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1500 questions
11
votes
4 answers

Spoiler-free chess replays for the 2013 Candidates tournament

I am looking for replays similar to chessgames.com's format but which don't contain any spoilers (winner, list of moves, text or images that could give a hint as to how the game went on...) to enjoy as much as possible the games of the 2013…
Max
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11
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3 answers

Chess problem - don't understand the solution

Black to move: [fen "4rbk1/pp3pp1/1nq4p/8/1PP5/P3N1P1/Q2BrP1P/3R1RK1 b - - 0 1"] I've tried to solve this chess problem - black to move, find the best move. I couldn't work it out so I checked the solution, which was R8xe3. I don't understand why…
Tarski
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11
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2 answers

Does the chick promotion rule in dobutsu shogi really matter?

In dobutsu shogi, the chick (Japanese pawn) promotes to a chicken (Gold general). In my experience this promotion occurs only rarely and I suspect after much blundering. Does the chick promotion rule in dobutsu shogi really matter? That is, does the…
hkBst
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11
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3 answers

Does Magnus Carlsen have any openings/opening variations named for him?

Does Magnus Carlsen have any openings/opening variations named for him? The last world champion I know of to have an opening variation named for him was Anatoly Karpov (e.g. Caro-Kann, Karpov Variation or Karpov Variation in the Ruy Lopez).
PenumbraBrah
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11
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4 answers

What is the longest forced mate optimally played in documented competition?

There are tons of questions about the longest forced mate on here and other chess forums. Usually the answers are the 2 Knights forced mate and another one that evidently takes 549 optimal moves. Ultimately those discussions often devolve into…
marcman
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11
votes
4 answers

Failing to understand a pin from a tactics book

I've began going through, over the board, 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations - 21st century edition. This book is a great supplement to my last question on studying tactics, and I feel like I'm learning a lot from it. One of the problems…
user14142
11
votes
1 answer

Can you say anything if you see cheating at another board?

Let's say you see that player A on the board next to yours violates a rule such as touch-move or changes the move after releasing the piece, but their opponent, player B, doesn't notice. Can you say anything to player B, and if so, could B make a…
itub
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11
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2 answers

Touch move rule when the opponent is not present on the board

According to the rules, if a player touches a piece, he/she has to move that piece (if it's possible), and so on... Imagine this situation, the opponent is not present on the board (far away), you touch a piece and the opponent (or somebody else)…
masoud
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11
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1 answer

What's the history behind stalemate not being a win?

If your opponent eliminates all your options to move, you don't lose in chess, but is regarded an equal to your opponent. Isn't this peculiar? In most games and in real life hunt and war it is a winning strategy to eliminate the opponent's options…
LocalFluff
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11
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2 answers

What are the main ideas and goals in the Queen's Indian Defense?

There's no real surprise when it comes to the strategy for the King's Indian Defence: storm white's king side, maybe sac a few things, and mate (ideally). But what does a practitioner of the QID hope to achieve in terms of the opening and long term…
chubbycantorset
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3 answers

Why 2.d5 is much less common than other responses to the Mikenas Defense(1.d4 Nc6)?

I recently came across 1.d4 Nc6 while playing a game and I was immediatly tempted to play 2.d5, and so I did it, then my opponent continued the game with Ne5. After the game I went to an online database to check some reference on this opening, I…
Vinícius Figueiredo
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11
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2 answers

What is the origin of descriptive notation?

Algebraic Notation is the modern standard for recording chess games. It is easily human-readable, yet it can be parsed by computers without difficulty. Descriptive notation predates algebraic significantly. Essentially all English-language chess…
Jonathan Garber
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12 answers

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3? Rooks only move straight, but bishops only move diagonally. Is there something that makes moving straight advantageous to moving diagonally?
clickbait
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3 answers

Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual vs Fundamental Chess Endings

I want to know what the differences are between "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual" and "Fundamental Chess Endings". I want to know also if these books are compatible, I mean, if I buy for example "Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual", it would be useless to buy…
kiko88
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3 answers

Checkmate with King and Knight vs King and Knight

I just have a quick question. I was playing on chess.com and got into the following position: [FEN "8/4n/6k1/8/K2/3N1/8/8 b - - 0 1"] Now, I assumed that once we traded off the last pawns, the game would automatically draw as it usually does.…
Natumakie
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