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1500 questions
49
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6 answers

Is it sportsmanlike to waste opponents' time by giving check at the end of the game?

In Blitz games, with very little time left for both players, is it acceptable to keep on checking the opponent and waste their time and win the game on time? Is that true sportsmanship?
USer345738380
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18 answers

How do you keep chess fun when your opponent constantly beats you?

How do you keep chess fun when the only person that wants to play against you beats you all the time? I am struggling to want to keep playing, because I get smashed all the time, and it is not fun anymore.
Tina Dolcetti
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8 answers

What are pros and cons around banning castling?

Vladimir Kramnik has proposed on chess.com that castling be banned for the good of the game. What are the kinds of objective points that might be made for & against this idea? Based on these, do you think that Kramnik's idea can succeed? I am keen…
Laska
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48
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5 answers

What is the average length of a game of chess?

I hope this is an appropriate question for this site as I've been wanting a reputable answer. Of course the length of games can vary wildly, but what is the expected number of moves until either a checkmate or trivial draw position is reached?…
Zong
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48
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6 answers

Strategy in middlegame from boring positions

I get into these rather vanilla, or as I call them, boring positions. Not much is happening tactically, and I can't fathom what the right course of action should be strategically. Here is an example. I am White in this position. My pieces are in…
YoungMoney
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46
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13 answers

Is it too late for me to start professional chess?

I am 25 years old. I play online chess regularly and I am rated about 1900 on chess.com. And I recently won a local tournament. Now I want to start playing professional chess. Here are some of my questions: Is it too late for me to be ambitious? I…
Inspired_Blue
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46
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15 answers

What is the most effective way of reducing blunders?

Many people suggest tactical exercises as the best form of study for this purpose but I find that it only attacks the problem from one dimension (not making the strongest in a position). Analyzing my own games I find that I'm much more likely to…
rgrinberg
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46
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5 answers

The path of learning chess

I'm looking to become a better chess player. I play online and sometimes with my friends offline as well. I've also started to study openings. It is very difficult to get the right direction of study. What way should I move to progress in my play?…
Roman
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46
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4 answers

Arbiter ignored cheating, and I signed the scoresheet. Did I lose my right to object?

I am currently playing in an ELO tournament. Today, while I was playing, my opponent occasionally got up and walked around. At first, I did not care much. Then, I realized that some people were behind me, examining the game very carefully. At the…
padawan
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11 answers

How is Alpha Zero "more human"?

I have a possibly naive question about AlphaZero. I have seen it described as playing in a "more human" style than other computers, but whatever it does, it gains about 100 ELO points by doing it. Kasparov, and many others, have claimed that a…
Philip Roe
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45
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2 answers

How is this position possible in a normal game of chess?

A friend of mine gave me this problem. It goes like this. In a normal game of chess, the white player checks the black's king with a rook and a bishop as in the following image. 8/8/8/8/8/7k/8/3K1B1R b - - 0 1 Now the image seems a bit awkward. In…
Faiq Irfan
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44
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15 answers

Can playing blindfold chess be learned or is it a natural skill?

Any blindfold players here? Just wondering if blindfold chess is a skill that can be learned by amateurs like me or a natural skill by chess GM's, IM's, etc.
LayoutPH
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13 answers

Why do so many children stop playing chess?

I've spoken to many people who played chess as children; some of them were very good players, playing at the national level. Around age 11 or 12 they stopped playing chess competitively and lost interest in the game altogether. I've asked them why &…
Ralph
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43
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17 answers

How many points is each chess piece worth?

I am a beginner at chess; please answer this question for me. How many points is each chess piece worth?
Jethik
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43
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4 answers

Is this endgame (sort-of Q vs K) a draw?

I think the following endgame is a draw. [FEN "7k/5BpP/3K2P1/8/8/8/8/4q3 w - - 0 1"] My reasoning: I'm playing white. I will only move my king, always. Black's king cannot move. If the queen decide to capture any of my pieces, I will take back, so…
Pedro A
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