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1500 questions
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4 answers

Are there any gambits where I HAVE to decline?

I know popular openings like the Queen's Gambit can be accepted with an initiative for white. Is there any gambit where accepting it would lead to a forced mate for the player that accepted it?
dinosauce33
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2 answers

How many moves of head start does white need for a guaranteed win?

As we all know, it is not known whether white can always win in chess with optimal play. If, however, white got to make two moves before black made their first move would they be able to win with perfect play? What would those first two moves be?…
Milo Moses
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6 answers

Is it possible Alpha Zero will eventually solve chess?

I googled this question and ended up here. From previous questions, it seems Alpha Zero has not solved chess yet and if it does it will take a very long time. Nonetheless, it may be possible one day. I am wondering whether the programmers, or…
user1885504
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3 answers

Open source chess playing or pgn viewing libraries

Is anyone familiar with any open source chess libraries in any language that can do any of the following: parse PGNs and/or FENs calculate valid chess moves based on position process an entire chess game EDIT: Sorry, I should be more clear. I'm…
James Tomasino
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9 answers

Why is it acceptable to resign?

In nearly every non-chess field of competition I can think of, it is generally considered poor sportsmanship to quit before the game or match is played to completion. When playing other board games* (Monopoly or draughts/checkers, for example)…
GreenMatt
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1 answer

What do DTM, DTZ, DTC, DTR, DTZ50, and DTZR mean?

I need help clarifying the abbreviations and acronyms used in endgame tablebases. Just what do DTM, DTZ, DTC, DTR, DTZ50, DTZR mean?
edwina oliver
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16
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11 answers

Chess Tournaments Without Studying Theory?

I have played chess since a very young age and my tactics are very developed in my opinion. However, I never bothered to read chess related books about opening or related theory. This often leads to interesting games as I don't follow well known…
lbragile
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8 answers

How does one memorize a chess game?

I study games from books, and would like to retain some of them in my memory, especially the opening part. I also want to remember my own games (I play about 5-10 tournament games - mostly against >2000 ELO rated players, and some rapid ones here…
Joe
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1 answer

What are the essentials of chess etiquette in a serious, over-the-board tournament game?

I'm asking this question to provide players who are starting to play in tournaments a guide on proper behavior during games. I'll give an answer myself - perhaps we could supply an answer collectively via a community wiki.
Andrew Ng
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3 answers

When is it legal to castle moving the rook first?

As a follow on from the question Is it legal to castle with a "ghost" rook: When is it legal (according to the FIDE Laws of Chess) to castle moving the rook first?
Brian Towers
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How many different ways are there to checkmate in the early game?

We all know the shortest possible checkmate is 4 ply: f3 e5 g4 Qh5# This isn't the only possible move order. In fact, there are 8, depending on whether white moves the f or g pawn first, whether he moves the f pawn to f3 or f4, and whether…
eyeballfrog
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3 answers

Was Wolfgang Unzicker the last Amateur GM?

Wolfgang Unzicker was a German GM, rated about 2550 and worked as a judge. In the sense of holding down a job while playing, he was an "amateur" player. So was Unzicker, a GM in the 70's, the last amateur GM?
Snack_Food_Termite
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16
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3 answers

Why is algebraic notation called algebraic?

How does algebra relate to this chess notation? Why do they call this chess notation algebraic?
DrStrangeLove
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16
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2 answers

Randomness in engine play

If I get two engines to play against each other with the same colours, will the same game result every time? If not, where does the randomness in engine play come from? (Neglecting the opening book, where if I'm not mistaken the book can tell the…
Allure
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3 answers

Why can a chess move improve the chance of winning, according to the computer?

When watching the Sinquefield cup on http://grandchesstour.org/, it is possible to try different moves qnd see how the computer evaluates the position after your suggested move. Most moves will impair your position if it is not considered the best…
jonasfh
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