The English Opening derives its name from its association with the Englishman Howard Staunton, who played it six times against St. Amant in their 1843 match, and also in the historic London tournament of 1851. Staunton and his contemporaries understood many of the strategies that today we call “hypermodern”. English Player GM Howard Staunton Well-known […]
On a chessboard, the Knight is often depicted as a horse’s head. The Knight represents the medieval professional soldier, who protected people of higher rank, like the King and the Queen. Just as knights held a special place in the court of King Arthur, Knights are also special in the game of chess. With that […]
The piece we now know as the Bishop originated in India and would have appeared as an elephant in an Indian chess set. When chess arrived in the west, European players remodeled the piece to represent a member of the church clergy, who used to hold positions of great power in royal courts. The Bishop […]
The Queen is extremely powerful and the only chess piece that represents a woman. At the start of the battle, she stands next to the King and although it may be tempting to leave her to protect her King, it is better to use her strength to attack the enemy forces. So how does the […]
It’s important that beginner players understand what the touch move rule is in chess. It’s quite often that a player will touch one piece and move another. In that scenario, you should know what to do and say. The Touch-Move rule states that during a tournament or competition, if a player touches a piece with […]
Every square on a chessboard has its own name. Each piece has its own outline shape that is unique and distinguishable. The King, Queen, Bishop, Rook, Knight, and Pawn are all represented by a letter that is used when the moves are written down in chess move notation. How to write down chess moves? When […]
While playing chess, there are only a few things more embarrassing than getting checkmated in 4 moves. To prevent this from happening to you, you need to know how this opening trick is performed and know how to prevent it. Scholar’s mate, which is also known as the 4 Move Checkmate, is a great way […]
The king is the most important piece on the chessboard and is the commander of the whole army. The objective of the game is to trap your opponent’s king or deliver checkmate. This means you must protect your king at all times. The downfall of your king, as in days of old, means your opponent […]
Where was chess invented? The game of chess may have been invented in India as far back as the 6th century AD or in the 5th century AD. However, a few Historians have claimed that the game likely originated in China. Although based on the records, there is no clear answer. On the other hand, there are […]
According to the Oxford dictionary, a sport is defined as any activity that involves physical exertion and skill in which a person or team competes against one another for entertainment purposes. This leads us to the question, “Is chess a sport or a game? Chess is NOT a sport because players do not compete based […]