-ratings-profile-is-bimodalFri, 10 Apr 2009 13:42:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/DrawMaster/uscf-ratings-profile-is-bimodal