The world has gone crazy! Did I just say it aloud? I am sorry; I used to better control what I say. In fact it was something you would learn from your early childhood in the former Soviet Union. As the very popular rock group Nautilu...
Asmara the Cat wrote: I have a problem and I hope you can help me. My problem is that I don’t know how to defeat bad players (well, I’m not so good, but players who play worse than me). In real life, I’ve earned a FIDE rating b...
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early year...
I recently received a question from one of our fellow Chess.com members. Since I've heard this question many times, I decided to share my opinion on the subject. The question goes like this: "I am 25 years old and know only basic chess rule...
No, I’m not talking about boring, rigid or out-of-touch people who are sometimes referred to as “squares.” I’m going to discuss squares on a chessboard and just how important a “key” square is. And so, now that ...
We continue our exploration of common chess patterns today by looking look at the pattern "a bishop behind a pawn." While most of you have probably heard about "Tarrasch rule" which recommends putting your rook behind a passed pawn,...
The rating system is very accurate. That's obviously good... ...but it's also potentially bad. Humans can't help but be affected by perceptions. When players first start rated play, they are often unaware of ratings, but that all quickly ...
Most of us know that the legendary Emanuel Lasker was a philosopher and a world class mathematician — he earned his doctorate in math in 1902 and published a theorem which, even today, is critically important for the ins and outs of alg...
CAÏSSA'S BATTLEFIELD Chess at its purest is a totally abstract game that requires nothing but one's mind. While the accoutrements of the game are unnecessary, th...
Is 51.Qe6? from Magnus Carlsen in game 8 one of the worst blunders in world championship history? Well... probably not After all, Sergey Karjakin did need to find the incredible only-move 51...h5! to win the game. However, the world champi...
Dave asked for my opinion on a line in the Two Knight’s Defense. He wrote: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Be2 h6 9.Nf3 e4 10.Ne5 Bc5. Here there are a few moves to play. The move I’m look...
Will a boy's singular goal in life be fulfilled at the end of November? While we await the outcome of the 2016 World Championship Match, one documentarian sought to get behind the scenes of the challenger's upbringing to see what brought him to th...
In August of 1974 Richard Milhous Nixon became the first and only U.S. president to resign from office. But during his presidency - May 22 -30, 1972 - he made a historic trip to the Soviet Union. The History Channel s...
The most awaited chess event of the year is right in front of us, and there is definitely no lack of forecasts. Both professional players and amateurs have their opinions about the coming world championship match. Of course, we have...
The Chess.com member QueensConquerer wants to know what I think about his game. JS: I’m going to be honest. This game is a total mess, with one blunder following another (from both sides). However, blunder-games are what I get from the vas...
In this series, GM Sam Shankland provides in-depth analysis on a series of games played between world-class competitors. There's much to learn from this series. See how grandmasters prepare against an opponent who's caught fire, rebound ...
In this series, GMs Roman Dzindzichashvili and Melik Khachiyan explore one of the first chess openings to come into existence, the Giuoco Piano. While there are great advantages for Black in gaining the d5-square, the road to success is bumpy, to ...
It's an older archive but still worth its weight in gold. Review the best rounds from the memorable 2012 U.S. Championships with GM Eugene Perelshteyn. This tournament exceeded every chess lover's expectations. Witness the endgame prowess of GM Hi...
Some instant classics from the 2013 World Championship are too good to pass up. Watch as GM Ben Finegold and IM Danny Rensch break down each round and the missed opportunities from the best of the best. It's never too late revisit this series...
It's always fun to watch one group come together to challenge strong players in a multi-game simul. IM Danny Rensch and GM Robert Hess are certainly up to the challenge. Typically, the solo act is strong enough to run the table, but how does ...
It's every chess player's dream. With the world's eyes on you, you unleash a move so stunning, so spectacular that it stuns the audience who cannot help but audibly and theatrically gasp. In chess, the pinnacle of competition is the wo...
Nerves MagicLian asked: “I am 11 years old (rated 1416) and get very nervous at tournaments. How can I get over it?” JS: Believe it or not, this is the first time anyone has asked this! I really enjoy new or rarely-asked questions!...
You've marked your calendar for October 27. You've read the reasons you should watch the biggest event in online chess history. You've read the stats and analytics showing just how incredibly accurate the two combatants pl...
One of the most exciting projects I've contributed to since joining the Chess.com team (eight years ago and counting) is being revealed today. Chess.com's Computer Aggregated Precision Score (or CAPS) is a tool tha...
