Explore simple yet insightful resources to kickstart your chess mastery in this category.
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
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
Chess is a game of infinite possibilities—well, almost. For all the creativity you can bring to the board, there are some hard-and-fast rules that simply cannot be broken. When you make an illegal move, it’s like trying to sprint through a wall. You don’t get anywhere, and it’s probably not going to end well for … Read more
Explaining chess to a 5-year-old can feel like teaching a cat to use a treadmill—it might take some creativity, but it’s totally possible (and surprisingly rewarding). Kids love stories, fun challenges, and the occasional laugh, so the trick is to make chess less of a textbook and more of an adventure. Let’s break down the … Read more
If regular chess is the ultimate mental workout, blindfold chess is running a marathon while juggling flaming torches. It’s a mind-bending feat where players play without looking at the board. Yes, you read that right—no physical board, no pieces. Just the vast chessboard of the mind. Blindfold chess sounds impossible to most people. Yet, for … Read more
Chess is full of dramatic checkmates, jaw-dropping tactics, and heart-stopping blunders. But sometimes, the drama fades into a quiet, unyielding standoff. Enter the 50-move rule—a rule that ensures no game of chess will drag on forever, even if the players are as stubborn as two toddlers arguing over the last cookie. What Is the 50-Move … Read more
Chess is full of peculiar quirks that make the game as beautiful as it is challenging. Among them, en passant is the most delightfully obscure. It’s the kind of rule that sparks heated debates in beginner games and smug smiles in expert ones. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Wait, that’s allowed?” after someone captures … Read more
When it comes to chess, there’s more to the game than just capturing queens and shouting “checkmate.” One fascinating number is your Performance Rating (Rp)—a nifty way of saying, “How well did you really play against these opponents?” Let’s explore the three main ways to calculate this magical number, in a fun and simple way! … Read more