ChessForSharks Blog
Featured Posts
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…
How To Be A Chess Grandmaster In 11 Detailed Steps – ChessForSharks.com
The grandmaster title is the ultimate achievement in chess, second only to the world championship. 600+ players have earned the…
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…
How To Play Chess For Beginners: Learn Rules, Moves, Setup, Efficient Tactics & Strategy
Did you recently encounter a fancy-looking game, and you'd like to know more about this mysterious game? Would you like…
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DownloadOpenings
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…
How To Play The Benoni Defense For White And Black
The Benoni Defense is an exciting way Black can challenge the queen's pawn opening. The opening is an excellent choice…
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…
How To Play The Philidor Defense For White and Black
The Philidor Defense is a calm way for Black to approach the King's pawn opening by White. The main idea…
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.…
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…
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…
Magnus Breaks The Deadlock In The 2021 WCC, Grabs First Decisive Win against Nepo
Some were already calling for a different time format. Some also did suggest that FIDE should bring variants into the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
How Long Does it Take to Learn Chess? A Quick Look
Before answering this question, we want you to understand that there's a huge difference between learning chess and mastering chess.…
Chess Etiquette: 9 Basic Dos and Donts for Players
Chess is not all about tactics and strategies and crushing your opponents. You also need to learn how to follow…
Do I Have To Say Check In Chess?
No, you don't need to. Saying check after an attack on an opponent's king used to be required but it…
Openings For White
How To Play The London System With Ideas For White And Black
The London System is one of White's most popular 1. d4 openings. It's considered a system because White can play…
The King’s Gambit: A Sharp Opening for Sharp Minds
You're an ambitious chess player looking to surprise your opponent and gain an early advantage. You want to play sharp,…
How To Play The Queen’s Gambit Opening: Typical Ideas And Variations
The Queen is the most powerful piece on the chess board. So it comes as no surprise that it has…
How To Play The Evans Gambit For White And Black
The Evans Gambit is a very sharp attacking line that stems from the Italian Game. The opening starts with the…
Openings For Black
How to Play the Slav Defense? Ideas and Variations For White and Black
The Slav Defense is a chess opening for Black that begins with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6. It's one…
What Is The Best Response To 1. e4 For Black?
Some of the most common replies to e4 are the Sicilian Defense, the French Defense, the Caro-Kann Defense, the Pirc…
How To Play The Alekhine’s Defense For White And Black
The Alekhine's Defense is a hypermodern opening that starts with the development of the knight. The opening is an option…
How To Play The Scandinavian Defense: Major Ideas For White And Black
The Scandinavian Defense is a way for Black to immediately challenge White's efforts to control the center from the very…
Chess Pieces Movement
How To Win Chess With Only A Queen
We know you're seeking a shortcut, a way to maybe beat your friend or dad at chess by just using…
Can A Queen Move Like A Knight?
The answer is NO. The queen in no way moves like the knight in chess. A queen combines the mobility…
Which Chess Piece Can Only Move Diagonally?
There are six(6) distinct chess pieces, and four(4) of them can move diagonally. The four chess pieces that are allowed…
How Do Bishops Move in Chess?
For both players (White or Black), there are two bishops each – named the light-squared bishop and dark-squared bishop. These…
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…
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…
How To Analyze Your Chess Games in 9 Steps
Every chess game ends with one of the three possible results: a win, loss or draw. In spite of any…
How Do Chess Engines Work?
Ever wondered how chess engines like Stockfish are able to beat even the best chess players in the world? You're…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Where Chess Meets Christmas
How does the world of chess join in the festivities of one of the most popular holidays in the world?…
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,…
FIDE Chess Ratings: The Who, What, Why and How
One way that chess players track their progress and measure their skill level is through the use of FIDE chess…
How To Become an International Master
The International Master title is awarded to chess players who are strong but not quite at the level of grandmasters.…
How To Become a Candidate Master
To become a Candidate Master (CM) in chess, you need to achieve an established classical FIDE rating of 2200. The CM…
Checkmate Patterns
Can You Checkmate With Two Knights?
The short answer to this puzzling question is YES and NO. Confused? Let's break it down. Technically, you can checkmate…
How To Play The Two Bishop Checkmate
The king and two bishop checkmate is another basic checkmate that occurs in chess games. While this type of mate…
How to Checkmate With Two Rooks? A Beginner Friendly Guide
Checkmating with two rooks is a common form of checkmate in the endgame, especially in beginner games. It involves the…
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…
Boards And Pieces
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…
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…
How To Set Up A Chessboard Easily
The chessboard has 64 squares, 32 are dark and 32 are white. There are 32 chess pieces, 16 of which…
How Many Chess Pieces Are In A Set?
The number of chess pieces in a set is 32, and each player has 16 pieces. Chess pieces in a…
Flank Openings
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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?…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Chess For Sharks News & Announcements
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