Answering all questions!

what's the highest rating of all time?(FIDE rating)

and also,what causes rating inflation?

EDIT: oh shoot...you're talking about chess.com,sorry my bad

Since lots of beginners won't be following opening lines (nor should they particularly), some advice to them on queen placement is always in order. Michael Basman has a little booklet out called Manual for Chess Teachers. In this booklet, Michael gives some opening rules, the kinds of rules of thumb that - if followed - would certainly improve the play and results of most novices. In his 7 Rules of the Opening, Rule #5 is this: Place your queen on the second or third row (sixth or seventh if black).

It's a simple little rule of thumb which more experienced players know can and should be violated in some openings and in many lines of other openings. However, as rules of thumb go, it's a good one. Just think of all the novices who violate the rule regularly and lose their queen quickly. Also note that this is Rule #5, indicating that there are generally other things to take care of before this.

Again, such a rule is very useful at the novice level and should quickly be embellished with the many exceptions are one's chess skills mature.

(I apologize to anyone who is offended by a post that sticks to the chess content begun in this thread. Getting off-topic is a lot of fun, I know.)

Thanks for answering that! You made it look more simple, im not offended and i doubt anyone else would be offended.

Yes, and it's the 2nd or 3rd because generally you want to clear the queen off the back rank so you can connect the rooks, which is another worthy piece of advice.

I've asked this question before and have never gotten an answer. Chess.com starts - it's on the net, ready to go. Then somebody joins, the first ever member, who do they play, erik?

Not sure that that's how the process actually went down. I could certainly envision a small critical mass of folk gathering before any games were played. But I could be dead wrong (and often am).

Yeah, that's what I thought. You'd need a pool of players, quite a large one since it's turn based. By where and how do you get 'em?

How much do you weigh? (Just Kidding)

 I think he's 147 pounds.

 where did you come up with that number?

it came oot ma heid.

As a student of yours, what should I work on?

How should one study chess besides tactics?

What is the point of opening theory?

Would chess960 make you worse at actual chess?

What point of my game seems to be my weak point?

Is there any way to come up with more questions?

What is your meaning of chess?

How do you study chess?

What way is for rapid improvement but is it the right way to become a grandmaster?

Do you think I am improving as a student?

When you are done teach five people, can you still teach me?

Never drop pieces, I always seem to hang pieces now and then, how can I prevent that?

Going over my games what should I analyze?

What do you think when you consider a chess move?

What should we all think about during a chess game?

Is there a reason behind chess and ability in the real world?

Is there a way to get free chess books?

How does one stay interested in chess?

I hope you can answer these questions. I might have more. Im just trying to better myself. Personally chess improvement is a puzzle itself. Thank you so much for taking me as a student. Is there anyway I can help you? I hope you will continue to play games with me after this.

How come your average opponent is rated 300 points lower than you?

How come your average opponent in games you win is 400 points lower than you?

i've played mat a lot and i kinda know why this is.  his account isn't very old so he's played a lot of lower opponents on his way up.  also, he plays several lower rated players in an attempt to help them out.  not that dishonorable.  i know that he tries to play higher rated players but it just doesn't always work out.

Will playing 960 hurt your chess? Interesting question.

Here's my take, from someone who hasn't yet tried it but probably will soon. It will help your creativity but hurt your study regimen. If you have a narrow opening repertoire which you don't vary too much, I would imagine that increasing your creativity wouldn't help as much as for someone who had a wide and varied opening repertoire.

Wait, hang on... "fairness and unbias thinking" --> "fair and balanced" --> FOX News!

Swearing!  I can feel a major hissy and deleting of posts coming on! lol