The Language of Chess
Every square in chess has a name based on a coordinate system. All files have a letter, from a - h, going from the queen's...
Moving and Capturing
A great strategy to help win chess games is to capture opposing pieces. Most captures are made the same way that pieces...
Check
Check means that one side is threatening to capture the opposing king. You never capture the king in chess, so the other...
Getting Out Of Check
When you are in check you must escape check. The ways to get out of check are to move the king, block the check with another...
Checkmate
You win when your opponent is in check and cannot escape. That is called checkmate!
Fastest Checkmate
Have you ever wondered what the fastest possible checkmate is in chess? The fastest possible checkmate takes only two moves....
Stalemate
Stalemate occurs when there are no possible moves, but neither king is in check. Stalemate is a draw, even if one of the...
Other Draws
Not all chess games are won or lost. Sometimes they end in a draw. These are the ways that can happen: 1. Stalemate. 2....
Castling
Castling is a special move to protect your king and activate your rook. It's the only time in chess you can move two pieces...
En Passant
This is the most unusual rule in chess - make sure you learn it. En-passant occurs when a pawn has just moved two squares....
Finding The Right Move
There are dozens of possible chess moves at any time. How do you find the right one? Each turn you will want to consider...
Playing A Game
Watch a complete game of chess played with all moves explained, 1. e4 c6 Both sides move pawns towards the center. 2. d4...
How To Set Up A Chessboard‎
Now that you know how the pieces move, it's time to set up and start the game. Each player starts with a light square in...
Pawn Promotion
When a pawn reaches the end of the board it promotes, which means it turns into another piece. You can promote to a knight,...
The Pawn
Typically pawns move one square forward each move. However, pawns have a couple of special features. A pawn can advance...
The Knight
The knight is the only chess piece that doesn't go in a straight line. The knight moves two squares in one direction and...
The Bishop
The bishop can move diagonally like a queen, but not forward, backward or sideways. Each side starts with two bishops, one...
The Rook
The rook can move forward, backward and sideways like a queen. However, unlike the queen, the rook can't move diagonally.
The Queen
The king is the most important piece in chess, but the queen is the most powerful. The queen can move forwards, backward,...
The King And The Goal
Chess is an exciting game and easy to learn. It’s played on an 8x8 board with 64 squares and 32 pieces. The game is won...
Top 5 Chess Games Of 2019
Check out the highlights of the five best chess games of 2019!
How To Play The Catalan: The Modern Main Line
GM Georg Meier has already covered many of the attacking ideas in the Catalan. Now he covers one of the current main lines,...
Daniel Naroditsky's Best Game: vs Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez
See grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky's best ever game! It's a hard-fought win against Cuban grandmaster, Isan Reynaldo Ortiz...
How To Defend In Chess: Simplify!
How do you defend tough positions in chess? One strategy is to simplify to a salvageable position. Look for stalemates,...
How To Defend In Chess: Complicate It
How do you defend tough positions in chess? One important way is to complicate the game, muddying the waters so your opponent...