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04 August 2008 - Chess 201 - Introduction to the Openings
Looking for an easy way to learn more about the openings? See our new email course. Our goal is to get you through the first few moves successfully and to teach you something about the different positions that you'll encounter. The course is structured so that 10 minutes per day is sufficient, but there's plenty more material if you have the time.

29 July 2008 - Site Review of the Internet Chess Club (ICC)
You can count on your thumbs the online chess play sites where the world's best players hang out. The ICC is one of them. It's the leader in online chess superlatives: oldest play site, strongest players, best of the pay sites.

22 July 2008 - Site Review of Chess.com
We added Chess.com to our short list of online chess play sites recommended in Where to Play Chess Online. The best way to describe Chess.com is as a chess community, a social networking site for chess. In addition to the standard methods of online chess play, it offers tactical training, opening exploration, and many options for members to communicate with each other.

14 July 2008 - Opening Tutorial : English - Symmetrical Variation
The position after 1.c4 c5 is known as the Symmetrical Variation of the English Opening. The lack of direct contact between the armies and the absence of threats means that there are a generous number of moves that can be played in different orders by both sides. Transpositions from one position to another are common and transpositions into openings other than the English are possible at many steps.

08 July 2008 - Profiles of Two World Champion Challengers
In November, two of the world's top players will meet head-on to determine the World Chess Championship challenger in 2009. Find out more about the players in our profiles of Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, and Gata Kamsky of the USA. (M-W.COM) (M-W.COM)

30 June 2008 - Chess Bibliography: The Best Chess Books
There are thousands of books available on chess, covering just about every aspect you can imagine. Listed here are a few titles considered classics by many experts on the subject.

23 June 2008 - Two Recent Books from New in Chess
Two books published in 2008 reinforce our populist belief that you don't have to be a great chess player to write a great chess book.

16 June 2008 - Book Review : The Day Kasparov Quit
If you enjoy reading about top chess personalities and what makes them tick, then you will love The Day Kasparov Quit by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam of 'New in Chess'.

09 June 2008 - Profiles of Two World Champions
In October 2008, the two highest ranked chess players in the world will meet in the first World Championship match since 2006. Find out more about the players in our profiles of current World Champion Viswanathan Anand and previous World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. (M-W.COM) (M-W.COM)

02 June 2008 - Top 10 Popular Chess Books
Year after year certain chess books find their way to the top of the chess best sellers. These books are all aimed at beginner to intermediate players. Books for advanced players have a much smaller market.

26 May 2008 - World Champions Explained
Learn from the World Chess Champions! The instructional series Every Move Explained features games from many of the World Champions (and near World Champions). These are short, tactical games where an early, often subtle mistake is convincingly punished.

19 May 2008 - Back to the Basics
About Chess has an abundance of material on all aspects of the game, including basic beginner's material. Have fun playing the world's greatest game and don't forget: the first rule of chess is to have fun!

12 May 2008 - Chess Tips for Specific Pieces
Although chess is a difficult game, there are many rules of thumb that help guide you through the complications. Our tips cover general considerations, openings, middle games, and endgames, all with specific pieces in mind.

05 May 2008 - A Structured Introduction to the Openings
Here are some recommended opening moves to get you started in a game of chess. The key to these recommendations is that you play 1.e4 as White, and symmetrical responses as Black. For each recommendation, we also provide additional resources to explain more in depth about the particular opening.

26 April 2008 - Every Move Explained : 1969 Sarajevo, Kovacs vs Korchnoi
Every move of the chess game played at Sarajevo in 1969 between Laszlo Kovacs and Viktor Korchnoi is explained move by move. Viktor Korchnoi had two chess careers. The first was as an elite grandmaster of the Soviet Union, where four times he won the prestigious national championship. (M-W.COM)

19 April 2008 - Catching Up with Kasparov
No one catches up with Garry Kasparov. In our 2003 tribute, on the occasion of his 40th birthday, we guessed, 'He is certain to play a leading role in the chess world for many years to come.' We were right for the wrong reasons. (M-W.COM)

12 April 2008 - 'Zugzwang - A Novel' by Ronan Bennett
Ronan Bennett's fifth novel is a fast moving, historical thriller weaving terrorism, conspiracy, and psychology. The action takes place in Czarist Russia a few months before the outbreak of World War I, and coincides with the St.Petersburg 1914 grandmaster tournament.

05 April 2008 - Chess Grandmasters
The title 'Grandmaster' (GM) is the highest ranking and most prestigious chess title conferred by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). It is awarded for performance in competition and is held for life. (M-W.COM)

29 March 2008 - Every Move Explained : 1982 Turin, Karpov vs Ljubojevic
Every move of the chess game played at Turin in 1982 between Anatoly Karpov and Ljubomir Ljubojevic is explained move by move. In his heyday, Karpov would create long term strategic plans that left his opponents wondering what was happening, then clinch the point with a sharp, accurately calculated tactical sequence. (M-W.COM)

22 March 2008 - The Breadth and Depth of Chess
One of the reasons chess attracts and interests so many people is because it offers so many different areas to be explored in depth. Starting with one chess topic, you can find more and more related topics until you run out of time to explore them all.

15 March 2008 - Two Opening Books from New in Chess
We reviewed two books on chess openings from New in Chess. The first book covers the huge range of openings that start with the always popular 1.e4. The second book covers a small range of openings selected for their surprise value.

08 March 2008 - Famous Chess Tournaments : Linares/Morelia
The annual Linares chess event is traditionally the strongest tournament of the year. About Chess always features at least a brief report on the event, often a more extensive report.

01 March 2008 - About Chess Feature Articles
Week after week, About Chess offers a feature article on some aspect of chess. If you are looking for a particular article but just can't seem to locate it, try our archive of past articles. It's ordered chronologically, most recent article first.

23 February 2008 - Build an Opening Repertoire
Here's how to avoid losing a chess game in the opening. It's a simple procedure that can be used by all players from beginner to expert, including the best in the world. What do grandmasters know that the rest of us don't?

16 February 2008 - Review of the DGT 2010 Digital Chess Clock
The DGT 2010 chess clock, the successor to the popular DGT 2000 clock, offers significant functional improvements over the earlier model. It

09 February 2008 - Every Move Explained : 1960 Leningrad, Spassky vs. Bronstein
Every move of the chess game played in 1960 at Leningrad between Boris Spassky and David Bronstein is explained move by move. The Soviet Championships of the 1950s and 1960s were often the strongest chess tournaments in the world. Here two experts in the King's Gambit go head to head in a game that was used for the chess scene in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. (M-W.COM)

02 February 2008 - Famous Chess Tournaments : Wijk aan Zee
The annual Corus chess event Wijk aan Zee is traditionally the first super tournament of the year. About Chess always features at least a brief report on the event, often a more extensive report. How is 'Wijk aan Zee' pronounced?

26 January 2008 - The Year 2007 in Review
At the beginning of every calendar year, we take a look at the top chess stories of the previous year. The year 2007 saw frantic activity to establish some sort of routine in the selection of the World Champion, an increase in the number of top class grandmaster tournaments, and a host of lesser stories.

19 January 2008 - 60 Memorable Fischer Moments
'Larger than life', 'A legend in his own time', 'A god among mortals', have all been said about Bobby Fischer. These are our picks for the top moments and events in his spectacular chess career and his uncommon life. (M-W.COM)

12 January 2008 - Who's Who in Chess at the End of 2007
At the end every year we update our reference pages to include notable events of the preceding year. One of the most striking aspects of 2007 was the large number of tournaments classed at category 17 or higher. (M-W.COM)

05 January 2008 - Blog Trekking, December 2007
When we last left the chess blogs at the end of November, round three of the FIDE World Cup was underway.

29 December 2007 - The Most Frequently Asked Questions
Here at About Chess, which Frequently Asked Questions are asked most frequently?

22 December 2007 - Chess Patents
A search at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 'chess' pulls up close to 3000 patents, with over 300 mentioning chess in the patent title or abstract. Many of these chess patents represent useful extensions of the game that is played throughout the world; the 'Fischer' clock is a good example. Many others are somewhat odd. We've collected a few that we like and that can be understood from a drawing incorporated in the patent. (M-W.COM)

15 December 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1907 Lodz, Rotlewi vs. Rubinstein
Every move of the chess game played in 1907 at Lodz (Poland) between George Rotlewi and Akiba Rubinstein is explained move by move. When chess players speak of chessboard artists, they usually include Akiba Rubinstein. His play was based on a profound insight into chess logic that escapes all but the greatest players. In this game he creates a brilliant win from two tempi wasted by his opponent. (M-W.COM)

08 December 2007 - Blog Trekking, November 2007
As the month of November slid into December, many chess blogs were focused on the World Cup taking place in Russia.

01 December 2007 - 'King's Gambit' by Paul Hoffman
Paul Hoffman is a bestselling author of books for the general public, and 'King's Gambit' is one of the best general interest books ever written about chess. A keen chess player as an adolescent, the author followed the same path as many young players, abandoning the game in college and returning to it in middle age. The chess stories, many from personal observation, are well recounted and entertaining. The chess personalities come to life through the author's words, as though he were talking to you over dinner. The footnotes are a gold mine of chess trivia.

24 November 2007 - Four Chess Puzzle Books from 2007
If you have only one chess book in your library, make it a primer. It should cover the rules of chess, notation, strategy, tactics, openings, and endgames. The day you decide you want a second chess book, make it a puzzle book.

17 November 2007 - Every Move Explained : 2007 Barcelona, Krasenkow vs. Nakamura
Every move of the chess game played at the 2007 Barcelona tournament between Mikhail Krasenkow and Hikaru Nakamura is explained move by move. This game is an example of chess in the early 21st century between two world class grandmasters. It features a modern opening, head spinning tactical complications, and a stunning conclusion that would make any player proud. (M-W.COM)

10 November 2007 - Blog Trekking, October 2007
In our September Trek through the chess blogs, Viswanathan Anand had just won the World Championship. The month of October started with reactions from around the chess world.

03 November 2007 - Blue Ribbon Chess Books 2007
Worth noting on our annual Top-11 list (one title is in two volumes) is the larger than usual number of books that can be classified as non-instructional. These even carried the top three positions on the list.

27 October 2007 - Top 10 Chess Gifts for this Holiday Season (2007-2008)
Looking for a gift idea for a chess player? By following our suggestions to Compare Prices, you'll find chess sets, chess boards, and chess specialty items. These should give you lots of ideas plus a feel for prices.

20 October 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1927 New York, Alekhine vs. Marshall
Every move of the chess game played at the 1927 New York tournament between Alexander Alekhine and Frank Marshall is explained move by move. Alekhine played chess with an aggressive, attacking style. Marshall was also known for playing aggressive, attacking chess, and his penchant for the offbeat is one reason why so many variations bear his name. In this game Alekhine punishes him for 'illegitmate disruption of balance'. (M-W.COM)

13 October 2007 - Blog Trekking, September 2007
When summer ends and vacations are over, we all go back to work or back to school. Chess activity declines, but doesn't stop.

06 October 2007 - Winning the World Championship 2007
GM Viswanathan Anand won the World Championship, September 2007 in Mexico City, a point ahead of his nearest rivals. In this tutorial, we look at some of the crucial games and positions that Anand encountered on his way to winning the championship. (M-W.COM)

29 September 2007 - Getting Started with Chess - First Steps
A few weeks back we posted a three part series called Getting Started with Chess.

22 September 2007 - Blog Trekking, August 2007
August was an exceptionally rich month for chess events.

15 September 2007 - Endgame Fundamentals
To become a better chess player, improve your endgame. It's a paradox, but some of the most difficult positions have the fewest pieces. How can you expect to handle 32 pieces when you have trouble with 5 or 6?

08 September 2007 - Middle Game Fundamentals
Most chess games are won and lost in the middle game, where your imagination is your greatest ally. Your imagination will be even more powerful if you possess the fundamentals of chess middle game knowledge.

01 September 2007 - Getting Started with Chess : Learn the Openings
Why learn the chess openings? (1) Because it doesn't matter how well you play the middle game and endgame if you lose in the opening. (2) Because the position at the beginning of the game is the only position you are guaranteed to see in every game.

25 August 2007 - Getting Started with Chess : Strategy and Tactics
Strategy, sometimes called positional play, and tactics, sometimes called combinational play, are the twin pillars of success at chess. Here is a series of resources on About Chess that will acquaint you with the different weapons that make up a chess player's arsenal.

18 August 2007 - Getting Started with Chess : Learn to Play
Do you want to play chess but aren't sure where to start? Here is a series of resources on About Chess that will lead you through the first steps you need in order to play.

11 August 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1937 Margate, Thomas vs. Keres
Every move of the chess game played at the 1937 Margate tournament between Paul Keres and Sir George Thomas is explained move by move. Paul Keres (1916-1977) was an Estonian grandmaster who tops the list of players 'who never competed in a World Championship match'. Keres described his style at the time as lively and combinative. (M-W.COM)

04 August 2007 - Blog Trekking, July 2007
The chess blogs had plenty of newsworthy material from the many top class events held during the month of July.

28 July 2007 - The Lesser Moves after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, the most common responses are 2...Nc6, 2...Nf6, and 2...d6. These three moves are the 'good' moves in the position after White's second move. What about the other moves? Should we even bother with them? (M-W.COM)

21 July 2007 - Two Books for the Beach
A few months ago we assembled a small list of Chess Books to Read Without a Board, which garnered more feedback than we usually receive on a blog post. Here are reviews for two works in the same genre, the first nonfiction, the second fiction.

14 July 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1962 Varna Olympiad, Tal vs. Mohrlok
Every move of the chess game played at the 1962 Varna Olympiad between Mikhail Tal and Dieter Mohrlok is explained move by move. Tal was 25 years old at the time of the game. World Champion for one year in 1960-61, he had a difficult year in 1962. This game shows that he still had the sparkle that won him the nickname, the 'Magician from Riga' (M-W.COM)

07 July 2007 - Blog Trekking, June 2007
Just like the previous month, the Candidate Matches garnered a large share of blog posts in June.

30 June 2007 - Chess Years in Review
At the end of each year, we do a special review of the most important chess events in that year: Best Players, World Championship, International Events, National Championships, Opens, Computers, Passages. We gathered the reviews into one page and added a memorable image for each year.

23 June 2007 - Chess Top Tens
Just because chess is a serious game doesn't mean it always has to be taken seriously. Need some examples? (M-W.COM)

16 June 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1981 Tilburg, Kasparov vs. Andersson
Every move of the chess game played at the 1981 Tilburg tournament between Garry Kasparov and Ulf Andersson is explained move by move. Early in his career, Kasparov had already developed the aggressive, attacking style which was to become his trademark throughout his playing days. Tilburg was Kasparov's first GM tournament outside of the Soviet Union. He was 18 years old at the time. (M-W.COM)

09 June 2007 - Blog Trekking, May 2007
In May, the chess blogs had plenty of news to chew and digest.

02 June 2007 - A Trio of Guest Articles
About Chess welcomes articles and essays from other writers. Here are three recent submissions.

26 May 2007 - Issues on the Chess Table : 2007 USCF Executive Board Election
Every two years the USCF has a scheduled election for its top oversight committee, the Executive Board (EB). Since 2003, almost all USCF members have been able to vote in EB elections. The 2007 election is a bit different than previous elections, both for the quality of the candidates and for the size of the issues facing the organization. (M-W.COM)

19 May 2007 - The Rise of Internet Chess
The Internet -- meaning technologies that link networks together -- has been very good to chess. The pre-Internet era goes back to the Dark Age of chess: no online play, no live broadcasts, no instant news, no chatting with other fans around the globe. What will the next network evolution bring? (M-W.COM)

12 May 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1960 Leipzig, Letelier vs. Fischer
Every move of the chess game played at the 1960 Leipzig Olympiad between Rene Letelier Martner and Robert J. (Bobby) Fischer is explained move by move. The game's themes include the overextended center, opening lines against an exposed King, and a surprising combination leading to a sudden end. (M-W.COM)

05 May 2007 - Blog Trekking, April 2007
Our blog tripping excursions might be over, but we are happy to report that we have acquired a sturdier vessel capable of deeper blog surveys than ever before.

28 April 2007 - Issues on the Chess Table : Chess as Sport
The decision to consider chess as a sport is more than academic. Sports are often funded from a public treasury. An activity classified as a sport gets funding; an activity not so classified, gets no funding. The arguments against chess as sport always reduce to the absence of a strong physical element. (M-W.COM)

21 April 2007 - Two Opening Books with a Lot in Common
What do these books have in common? They were both written by national champions (Australia and Great Britain, respectively) who are prolific writers on all phases of chess and specialists in opening books. They were both published by Batsford and they are both good books

14 April 2007 - The Origin of International Chess Events
The first international chess tournament was held in London as part of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The first official World Championship match was held during the first quarter of 1886 in New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans. (M-W.COM)

07 April 2007 - Every Move Explained : 1961 Bled, Petrosian vs. Pachman
Our second game in a series -- Every Move Explained, Move by Move -- was played in 1961 at Bled, between Tigran Petrosian and Ludek Pachman. Petrosian was two years away from becoming World Chess Champion. Pachman was a strong grandmaster, several times Czech national champion, author, and theorist. (M-W.COM)

31 March 2007 - The Third Best Player of All Time?
Unlike the endless discussions about who was the greatest chess player of all time -- Kasparov or Fischer, Fischer or Kasparov -- no one ever debates who was third best. Capablanca would certainly appear on many lists. Our personal favorite is Anatoly Karpov, a player often compared to Capablanca. Many other players wouldn't put Karpov in the top-10, because of his impenetrable style of play. (M-W.COM)

24 March 2007 - Shopping for Chess Sets
Choosing a chess set can be a daunting task. A glance at the many hundreds of sets available offers few clues to the merits of the different sets. Our links, all leading to the the About.com Compare Prices service, classify the many sets according to their different characteristics

17 March 2007 - Chess Books to Read Without a Board
Bedtime reading, beach reading, hammock reading. Most chess books require a chess set and board to get the most out of them, but there are some exceptions. There are no complicated, head-spinning variations here, just well written accounts with the royal game playing a central role. (M-W.COM) (M-W.COM)

10 March 2007 - More 'Chess in the Movies' (III)
We added two new index pages to our popular image gallery of movies using chess as a prop. The 24 scenes appear first in the gallery, so you can find them easily if you've already seen the rest. All of our photos link to the film's description on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). (M-W.COM)

03 March 2007 - Every Move Explained : A Romantic Game from 1844
Our first game in a new series -- Every Move Explained, Move by Move -- was played in 1844 at Warsaw, between Alexander Hoffmann and Alexander Petrov. The mid-19th century was the great romantic period of chess and this game is an exciting example of the romantic style. (M-W.COM)

24 February 2007 - The Chess Pieces Explained
We expanded our Beginner's Guide to the Six Chess Pieces, which is listed on every page under Essentials, to add a tutorial on each piece. Along with the moves of the piece, each of the six tutorials has an explanation of the piece's relative value and tips for its use.

17 February 2007 - Introduction to Chess Ratings
The Elo rating is a relative measure of a chess player's skill. What does Elo stand for and how is a rating calculated? (M-W.COM)

10 February 2007 - ECO at a Glance
The acronym ECO (Encyclopedia of Chess Openings) refers to two different but related concepts:- A five volume reference (A-E) published by Chess Informant; and A system of chess opening classification using codes A00-E99. Each volume of the Encyclopedia covers 100 codes, e.g. Volume A covers A00-A99. Our image gallery shows the ten single digit codes, e.g. A0-A9, covered by each volume. (M-W.COM)

03 February 2007 - Step Through the Opening Moves
Stepping through the opening moves played by the masters is an important part of our tutorial on opening essentials. Start with the initial position, with the most popular first moves 1.d4 and 1.e4, or jump immediately to a specific opening by position or name. However you start, you can step through the moves to reach the best known and most popular openings.

27 January 2007 - Issues on the Chess Table : Short Draws
'Would you like a draw?' The problem with short draws in chess is not that the games are drawn, but that they are drawn before the result is clear. One of the players proposes a draw and the other accepts. Sometimes the players agree on a draw after only 15-20 moves have been played. These short draws are also called 'grandmaster draws'. (M-W.COM)

20 January 2007 - Starting out with Online Chess Play
If you like to play chess, but have never played online chess, our first question is, 'Why not?' If your answer is, 'There are so many places to play, I don't know where to start', then this tour is for you.

13 January 2007 - The Year 2006 in Review
Chess news in the year 2006 was dominated by a World Championship unification match. Along with typical news about top class GM tournaments, an Olympiad, a FIDE Presidential election, and a top class man-machine match, there were several human interest stories like Gormallygate. Reports that some players were using computers to cheat generated a wave of interest from the general news media

06 January 2007 - The Year 2006 Is Now History
The start of a new year is a good time to bring historical reference lists up-to-date. That's exactly what we've done with our guide to Chess Champions. We added material from 2006 to our pages on Famous Chess Tournaments (1990-), Famous Chess Players (A-M & N-Z), the World Chess Champions, and our ABCs of National Championships: USA (America), Britain, and Canada. (M-W.COM)

30 December 2006 - How To Win at Chess
Here's wishing a Happy and Successful New Year to all visitors to About Chess! In 2007 our first effort at helping you improve your chess game is How To Win at Chess, making its appearance as an 'Essential' in the left column of all our pages. - Chess players have different opinions on lots of chess questions, but there is one question with an answer that everyone agrees on: Which is better, winning or losing?

23 December 2006 - Chess Through the Artist's Eye
The 'art of chess' can mean many things. In our image gallery it means chess seen by an artist as a subject in a painting, a drawing, or an illustration. Sometimes the chess board is central to the image, but more often it is part of a bigger story, told visually. (M-W.COM)

16 December 2006 - Beginner's Guide to the Six Chess Pieces
The rules of chess start with the moves of the six different pieces. Click on any piece in our image gallery to learn more about its moves and its powers.

09 December 2006 - Review: The Immortal Game - A History of Chess
Neither a chess book nor a chess history book, in the usual sense that we define those classifications, 'The Immortal Game' by David Shenk stands in a class by itself. Recommended for chess players who know little about the history of their favorite game, or for non-players who want to understand the game's strange attraction. If you have space for only one chess book on your bookshelf, this should be on your short list

02 December 2006 - Chess Shopping Guide (2006-2007)
Buying a gift for a chess player is even easier learning how to play the game. No real chess player ever has enough chess sets or enough chess books. Here is a summary of the many product related resources located on About Chess.

25 November 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Slav Defense
The Slav Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6) is the opening of World Champions. It was used by Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, and Smyslov, and is in Vladimir Kramnik's arsenal. The idea is to protect the d-Pawn without blocking the Queen Bishop as in 2...e6. The name pays tribute to analysis by masters of Slavic descent, Alekhine and Bogoljubov among them.

18 November 2006 - Chess Openings that Don't Fit the Mold
Q: What do you call a chess opening that everyone plays? A: Popular. • Q: What do you call an opening that only a few people play? A: Unorthodox, irregular, and off-beat are a few words that come to mind. • Q: What do you call an opening that's somewhere between popular and unorthodox? A: We don't know, but here are reviews of two recent books on openings that fit the description:

11 November 2006 - Chess Tutorial : Bobby's Binds
Binds are fairly common in chess. We don't often see them in master games because good players prefer to avoid getting into binds and will even sacrifice a Pawn to steer away from them. To find good examples of binds, we have to look at the notes to master level games. One excellent source for examples is Bobby Fischer's 'My 60 Memorable Games'. (M-W.COM)

04 November 2006 - Top 10 Chess Gifts for this Holiday Season (2006-2007)
Looking for a gift idea for a chess player? Under these links below you'll find chess sets, boards, and specialty items. These should give you lots of ideas plus a feel for prices. The merchants listed here are sometimes well known online retailers who are not specialists in chess. If you don't find exactly what you want, use the Products & Shopping link at the left of the page, where you'll find merchants specializing in chess and related products.

28 October 2006 - Product Review : Two Digital Clocks from DGT
Looking for a digital chess clock? We reviewed two models from Digital Game Timer (DGT) Projects, The Netherlands.

21 October 2006 - Opening Survey : Games from the 2006 Unification Match
Did all of the openings in the 2006 Kramnik - Topalov World Championship Match look similar to you? If so, you are not alone. Even experienced players who don't play an opening can have trouble distinguishing the differences between variations. This is true not only for the openings used in the unification match, but for all openings. Small differences in similar positions can mean big differences in subsequent play. (M-W.COM)

14 October 2006 - Kramnik - Topalov Unification Match : Week 3
The third and final week of the World Chess Championship Unification Match in Elista, Kalmykia, started with the score tied at four points each.

07 October 2006 - Before You Buy a Chess Computer or Chess Playing Software
Thinking of buying a chess computer or chess playing software? Don't miss our three introductory overviews.

30 September 2006 - Blue Ribbon Chess Books 2006
A year has passed since we last looked at Blue Ribbon Chess Books (2005) : books that have shown outstanding commercial or critical success; almost guaranteed to please. With the holiday gift giving season fast approaching, it is time for an update.

23 September 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Caro-Kann Defense
The Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6) is the fourth most popular response to 1.e4 after 1...c5, 1...e5, and 1...e6, and is considered one of Black's most solid responses to 1.e4. The player of the Black pieces is saying that a drawn game is an acceptable result. White's problem is to generate winning chances.

16 September 2006 - CD Review : The Best of Chess Informant - Garry Kasparov
Masters beat most players; grandmasters beat masters; super grandmasters beat grandmasters; and Kasparov beat super grandmasters. What can most players learn from Kasparov? Our answer is that you don't have to be a great artist to appreciate great art; ditto for chess. This Chess Informant CD has almost 600 games annotated by Kasparov. There are also 72 combinations and 68 brilliant moves, all prepared for software which emulates solitaire chess. But that's not all. (M-W.COM)

09 September 2006 - The Saga of Chess Unification (1994-2006)
The events in 1993 which created the schism in the World Championship were initially followed by a string of unqualified successes for the fledgling PCA. Was chess entering its golden age? No, potential sponsors were confused when faced with two World Champions and the bickering between rival chess organizations both claiming to be the owner of the *real* championship. Talk of reunification began in 1994. (M-W.COM)

02 September 2006 - Before You Buy a Chess Clock
We updated our three product pages on chess clocks and, where available, added a link to pricing info on Pricegrabber.com.

26 August 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Queen's Indian Defense
Which opening is the closest in spirit to the Queen's Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6)? If you guessed King's Indian because of the name, you guessed wrong. The closest is the Nimzo Indian (3.Nc3 Bb4) where the battle for e2-e4 -- White to play it, Black to prevent it -- also determines the best moves for both sides.

19 August 2006 - Review: 'Chess for Tigers' by Simon Webb
Should you play the board or play the opponent? It's a trick question, because the answer depends on where you happen to be on the chess learning curve. Inexperienced players should play the board, avoiding blunders and finding good moves. Experienced players should consider other factors: the opponent, the clock, the tournament situation, their own strengths and weaknesses. This book is for those players

12 August 2006 - The Development of Computer Chess
Since the dawn of the computer age, the development of chess playing computers has paralleled the development of general computing. Early computer pioneers and artificial intelligence (AI) researchers took an interest in chess because its fantastically large number of possible positions could not be tackled by brute force. (M-W.COM)

05 August 2006 - Famous Chess Tournaments (2003-2005)
We brought our register of 'Famous Chess Tournaments' up to date by including important events played during the years 2003 through 2005. We also updated our register of World Championship tournaments to include all FIDE elimination (knockout) events plus other tournaments played through the end of 2005.

29 July 2006 - Advanced Positional Terminology in Chess
Good chess players have their own jargon to describe certain advanced features of a chess position or of a chess move. Several of the most important terms were invented by Aron Nimzovitch (1886-1935) or are often associated with his name. Other terms in general use have more obscure origins and aren't easily attributed to any one player.

22 July 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Reti Opening
The move 1.Nf3 is commonly known as the Reti Opening. Richard Réti (1889-1929) began playing it at the highest levels of chess in 1923. His reasoning was that since 1.e4 and 1.d4 present targets in the center, White should hold back these moves until Black's own intentions are clear. This was the foundation of the Hypermodern approach to chess openings.

15 July 2006 - 'Why Lasker Matters' by Andrew Soltis
Why shouldn't Emanuel Lasker, the second World Champion, matter? The book's title is the answer to an unasked question. Since 'Why does Lasker matter?' is easily answered by his career record, the question is more like 'Why do Lasker's games matter?'. How did he win consistently against the great players of his time?

08 July 2006 - The Origin of Modern Chess
Near the end of the 15th century, the game of chess underwent a dramatic transformation when the powers of two of the weakest pieces were enhanced. The slow game characterized by a long opening buildup was suddenly a rapid game where checkmate was possible after only a few moves. The new game, quickly adopted wherever it was played, pushed the old game aside after only a few decades. (M-W.COM)

01 July 2006 - So You Want to Organize Chess Tournaments?
Let's say you started playing chess later in life, realize that you are never going to be World Champion, but still want to make a contribution. You are an ideal candidate to get involved in chess organizing. Chess organizers have three different hats -- club manager, tournament organizer, tournament director -- many organizers wear all three. (M-W.COM)

24 June 2006 - 37th Chess Olympiad, Turin, Italy, 2006
Every two years the best chess players from each country meet in an international team event called the Chess Olympiad, which features separate men's and women's competitions. The 37th Olympiad, held 20 May - 4 June 2006 in Turin, Italy, was a 13 round event.

17 June 2006 - Top 10 Myths about Chess
Here are some of our favorite myths about the royal game. Some of these sayings are definitely untrue, some of them are uninformed opinion, and some of them are controversies that might or might not be true. (M-W.COM)

10 June 2006 - More 'Chess in the Movies'
We doubled the number of photos from movie scenes using chess as a prop. Included are a few movies where chess is central to the plot, like 'Dangerous Moves' (1984) and 'Knight Moves' (1992). All of our photos link to the film's description on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).

03 June 2006 - Top 10 Ways to Lose at Chess
No one likes to lose at chess, but if you are going to lose you might as well do it in style. Here are a few of our favorite ways to lose, many of which we learned from direct experience. (M-W.COM)

27 May 2006 - History of Chess Olympiads
The first world team competition, Paris 1924, was called the Chess Olympic Games. It is not counted as an official Chess Olympiad, because it was not organized by FIDE and because the scoring was not the same as for later events. The first official Olympiad took place in London 1927. The modern Olympiad is the Greatest Chess Show on Earth. (M-W.COM)

20 May 2006 - Chess Openings Revealed
We reviewed two recent books which use the Batsford Openings 'Revealed' format : 'The Sicilian Bb5 Revealed' by GM Neil McDonald and 'The Modern Benoni Revealed' by IM Richard Palliser.

13 May 2006 - Chess in the Middle Ages
Our knowledge of chess in the Middle Ages comes from the literature of the period, which preceded the invention of printing and movable type. The first traces of chess in Europe date its introduction to sometime before A.D. 1000. The end of the Middle Ages coincided with the revolution in the rules which transformed chess to the modern game. (M-W.COM)

06 May 2006 - Chess Blogs - First Posts
In our introduction to chess blogs, we look at the first posts in our favorite blogs. At the time of writing the first post a blogger is usually new to blogging, which often makes the first posts entertaining as well as informative.

29 April 2006 - Add Chess Blogs to Your News Service
A year ago we wrote about using a personalized news service to gather all of your chess news sources into a single compact format. Many chess blogs are now enabled with the capability to deliver news feeds. A few you might not know about are: Google News for chess, ChessBase.com, a handful of top chess blogs (syndicate or subscribe?), and Flickr.com for chess photos.

22 April 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Two Knights Defense and Giuoco Piano
The opening 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 is a carryover from the romantic era of chess. White's third move aims at f7, hinders ...d5, and leads to gambits or speculative, often unsound, sacrifices. There are two major branches for Black: the Two Knights Defense (3...Nf6) and the Giuoco Piano (3...Bc5).

15 April 2006 - Two New Reviews : One CD, One Book
We look at two fine commercial products. One is a CD covering tactics : Anthology of Chess Combinations (3rd edition) by Chess Informant. The other is a book covering a theoretically important opening in the exclusive domain of the world's top players : Beating the Petroff by GM Vassilios Kotronias and IM Andreas Tzermiadianos. (M-W.COM)

08 April 2006 - The Schism: Two World Champions (1993-1996)
February 1993: Only a few days after FIDE President Campomanes awarded the forthcoming World Chess Championship match to Manchester, England, World Champion Garry Kasparov and challenger Nigel Short announced that they would play their title match outside the jurisdiction of FIDE. Their decision and subsequent events created a schism in the World Championship which continued long afterwards. It was a defining event in the chess world. (M-W.COM)

01 April 2006 - Chess in the Balkans
SCG is an acronym which stands for 'Srbija i Crna Gora', better known to English speakers as 'Serbia and Montenegro', better known to many as ex-Yugoslavia. For many years Yugoslavia was one of the world's top chess playing countries, behind only the USSR and the USA in the Olympiads.

25 March 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA)
The opening 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 is known as the Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA). In contrast to the Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD, 2...e6), which gives Black a cramped game, the QGA promises a freer game at the cost of giving up the center temporarily. Everyone knows that after 2...dxc4, Black can't keep the Pawn, but there is a lot more to the QGA than that.

18 March 2006 - Chess in the Movies : The award for best supporting game goes to...
Chess serves the same symbolic purpose on film as in life -- intellectual activity, competition, gamesmanship -- plus a quick nod to art and science. Here are movie scenes showing chess and people playing chess.

11 March 2006 - FIDE World Chess Championship 1948-1990
The FIDE World Championship from 1948 through 1990 was largely a closed contest among the best Soviet players. They dominated the Candidate events and played each other in title matches, often held at Moscow. The Soviet record was interrupted only by the American Bobby Fischer in 1970-72 and by the Soviet refugee Viktor Korchnoi in 1976-83. (M-W.COM)

04 March 2006 - Three New Opening Tutorials
We converted three of our most popular pages to tutorial format : Introduction to 1.e4; Introduction to 1.d4; Unusual First Moves.

25 February 2006 - Opening Tutorial : Sicilian Defense - 2...e6 Variations
The 2...e6 variations of the Sicilian Defense start 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4. The watchwords are flexibility and double-edged play. Unlike the 2...d6 variations, Black keeps the a3-f8 diagonal open for the Bishop. The move ...Bb4 is often an option and ...Bc5 is sometimes possible. The Scheveningen and Sveshnikov Variations are both related. (M-W.COM)

18 February 2006 - Chess Tutorial : Maximize the Usefulness of Your Moves
The power of the double attack is well known in chess tactics. Less well known is a similar concept that applies to positional moves. We like to call this the 'Principle of Maximum Usefulness': The chess move that does the most is often the best. (M-W.COM)

11 February 2006 - Chess in the Early 19th Century : Chess Becomes Organized
By the mid-19th century, the center of gravity for chess had shifted from Paris to London. The Game of Kings became the game for everyone. Its popularity was augmented by the creation of chess clubs, the distribution of introductory books, columns in the general press, and magazines dedicated to the game. (M-W.COM)

04 February 2006 - Positional Terminology in Chess
The vocabulary of chess is at its best when describing abstract features of a chess game. Chess writers often invent new terminology to identify a particular chess idea. Sometimes the new terms catch on, but often they just die ignored and unused. Here is a collection of terms that are often used by chess writers in commenting on positional aspects of a chess game.

28 January 2006 - Chess Tutorial : Opening Essentials
Your first task in a chess game is to get a good position. To do that you need to know something about the openings. We updated our popular Essentials: Openings feature by converting it to tutorial format.

21 January 2006 - Chess Book/CD/DVD Guide Reviews
Looking for one of our reviews? See our Graphic Index of reviews showing the book, CD, or DVD cover. If you just want a quick text list of the same reviews, see the associated Text Index.

14 January 2006 - The Origin of Chess
Where did chess come from? The most widely accepted scenario is that chess appeared in India around 600 A.D., was adopted in Persia around 700 A.D., and was absorbed by Arab culture around 800 A.D. Just as chess is a difficult game, its origin is a difficult puzzle. We may never know the truth of its birth. (M-W.COM)

07 January 2006 - The Year 2005 in Review
The year 2005 in chess saw Garry Kasparov's retirement, a new FIDE plan for the World Championship, a new FIDE World Champion, and Bobby Fischer's release from Japan to Iceland. (M-W.COM)