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1500 questions
19
votes
7 answers
How can one get the best possible result against a player of very different strength?
I (about a 1500 player) once took White against a 2100 player, and played a Queen's Gambit. I lost of course, but the other player complimented my play. He said, "You played well for about 20 moves, and made a small mistake on the 21st, which I took…
Tom Au
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19
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1 answer
What was Anand thinking in the 1994 Armageddon blitz semifinal?
In the famous Blitz semifinal armageddon in 1994, Anand spends 1:43 minutes (from his 5 minutes available) on move 4, and ends up winning the game.
What exactly was he thinking? Are there any interviews (text, sound or video) available where he…
d4zed
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19
votes
11 answers
What projects have been undertaken to solve chess completely?
Chess is not completely solved yet but what efforts have been undertaken to solve it? Has there been a large project like the HGP or is something like that even worth pursuing? What failed efforts have been there if any? I am speculating that the…
shashank shekhar singh
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19
votes
3 answers
What is the best strategy for an amateur to last as many moves as possible against a GM?
As an amateur chess player, I have been pondering this question for quite a bit now:
In case of an amateur playing against a Grandmaster, what strategy would lengthen inevitable defeat?
I am assuming that a Grandmaster will always beat an amateur;…
Lt. Commander. Data
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19
votes
5 answers
What is right way to set up King & Queen In the beginning of game?
I know this is very basic question, but I just started playing and want to know. How do you set up king and queen the right way?
Heading
I generally get confused between the King and Queen and what square they start from. I recently read this about…
jeanstevens
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19
votes
3 answers
THE longest problem ever (much longer than the mere 549 mover...)
The "Fireside Book of Chess" by I. Chernev and F. Reinfeld includes the following diagram
[fen "3nk3/3NN3/3PP3/3BB3/3PP3/3PP3/3PP3/2RQKR2 w - - 0 1"]
Composed by J.N. Babson for Brentano's Chess Monthly in 1882. Mate on
the 1220th move, after…
yrodro
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19
votes
12 answers
Why does a knight combine better with the queen than a bishop does?
From this question, the couple queen + knight is strong in attacking the opponent's king.
I searched why the knight combines better than the bishop with a queen, and all I could find, from this article, is:
"Knights cooperate better than bishops…
user18196
19
votes
2 answers
What should a player do in blitz if he knocks a piece on to the floor after pressing the clock?
This question is prompted by an incident in today's World Blitz championship in Moscow as described and shown in this tweet.
What happened was that Nakamura made a move, pressed the clock, on the way back from pressing the clock his hand caught his…
Brian Towers
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19
votes
9 answers
Why is the light-squared bishop considered White's best bishop?
The same question applies to Black where the dark-squared bishop is considered Black's best bishop.
This was from the book "Logical Chess Move by Move" by Irving Chernev where he quotes Siegbert Tarrasch as saying the King's Bishop is the greatest…
xaisoft
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19
votes
3 answers
Learning the hypermodern style
Which openings and middle game tactics are highly used when a player utilizes a hypermodern style of gameplay? What particular tactics are most effective when playing hypermodern?
Chris Bunch
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19
votes
8 answers
Players who play fast in longer time control games
I see it all the time on the net. Some players play, for example, a 15-minute game with a 10-second increment, and they finish the game with more time than what they started with! I've heard players doing this even in OTB tournaments- games that…
X X
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19
votes
2 answers
Why are there few or no black super GMs?
In the history of FIDE chess competitions or rankings, why hasn't there been a black super GM (2750+ elo)? What could be the hindrance or what is it that the black players are not doing right that other players from other races are doing right in…
Phemelo Khetho
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19
votes
2 answers
What is the origin/history of the traditional piece values?
Almost everyone knows the standard rules of thumb: a minor piece is worth three pawns, a rook is worth five pawns, and a queen is worth nine. (I’m aware that this is debated; in particular many theorists think the exchange is worth less than two…
Brennan Vincent
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19
votes
2 answers
What should the arbiter and what should have I done in this case?
Recently, an official (FIDE-rated) tournament was held, where I participated.
In the last round – which was the most critical one – I was black and my opponent white. In the middle of the game, they started making strange sounds, which clearly…
double-beep
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19
votes
3 answers
Term for checking piece whose opponent daren't capture it
What if any, is the term for a piece whose owner gets a draw by keeping up a relentless series of checks with it -- a paradox being that even if this player puts it en prise, the opponent daren't capture it because that would deliver stalemate?
The…
Rosie F
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