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1500 questions
17
votes
4 answers
How is this checkmate?
So I'm somewhat of a new player to chess and I'm currently reading a chess book which is explaining all the different terms. In one instance it describes what stalemate is; "If your opponent has no legal legal moves and is not I)in check, then you…
RebeccaW
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17
votes
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Analysis of positional play by a very aggressive player
After checking that it was okay to seek analysis on this site, I decided to post this recent game against a 1950 (I was white, 1650) with post-game annotations (forgive my excess rambling). I think it was quite an interesting game, as it featured a…
chubbycantorset
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17
votes
1 answer
Can this exchange-down endgame be explained succinctly?
I am interested in the following exchange-down endgame (assume White to move):
[fen "6k1/5ppp/8/8/1r6/5KP1/5P1P/5B2 w - - 0 1"]
In particular, I am wondering whether this is objectively drawn (my hunch) or whether Black has a winning advantage. But…
ETD
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17
votes
3 answers
Willingly giving up castling rights in the opening?
[fen ""]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5
I've seen the Ukrainian/Old Indian Defence played in several GM games before 1970, and was wondering what black gained from willingly giving up castling rights in the opening. According to this source, black…
chubbycantorset
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17
votes
6 answers
How is Kasparov vs Shirov 1992 a victory?
There is no check.
Was it a victory on time? Or did Shirov resign?
In all the discussion over this game it's just accepted that Kasparov won, without anyone mentioning the reason for his victory.
And it is so often called a great game, whereas I…
Rohit
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17
votes
3 answers
What does it mean to call a line "sharp"?
I am a chess newbie and I was watching a video on four knights opening and the person was discussing another variation and he said that one is dramatic and quite sharp. From what I saw, it seems "sharp" means immediate mating threats.
Wiki has…
JSavant
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17
votes
4 answers
How should black meet the Halloween Gambit?
Although the Halloween Gambit is generally considered bad (and nearly losing for white), it is tricky to meet over the board, especially at the club level.
How should black play in order to refute white's gambit?
[White "Four Knights"]
[Black…
Andrew
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17
votes
2 answers
How come chess prodigies seem to start at a young age?
I started looking into the history of a few grandmasters such as Fischer and Carlsen, so I wondered: why does it seem that chess "kings" and queens" start playing the game from a young age? Can anyone show me any grandmasters who started playing…
Flair
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17
votes
3 answers
High-quality (not bitmap) diagram software
I'm looking for software that can take FEN and generate a high-quality diagram, in PDF, Postscript, Windows metafile, or something else that will look good at 1200x1200 dpi or better. I thought the various chess engines would do it, but their…
Andrew Lazarus
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17
votes
2 answers
Has AI changed opening theory, and if so, how?
Pre-AI, it's hard to imagine that opening moves had changed much. Following the birth of computer engines, has AI changed opening theory, and if so, how?
blunders
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17
votes
3 answers
Endgame: Rook + Knight vs Rook
What happens in the endgame Rook + Knight vs Rook? Is it a draw, or can the side with the knight win? I came across this a few days ago, and I managed to win with the Rook + Knight, but I am not sure if that is just because my opponent made a…
EPN
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17
votes
6 answers
Is it possible to improve by playing mostly blitz?
Can you improve significantly in chess by playing mostly blitz (say, 3 0) games? Or will you eventually reach a wall where the only way to advance is by sitting down for lengthy periods analyzing board positions?
The way I see it, blitz is good…
YoungMoney
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17
votes
3 answers
What are the possible results of a game?
What is the range of possible results of a chess game?
I am asking this question, because I am developing an XML schema for recording chess games; sort of like an XML version of PGN, and I need a way to classify and record the game result.
The list…
Sean B. Durkin
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17
votes
2 answers
The theory of pawn breaks
Does there exist a theory of pawn breaks?
Of course, there exists a theory of static pawn structure and good bishops; but I was thinking of rooks rather than bishops, and of aggressive pawns that open files rather than positional pawns that control…
thb
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17
votes
6 answers
The moves leading to the winning combination
We've all worked tactics problems. I can do those pretty well. Yet I have never been able to pull off one of these amazing combinations in my games. Not once.
These tactical situations don't arise from nowhere - they are created.
I had a bit of…
Tony Ennis
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