Bad Boys II
Note: The cover image was modified from that of a novel of that name written by John Donoghue. The story, set in Auschwitz, is much deeper and serious than this article. There has never been any doubt that chess ...
Bad Boys I
Note: The cover image was modified from that of a novel of that name written by John Donoghue. The story, set in Auschwitz, is much deeper and serious than this article. There has never been any doubt that chess ...
What's Your Favorite Chess Move?
If you were to list your five favorite chess moves, how would you pick them? Would you have to research them, or do you already have them memorized? When it comes to memory, research suggests that you are more likely to remember a move you've se...
The Unpredictable Ding Liren
There was an anniversary a few days ago that was completely missed by the chess world. I am not talking about any chess player's birthday since they generally are covered by many chess publications (believe it or not, I even saw a note about Kar...
Arena Kings Streamers Championship Season 1 Leaderboard
Here you'll find updated standings and leaderboard information for the Arena Kings Streamers Championship Season 1. Season 1 press release and announcement. Here is the FINAL KNOCKOUT Bracket played on August 8. For weekly results, click ...
The Blitz Chess Manifesto
May 28, 1992. Moscow. The newly-established Russian Federation is enmeshed in social and economic tumult following the dissolution of the USSR. But chess fans have been treated to a small respite: a blitz tournament, broadcast live on television...
Wesley So Teaches Chess
In an old article, I expressed the opinion that some games played by really strong grandmasters shouldn't be studied by inexperienced players. Therefore I suggested to assign chess games ratings similar to movies. The article claimed that acc...
PRO Chess League Semifinals: Meet The Pandas!
Chinese philosophy brought us the concept of "yin and yang." So too does their national treasure, the panda bear. Pandas look soft and cuddly, but as you may also know, they can also be "death-loving oxygen thieves." As for the Chengdu Pandas,...
PRO Chess League Semifinals: Meet The Eagles!
The bald eagle is the official bird of the United States, and this weekend, the Eagles are flying home. By virtue of becoming the Eastern Divisional playoff champions, the Armenia Eagles are soaring to San Francisco for the PRO Chess League's semi...
PRO Chess League Semifinals: Meet The Arch Bishops!
They already span the Mississippi River, and now they're trying to have their championship success cross over into this season. Unlike some of the other teams that qualified for the PRO Chess League's semifinals and finals, many of the Saint Lou...
PRO Chess League Semifinals: Meet The Turtles!
"Can't stop these radical dudes/The secret of the ooze made the chosen few/Emerge from the shadows to make their move/The good guys win and the bad guys lose!" Children of the 80s will immediately recognize the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' them...
APRIL FOOLS: Headphone Music Added To PRO Chess League's Final Weekend
With the upcoming semifinals and finals of the 2018 Professional Rapid Online (PRO) Chess League also marshaling in the era of chess as an esport, many exciting changes are afoot. One of them will be musical -- not usually something that play...
The Unknown Fabiano Caruana
The tournament of the year is over and we have a deserved winner. The quality of Fabiano Caruana's games was higher than anyone else's in the Candidates' Tournament and he kept his cool throughout the whole competition. Now we all are waiting fo...
Like a Jewel
Reporting the death of Adolf Anderssen, on April 12, 1879, "The Saturday Magazine" wrote: Paul Morphy has a world-wide reputation, and he deserves to have it, because he simply mowed down every one he came ac...
Planning The Perfect PRO Finals Weekend In San Francisco
Headed to the PRO Chess League's in-person semi-finals and finals in San Francisco April 7-8? You've probably read over the schedule of official events, but that may still leave you worried about how to tailgate before the event and where to host ...
What's The Most Unbalanced Chess960 Position?
The recent Chess960 unofficial world championship match between GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura created quite a buzz. The early viewership numbers seem to prove that there's pent-up interest from chess fans to see a unique game that tr...
Jensen's Masterpiece
This is a story of a trinity: a store, a man and a masterpiece. Nearly a century ago, a man named William Lindenberg opened a jewelry store on 1314 E. 45th St. in Seattle. This was in...
World Chess Champions Fall For This Trap
Today we are going to talk about a very simple trap that any experienced chess player is supposed to know by heart. Yet,at least two legendary world champions fell into this trap in the most unfortunate moment: when they played their world champio...
7 Players Who Might Win Thursday's Crazyhouse Championship
The Chess.com Crazyhouse Championship (a 15-round 3|0 swiss event with 100 qualifying invitees) is this Thursday at 10 a.m. Pacific. Don't miss the live show with IM Danny Rensch and one of the game's great commentators and crazyhouse pl...
How To Discover An Opening Novelty
These days, when opening theory grows exponentially, it is very difficult to come up with an opening novelty. The new move you are considering was either already played by someone, analyzed in some publication or already stored in somebody's com...
How To Learn Chess Patterns
The Chess.com member Kurniadigautama said: “I am currently trying to improve my understanding of positional play. The engine told Black to castle kingside while White is threatening to double take on c6. If White does take after Black cast...
Passive vs Basic Hope Chess
There are many things for which you can "hope" when playing chess: for example, you can hope that your opponent doesn't see that your move was a blunder and fails to exploit it; you can hope that your opponent doesn't see your threat and will let ...
Why Is This Olympic Sport Called 'Chess On Ice'?
Curling, one of the 15 sports of the 2018 winter Olympics, is in the spotlight this week as millions of viewers worldwide tune in to watch the icy game of strategy and dexterity. Curling has been called "chess on ice," and the comparison is a go...
Top 10 Reasons To Watch PRO Chess League Wednesday
Talk show host David Letterman made the "Top 10 List" famous but now that he's retired, Chess.com is bringing it back! Why now? There will be a world top-10 player competing during every hour of tomorrow's PRO Chess League round five, so it...