ChessForSharks Blog
Featured Posts
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…
How To Be A Chess Grandmaster In 11 Detailed Steps – ChessForSharks.com
The grandmaster title is the ultimate achievement in chess, second only to the world championship. 600+ players have earned the…
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…
How To Play Chess For Beginners: Learn Rules, Moves, Setup, Efficient Tactics & Strategy
Did you recently encounter a fancy-looking game, and you'd like to know more about this mysterious game? Would you like…
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DownloadOpenings
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…
An Introduction To Flank Openings
Flank openings are openings where the earliest moves do not emerge from either of the centre files (c and d…
How To Play the King’s Indian Defense For White And Black
The King's Indian Defense is a unique way of countering the Queen’s pawn opening. It is a very popular hypermodern…
How To Play the Petrov Defense For White And Black
The Petrov's Defense which is also called the Russian Game, is a solid defense for Black against the King's pawn…
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.…
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…
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…
Ian Nepomniachtchi Slugs It Out With Russian Billionaire Businessman
December 24th brought about an exciting atmosphere of Chess in Russia. The Central Chess Club located in Moscow organised a…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Why Do Chess Players Resign Early? (And Why You Probably Shouldn’t)
Ever wonder why chess players resign so early sometimes? You're in the middle of an intense match, pieces are captured…
How Long Does it Take to Learn Chess? A Quick Look
Before answering this question, we want you to understand that there's a huge difference between learning chess and mastering chess.…
Chess Etiquette: 9 Basic Dos and Donts for Players
Chess is not all about tactics and strategies and crushing your opponents. You also need to learn how to follow…
Openings For White
15 Best Chess Openings For White
Chess has been a popular game for centuries, and one of the most critical aspects of the game is the…
What is the Best First Move in Chess?
The opening moves of a chess game are crucial in setting the tone for the rest of the game. The…
How To Play The London System With Ideas For White And Black
The London System is one of White's most popular 1. d4 openings. It's considered a system because White can play…
The King’s Gambit: A Sharp Opening for Sharp Minds
You're an ambitious chess player looking to surprise your opponent and gain an early advantage. You want to play sharp,…
Openings For Black
How to Play The Popular Sicilian Defense: A Comprehensive Guide for Chess Players
The Sicilian Defense is one of the oldest and most popular openings in chess. Dating as far back as the…
How To Play The Philidor Defense For White and Black
The Philidor Defense is a calm way for Black to approach the King's pawn opening by White. The main idea…
How To Play The Nimzo-Indian Defense For White And Black
The Nimzo-Indian Defense is one of the best defenses to the queen’s pawn opening (1. d4). The opening is a…
How To Play The Queen’s Indian Defense For White And Black
The Queen's Indian Defense is an opening choice for Black players who want a solid and stable opening against the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Chess Pieces Movement
Can Pawns Move Backwards In Chess?: Understanding The Chess Pieces
The pawn is the chessboard's worker bee. It's an eager soldier marching into battle, ready to establish a valiant front…
How do Chess Pieces Move?
Now that you know how to set up a chess board, you're asking yourself, how do these pieces move? We'll…
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…
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…
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…
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…
How To Take Your Chess Game To The Next Level
A person new to the game of chess, like a young child trying to fit in, may find it difficult…
How To Analyze Your Chess Games in 9 Steps
Every chess game ends with one of the three possible results: a win, loss or draw. In spite of any…
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,…
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…
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…
2024 Chess Year in Review; Best and Worst Moments
2024 was a massive year for chess, with various moments now etched in chess history. In one year, we had…
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,…
FIDE Chess Ratings: The Who, What, Why and How
One way that chess players track their progress and measure their skill level is through the use of FIDE chess…
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.…
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…
Checkmate Patterns
How To Carry Out The Queen And King Checkmate in Chess
The queen and king checkmate happen frequently in chess games. Many games conclude in King + Queen vs. King, with…
Can You Checkmate With Two Knights?
The short answer to this puzzling question is YES and NO. Confused? Let's break it down. Technically, you can checkmate…
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…
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…
Boards And Pieces
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…
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…
How To Set Up A Chessboard Easily
The chessboard has 64 squares, 32 are dark and 32 are white. There are 32 chess pieces, 16 of which…
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…
Flank Openings
The Complete English Opening Repertoire for White and Black
The English opening is a unique type of opening where White seeks to control the center without using the e…
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.…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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?…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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