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1500 questions
22
votes
3 answers
Are there still wins by an actual checkmate?
At the international level, I normally see games that are either decided by a draw or one player resigning. It seems that players at the international level don't let the game result in an actual checkmate, and resign before that happens. Do…
xaisoft
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22
votes
4 answers
When and why was the notation changed from descriptive to algebraic?
When I was young I used to play chess with the the old form of notation KB (King Bishop square number), even books used to have the same notation, then later found that everyone was using algebraic, is descriptive notation dead? Why?
Binoj Antony
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22
votes
4 answers
What is the longest known sequence of forced moves leading to a checkmate for one side?
By forced move, it is meant that the player has only one legal move.
[fen "7k/q5Q1/p4PPK/6PP/8/5P2/8/8 b - - 0 1"]
1... Qxg7+ 2. fxg7+ Kg8 3. f4 a5 4. f5 a4 5. f6 a3 6. f7#
Above is an example with 10 half-moves. Each half-move is the only legal…
Peter
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22
votes
4 answers
What other games or chess variants are useful to improve your chess skills?
I know about Chess960, and you can play that online at lichess.org. Furthermore, I like playing Go as well. But are there any good variants and other ways to train that you use, and you know to work well?
LaPingvino
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22
votes
9 answers
What are some activities besides chess which help improve chess play?
What activities, be they physical or mental, do you use to improve your chess? Have you recently taken up something and noticed a positive change in your game? One thing I can think of is exercising such as walking or swimming. Are there any…
xaisoft
- 16,753
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22
votes
2 answers
A player falls asleep during the game and his friend wakes him -- illegal?
I witnessed this: a player who burnt the candle at both ends fell asleep during the game and his friend woke him up. His opponent vehemently objected. How should this have been handled?
I do not recall if his friend simply shook him awake or used…
releseabe
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22
votes
1 answer
Basic "mate in one move" puzzle - what am I missing?
I am extremely new to chess and have been working through some "mate in one" problems on chesspuzzles.com for practice. This one has me very confused though:
The stated answer is:
Bg6#
But why? Can't black's king move to d8 or e7 after that? I…
ConfusedInOneMove
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22
votes
2 answers
What is the deepest Stockfish evaluation of the standard initial position that has ever been done?
Letting Stockfish (14+ NNUE) run for several minutes with lichess' analysis tool on the initial position of a standard chess board lets it reach depths beyond 30 moves, I suppose letting it run for many hours or days would result in an even deeper…
2080
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22
votes
1 answer
Why underpromote? Hjartarson vs Andersen
Chess.com - Praggnanandhaa wins 2022 Reykjavik Open:
he missed a unique underpromotion to a bishop as the only move to win the position
Why does a Queen promotion not win him the game?
James
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22
votes
2 answers
Did the Queen's Gambit series lead to an increased popularity of the Queen's Gambit opening?
A number of sources have commented on the impact of the Queen's Gambit series on the chess world, usually referring to online chess:
The Queen’s Gambit, the Chess Boom, and the Future of Chess
How has The Queen’s Gambit impacted the popularity of…
SecretAgentMan
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22
votes
5 answers
Why are such complicated time controls popular?
In professional chess, I often see oddly arcane time controls. For instance, in the 2021 WCC
each game was 120 minutes per side for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second…
Bernardo Sulzbach
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22
votes
8 answers
Can a player in check win, by checkmating the opponent, while not getting themselves out of check?
Consider a player who is in check. Suppose they can make a move that would checkmate the opponent, but would not stop themselves from being in check. Would that be a legal move?
For example, in the position below, if Black plays ...Rf8, it will put…
user32279
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22
votes
5 answers
What stops me from pumping up my rating by playing a 200 game match against a much weaker (>400 point difference) player?
This question is inspired by this extract from a question about minimum rating gain:
One of the top 10 players in the world (say Magnus Carlsen), wants to increase his rating to 3000. He has a good friend who has 1200 in rating, and who is willing…
Brian Towers
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22
votes
1 answer
What will happen if all games are draws for a World Chess Championship?
What will happen if all the games in the World Chess Championship are draws? Who will be considered the world champion?
Johan Jomy
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22
votes
2 answers
Why is ..Kh8 so much worse than ..Kg7 after Nf6?
I just "failed" this Lichess exercise. Main line is Stockfish's, secondary is mine's.
[FEN "r5k1/3N1p1p/2p1p1pb/3pP3/p2P3q/5P2/PP2QP1P/R4RK1 b - - 2 19"]
1...Bf4 2. Nf6 Kg7 {-5.4 according to Stockfish} (2...Kh8 {+1.9??} 3. Ng4 Qh3 {why not h5…
walen
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