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How does the "French Defense, Winawer Variation, Fingerslip Variation" get its name?

Why is this particular iteration of the "French Defense, Winawer Variation" called the "Fingerslip Variation"? [fen "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd2
alex
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What color squares should pawns be on with one bishop left?

This slightly confuses me. If I have one bishop left - let's say it is the light-squared bishop - ss it better for my pawns to be on the light squares or dark squares? Let's assume also that my opponent has a dark-squared bishop. The way I look…
xaisoft
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Piece movement statistics

I have wondered about piece movement statistics, for example: How many times is a piece moved in average (in general, but also per-piece, as I'm guessing the Queen moves more than any specific pawn)? What is the average maximum number of moves for…
Ramon Snir
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How to study a chess tactics book?

I've been playing chess for quite a while now, but I still consider myself a beginner. I play with friends most of the time. Now I want to get better so I bougth a tactics book (Yusupov: Build up your chess - The fundamentals). But I'm wondering how…
DocFeelgood
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14
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2 answers

Time control notation explained?

Can someone explain this time control notation to me? 6SS, 40/120 sd30 d5
Derek Chiang
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2 answers

What is counterplay?

I hear this term in online commentaries. I have a vague sense of what it means: you earn yourself some good moves by ignoring a portion of the board and focusing on more promising parts of your play. It's as if you are telling your opponent: Sure…
Inspired_Blue
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14
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How to solve mate-in-N problems

Here is a mate-in-4 I have been trying to solve: [FEN "2r4r/b5pp/q3pp2/8/4QBk1/8/3R1PPK/4R3 w - - 0 1"] (white mates in 4). I have been looking at it for about half an hour but not solved it. My question is: what can I do to improve my ability to…
M.M
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Chess Tempo #97369 - Is the problem's solution wrong?

Can black force a win (against perfect play) after the following moves? [FEN "6k1/5p2/1Pp3pb/2q4p/1rNpPP2/3Q2PP/8/5RK1 b - - 0 1"] [StartPly "3"] 1... Rxc4 2. b7 (1. {Chess Tempo #97369}) A quick summary of this position is: Black is initially an…
Mark Byers
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How to convert ChessBase format files to .pgn?

While downloading some games I came across some files in ChessBase format: .cbv .cbf .cbh I would like to know if is is possible to convert these files to .pgn format without using proprietary software and how it can be made.
lodebari
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Are there any examples of high-level games in which the game was resigned or drawn without any captures?

Are there examples of high-level games which were resigned or drawn before any captures were made? Along similar lines, what game had the most moves before a capture was made? Edit: I'm especially interested in longer games without captures (I'd…
Daniel
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How to download Stockfish and install it on the Fritz/ChessBase GUI?

I'm on Windows 8. I have the Fritz/ChessBase GUI since I bought both Fritz 12 and Houdini 3 Pro. I would like to know how exactly can I download and install the free latest version (and most powerful version) of Stockfish. I've found this website to…
Fate
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What does "+-" mean in algebraic notation?

I'm familiar with chess notation, but this has left me scratching my head. Looking at this answer, I see two games ending with moves marked as "+-" or "-+" (plus-minus or minus-plus). What does this annotation mean? Is it standard? And why are the…
Esoteric Screen Name
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What are the benefits of learning to play chess as an adult (30s) if any?

I played chess when I was a child, but never got into it seriously (I didn't know it was possible at that age). Nowadays I'm playing regularly as a hobby and I'm interested in how this can affect my performance in other aspects of my life (specially…
mimetist
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Is the Grand Prix Attack a poor response to the Sicilian?

The Grand Prix Attack begins 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4. It is an anti-Sicilian for white that is popular among club players because playing it requires memorizing significantly less theory than the open Sicilian. However, I wonder if playing it is a…
Potato
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Checkmate with two knights?

Is it really possible to checkmate with two knights and king against a king? There is a mating position with this but no extra tempo to do it in real game. What are the explanations, why knights cannot create an extra tempo around 64 squares on the…
kjames
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