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1500 questions
11
votes
5 answers
Why Anand and Carlsen insisted on playing the same opening/defense
They played the Berlin defense and Ruy Lopez. Well the question is more like: why Anand insisted to play Ruy Lopez again and again. wouldn't be better if he had tried najdorf and nimzo indian earlier? I felt like Anand is giving Carlen the world…
Lynob
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11
votes
1 answer
Open problems in chess involving maximum material imbalances
I am posting the present question since here Very unbalanced Chess Positions I have introduced three open problems (i.e., the third one, the fourth one, and the sixth one from the above), regarding maximum material imbalances reachable in final…
Marco Ripà
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11
votes
2 answers
When is it okay to break a pin using kingside pawns?
In the following position, Stockfish recommends h3 followed by g4. I can understand feeling okay to move your kingside pawns in a closed position or an endgame, but I don't know if this position would qualify as either.
What about this position…
Dan Seidner
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11
votes
5 answers
What real world benefits are there to playing chess?
What are possible real world benefits to be gained by playing chess? Has this been studied?
Alsaraha
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11
votes
4 answers
Is there a position with the stupidest possible move?
I define a stupid move as a move that
puts the opponent in zugzwang so that all their moves result in mate in one (weaker version: a loss);
is chosen instead of a move that gives mate in one (weaker version: a limited number of moves).
A move is…
Bob Jansen
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11
votes
4 answers
How to pass 1000 elo
Currently my chess.com rating is fluctuating between 1000 - 1050. What are some common pitfalls that players in this range make and how can I capitalize on them? I've been playing for about 5 months and am looking to take it more seriously. Here the…
Jared
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11
votes
5 answers
Fianchetto bishop vs. normal bishop?
I have found the following disadvantages of the fianchetto bishop:
1) The diagonal it controls is often blocked by the knight in its natural square.
2) The diagonal it controls is often blocked by central pawns of the same team or of the…
guru
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11
votes
1 answer
2 GM Norms in 24 hours - first time ever?
Chess.com reports that 17-year-old Frederik Svane has scored 2 GM Norms In 24 Hours and asks if this is a record:
17-year-old Svane, the youngest of the two brothers (Rasmus recently turned 25), scored his first GM norm in October 2021 at a…
Brian Towers
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11
votes
6 answers
What do you do when an opponent asks for a score sheet after a game in which recording is not compulsory?
I wish to know how to handle a certain situation regarding chess etiquette. Consider the following:
I went for an OTB tournament recently - rapid 15 + 10 time control. Organizers stated that recording is not compulsory, but I still recorded for the…
Accomplished_Bobcat4
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11
votes
3 answers
Is chess with pawn odds still a draw?
Virtually everyone believes chess from the starting position is a draw, and the result is borne out at top level - at the ICCF correspondence chess world chess championships, almost every game is drawn.
Is there any evidence that chess at pawn odds…
Allure
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11
votes
3 answers
Why can the bishop just take the knight in this Lichess puzzle?
In this Lichess puzzle, after the initial moves
[title "Black to move"]
[fen ""]
[Startply "17"]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1. c4 b5 2. cxb5 Bb7 3. Nf3 g5 4. Nxg5 Bg7 5. Nf3 c5 6. Nc3 a6 7. d4 axb5 8. Nxb5 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Bxf3!
Why can the bishop just take…
hkBst
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11
votes
5 answers
Approximating a rating for too strong engines
Suppose we have an extremely strong engine that happens to win every game it participates in even against the most powerful engines and players.
If it continues to win every game, its rating (for example ELO) will grow indefinitely. But we do not…
DKozl
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11
votes
5 answers
Evaluation bar cheating - how much does it really give, and how can it be detected?
To start off - due to my anxiety, I do not play any form of chess against other people (except some friends of mine, but that obviously doesn't matter for the context of this post).
I recently got really interested in how cheating in chess operates…
nooblet
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11
votes
2 answers
Black beginning (specifically, the Immortal)
By CPT (or better: the Chess version thereof) if a game is opened by Black, you can transpose it to the standard version (by swapping board, colors and move rights) and there is no visible difference. I somewhere read that the Immortal indeed was…
Hauke Reddmann
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11
votes
1 answer
Why is this position in the 3.d4 d5 Petroff equal?
I'm trying to learn some theory about the Petroff and was reading about the 3.d4 d5 sideline. Eventually, the position below is reached.
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 d5 4.exd5 exd4 5.Qxd4 Qxd5 6.Qe3+ Qe6 7.Bb5+ Nc6 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Nc3
What I…
AKemats
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