Four Digit Chess

The Halloween Gambit! White sacrifices their f-Knight for Black’s king’s pawn in the Four Knights Opening. If Black captures the Knight, White puts another pawn in the center and gains a massive space advantage.

Burnout is something everyone experiences. Chess players are no different. I think that if I would have taken breaks when I needed them, my rating would be much higher than it is now. I’m not saying you should just sit around and do nothing. But if you’re getting frustrated and not seeing progress, it can be beneficial to devote your time to another hobby for a few days. It will be better for your chess in the long run.

Every move counts! If it’s White’s turn in this position, they push the pawn to the eighth rank and promote to a queen. But if it’s Black’s turn, they have enough time to run up to the corner and block the pawn, resulting in a draw.

It takes 2+ hours to make one knight piece for a championship chess set, and there are fewer than 10 people on Earth that are trusted to make those majestic pieces.🤯

I’m excited to watch the Speed Chess Championship this weekend! It’s being live-streamed right now on various platforms if anyone’s interested in top level play.

What’s one thing you don’t understand about ?

Mistakes are an inevitable part of chess, no matter how good you are at it. Most of the time, you can bounce back and still win. The issue is when you notice your mistake, and instead of just moving past it, you dwell on it. Then, because you’re thinking about it, you overcorrect and end up making another mistake. Don’t fall into this trap. Always look at every position as its own and find the best move.

The most inappropriate sounding name for a chess opening is the “Bongcloud Opening-Transvestite Variation.” To play this opening (with either color), push the queen’s pawn one square, then place your king where the pawn once was. Move your queen to where the king once was, and finally, move your king to where your queen once was. This opening wastes 3 turns switching the places of your king and queen, and removes your right to castle, giving your opponent a huge advantage.
It’s called the “Bongcloud Opening” because you’d have to be on something to play it, and “Transvestite Variation” for the previously mentioned king and queen rotation.

We don’t want chess to be an expensive hobby. So after calculating some numbers, we’re able to lower the cost of our lessons to just $15 per day! And of course we still have ways for you to earn free lessons. We’re always looking for ways to lower the cost for customers, so let us know if you have any suggestions!

Chess doesn't make you smarter, nor do you need to be smart to play chess. Rather, chess sharpens the abilities your brain already has. Playing chess is a good way to increase concentration, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The majority of high level play is pattern recognition and intuition. It's a complex game that takes years to master, but you don't need to be Albert Einstein to play.

Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann will play each other over the board next month in the Speed Chess Championship. This will be the pair's first over the board match since the Sinquefield Cup 2022, where Carlsen made accusations of cheating towards Niemann. They had opportunities to play each other in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship at the start of this month, but Carlsen sat out each time his team was paired against Niemann's. There won't be any sitting out this time, so will the two finally go head to head once again, or will Magnus forfeit the match?

The English opening always leads to amazing endgames in my experience. Black is winning here, but what plan does Black have to execute to prove the advantage?