What unites us as chess players? No matter where we live or what we do for a living, we have a game that each of us enjoys. In fact, every chess player is a little bit like Batman: It's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us. An...
The age of Mittens is over. The time of Mighty Martin has come∗. June brings new bots, some great new features on the Chess.com app (for iOS and Android users alike), and a host of incredible chess content and events that will keep you busy...
In his book Positional Decision Making in Chess, GM Boris Gelfand describes how excited he got as a boy when his father brought home a new chess book, a collection of the games of Akiba Rubinstein. He read the book cover-to-cover and immediately s...
There are many ways to work on your chess improvement. You can study opening variations or typical endgames, solve tactical puzzles, and learn chess strategy. Also, it is extremely useful to analyze the games of the greatest chess players as well ...
You sit down at the board or your computer and wait to see how your opponent will start the game. As they reach for the e-pawn, in your mind you roll your eyes and mutter, "Here we go again." With that quick sulk out of the way, it's...
May's Coach of the Month is WGM Jennifer Perez Rodriguez, a titled chess player and coach representing Paraguay. She has won numerous honors as a competitive over-the-board player, and is also known for sharing her love of chess on her Twitch chan...
This month's featured chess content creator needs almost no introduction. He's the most-followed chess account on YouTube and is the recipient of multiple awards including Best Chess Streamer at the 2022 Streamer Awards and Best Content Creator fo...
"Does that even exist?" That was the response I got from my friend and coworker, GM Rafael Leitao, when I asked him to help me with this article about five perfect chess games played by humans. Now, you need to have seen a lot of chess to beco...
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...
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...
You thought chess was all about making the right moves, but you're only half right. The other half—and arguably the most important—is mastering the art of hand positions. If you need proof, look no further than the 2023 Chessable Maste...
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi is making his second attempt at winning the FIDE World Championship and is just three draws away from becoming champion. During last year's Sinquefield Cup, Nepomniachtchi sat down with Chess.com's GM Daniel "Danya" Narodit...
In the age of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence computer algorithms that know everything (or almost everything), a YouTube algorithm started recommending me videos of a doctor who promised to cure most health problems with just one simple recipe...
April's Coach of the Month is Markus Hansson, an experienced player and coach who's known for providing high-quality lessons and sharing his knowledge on the official Chess.com Discord server. Find out more about Markus, study some fascinating gam...
April may have been the cruelest month as far as T.S. Eliot was concerned, but in the chess world it's shaping up to be pretty great. Find out what happened in March and get some sneak previews and insights into April's highlights! Hint: we're goi...
The 2023 FIDE World Championship will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, and runs from April 7 through May 1. The match will decide who will be the next world chess champion—GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (Nepo) or GM Ding Liren. In 2021, the ...
Most chess players know World Champion Alexander Alekhine as a master of attack and combinations. They might be surprised to learn that some great players considered Alekhine's strategic talent as the main reason for his success. I don't have the ...
Over the past year, the Chess.com team has grown considerably into a robust community with employees from 60+ countries. Like on a chessboard, our team meets in the center through our mission to champion the great game of chess. To celebrate Wom...
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...
March is here! Read on for event coverage and recaps, product improvements designed to make your life easier, and lots of exciting community updates and ways for you to win prizes, learn from titled players, and connect with other chess lovers. ...
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...
This week's interview celebrating Black History month is with the young and talented FM Brewington Hardaway. The young African-American from the Bronx is yet to turn 14 but has already accomplished more than most chess players ever will. In the in...
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...
Isaac Snow is a USCF Candidate Master on his way to an NM title, a three-time Alabama High School Chess Champion, and a three-time participant in the Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions. He's also a prolific chess blogger&nbs...
