Chess is full of surprises, and few are as satisfying as the zwischenzug. This German word (pronounced tsvish-en-tsook) translates to “intermediate move,” but in chess, it means so much more. A zwischenzug is a sly, tactical move that interrupts the flow of the game, catches your opponent off guard, and turns a seemingly ordinary situation … Read more
Checkmate. The word itself is like a mic drop in chess. It’s not just a move—it’s a statement. A declaration of victory. A proclamation that your king is safe and their king is not. Checkmate is where the game ends, the crowd roars (even if it’s just your cat), and you get to sit back … Read more
Discover Freestyle Chess, a thrilling new take on chess backed by Magnus Carlsen, blending strategy and unpredictability to reshape the future of the game. There is a football tournament in Spain called the Kings League, founded by former center-back Gerard Piqué and famous streamer Ibai Llanos in late 2022. To date, the tournament has raised … Read more
Lu Miaoyi is not your everyday teenager. Born in February 2010, this Chinese chess star is already an International Master (IM) with a peak FIDE rating of 2449. At just 15 years old, she ranks as the No. 2 junior girl in the world—only behind Divya Deshmukh—and is the reigning Chinese women’s national champion. Her … Read more
Ah, 1.d4—the opening that whispers, “I’m here for a strategic, positional grind, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” But don’t let this seemingly innocent pawn push fool you. With the right moves, you can flip the script and make 1.d4 players wish they had stuck to TikTok during their chess study sessions. Here’s … Read more
On December 31st, 2024, Ju Wenjun made history by winning the blitz women’s final of the 2024 World Chess Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York. This marks the first time a Chinese chess player has claimed the blitz world championship. With this victory, Ju Wenjun has achieved a rare Grand Slam, becoming only the … Read more
It’s a question every beginner has asked at some point. You’re playing a game, and the opposing king is just sitting there, one square away. You’ve got your own king nearby, ready to deliver the final blow. Then someone says, “You can’t do that.” Wait. Why not? Let’s clear this up: No, a king cannot … Read more
Chess is the ultimate test of strategy and patience, but even the best players aren’t immune to the occasional oops moment. Enter the blunder: the move that makes you question everything, from your opening prep to why you even sat down at the board. Blunders are chess’s way of reminding us that perfection is a … Read more
Endgames are where the magic happens in chess. When the board is stripped down to just a few pieces, every move counts. But what do you do when you’re in an unbalanced endgame? You know, those tricky situations where you’ve got a rook, and your opponent has two knights. Or maybe you’ve got an extra … Read more
Chess has witnessed many transformations over the centuries, but few innovations are as thrilling as Freestyle Chess, also known as Fischer Random or Chess960. This chess variant shakes up the traditional setup by randomizing the back rank’s pieces, creating 960 unique starting positions. Now, this variant is taking center stage in the form of the … Read more