The Chess.com member Kingdom_chess2 asked: “Why is the King’s Indian Attack less popular at the top level? Is there any specific reason?” JS: The KIA (King’s Indian Attack) was explored (by very strong players!) in the 19...
For nearly 20 years computers have dominated chess. These advanced devises not only defeat the best players, but have become indispensable as training tools, analyzing partners and always-ready opponents. &...
The 2017 World Cup is one of the most important events of the year and a real feast for the true chess enthusiast. It is even covered by the mainstream media, which usually ignores chess. Unfortunately the media got interested in chess for the wro...
At the beginning of a game the professional chess player understands the ins and outs of the opening he plays which, of course, has been deeply studied. He knows where his pieces should be, he is well-versed about the pawn structure’s needs,...
Chess is so much more than simple squares, pieces, letters and numbers. But it certainly helps the learning process when you bring the game to life! Below are some of the animated GIFs that ChessKid uses in videos that teach kids how to play and...
The news about the four-year old Misha Osipov beating a grandmaster spread the world like wildfire. It must be a new record by a wide margin. Many people think that little Misha is going to be the world champion one day for sure. Photo: Che...
I’m back with three more of my favorite Emanuel Lasker games. Remember that they might or might not be his best games. All that matters is that they are games that affected me over the years. Though Lasker was one of the greatest tactician...
Strong and weak squares are a cornerstone of chess strategy. The definition of a weak square is very simple: it is any square that cannot be defended by a pawn. Usually such a weak square in our opponent's camp is the ideal place to put our pieces...
You've bought your kids extra pencils, notebooks, and brand new shoes. What's left for your back-to-school shopping? Hint: It's something you can't even put in a backpack. A shiny gold membership to unlock all the fun and training tools of Chess...
The best players in the world, sweat dripping down their faces. Win or go home. Big money on the line. One shot at glory. Pawn sacrifices. No, this is not your traditional sporting event. This is the Chess World Cup 2017. In the 128-perso...
Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba during WWII and again from 1952-1959, backed by the US government as well as by organized crime, enriched himself at the expense of his citizenry. One of his methods of enrichment was to e...
The Chess.com Speed Chess Championship has two world junior champions doing battle today, current world number-two Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, takes on the 16-year-old reigning world junior champion, Jeffery Xiong. Follow the action live at Chess.co...
Challenge yourselves and you will challenge the world. —Garry Kasparov, "Deep Thinking" In last week's article we stated the obvious fact that the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament was effectively ruined for Kasparov by his ext...
IvnKaramazov: I feel like one of my recent games demonstrates my problem quite well. I thought I was gaining a positional advantage and at first glance it seems so: by move 15 I had a bishop pair and an outposted knight (which couldn’t be ...
The Chess.com Speed Chess Championship fields a highly anticipated battle today as the top-rated chess player in America, Fabiano Caruana, takes on the highest-rated woman in the world, Hou Yifan. The match was easily the favorite...
The Chess.com Speed Chess Championship resumes today with a battle of two closely-matched super-GMs: Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Levon Aronian. Nepomniachtchi is technically the higher seed, starting the Speed Chess Championship with a bett...
The St. Louis rapid and blitz tournament was definitely the most anticipated chess event of the year. Even people who remember chess only when they see a puzzle in the Sunday column of their local newspaper were intrigued. Indeed, the retur...
I used to do a lot of reader question columns but, for some reason, I haven’t done it in a long time. Why, I don’t know. However, I’m finally in the mood to discuss some of the Chess.com members' thoughts. THE MAN WHO CAN&rsquo...
When I first came to chess.com, it was to avail myself of its wonderful blogging tools and its chess-centric community. After 6 years of blogging, I chose to devote my time instead to the generally more involved pu...
By Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni If anyone has a claim to be considered the founder of the information age, Claude Shannon does. In his groundbreaking work at the intersections of mathematics, engineering, and computer science, Shannon (1916-2001) ...
The question in the title of the article might surprise you. Indeed, what can be easier than pushing your pawn to the back rank and choosing a piece you want it to become? In reality, there are more problems arising from a pawn promotion than...
Everyone has a favorite chess player. People like players that are still alive, like Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, etc. Or players that are no longer with us, like Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Tal or, going way back, Paul Morphy. My favorite acti...
I recently told a friend that I had been playing a lot of chess. “How good are you?” she asked. I brightened, interpreting the question as an invitation for a game. “No, I don’t play,” she waved me off. “I&rsq...
The question whether to trust computers might sound pointless since we really have no choice in the modern world. Think about it: if a computer of one of the nuclear superpowers goes berserk, then it can potentially end humankind as we know it. Si...
