Chess Guides

Are Chess Players Good At Math? Case Studies Reveal

Chess Guides By Andrew Hercules

Are chess players good at math? Studies have been done in various locations around the United States and Canada, showing that playing chess results in increased scores in mathematics exams. Chess players are good at maths because the game promotes thinking skills, develops visual memory, requires constant calculation and it introduces geometric concepts such as […]

About

Hercules Chess is the ultimate resource blog for learning chess. We are dedicated to helping you improve your game.

Affiliate Information

When possible, Hercules Chess uses affiliate links (at no additional cost to you) to earn a commission on qualifying purchases.

Are Chess Players Athletes?

Are Chess Players Athletes?

By Andrew Hercules

Are Chess Players athletes? An athlete is anyone who competes in an athletic sport such as Track and Field. Although chess can be physically exerting after long hours of play, chess players are NOT athletes because they do not compete based on athletic prowess. Is Chess Physically Demanding? Chess can be physically demanding and it’s […]

Why Is Chess Separated By Gender? Raising the Bar For Women In Chess

Why Is Chess Separated By Gender? Raising the Bar For Women In Chess

By Andrew Hercules

Chess isn’t necessarily separated by gender since women do have the option to play together with men in absolute tournaments. The reason for a gender split in chess is to encourage more women to compete as men greatly outweigh women at all levels of competitive chess. Sometimes a woman playing in an absolute tournament can […]

How Many Chess Games Are Possible? This Will Blow Your Mind!

How Many Chess Games Are Possible? This Will Blow Your Mind!

By Andrew Hercules

Have you ever wondered how many games of chess can be possibly played on a chessboard? Well, according to major sources, there is a popular fact that the number of games of chess is greater than the number of atoms there are in the observable universe. This number of games is known as Shannon’s number,  […]

Are Chess Players Rich? The Truth About Making Money In Chess

Are Chess Players Rich? The Truth About Making Money In Chess

By Andrew Hercules

While the vast majority of pro chess players are NOT rich, the best chess players in the world make over 100k USD from the game of chess. Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana who played in the 2019 world chess championship made over $1 million dollars each of the past two year from solely chess winnnings. […]

Which Chess Pieces Can Jump Over Each Other

Which Chess Pieces Can Jump Over Each Other

By Andrew Hercules

The only chess piece that can jump over each other is the knight. The knight is shaped like a horse and is also sometimes referred to as the horse. Each player is dealt two knights at the beginning of each game. The knight starts by standing next to the rook on both sides and moves […]

Which is the least powerful piece on a chess board?

Which is the least powerful piece on a chess board?

By Andrew Hercules

The chess piece that holds the lowest theoretical value is the pawn. They are considered the least powerful because they can only move one square forward at a time. The pawn is the first line of defense that everybody has on the board and is worth only 1 point. There are 8 pawns on each […]

What’s The Most Powerful Chess Piece?

What’s The Most Powerful Chess Piece?

By Andrew Hercules

The most powerful and effective piece on the chess board is nonetheless, the queen. The Queen hold the most value (a total of 9 points) on the chessboard because she can control up to a maximum of 26 squares. The position of the queen is next to the king; the white queen starts off standing […]

Which Chess Piece Starts on a1 and h1?

Which Chess Piece Starts on a1 and h1?

By Andrew Hercules

When setting up the chessboard, it’s important to know which chess piece starts on the a1 and h1 squares. The Rooks also known as the Elephant are the only chess pieces that starts on the a1 and h1 squares. These squares can be found on the far ends of the board, one on each side. […]

How Do Chess Tournaments Work: Preparing For Your First Tournament!

How Do Chess Tournaments Work: Preparing For Your First Tournament!

By Andrew Hercules

When you have been playing and looking into chess for some time, sooner or later the day arrives when you would like to meet “real opponents” and see how you measure up in a tournament with other players. That first tournament is a decisive moment in a child’s chess career. It can bring it to […]

So what are you waiting for?

Sign Up Now