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1500 questions
11
votes
2 answers
Beginner Tactics - Why Isn't This Mate?
I was playing on chesstempo and came across the following setup:
[FEN "k1r4r/p6p/5p2/3Q4/1R5P/PPqn4/3N1P2/1K1R4 b - - 1 1"]
With black to move. I was unable to solve this tactic - it seemed to me the best move was to place the queen on b2. In my…
CL40
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11
votes
5 answers
Is this really played by 2200+ players?
I came across the following game and was surprised to find that it was played between players with 2200+ ratings:
How do players of level 2200+ lack the very basics of opening principles to play a game like that? In general, how to beat a…
Zuriel
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11
votes
4 answers
Can you castle with a "ghost" rook?
I recently saw this mate-in-2 problem
[title "White to mate in 2"]
[fen "8/8/8/2B5/2p5/1kp5/8/R3K3 w - - 0 1"]
This was posed with the hint that the player of the White pieces was a strong player and Black was a novice. The take away was that White…
Brian Towers
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11
votes
3 answers
Why is c4 bad when playing the London against a King's Indian?
Recently I (rated ~1900 "classical" on Lichess) played the following opening:
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nf3 O-O 5.Nbd2 d6 6.c4
[FEN "rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/2PP1B2/4PN2/PP1N1PPP/R2QKB1R w KQ - 0 6"]
Upon playing c4, the stockfish analysis…
aquirdturtle
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11
votes
6 answers
In Caro-Kann Defense, what are the differences between 3. Nc3 and 3. Nd2?
After 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5, what are the differences between 3. Nc3 and 3. Nd2?
It seems 3. Nc3 is more popular, though after 3. ... dxe4, I failed to see the difference.
Zuriel
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11
votes
3 answers
How much worse do GMs play in their blitz and bullet games?
How much of a skill drop is there when a GM plays a blitz game or a bullet game versus rapid and classical?
What I mean is, imagine if Carlsen was given 1 minute to play in, and he played against somebody who was given 1 hour to play in. What must…
EIo
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11
votes
3 answers
Is the English opening the most suitable for beginners?
Here are my understandings of the English opening:
The English opening is as good as 1.d4.
Since it is less common than 1.e4 and 1.d4; it is more likely that an average amateur player is less familar with it and thus it is easier for white to play…
Zuriel
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11
votes
2 answers
Touch-move when move is illegal but opponent's piece can be captured by another piece
This is the scenario: I pick up my Knight to capture my opponent's Bishop (touching the Bishop). I then realise my Knight was pinned to my King in the first place, so moving it would be illegal. However, I have already touched my opponent's Bishop…
Goriola Adio
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11
votes
5 answers
What opening is recommended if white is only playing for a draw?
If in a tournament game, white is only aiming for a draw, what openings and strategies will be recommended for him? I guess that the answer may depend on the following different mindset for black:
Black is happy with a draw as well.
Black would…
Zuriel
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11
votes
1 answer
What are the main plans for black and white in the main-line Slav after 5...Bf5 6.e3?
I'm thinking about adding the Slav defense to my opening repertoire. I'm looking at the following line, which I believe is the main line:
[fen ""]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3
Online, there's a lot of variations and…
Rebecca J. Stones
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11
votes
2 answers
Benko's three-mover that stumped Fischer
In Christian Hesse's book The Joy of Chess one reads about a mate-in-3 problem composed by Pál Benkö that stumped Bobby Fischer. Hesse gives the following diagram:
[FEN "8/8/8/4k3/8/8/8/2BQKB2 w - - 0 1"]
On the other hand, on ChessBase a slightly…
Timothy Chow
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11
votes
4 answers
Best method of remote tutoring?
My tutor and I are exploring ways of doing lessons over the internet, and to our surprise, there isn't an immediately obvious way to do this on lichess or chess.com. What we were looking for is an analysis board that we can both move pieces on at…
Derek Allums
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11
votes
1 answer
Who said "One bad move nullifies forty good ones"?
This quote is attributed both to Bernhard Horwitz and I.A. Horowitz, and I'd like to know which one said it.
One thing that helps is they don't have overlapping lifespans. Bernhard Horwitz died in 1885 and I.A. Horowitz was born in 1907. We can…
Kef Schecter
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11
votes
4 answers
Why isn't Bird's Opening at least as popular as the Dutch Defence?
The Dutch Defence is a fairly popular response to 1. d4. So shouldn't 1. f4 (Bird's opening), viewed as a Dutch plus a tempo, be at least as popular?
Siddhartha
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11
votes
4 answers
When checkmate is impossible in a position
The laws of chess say
1.5. If the position is such that neither player can possibly checkmate the opponent’s king, the game is drawn (see Article 5.2.2).
5.2.2. The game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate the…
usul
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