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1500 questions
36
votes
8 answers
What's a good way to learn opening theory?
I'm a hobbyist chess player and usually play online. While I've seen thousands of great chess games and win a fair number of games online, the one thing that I have struggle with is studying openings. Simply put, there are just so many of them and…
Sean Bernardino
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36
votes
5 answers
How do chess engines "think"?
What I want to know is how engines are programmed to find moves. I'm sure they first calculate the most forcing lines such as captures and checks. But what about subtle, deep positional moves? They seem to find them very quickly as well (Generally…
chubbycantorset
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36
votes
2 answers
Understanding AlphaZero
Very recently, the news came out that Alphabet's DeepMind research team have extended their machine learning engine to play both Shogi and chess. Apparently, after only a few hours of self-learning, meaning by only playing against itself given the…
user929304
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36
votes
6 answers
Why is the French defence not played at the highest level?
I am a French defence player and I enjoy playing almost all the lines (Tarrasch, Winawer, advance variation, ...) because I think the play that follows the opening suits my style and I feel very comfortable. I am a club player (~1800).
I have…
S -
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35
votes
12 answers
How do you win with a queen against a rook?
What's the technique behind the moves of the stronger side in order to win?
Are there situations where the side with K+R can force a draw against K+Q?
I've read plenty of examples of K+Q vs K+R, but they were only mere sequences of moves without…
javatutorial
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35
votes
13 answers
What are some checkmates with very few moves from the starting position?
I would like to learn about a few checkmates using very few moves. I know one where you develop the knight and march it directly towards the King. Does anyone know the name of this mate and suggest others?
Jay D
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35
votes
1 answer
Can you solve this unique chess problem of white's two queens vs black's six rooks?
[FEN "3Q4/7Q/3rp3/2rkr3/2rrr3/7K/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
I found this interesting and unique chess problem online, on the internet.
Disclaimer: This is not necessarily a position from a game. It's just a beautiful composition wherein your objective as…
ritesh_ratn
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35
votes
10 answers
How can we make chess community welcoming to women/girls?
How to make chess community and environments more welcoming to women/girls?
Chess is not a sport/game of choice for most women. The following two nice answers discuss why -- one, two. These are answers given to a question stated in an unfortunately…
Cyriac Antony
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35
votes
13 answers
Most effective way to achieve a 2000+ rating in one year, starting as a 1600?
I currently play at around a 1600 level, and have stagnated in terms of rating improvements for quite some time.
I have always played chess recreationally, occasionally doing tactics puzzles here and there, but I've never done any professional…
Parseltongue
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35
votes
9 answers
Is it rude to ask my opponent to resign an online game when they have a lost endgame?
I really don't know if I am correct when I ask my opponent to resign when I am at a 1800-1900 ELO level. I have an Asperger disorder. To me ,endgames are more clear to play than middlegames, and the game loses interest when I think a newbie would…
user18196
35
votes
5 answers
Why is Carlsen criticized for poor preparation at World Chess Championship 2018?
As of 2018-11-24, 11 games have been drawn at the World Chess Championship (WCC) 2018. A lot of commentators (in particular Alexander Grischuk) have attacked Carlsen for poor preparation.
But ... 11 games have been drawn. It's not like Carlsen is…
JohnDoe
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35
votes
5 answers
Why is the Ruy Lopez such a common opening?
The Ruy Lopez opening is characterized by the moves:
[fen ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5
Why is this opening so popular? It does not appear to be particularly special/unique for white or black, so why is it a popular opening?
Chris Bunch
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35
votes
18 answers
The London System: Can it be broken?
I've faced the London System several times so far, and just don't know what strategy to adapt against it (I exclusively play Nf6 in response to 1.d4). I'm a highly tactical player, so I try following up with d5, c5, Qa5, Nc6, Rc8 etc. in order to…
chubbycantorset
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34
votes
6 answers
How to install stockfish on ubuntu?
Is there an easy guide how to install stockfish on ubuntu?
From the main site I can not find any information and github repository does not provide many details.
I would really appreciate if someone who already installed and started to run it would…
Salvador Dali
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34
votes
4 answers
Why do GMs repeat moves instead of offering a draw?
Watching recaps of the 2021 Candidates Tournaments, so many games end in consecutive repeating moves. I have a general impression that lots of top level games are drawn by repeating moves. Why do the grandmasters do this instead of offering a draw?
minseong
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