Essential Chess Strategy and Tactics
A smart way to improve your chess game is by learning time-tested strategies and tactics. Understanding the most common tactical motifs—the fundamentals of chess strategy, popular openings, and important endgame…
Chess
How to Play Chess
The rules of chess may seem complicated at first, but they’re actually quite simple. Chess is a board game played between two players–White and Black–who alternate turns. White always moves…
Basic Rules of Tournament Chess
For the most part, tournament chess is played with the same rules as casual chess. If you’re not sure how the pieces move or what the object of the game…
Most Popular Unusual Chess Openings
Danish Gambit The Spruce / Catherine Song Instead of the more solid Center Game, White has the option of playing more aggressively with 3. c3, sacrificing a pawn. If Black…
What is the Swiss System?
In most chess tournaments, you’ll likely hear that organizers are using the “Swiss system” to determine pairings. Virtually every tournament that a club player participates in uses this system, except…
Speed, Blitz, and Bullet Chess
Speed is likely the last thing people think of when talking about chess. But there’s a form of the game that has begun to seep into the public’s consciousness: speed…
Scoring Systems in Chess Tournaments
Most tournament chess players are familiar with the traditional method of scoring a chess tournament. However, there have been many alternative systems attempted over the years, ranging from small and…
Six Great Movies About Chess
Over the years, there have been numerous movies about chess, ranging from biopics about famous chess players to dramas about the struggle between chess titans. Chess is a natural way…
Is Chess a Sport?
Few arguments in chess get more attention than the debate over whether or not chess is a sport. Despite what some on either side of the argument may think, it’s…
How to Play Chess
Chess is a board game played by two players. Each player controls an army of 16 pieces, one person plays the white army and another plays the black army. Starting…