There's much more to play on Chess.com than just... chess! Fun "chess variants" can be a great way to mix things up and apply your chess skills in different and exciting ways. You can play Bughouse, Crazyhouse, 3-Check, King of the Hill&nbs...
Tired of playing chess alone?! Bughouse is for you! Tired of not having someone to talk to about your decisions on the board (at least not legally)? Bughouse is for you! Tired of not having someone else (your teammate) to blame for your loses...
It's been a long time coming, but the new version of Chess.com is finally ready to take online chess to a new level—and take your game to new heights. This new version (v3) has been our top priority for two years, and&...
One of the great joys of chess is to sit back, relax, and review a game filled with subtle maneuvers or insanely wonderful tactics. At times, the game might be a masterpiece. At other times, the game might offer only one incredible moment, but tha...
Occasionally I run into players who think that Bobby Fischer "did it all by himself." I.e. he locked himself in his room, studied chess until he was world class, and then burst onto the tournament scene. Uh, no. Every day after school, Bobby w...
If you're going to play chess, you have to accept that losing is part of the game. While a chess game might be theoretically drawn with perfect play, even today's best players (humans and engines alike) lose games regularly. The best way to ha...
Back rank checkmates are very common in chess. As a matter of fact, many tactical textbooks start with exactly this kind of combination due to their simplicity. The vast majority have one thing in common: You need to deflect your opponent's b...
The puzzles in this article are a bit advanced, but don’t let that spook you. In general, these puzzles are about verbal recognition of what is going on. These kinds of puzzles help a player look beyond the usual mentality of “I go the...
Tactics. After thousands of books written on this concept, after the development of several excellent tactical training tools (such as Chess.com's own Tactics Trainer), after the release of countless free engines that serve as paragons of tactical...
Want to show off your love of chess? Do you need some new supplies for your favorite hobby? How about a free Chess.com t-shirt with a qualifying purchase? WholesaleChess.com is running a special you won't want to miss. ...
The already famous game So vs Kasparov played in the Ultimate Blitz Challenge is both fascinating and puzzling. Not only did GM Wesley So produce a game of unbelievable beauty, he did it against the arguably strongest chess player in the...
Once in a while, a game grabs my attention due to some amazing positional concept or, less often (I say “less often” since most tactics are rather repetitive), due to a really interesting tactical battle. Usually you’ll see these...
Mt. Whitney, the hightest peak in the contiguous United States Nestled within the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the base of the highest peak in the lower 48 states, the high desert community of Lone Pine became the unl...
Chess.com is proud to offer several viewing options for the Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship semifinal. The three-hour blitz and bullet match between Hikaru Nakamura and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific ti...
Chess.com is proud to offer several viewing options for the Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship semifinal. The three-hour blitz and bullet match between Magnus Carlsen and Alexander Grischuk will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific time&nb...
GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are doubtlessly deep in preparation for their upcoming Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship semifinal match on August 24 at 10 a.m. PST. They are surely doing countless ...
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There are many patterns in chess which you should know if you want to become strong. I have discussed many of them in this column through the years. Today, I'll talk about the deadliest chess pattern, the one that usually ...
In an amateur chess game, opportunities abound. Unfortunately, these opportunities are often missed. Positional gains are snubbed, tactics are missed, a winning endgame is agreed drawn, and mutual fear leads both players into a deep, dark abyss.&n...
GM Magnus Carlsen has proven himself the world's best in classical, rapid, and blitz. Now it's time to face the bullet. Having won official world championships in three disciplines, there aren't many mountains left to climb, even for a Norwegian...
The 2016 Summer Olympics are underway right now in Brazil as 207 national delegations compete for medals in 28 sports, 41 different disciplines, and 306 total events. Unfortunately for chess fans, the royal game is not among them. And don’...
The recent super-tournament in Bilbao is a part of chess history already. It will be remembered for many different things. While Hikaru Nakamura will always cherish the memory of his first win over Magnus Carlsen, many chess enthusiasts will ...
ih8sens (real name: Matt Nicholson) is a national master rated 2329. He asked the following: “I have a position that I’m curious about. The majority of players I’ve asked believe that Black should not play 18…Bxg3.&...
In all sports, you play much differently when you are winning easily. In baseball, if you are leading 8-0 in the 8th inning, you would not pull your fresh relief pitcher out of the game to pinch hit and try to get another run. In soccer, if y...