Articles

Jospem's Brilliant Blunders

Jospem's Brilliant Blunders

GM Gserper
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The recently-concluded Clash Of Claims was definitely one of the most anticipated chess events of the year. For most people, this unusual match was interesting mostly due to the well-publicized controversy, but personally for me it was an opportun...

How Fast Are The Best Bullet Players?

How Fast Are The Best Bullet Players?

NM ToddBryant
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The Bullet Chess Championship 2024 kicked off this week with a stacked lineup of FIDE top 10 players and bullet specialists! I gathered some data to highlight just how fast the fastest players on earth can play! Bullet chess is a wild terrain wh...

There's No Such Thing As A Boring Chess Opening

There's No Such Thing As A Boring Chess Opening

NM CoachJKane
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"I captured on d5. I was terribly ashamed, and from the time I swore: to play for a draw, at any rate with White, is to some degree a crime against chess." - GM Mikhail Tal on the Exchange Variation of the French Defense. Mikhail Tal on a less...

Banter Blitz, Bullet Battles, And Brilliant Bots

Banter Blitz, Bullet Battles, And Brilliant Bots

CHESScom
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We've escaped the May-trix but June keeps us in the middle of a bullet-time showdown between some of the world's best players, as the 2024 Bullet Chess Championship continues. Also: a mysterious new bot, free lessons by titled players, and the r...

What Can A Grandmaster Do With 60 Seconds?

What Can A Grandmaster Do With 60 Seconds?

NM NM_Vanessa
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While commentating in 2021, GM Vladimir Kramnik shared his candid opinion of bullet chess: Why do you use a chessboard? There is no point, just put the clock and push the clock, and the first one who wins on time wins. There's no point to h...

How To Be A Winner In Chess

How To Be A Winner In Chess

GM Gserper
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Nine years ago I wrote an article about the 2015 U.S. Junior Girls Championship. In that article I analyzed only one game and you might expect that it was played by the winner of the tournament, but instead I chose the player who finished eighth o...

The 10 Best Reasons To Lose At Chess

The 10 Best Reasons To Lose At Chess

WCM lularobs
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Do you lose at chess? If you said "no," then let's be honest, you're lying to me and to yourself and need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. If you said "yes," then you're in the right place. My name is Lula, and I'm a professional at lo...

11 Classic Chess Sayings

11 Classic Chess Sayings

NathanielGreen
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Especially in this era of social media, it seems like everyone's got something to say at almost all times. This has always been true of chess, about which a lot of stuff—some of it more useful than others—has been said. But of all...

Why Didn't Firouzja Follow Kasparov's Footsteps?

Why Didn't Firouzja Follow Kasparov's Footsteps?

GM Gserper
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Back in 1996, GM Garry Kasparov won 4-2 in a match versus the Deep Blue supercomputer. It turned out to be the last convincing human victory over an artificial chess player. The very next year, Deep Blue took revenge 3.5-2.5, and pretty soon match...

Chess Played Quick - BlitzChamps Hyper Bullet Arena

Chess Played Quick - BlitzChamps Hyper Bullet Arena

CHESScom
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Chess Played Quick (CPQ), Chess.com's series of events where top chess streamers complete bounties for prizes, is back for another edition! Chess Played Quick—BlitzChamps Hyper Bullet Arena will take place on May 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET / 19:30...

Chess.com Launches Indian Streamer Program

Chess.com Launches Indian Streamer Program

ChesscomChris
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Chess.com is thrilled to launch the Indian Streamer Program. To help grow the chess streaming ecosystem in India, we offer a number of benefits to chess streamers of all skill levels who want to get involved on YouTube, Twitch and other streaming ...

7 Chess Hot Takes That Are Just True

7 Chess Hot Takes That Are Just True

PedroPinhata
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Chess can sometimes be controversial, but some things about our beloved game are just true. While I may not be the best or most experienced player out there, I dare you to disagree with any of my hot takes: Stalemate Being A Draw Is Awesome C...

New Features, New Records, And... New Champions?

New Features, New Records, And... New Champions?

CHESScom
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May's monthly update is here and we're recapping the Candidates Tournament, hooking the world's number one player up to a lie detector, and highlighting some of the chess world's true artists. Also, a much-requested dashboard for following event...

Chess Is Art!

Chess Is Art!

GM Gserper
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Chess has often been described as a mix of sport, art and science. This laconic definition long ago became an axiom for many generations of chess players. However, in the last 20 years or so, things changed dramatically. Yes, it is still sport; ju...

The Best Openings For Black For Beginners

The Best Openings For Black For Beginners

CHESScom
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There's no way around it—every chess game starts with the opening. These first few moves are crucial to determining how the rest of the game will go. Because of this, learning how to play the opening well can drastically improve your results...

The 9 Most Awful Chess Sets You Could Buy

The 9 Most Awful Chess Sets You Could Buy

PedroPinhata
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I would like to start this article with a warning: what you are about to see cannot be unseen. I'll understand if you click away right now. But if you're brave enough to power through this, get ready to see the nine most awful chess sets you've ev...

9 Iconic Chess Photos

9 Iconic Chess Photos

NathanielGreen
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What makes a photo "iconic" and not simply interesting or even outstanding? If you find that a difficult question to answer, you are not alone. The two leading dictionaries in the world can't exactly agree either.  Merriam-Webster: iconic, ...