There are a lot of options for the best place to play chess. Perhaps it’s in a large tournament, or even the world championship match, with millions of dollars on the line, and your opponent just blundered. Maybe it’s ju...
Below is an article published in several periodicals in late 1900. It appeared just shortly after the death of Wilhelm Steinitz and offers some astute appraisals of the chess players who contributed to the development of c...
"We have to play by the !@#$ rules!" -- Amanda Young, Saw II. In last week's article, we discussed a dangerous strategic concept, the saw. So, what should you do if your opponent turns it against you? Well, as Amanda put it, you should ...
Everyone knows the popular, "normal" openings played at the top level of chess. The Ruy-Lopez, the Sicilian, the French: thousands of pages have been written about these world-championship-level openings. But what if you're not playing a...
The sports network ESPN estimates that 70 million college basketball brackets will be filled out this week in the United States alone. You can get in on the fun by joining the official Chess.com college basketball bracket contest. Play along wit...
In the 1890s women's chess in England, as in most places, was considered nearly inconsequential. To bring this arena to the forefront required dedication, energy and persistance. It so happened that man...
UPDATE: This article, written for the first "Nakamura's Knockout" event in March. NEXT Nakamura's Knockouts is this Saturday, April 18th at 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern. Have you ever wanted to take on the best chess player in the United States and...
Six Titled Tuesday tournaments are in the books, and the seventh is scheduled for today as the event moves to the first Tuesday of the month. After thousands of master games, tightly packed leaderboards, and thrilling finishes, these event...
The sixth Titled Tuesday tournament in Chess.com history is set to kick off today at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST, 7 p.m. GMT), and it will feature one of the strongest fields ever. With a prize pool that has ballooned to $2,500 (up from the normal $...
The Internet is full of memes and funny pictures for virtually all subjects, including chess. We've already looked at the weirdest chess sets, the best chess GIFs, and the 11 worst chessboard photos. We even found 14 chess couples who fell in ...
Chess is not a team game. It's an individual struggle between two minds to destroy each other -- at least, over the chessboard. But that doesn't mean chess players have to be loners. It's only natural that passionate chess players are drawn to...
In the movie Groundhog Day (1993), Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, a weatherman who inexplicably starts repeating February 2 every day in the groundhog-crazed town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Connors spends an unknown amount of time stuck i...
The idea of a “bucket list” is not a new one. It’s an age-old concept to compile a list of things you’d like to do before you “kick the bucket,” or pass away. Unlike traveling the world or buying your dream ho...
Chess and music have been linked throughout history. Both of these cerebral pursuits live at the intersection of science and art, and both are breeding grounds for amazing geniuses and prodigies. The logic, structure, and meaning of music can ...
Lately I’ve gotten several letters from chess fans who want to know what kind of chess books I like, and what books I consider to be the best of all time. That kind of “best-ever” list is very much a matter of taste, and a smal...
A new calendar year, for many people, means a chance for a new beginning. January is a month to consider new possibilities, to improve yourself, and to make a fresh plan for the upcoming year. In many ways, a new year is like a chessboard in t...
We've kicked off a new year, but beginning chess players still play the same unsound chess ideas that have been tried by inexperienced players for decades. Unless their opponents are similarly new to the game, players relying on these unsophisti...
As 2014 draws to a close, it’s a natural time to look back at the best chess of the year. The past year was a good one for fans of the world’s most popular board game. There was an exciting world championship match, several amaz...
Your favorite holiday chess tradition is back! Chess.com is proud to celebrate the holiday season with an all-new puzzler quiz for 2014. UPDATE: The 2014 Holiday Puzzler has ended. Thanks to all who played and commented. O...
How many games have been played on Chess.com? OK, so maybe Dr. Evil asked for 100 billion, but we're getting there. A billion is a big number. If one game started every second, 24 hours a day, it would take nearly 32 years to get to a billio...
This Sunday (Dec. 14), "10 fortunate Chess.com members will earn the right to challenge World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen in an online simultaneous exhibition," according to FM Mike Klein's press release. But I wouldn't call them "fortu...
Like it or not, holiday gift-shopping season is now upon us, at least according to the ubiquitous calendar of commerce. Instead of being trampled by unruly deal-seekers at big box retail stores, you can shop online and still get somet...
Who is the greatest world chess champion ever? Magnus Carlsen defeated Vishy Anand yesterday in the 2014 world chess championship in Sochi to defend his title. Meanwhile, the All-Time World Chess Championship...
Who is the strongest world chess champion ever? As Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand battle it out for the 2014 world chess championship in Sochi, the All-Time World Chess Championship Tournament continues here on Chess.com. After an e...
