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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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Weird Chess Openings with Animal Names
  • Crush Your Opponents With The King’s Indian Attack: A Dynamic Opening Approach

    The King's Indian Attack (KIA) is a chess opening known for its flexibility and adaptability. It arises after the moves…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    The King's Indian Attack
  • 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.…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Reti Opening
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    chess white pieces
  • 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.…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Ian Nepomniachtchi taking his medal at the ceremony of the 2021 world chess championship
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Alireza Firouzja
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Nodirbek Abdusattorov Wins World Rapid Chess Championship 2021
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Ian Nepomniachtchi Slugs It Out With Russian Billionaire Businessman
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    stalemate in chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    A boy studying a chess board
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Queenside Castling
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Exchange Sacrifice in 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Fischer playing against Spassky
  • Are Chess Players Allowed To Talk During the Games?

    Have you ever wondered if chess players are allowed to chat with each other during matches? You've probably seen photos…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Viswanathan Anand teaching chess to kids
  • Who Invented Chess?

    Chess is well-known worldwide and has many fans, but its roots and origins are unclear and highly debatable. Numerous legends,…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Wilhelm Steinitz
  • Is Chess a Relaxing Game?

    Chess is one of those games that people tend to have strong opinions about. Some see it as an intellectual…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    African senior sitting down, playing a game of chess against his friend in Langebaan, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • Openings For White

  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Larsen's Opening
  • How to Play the Catalan Opening: Ideas And Variations

    The Catalan Opening is a very flexible opening that White can employ to gain a solid position before moving into…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Catalan Opening
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Bird's Opening
  • Crush Your Opponents With The King’s Indian Attack: A Dynamic Opening Approach

    The King's Indian Attack (KIA) is a chess opening known for its flexibility and adaptability. It arises after the moves…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    The King's Indian Attack
  • Openings For Black

  • A Complete Guide To Playing The Pirc Defense For White And Black

    The Pirc Defense is one of the most popular openings in chess. This opening leads to positions that can take…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Pirc Defense: Weiss variation of the Austrian attack
  • How To Play The French Defense For White And Black

    The French Defense is one of the oldest chess openings in the game. It is very popular among all levels,…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    French Defense
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    The King's Indian Defense
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Sicilian Defense
  • Chess Pieces Movement

  • How Does A King Move In Chess?

    The world of chess is a realm of hierarchy. The chess pieces or chessmen have their respective worth and value.…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How the king moves in chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

  • How Does The Rook Move in Chess?

    The rook moves vertically and horizontally on the chess board. You can view it as moving in a plus (+)…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How Rooks Move
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Knight on 2d board executing a royal fork
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    A man concentrating at a game of chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess players playing in chess club
  • How To Get To 1800 Chess Rating With Advice From Experts

    Wondering about how to get to 1800 chess rating? Honestly, it depends on what level you're starting from. If you're…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How to get to 1800 chess rating with advice from experts
  • Why Am I So Bad At Chess? Here Are 4 Possible Reasons

    Is it taking you forever to really get a grip of chess? After several months or years of playing, you…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Two young boys and their mentor (adult man) playing chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Josh Waitzkin
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Fischer playing against Spassky
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Underrated chess players
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Top ten players likely to overthrow Magnus Carlsen
  • 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,…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    African Chess Grandmasters
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    The Dark Side Of Chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Memes
  • The Art Of Defense In Chess

    Defense is a very essential aspect of Chess. It's all about detecting and neutralizing your opponent's plans and ideas. To…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Defend in chess
  • 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,…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    FIDE Trainers’ Commission
  • How To Become a Woman Grandmaster in Chess

    To become a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in chess, you'll need to achieve three norms and have a minimum Elo rating…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Priyanka Nutakki, a woman grandmaster
  • How To Become a National Master in Chess

    The title of “National Master” (NM) is awarded by some national chess federations. These titles are not recognized by FIDE,…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Tanitoluwani Adewumi
  • Duties and Roles of a Chess Arbiter

    Arbiters are highly trained referees with official certification from the World Chess Federation (FIDE), who ensure games adhere to the…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    chess arbiter holding out black and white pieces for players to choose
  • Checkmate Patterns

  • How To Play The 2 Move Checkmate

    The 2 move Checkmate, also called the Fool’s Mate, is a combination of moves in a chess game that allows…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    2 move checkmate
  • 40 Checkmate Patterns Sure To Win You Games

    A large percentage of chess skills ride on pattern recognition. For instance, you see certain pieces placed in certain positions…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    checkmate patterns
  • Learn The Bishop And Knight Checkmate: Understanding The Chess Pieces

    This pattern works by limiting the opponent's king to a corner of the board, where the bishop and king take…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Bishop and Knight Checkmate
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Avoiding stalemate on the chessboard
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    How Wooden Chess Pieces Are Made
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    game of thrones chess set
  • Chess Boards: A Complete Overview

    Chess is a battle of minds in which a player's wildest imaginations become reality. There are endless possibilities that can…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    A Silicone Chess board
  • How to Take Care of Your Chess Sets

    Chess sets come in all sorts of materials to accommodate players of various styles and skills levels, with wooden sets…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Neat Staunton Chess Board and Pieces Well Arranged in Their Starting Places
  • Flank Openings

  • How To Play the Benko Opening For White And Black

    The Benko Opening (also known as the Hungarian Opening) is a unique opening that begins with 1. g3. It is…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Benko Opening
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    English Opening
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    English Opening
  • 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.…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Reti Opening
  • 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.…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    chess tactics
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Pin in chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    double attack in chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    X-ray Attacks
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Popular Chess Variants
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Three player chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Four player chess rules
  • 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?…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Careers in Chess
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    FIDE World Cup 2023 Closing Ceremony
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Hand showing dollars
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Weird Chess Openings with Animal Names
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    10 openings named after popular chess players
  • 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.…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Gambit
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Endgame
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    chess endgame
  • Books

  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Chess Books
  • 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…

    Chessforsharks Editorial Team

    Centralized chess pieces
  • Chess For Sharks News & Announcements

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