Articles

Top Chess Colleges

Top Chess Colleges

NathanielGreen
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The Collegiate Chess League (CCL) began in 2020 and allowed top college chess teams to compete while over-the-board chess was inactive during the pandemic. It has quickly become a premier event in the space, joining the much longer-standing Pan Am...

How To Play Decisive Games

How To Play Decisive Games

GM Gserper
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All chess players can remember the games that had ultimate importance for them. The level of the competition is irrelevant: it can be your local chess club's championship, national tournaments, or even the FIDE World Championship.  What mat...

Variants Community Series Results

Variants Community Series Results

CHESScom
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The Variants Community Series (VCS) is a series of events for streamers and the chess variants community. The event happens every Thursday at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CEST/21:30 IST and features a different variant every two months and $3,750 plus 610 Twi...

10 Ways Clash Royale Is Like Chess

10 Ways Clash Royale Is Like Chess

CHESScom
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Chess Clash, the ultimate strategy battle between chess and Clash creators, is almost upon us. The event will feature a mixture of chess, Clash of Clans, and Clash Royale challenges, so there's really no telling which team is going to win. But w...

The 1-1-1 Study Plan

The 1-1-1 Study Plan

FM NateSolon
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When you work on chess, what do you actually do? The question sounds simple, but the more you think about it, the more questions it raises. Playing or studying? Videos or books? Blitz or rapid? Openings or endgames? With so many parts of chess t...

Accuracy, Ratings, and GOATs

Accuracy, Ratings, and GOATs

GM hissha
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There have been many attempts to estimate ratings of chess players, both past and present, by looking at their game scores and comparing the moves with a top engine's choices, including one notable study here on Chess.com in 2017.  These at...

10 Opening Traps That Actually Work

10 Opening Traps That Actually Work

PedroPinhata
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It was on July 17, 2019, that I lost all faith in humanity. That was my first loss to the shameful Englund Gambit, which left me wondering what type of person does this. Why would someone play a dubious opening trap that either gives them a quick ...

Coach Of The Month: Diego Villanueva

Coach Of The Month: Diego Villanueva

Mick
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Diego Villanueva is an expert chess player and coach who specializes in working with adult improvers. His lessons have helped over 100 students reach their chess goals (including students participating in international tournaments), and his passio...

Are You Better Than A Grandmaster? (World Cup Edition)

Are You Better Than A Grandmaster? (World Cup Edition)

GM Gserper
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When I was 11, my home city hosted the First League of the Soviet Championship. For chess players who weren't alive at that time, it is absolutely impossible to understand the importance of such an event for local players. These days you can wat...

4 Player Chess Played Quick: All The Information

4 Player Chess Played Quick: All The Information

CHESScom
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Chess Played Quick (CPQ) is Chess.com's series of events where top chess streamers complete bounties for prizes. 4 Player Chess Played Quick happens on August 28 (12 p.m. ET | 18:00 CEST | 9.30 p.m. IST). Top streamers play in teams of two in a ...

How To Optimize Your Opening Study With Chessable

How To Optimize Your Opening Study With Chessable

NM Shrilla
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When initially working with beginner students, I am often told something like, "I struggle to remember opening theory that I have studied." This is because their study is not taking place in the right way to optimize their results. Luckily, Chessa...

Chess Clash

Chess Clash

CHESScom
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Our partnership with Supercell has concluded. But there's still more chess to play! Play Other Bots Sign Up

Can You Catch A Chess Cheater?

Can You Catch A Chess Cheater?

GM smurfo
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Can you catch a chess cheat? I am leading a team of researchers at the University of Queensland to run a study to find out how well humans can detect chess cheating. We’ve launched a survey where you can try your luck at guessing which ...

Nakamura vs Alekhine, Who Is Correct?

Nakamura vs Alekhine, Who Is Correct?

GM Gserper
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There are certain classic games that really show the "ABCs" of chess. They demonstrate some basic chess concepts that any educated player must know. The following famous game by Alexander Alekhine is one of them. You can find it almost in any book...

How To Defeat FOLO (Fear Of Losing OTB)

How To Defeat FOLO (Fear Of Losing OTB)

Jules
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“That’s it. This is going to be my last game ever, I’m quitting chess.” These words kept echoing through my brain during one of my games at the World Open, a big tournament held in Philadelphia every year. I’d just ...

Coach Of The Month: WGM Adriana Nikolova

Coach Of The Month: WGM Adriana Nikolova

Mick
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WGM Adriana Nikolova became a WFM in 2007, WIM in 2008, and WGM in 2011. That same year, she became the women's champion of Bulgaria in standard, rapid, and blitz time controls. She is also a chess streamer. In addition to her accolades as an ad...