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1500 questions
13
votes
3 answers
Horde Chess Guide?
I have recently discovered Horde Chess on lichess.org and was wondering if there is somewhere a online guide on some openings or on some general tactic?
I'm really a beginner in general chess itself also, but this seems like its simpler and more…
Vepir
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13
votes
3 answers
Why is castling seen as making the king so safe?
I'm an amateur chess player.
I was reading an article about how f7 is such a vulnerable square and how castling makes the king safe and attacks on F7 no longer worrisome. But looking at it, I am wondering, is this really that much better for the…
JSavant
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13
votes
3 answers
When and why should I trade minor pieces?
After looking at bishop placement and bishops compared to knights i came to the following question:
When would it be beneficial to trade a knight for a bishop, or vice versa?
This includes the following:
Trading a fianchettoed bishop and a…
Aric
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13
votes
7 answers
How can I scan a chessboard and obtain its FEN?
I am planning to create a chess puzzle book for beginners. Diagrams need to be published in the book. Right now I have all the materials in PDF. But I need a software to create diagrams for a particular chess position. Is there any way to scan chess…
Unni Krishnan
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13
votes
3 answers
Computer endgame strength without tablebases
I have seen that engines aren't particularly strong in the openings without access to a book.
How strong are modern engines in the endgame when they are not allowed access to tablebases? E.g., can a computer typically win those difficult endgames…
wim
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13
votes
1 answer
What is the origin of Tal's expression "They can only take one at a time"?
The expression refers to aggressive attacking style where one side leaves multiple pieces attacked, but the opponent cannot take full advantage of it since "they can only take one at a time". Was this said by Tal in an interview or in a book…
Joe
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13
votes
2 answers
Are certain foods or drinks better to consume than others when playing chess?
Whenever I play long tournament games, I find that I drink simply enormous amounts of water, far more than my typical rate in daily life (and maybe even more than when I am unusually physically active). I don't do this deliberately, or with any…
ETD
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13
votes
2 answers
Let's beat the Benko Gambit!
I play 1. d4 as White and I have success against almost all Black defences, except the Benko Gambit, where I score about 30%.
My style is that I like solid, closed, positional games if I can, but I can handle myself tactically too. However I find…
user1108
13
votes
3 answers
Early-game Principles
I am a novice player who is trying to brush up on the core principles for successful chess.
Instead of focusing on specific openings in the beginnings of a game, I am trying to play to certain principles, namely:
Control of the centre by a…
theringostarrs
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13
votes
1 answer
White to force the end of the game in two moves
I found this hilarious problem and hope people will have fun solving it:
Niels Hoeg, Skakbladet 1907
[FEN "8/8/6p1/5pP1/5P1K/5PpP/4p2p/2Q2Bkr w - - 0 1"]
White to end the game in two moves.
In this case, that means that white plays moves so that,…
RemcoGerlich
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13
votes
2 answers
What is the shortest number of moves from the starting position required for Black to mate White with a pawn?
Interesting puzzle that is quite hard to stop.
Darth Panther
- 139
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13
votes
5 answers
Why is Kh8 the best move in this position for black?
Why is, according to Stockfish (depth = 28), Kh8 the best move here for black?
This is a position from a game between Emanuel Lasker and Wilhelm Steinitz, 1896.
Nb6 seems to be the natural move in this position. At least to me (an intermediate…
Srijannath
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13
votes
3 answers
World Cup: passed pawns vs extra piece
[fen "N7/P3pk1p/3p2p1/r4p2/8/4b2B/4P1KP/1R6 w - - 0 34"]
[white "Max Illingworth"]
[black "Pentala Harikrishna"]
White to move.
In this World Cup game, Black demonstrated the power of pawns and won the game despite being a piece down. I think…
SmallChess
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13
votes
3 answers
How do you draw in an opposite color bishops endgame with two pawns down?
Is it possible to draw in such an endgame? Are there exceptions? If so, what are they?
user122965
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13
votes
4 answers
Is there a good book on the 1927 Capablanca-Alekhine world championship match?
To disambiguate what I mean by the shorthand "good" in the question's title:
Is there an English-language book that tells the story of the 1927 world championship match between Capablanca and Alekhine, and which includes substantial annotations of…
ETD
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