Questions tagged [chess]
Chess is one of the most popular two-player strategy games. It has survived centuries of strategical analysis and continues to thrive amongst players of all skills and ages.
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Are Bishops more valuable than Knights?
Bishops and Knights are both traditionally considered to have a similar value, worth roughly three pawns each. However, I have heard arguments that under certain circumstances they are not so closely ...
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Is pawn promotion to rook or bishop something that is seen in play?
Reading What is the proper Algebraic Notation for a pawn being promoted? made me wonder whether pawn promotion to rook or bishop ever happens. The only time I can think this might happen is when ...
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What techniques should I use to teach my 5-year old to play chess?
The other night while playing checkers with my 5 year old, he told me that he wanted to make up a game using the checkerboard which had different pieces that could do different things. I told him that ...
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Is castling still done in the openings in modern chess?
I have read in a somewhat old book that castling was to be done as soon as possible, but some of my playing friends don't bother to do it in the opening. What's the modern usage?
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Why is it of high importance to control the center of the board in Chess?
One reason for this is that from the center of the board, your pieces
have quicker access to the other parts of the board. Another is that
your pieces often attack a larger number of squares. What ...
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How important is memorizing chess openings in casual play?
I've played chess since I was kid and after much practice have become a decent player. I still though, have little strategy to my opening moves besides starting with a King's Pawn Game. I know ...
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Was the blind chess match between Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty in the movie Game of Shadows real/plausible?
I saw the movie and was wowed by two things: the blind chess match in which Holmes wins with the move Bishop-Bishop 8, discovered check; and the mental fist fight they have in their minds. It's such a ...
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What form of chess was played in seventh-century Arabia?
In Islam, there are a number of reports (of variable grades of authenticity) that the prophet Muhammad either forbade or explicitly disliked the playing of chess. As is known, he was centered in what ...
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Can a king capture an opposing queen?
A Beginner's Scenario: I castle kingside prior to ever being in check. Then, my son positions his queen and on a subsequent turn, takes out the middle pawn of three (see diagram below), thus exposing ...
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Restrictions around promoting a pawn
I have tried to read the Wikipedia article but it is too confusing on what the current accepted standard is.
My questions are:
If a pawn makes it to the last row can they stay as a pawn?
If a pawn ...
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Is it true that all computer chess programs can be forced into a three-fold repetition draw?
Disclaimer: I know very little about chess: basically, how to put pieces on the board, how to move them, and how to lose (I'm a pro at this). I have no idea about my Elo rating, but I guess it's in ...
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What is the "En passant" rule in chess?
How useful is that rule and how many times we can use that in one game?
Under what conditions can the en passant rule be used?
How often does it come up and is it a good idea to use it?
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How are numerical chess rankings calculated for different ranking systems?
I know there are several different ranking systems for chess, but how do they work in general? How exactly do they approximate your skill and how you will fare against other players? How can I figure ...
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Can you identify this likely chess variant?
I frequent a thrifting board game thread on BGG (BoardGameGeek). Recently a nice copy of a supposed chess variant appeared and we cannot seem to identify it.
From that post the game is described ...
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What's the name of the move where the player swaps King and Rook/Castle in Chess? Why is this move important?
I'm a chess beginner, and I was wondering: why was this movement introduced to chess, and why is it important to the game?
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What is a positional game in chess?
What does it mean to have a positional game, or to play a positional game?
What is the opposite?
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What are the standard time settings in chess
What are some of the most popular time limits for chess games? I'm looking for those used today as well as historically.
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What is the appropriate way to snipe a king that castles through check?
In lightning chess matches (matches with time controls of 3 minutes or less on each side), some players play with the rule of "king sniping" - that is, to save time, if the opponent played a move that ...
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Can other pieces capture a threatening piece and prevent a checkmate?
Total beginner here. I have a board setup that an app I'm using to learn described as a "checkmate" -- see below (the white pawn just moved below the rook and is threatening the king):
If I were ...
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When is it a good time to offer a draw in chess, and when should I accept one?
Professional players often offer draws in chess and accept them. While draws can be very common in professional play, they appear to be very rare in casual play. Naturally, if you're winning, ...
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Is a pawn allowed to capture onto a promotion square?
I was playing chess with my father.
My pawn was on the second-to-last square before promotion. He had two rooks side-by-side blocking my pawn, therefore I naturally took the rook beside it because a ...
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Can a single player have all nine potential queens in one game?
I would like to know whether it is possible to, in a single game, convert all eight pawns of one colour into queens while retaining the original queen.
Presume that we are both playing chess ...
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Methods for handicapping chess
My four-and-a-half year old son is learning chess. He's got the moves of the pieces down and understands how to checkmate with two rooks (or rook and queen).
I've read some good suggestions in this ...
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What factors should be considered before doubling pawns?
I know the basic strength of double pawns is that it may open up a rank for a rook, and that the weakness is that the pawns can no longer defend one another. Other than an obvious material advantage, ...
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A tournament chess game with board sides reversed. Will it be considered valid?
I think I've already asked this question earlier. No answers were received and I was told my question makes no sense at all. I disagree though. I think it has good sense and is pretty clear.
Imagine ...
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Why are Elo ratings for go higher than for chess?
If we compare Elo(-like) ratings in chess and in go, we see that the highest ratings published for go (3621 for Ke Jie as of 2016-03-13 at goratings.org) are higher than those in chess (2851 for ...
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Are there any published games of Bobby Fischer as world champion?
Between the World Championship Match against Spassky in 1972 and his rematch against Spassky in 1992, Bobby Fischer played no tournament games, not even to defend his title.
Are there any published ...
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Opening strategies in Chess 960 (Fisher Random Chess)
I had a go at Chess 960 the other day, but whereas I thought I might do better against the computer as it didn't have an opening book, in fact the opposite happened as it quickly found holes in my ...
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Are There Any Real-Life Applications of Chess?
Chess seems to develop a specialized skill set that in my experience is mostly irrelevant to everyday life. However, I would like to know of any real-life applications that I have overlooked. I am a ...
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What is the repeated move stalemate?
I've heard of a rule where if the same move sequence is repeated 3 times (6 moves total) the game ends in a stale mate.
Is this a de facto rule or a convention adopted outside the formal rules?
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What is the best way to learn chess strategy and tactics? [closed]
I am interested in learning chess. I am already familiar with the rules of the game, but I am very weak when it comes to tactics and strategy.
I am afraid that if I just register at chess.com and ...
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In Chess what is the Queens or Kings Indian?
In Chess what is the Queens or Kings Indian, and why might it be useful?
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Did tactics training improve your chess significantly? [closed]
There are quite a few sites for training in chess tactics. For those having experience with using any of these, how did these affect your rating? Is there a strong correlation between e.g. http://...
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How can I learn to play chess blindfold?
I'm an intermediate-level amateur chess player. How would I go about learning how to accurately play a complete game of chess, blindfolded? What skills are needed, and how are they practiced?
In ...
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Female world chess champion?
Has there ever been a female world chess champion (or, before the title existed, any woman who was widely regarded as the best chess player in the community or region)?
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Are there restrictions on pawn promotion if two pawns are on the same column?
I was playing white and I had one pawn at a7 and the other at a6. My opponent didn't let me promote the pawn to a Queen stating that when two pawns are in the same column then the pawn doesn't get ...
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New idea in Sicilian for white?
I was wondering if someone could explain why this may be bad for white. Engines say white is a 0.5 of a pawn down after this line, but other than stunted development, I do not see a clear way in which ...
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What is the name of the following chess opening? What are its pros and cons?
At some point, when I was young, I learned an opening that involves the following moves: possibly after moving queen's pawn to the centre (d4), move out king's knight to above the bishop (Nf3), move ...
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Chess variant that allows humans to be competitive vs computers
It seems that computers can beat the majority of chess players out there, and at the current rate in which distributed computing is going, it seems like the #1 chess player out there will be computers ...
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Is it possible to position all chess pieces on the board such that all pieces defend at least one piece and attack at least one piece?
Is it possible to position all chess pieces on the board such that all pieces defend at least one piece and attack at least one piece?
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In chess, when is it appropriate to resign?
I know I should not resign after losing the exchange, or a piece, and probably not even if I lose a Rook. But how about if I lose a Queen for a Knight? Would it be expected of a player to keep ...
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In Chess, Why Does Black Sometimes Play "Cramped" Openings?
I'm referring to openings such as d6 (Pirc Defense) or e6 (French Defense) in answer to say, e4. These openings often make it more difficult to develop pieces than say, c5 or e5. In particular, the ...
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Is the four move checkmate the fastest way to win a game of chess?
Is the four move check mate (1. e4 e5 2.Qf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5?? 4.Qxf7#) the fastest way to win a game of chess, or is there a quicker way?
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Using the King as an attacking piece
Are there examples of expert-level games where the King is used as an attacking piece early in the game? I.e. brought out into the center of the board behind the bishops, pawns and knights, to gain a ...
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Are there any reputable chess openings which begin a4, b4, g4, or h4?
I have heard of 1 b3 and 1 g3, but never any of those in the question title. Is this because they do not work in practical play?
I've tried 1. g4 d5 2. h3 e5 3. d4 Nc6 etc. with a good chance of a ...
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Accepting Queen's Gambit
Why is it considered a disadvantage to accept Queen's Gambit? How should I play to take advantage of an accepted Queen's Gambit?
(All online guides I've seen simply state not to do it, but don't ...
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What is this game, played with chess board and pieces, but with totally different rules?
Multiple decades ago, I was introduced to a game as described in the title of this question. What I can remember of it is:
The two rooks had different functions. They were distinguished by placing ...
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Does anyone use the P-K4 type of chess notation anymore?
I have several chess books, all of which use the P-K4 type of notation rather than the e4 type. I am still more used to the older form, since those books were my first introduction to chess ...
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Dominant strategy in chess
Is there any proof ensuring there can be no dominant strategy for chess? By dominant strategy, I mean a way of playing that always works regardless what the opponent do.
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What is the proper Algebraic Notation for a pawn being promoted?
Are you supposed to use an arrow → or not.
Pe8→Q
Pe8Q
Where 'P' is the piece being moved (Pawn) , 'Q' is promotion to (Queen), 'e8' is the file ('e') and rank ('8')?
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