Siamese Chess
In 1826 Johann Mälzel was amazing and mystifying the American public with his exhibition of the chess automation known as the Turk. Just a few years later, that same public would marvel at a living, sometimes chess-...
Touch-Move Rule Adventures
I am probably a lucky guy, because I never had any "touch-move rule" episodes in my whole chess career. Don't get me wrong, it happened numerous times in my games that either I or my opponent touched a wrong piece at a wrong time, but i...
Chess Patterns Are For Everyone
I always mention the importance of patterns in chess. Unfortunately, many laugh at the thought, others prefer to ignore a reality (patterns) that demands hard work for those who dream of being a master, and some view patterns as nothi...
It's Vachier-Lagrave vs Caruana May 10: GM Blitz Battle #3
Who will be the third player to reach the semifinal, Fabiano Caruana or Maxime Vachier-Lagrave? We'll know at the end of Chess.com's third GM Blitz Battle Championship, scheduled for Tuesday, 10 May at 10 a.m. Pacific (GMT-7), ...
A Little Mystery
Let’s take a quick look (no notes) at the following game. We will be looking at a few games by the Chess.com member RevolNoom, a young man (born 2001) from Hanoi, Vietnam (I was there a few years ago and had a very good time). H...
Chess.com Weekly Study Master Guide
Every great chess master agrees that time spent with endgame studies is time well spent! Courtesy of Yochanan Afek, grandmaster for composing endgame studies, Chess.com posts a new puzzle each week for your enjoyment and chess enrichment. ...
Hammer's Rest Day Report: Norway Chess 2016
Editor's note: In an exclusive to Chess.com, Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Hammer writes his thoughts on what's happened in Norway so far, original analysis of some of the key games, and some fun, behind-the-scenes looks at what the players do ...
Test Your Chess Understanding
First, let me implore you to read the notes to the puzzles: The prose and variations are what makes this new series worthwhile, so PLEASE try and solve the puzzle and then go back (whether you got it right or not), click on the little question mar...
Carlsen vs Karjakin: Who Will Win?
The Candidates' Tournament 2016 is a part of chess history already. You all know the results, so there is no point to recap it again. Two popular internet memes summarize very well how the tournament will be remembered. One of them depicts Presi...
Dancing With Yourself
When I look at games played by 1500-rated players and below, I see many weaknesses, but one is almost ubiquitous: both players are, more or less, dancing with themselves. What this means is that a player decides to do this or that, he might calcul...
Cuba
Avenida de las Palmeras, Habana, ca. 1904 A large island in the Caribbean, this former Spanish colony lies just 93 miles from the state of Florida. Its proximity to the United States, the inherent beauty of the...
Play Like A Beginner!
Two months ago, one of the oldest grandmasters in the world, Mark Taimanov, turned 90. Just like any professional chess player he had many ups and downs in his career, but due to his limitless optimism he is still a very active person. ...
Master vs Many: Vote Chess Games
When a group of individuals come together for one mission, anything is possible. History tells us that one group can accomplish more together than any individual, no matter how much inner Chuck Norris that individual can harness. But sometimes, ...
Opening Failures And How to Avoid Them
The Chess.com member yoavb2 said: “I read your ‘How to Reassess Your Chess 4th’ but fail in the opening, which makes me start with a disadvantage. How can I fix it?” ANSWER: I looked at several of your games (whil...
Another Important Chess Test
As I did in the first Test Your Understanding article, I implore you to read the notes to the puzzles: The prose and variations are what makes this new series worthwhile, so PLEASE try and solve the puzzle and then go back (whether you got it righ...
Embrace Your Losses
Every chess player knows that losing a game is no fun! Some of us take it better than others, but it is always a little tragedy. We all cried after losing a game when we were kids, but even some adults cannot tolerate what Korchnoi called o...
Falling Into The Abyss
During a road trip, GM Walter Browne once told me, “I would happily buy a huge steak dinner for my upcoming opponent since the blood would rush to his stomach, and his brain wouldn’t function properly.” He repeated this ma...
2016 Candidates' Tournament Free Analysis Video Guide
Did you miss any live games from the 2016 Candidates' Tournament in Moscow, where the best contenders in the world battled it out for a shot at Magnus Carlsen's world championship? This guide serves to showcase the top-notch coverage o...
Candidate Profile: Levon Aronian
By GM Robert Hess and IM Teddy Coleman Two years ago, Levon Aronian was the clear frontrunner to challenge for the world championship. Boasting an astronomical rating of 2830 after demolishing the field at the 2014 Tata Steel event, he rod...
A Straight Flush In Chess
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...
A Squid Plays Chess
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...
Fun & Blood
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...
How To Use A Chess Computer
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&...
Are You A Chess Expert? Take Our Quiz
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...