“That’s it. This is going to be my last game ever, I’m quitting chess.” These words kept echoing through my brain during one of my games at the World Open, a big tournament held in Philadelphia every year. I’d just ...
When I was 12 years old, we got a school assignment to write an essay about a personal hero. I had just finished reading the immortal classic The Twelve Chairs, and the book had a profound effect on me. It was difficult not to fall in love with th...
Watching Norway Chess 2023, I was glad to see that GM Hikaru Nakamura won another super tournament. Just like an American Chess Superman—who had a day job as a reporter and saved the world in his spare time—Hikaru beat the world's top ...
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...
What's the most important kind of endgame? While the answer is obvious for many experienced players, most beginners answer incorrectly. The most popular incorrect answer is a rook endgame. While it is statistically the most common kind of an endga...
What is happiness? Some people believe it's finding true love. Others seek it by excelling in their careers. But for those who know what truly moves human nature, happiness lies in playing uniquely satisfying chess moves. Below are the 10 best c...
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...
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi entered the 2023 FIDE World Championship as the number-two player in the world. You don't get to that position or win two Candidates Tournaments in two years (2021 and 2022) by only playing mundane moves. Sometimes you have t...
Chess Played Quick (CPQ) is Chess.com's monthly series of events where top chess streamers complete bounties for prizes. The Chess Played Quick - Doubles (Bughouse) Edition happens on March 30 at 9 a.m. PT/18:00 CET. Streamers will pair up and s...
I fumbled with my pawns, muttering “adjust” as I centered each one on their squares. The game hadn’t even started yet, but I didn’t want the chance of having to move my b-pawn (GM Magnus Carlsen may be able to pull that off...
Plot twists are popular in Hollywood because people really love them. After his breakthrough mega-hit The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan decided that every single movie he produces should have one at the end. As a result, while watching his movie...
In this last article celebrating Black History Month, I was lucky enough to have an illuminating conversation with the legendary New York City coach NM Jerald Times. You can see the full interview below: You can also see a few of the interv...
All chess players are familiar with the following situation: You are analyzing a game played by two strong players when suddenly one of them makes a move that looks completely stupid. You are trying to figure out what's going on and yet have no cl...
Chess Played Quick (CPQ) is Chess.com's series of events where top chess streamers complete bounties for prizes. This special edition is celebrating our new Luka Dončić bot, check out our announcement for more information: https://www.chess.com/ne...
During black history month, we recognize pioneers that changed the game as it was before them and made a way for those after them. Though chess becomes a more global and diverse game each year, representation at the highest levels (and FIDE titles...
GM Magnus Carlsen has produced hundreds of brilliant games, so when you saw the word "epic" in the title, you probably envisioned one of those sparkling attacks with multiple sacrifices. While this game indeed features many attacks, counterattacks...
You may have seen the news: the Chess.com app has reached number one in popularity for free games on the App Store. I can hear your sigh from across the screen because you and I both know the gravity of the situation. This is no Flappy Bird, Templ...
GM Daniel Naroditsky, Chess.com's lead commentator, is known for his career as a strong player (2647 peak rating) and his ability to break down the game for audiences of all levels. From writing instructive articles to commentating on elite chess ...
There are thousands of ideas in chess. Some of them are very basic, and others are so complicated that you cannot help but think: "Who was the genius? Who came up with this idea first?" Unfortunately, in most cases, we will never know the answer. ...
GM Anish Giri, for those of you without Twitter, is one of the best players in the game of chess. At the time of writing, he is the Dutch number-one and the world number-seven. Having earned his grandmaster title at the age of 14, he reached his p...
Chess is a simple game, really. Queen moves here, horsey moves there, checkmate. Okay not quite, but it is true that the hard part is playing well, not learning how to play. At least, in most cases. Some rules in chess are easy to get wrong&mdas...
Checkmate is the essence of chess. It ends the game, providing a satisfying closure to a long struggle. Checkmates can also be incredibly beautiful. By definition, checkmate involves coordination and teamwork between your pieces. No single piece...
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...
