Chess Improvement
Can a King Check Another King in Chess?
This answer is a simple NO. There is no way in chess that you can use your king to check your opponent's king or vice versa. Let's explain why: In the above position, the Black king controls the squares c7, d7, e7, c6, e6, c5, d5, e5 – 8 squares in total. If it were…
How Does a Knight Move in Chess?
The knight is the only chess piece that moves in a weird way compared to other chess pieces. Every other chess piece moves horizontally, vertically and diagonally but the knight moves in an 'L-shape'. The knight moves two squares toward any path in an upward direction followed by one square to the side. In the…
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 where you have an edge over your opponent. It could be more time, a better position or you are a piece up. In chess, material advantage refers to the quantity of pieces and pawns on…
Why Are Rooks More Important Than Bishops?
Before jumping to a conclusion, let's have a look at how each piece moves. The bishop in chess moves in a diagonal fashion as can be seen in the position below. The rook in chess moves horizontally and vertically...like a plus shape. Now that we've highlighted the movement of both piece, we want you to…
Can The King Jump In Chess?
No, the king cannot jump in chess. It's probably easy to mistake the king for the knight which is the only chess piece that can actually jump over other pieces, but both have very distinct differences. Or perhaps you're asking because you've seen or heard how the king 'appears to jump' alongside one of the…
What are Chess Notations?
You must've seen some chess videos from top events, and each time a player makes a move, they record it down on a paper. Why is that? Is it compulsory? What do chess players write down? They write down chess notations to record each move as it's a requirement in standard chess tournaments. Chess notations…
How To Avoid Stalemate in Chess: 7 Tips To Follow
You're sitting on the other side of the chessboard and your eyes are laser-focused on the board. You played the opening perfectly and as you predicted, your opponent makes an inaccurate move which causes his position to quickly deteriorate. Now you're up a queen and you relax knowing it's just a matter of time before…
How Long Does it Take to Learn Chess? A Quick
Before answering this question, we want you to understand that there's a huge difference between learning chess and mastering chess. You can actually learn the basics of chess within a few hours and start playing immediately. In that short time, you can pick up the key rules, understand how each piece moves differently, and get…
How To Stop Blundering In Chess
We've all been there. Moving your rook to a3 only to remember that you left your bishop on c1 hanging but it's too late. Your opponent captures it and you resign. Sounds familiar? Blunders suck but the good part is that no chess player is immune to blunders, not even the world #1 player Magnus…