Last week's article caused a significant response and dispute. It looks like our readers were split into two camps based on their viewpoints of the importance of classical games. Our member kingcobra07 summarized the standpoi...
Chess.com member Squid22 wrote: “I played 5.Nb5 to be obnoxious. It wouldn’t be hard to make this knight move harmless (5...d6, and then I’ve just wasted a move). However, my opponent played 5...a6. That moves looks natura...
Edward Lasker published his delightful book "Chess of Fun & Chess for Blood" in 1942. In this book he examined Chess from the different perspectives of various amateurs in juxtaposition to that of serious tourn...
Whether you are a Luddite or technophile, the importance of being able to successfully collaborate with a chess computer cannot be overstated. In every stage and aspect of the game — opening preparation, endgame theory, game analysis&...
You definitely like chess. But are you an expert? No, I am not talking about the USCF title you get when your USCF rating is above 2000 but less than 2200 (which is the master title). You can be a USCF expert but not a true expert of chess and v...
I get a lot of letters from Chess.com members, and though their ratings run the gamut, I do my best to address all ratings as best I can. Today I’ll turn my attention to two players below 1500 : Mr. Prashant1994 and Mr. Rrrtttyyyuuuiii. I&...
A Little Background: A man named Wolfgang von Kempelen created a supposed chess-playing machine in 1770. A chess master cleverly concealed inside controlled the exposed turbaned, mustached figure and the moves...
The January 1962 issue of "Chess Review" featured an article written by John Frederick Harbeson. The article was a reprint of one that had appeared in "The Germantowne Crier." The author was a prominent Philade...
Below are the official rules and format of Chess.com's Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship. For the full list of players in the 2016 GM Battle Championship, click here. By accepting the invitation to play, players acknowledge they have read an...
The following is a reprint of a charming article composed by Al Horowitz in "Chess Review," Nov. 1953. Of course, this version has been updated to Algebraic Notation with the digital supplanting the physical. Al Horow...
Last week we analyzed a line that could be a decent opening weapon for club players. As you remember, unlike the openings played by super-grandmasters, it didn't require any special opening knowledge and could be learned in one minute. The obvio...
Openings That Lead to a Draw Question: Chess.com member jos2001 wrote, “I’m a 1076-ranked player who wants to know the best openings to draw.” Answer: Though various openings are known to be drawish at the master level (and u...
The Cunningham Defense in the King's Gambit Accepted begins 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7. White moves the Bishop to give his King a place to go with 4. Bc4. If Black continues with the threatened 4... Bh4+ ...
Every chess game begins with an opening, which means that when reviewing your own games, it's important to analyze what happened in the first few moves. Here are three ways to improve your openings: Evaluate the outcome of the opening. Did you...
Don’t call it a comeback; I’ve been here for years. In October I played in Millionaire Chess, my first international tournament in nearly two years. It wasn’t a triumphant return lik...
There are certain opening variations in chess which can be labeled "for top players only." The most obvious example would be the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez. But club players shouldn't be jealous since there are also opening variations "fo...
Some of my recent articles were about chess psychology and striving to have a balanced skillset. This article (all in puzzle form) lets you test what you’ve learned (or what you thought you already knew). The puzzles can be tactical, po...
If you peruse old issues of "Chess Review," you will probably encounter the name Catherine Nye. You will mostly likely notice one of these photos of the pretty 34 year old lady from Syracuse, N.Y. 1941 ...
Just recently I have become a bit obsessed with strange and peculiar chess moves originating from knights and bishops. In my first article for Chess.com I took a look at what can be called The Nimzowitsch Knight Dance, and in t...
The King's Indian Defense is one of the great openings in chess history. A favorite of many of Caissa's greatest innovators — the King's Indian Defense was central to the development of new, dynamic ways to play chess. No more taking 1....
About a quarter of a century ago, I started playing in international tournaments on a regular basis. Just like thousands of other folks from the former Soviet Union I enjoyed the fall of the Iron Curtain and ability to freely travel abroad. Pret...
Two of the best chess players in the world will face off Monday morning in the biggest Chess.com Death Match of all time as American number-one GM Hikaru Nakamura is set to battle French number-one GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The match will be br...
When I was just turning 19, I would go with a friend to Berkeley and visit the Hare Krishna temple. Were we into them? No, not at all. But every evening they offered free (very tasty!) food, and when you are broke and starving, you are willing t...
I get countless questions that ask about taste in chess (No, don’t eat the pieces!). Taste, in this case, refers to a preference for positional or tactical situations. (However, if you MUST eat the pieces, please buy a chess cake or a ches...
