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Openings

  • 10 Weird Chess Openings with Animal Names

    We have always been fascinated with the creative and amusing names of some chess openings. Openings like these are usually…

    July 15, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Weird Chess Openings with Animal Names
  • Know Your Chess Openings: The King’s Gambit

    So we all know about The Queen’s Gambit—huge thanks to the hit Netflix miniseries. But what about that of the…

    December 3, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Kings Gambit
  • How To Play The Evans Gambit For White And Black

    The Evans Gambit is a very sharp attacking line that stems from the Italian Game. The opening starts with the…

    January 23, 2024
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Evans Gambit
  • How to Play the Catalan Opening: Ideas And Variations

    The Catalan Opening is a very flexible opening that White can employ to gain a solid position before moving into…

    September 11, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Catalan Opening
  • Chess News

  • “It Was More Logical For Him [Dubov] To Remain Neutral” – Ian Nepomniachtchi speaks in

    Ian Nepomniachtchi, former world championship contender has come out to clear the air regarding the recent Dubov vs Russians controversy.…

    December 13, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Ian Nepomniachtchi taking his medal at the ceremony of the 2021 world chess championship
  • Nodirbek Abdusattorov Wins World Rapid Chess Championship 2021

    Pleasant surprises make everything sweeter. Seeing underdogs triumph in a field of favorites makes the crowd go wild. Chess has…

    December 29, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Nodirbek Abdusattorov Wins World Rapid Chess Championship 2021
  • Alireza Firouzja Breaks 2800, Becomes World No 2

    Grandmaster(GM) Alireza Firouzja just became the new world #2 after crossing the legendary 2800 rating barrier. The 18-year old Grandmaster…

    November 21, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Alireza Firouzja
  • Magnus Breaks The Deadlock In The 2021 WCC, Grabs First Decisive Win against Nepo

    Some were already calling for a different time format. Some also did suggest that FIDE should bring variants into the…

    December 4, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Game 6 of Carlsen - Nepomniachtchi World Championship Match (2021)
  • Chess Basics

  • What is Stalemate In Chess?

    A stalemate is a type of draw that occurs when your opponent is unable to make any legal moves to…

    June 6, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    stalemate in chess
  • What Is Material Advantage In Chess?

    Material refers to the number of pieces and pawns on the board. An advantage in chess refers to a situation…

    April 22, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    A boy studying a chess board
  • How To Castle Queenside In Chess

    The game of chess is a game of strategy; It involves both the art of attack and defence. Every chess…

    June 2, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Queenside Castling
  • What Is the Exchange Sacrifice in Chess?

    An exchange sacrifice is a chess move where a player trades their rook for the opponent’s bishop or knight. This…

    January 23, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Exchange Sacrifice in Chess
  • Question And Answers

  • Why Is Chess So Popular? Here Are 5 Reasons

    It's no longer news that chess's popularity has boomed in recent years. You turn here, you turn there, you see…

    April 20, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Fischer playing against Spassky
  • Do I Have To Say Check In Chess?

    No, you don't need to. Saying check after an attack on an opponent's king used to be required but it…

    April 22, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Two friends playing chess outdoors
  • Is Chess a Hobby?

    YES, Chess is a great hobby that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. It is…

    September 7, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Man moving the white chess pieces
  • How Many Squares Are On A Chessboard?

    It's easy to jump to a conclusion here and come up with 64 squares, but is it actually correct? Of…

    June 3, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Empty Chessboard
  • Openings For White

  • How To Play The Queen’s Gambit Opening: Typical Ideas And Variations

    The Queen is the most powerful piece on the chess board. So it comes as no surprise that it has…

    September 7, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Queen's gambit opening
  • How To Play The Evans Gambit For White And Black

    The Evans Gambit is a very sharp attacking line that stems from the Italian Game. The opening starts with the…

    January 23, 2024
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Evans Gambit
  • How To Play the Ruy Lopez Opening For White And Black

    The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest and most decorated openings in chess. It dates back centuries ago and…

    September 7, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Ruy Lopez Opening
  • How To Play The Larsen’s Opening For White And Black

    The Larsen's opening is an unorthodox or flank opening that starts with 1. b3. b3 is an unconventional opening that…

    February 3, 2024
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Larsen's Opening
  • Openings For Black

  • How to Play the Slav Defense? Ideas and Variations For White and Black

    The Slav Defense is a chess opening for Black that begins with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6. It's one…

    September 6, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Slav defense in chess
  • What Is The Best Response To 1. e4 For Black?

    Some of the most common replies to e4 are the Sicilian Defense, the French Defense, the Caro-Kann Defense, the Pirc…

    September 12, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    e4 opening
  • How To Play The Alekhine’s Defense For White And Black

    The Alekhine's Defense is a hypermodern opening that starts with the development of the knight. The opening is an option…

    September 7, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Alekhine's Defense
  • How To Play The Scandinavian Defense: Major Ideas For White And Black

    The Scandinavian Defense is a way for Black to immediately challenge White's efforts to control the center from the very…

    September 11, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Scandinavian Defense
  • Chess Pieces Movement

  • How To Win Chess With Only A Queen

    We know you're seeking a shortcut, a way to maybe beat your friend or dad at chess by just using…

    February 8, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Golden queen in chess with other pieces in the background
  • Can A Queen Move Like A Knight?

    The answer is NO. The queen in no way moves like the knight in chess. A queen combines the mobility…

    June 15, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    White queen chess piece with two white knights chess piece and black knights chess piece at its rear.
  • Which Chess Piece Can Only Move Diagonally?

    There are six(6) distinct chess pieces, and four(4) of them can move diagonally. The four chess pieces that are allowed…

    March 15, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess pieces that move diagonally: Queen, Pawn, King and Bishop
  • How Do Bishops Move in Chess?

    For both players (White or Black), there are two bishops each – named the light-squared bishop and dark-squared bishop. These…

    June 22, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

  • Chess Advice

  • How To Get Better At Chess: A 12-Step Guide

    Chess is a game that requires a lot of focus, practice, and hard work. When a player starts learning the…

    September 29, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    A man concentrating at a game of chess
  • How To Start A Chess Club in 5 Easy Steps

    The entire essence of chess depends on having someone to play with. There can be no chess game without an…

    April 25, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess players playing in chess club
  • How to Plan a Chess Tournament?

    Perhaps you're trying to organize a chess tournament for kids in your school or employees in your workplace but you…

    March 26, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Picture showing chess pieces in a set, a world championship cup
  • How To Beat Your Friend At Chess: Quick Tips To Win

    You and your buddy have been playing chess for years. At first, you were evenly matched, winning and losing in…

    September 10, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Two friends playing chess
  • Chess Players and History

  • A Biography of Josh Waitzkin (and Why He Stopped Playing Chess)

    After watching the award-winning movie 'Searching For Bobby Fischer',  a lot of people ask this familiar question: "Does Josh Waitzkin…

    January 7, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Josh Waitzkin
  • Bobby Fischer vs Garry Kasparov: Comparing Two Legends

    As a chess fan, you must've wondered what a match or even a game between some World Champions across different…

    January 7, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Fischer playing against Spassky
  • Top 5 Underrated Chess Players in History

    Chess, as we know, is a game that has been in existence for centuries. Some chess players have played the…

    June 14, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Underrated chess players
  • Top 10 chess players likely to dethrone Magnus Carlsen

    The chess world is currently blessed with a host of players that would’ve probably borne the World Champion title if…

    July 5, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Top ten players likely to overthrow Magnus Carlsen
  • General

  • African Chess Grandmasters: Who They Are And Why They Are So Few

    According to the Oxford dictionary, the word "MASTERY" means comprehensive knowledge or skill in a particular subject or activity. However,…

    August 21, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    African Chess Grandmasters
  • The Dark Side Of Chess (And What Can Be Done)

    Chess in all its broadness, is a game that unites people from the ends of the earth. People find solace…

    September 6, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    The Dark Side Of Chess
  • 16 Hilarious Chess Memes From The 2021 World Chess Championship

    This article presents a compilation of funny chess memes with inspiration gotten from the 2021 world chess championship match between…

    December 8, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Memes
  • Where Chess Meets Christmas

    How does the world of chess join in the festivities of one of the most popular holidays in the world?…

    December 25, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess and Christmas
  • Fide Titles

  • How to Become a FIDE Certified Chess Coach?

    Being a certified chess instructor is a fantastic method for chess players to earn more money with their chess talents,…

    March 15, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    FIDE Trainers’ Commission
  • How To Become an International Master

    The International Master title is awarded to chess players who are strong but not quite at the level of grandmasters.…

    November 28, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How to become an International Master
  • How To Become a Candidate Master

    To become a Candidate Master (CM) in chess, you need to achieve an established classical FIDE rating of 2200.  The CM…

    November 28, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How to Become a candidate master
  • How To Become a FIDE Master

    To become a FIDE Master (FM), a player must achieve a FIDE rating of at least 2300 Elo points in…

    November 28, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How to become a Fide Master
  • Checkmate Patterns

  • How To Play The Two Bishop Checkmate

    The king and two bishop checkmate is another basic checkmate that occurs in chess games. While this type of mate…

    January 15, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

  • How to Checkmate With Two Rooks? A Beginner Friendly Guide

    Checkmating with two rooks is a common form of checkmate in the endgame, especially in beginner games. It involves the…

    April 30, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Checkmate with two rooks
  • How To Play The 2 Move Checkmate

    The 2 move Checkmate, also called the Fool’s Mate, is a combination of moves in a chess game that allows…

    June 4, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    2 move checkmate
  • 40 Checkmate Patterns Sure To Win You Games

    A large percentage of chess skills ride on pattern recognition. For instance, you see certain pieces placed in certain positions…

    December 9, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    checkmate patterns
  • Boards And Pieces

  • The Game Of Thrones Chess Set (And Characters Represented)

    It is not news that chess is a way of life. An excellent chess player can see life through the…

    June 11, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    game of thrones chess set
  • How Wooden Chess Pieces Are Made

    Chess pieces come in different forms: plastic, ceramic, aluminium or wood. Some of the luxury ones are even made with…

    April 17, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How Wooden Chess Pieces Are Made
  • How Many Chess Pieces Are In A Set?

    The number of chess pieces in a set is 32, and each player has 16 pieces.  Chess pieces in a…

    June 1, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Pieces Arranged Comfortably In a Chess Box
  • Chess Boards: A Complete Overview

    Chess is a battle of minds in which a player's wildest imaginations become reality. There are endless possibilities that can…

    December 14, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    A Silicone Chess board
  • Flank Openings

  • How To Play The Reti Opening For White And Black

    The Reti opening is a hypermodern opening that was created by one of the pioneers of hypermodern chess, Richard Reti.…

    September 10, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Reti Opening
  • How To Play The Larsen’s Opening For White And Black

    The Larsen's opening is an unorthodox or flank opening that starts with 1. b3. b3 is an unconventional opening that…

    February 3, 2024
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Larsen's Opening
  • How To Play The Bird’s Opening For White And Black 

    The Bird's Opening is a unique opening that starts with the development of a flank pawn (1. f4). That's why…

    February 3, 2024
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Bird's Opening
  • How To Play the Benko Opening For White And Black

    The Benko Opening (also known as the Hungarian Opening) is a unique opening that begins with 1. g3. It is…

    March 9, 2024
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Benko Opening
  • Tactics

  • 12 Important Chess Tactics You Should Know

    Chess Tactics is a move or a combination of moves that pose one or more instant dangers to an opponent.…

    January 4, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    chess tactics
  • X-ray Attacks vs Skewers

    The x-ray attack and skewer are two powerful tactics in chess that every chess player must know and understand. In…

    September 10, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    X-ray Attacks
  • What is a Pin in Chess? A Beginner-Friendly Guide

    A pin is a common chess tactic where your opponent attacks one of your pieces, and you are unable to move it…

    April 28, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Pin in chess
  • What is a Double Attack in Chess? – ChessForSharks.com

    You're sitting across from your chess opponent, staring at the board, wondering how to gain the upper hand. A clever…

    September 18, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    double attack in chess
  • Chess Variants

  • Popular Chess Variants You Probably Didn’t Know Existed

    What makes a game or sport more fun than its original form is its variants. Variants of a game or…

    November 20, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Popular Chess Variants
  • Four Player Chess Rules You Should Know

    For over two hundred years, people have invented and reinvented several variants for four player chess, formed by adding a…

    January 17, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Four player chess rules
  • How To Play Three Player Chess: A Simple Beginners Guide

    Chess is a popular strategy board game that is played worldwide. There are over 600 million people that play the…

    January 4, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Three player chess
  • Chess Career

  • Top 10 Exciting Careers In Chess To Earn A Living

    You're a chess player—a chess freak even, but you don't earn from it. It's difficult to earn from it, right?…

    September 27, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Careers in Chess
  • How Much Do Chess Grandmasters Earn?

    As a chess grandmaster, a big part of your income comes from winning prize money at major chess tournaments. The…

    September 11, 2023
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Hand showing dollars
  • How Much Do Chess Players Make? A Close Study

    The top 50 chess players in the world make over $100k each year and that mainly comes from playing for…

    January 22, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    FIDE World Cup 2023 Closing Ceremony
  • Unconventional Openings

  • 10 Weird Chess Openings with Animal Names

    We have always been fascinated with the creative and amusing names of some chess openings. Openings like these are usually…

    July 15, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Weird Chess Openings with Animal Names
  • Top 10 Popular Chess Gambits To Try Out

    As chess players, our styles of play sometimes depend on our mood and, of course, the importance of the game.…

    December 14, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Gambit
  • 10 Openings Named After Famous Chess Players

    There are thousands of openings (along with variations) in chess theory. Many chess players discovered chess openings and stamped their…

    August 30, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    10 openings named after popular chess players
  • Endgame

  • 5 Endgame Concepts You Must Know to Play Better Chess

    At a point in the game, you say to yourself "Stockfish ought to take a few lessons from me". You…

    October 6, 2021
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Endgame
  • Chess Endgames: The Great Element Of Chess Mastery

    Introduction Chess is categorized into three phases; the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. The phases are identified to enable…

    December 25, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    chess endgame
  • Books

  • 10 Of The Best Chess Books For Intermediate Players

    A huge portion of chess players gets stuck on the intermediate level. This is why attaining mastery in chess is…

    January 24, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess books
  • The Best Chess Books of all Time: From Beginner to Advanced

    Reading chess books is one of the primary ways a chess player acquires knowledge. However, the most instructive and suitable…

    October 9, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Books
  • Middlegame

  • Improve Your Chess Middlegame With These 12 Helpful Tips 

    Many players have a good understanding of how to play the opening. They follow the good ol' opening principles: For…

    May 18, 2022
    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Centralized chess pieces
  • Chess For Sharks News & Announcements

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