All Questions
9,247
questions
0
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0
answers
14
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King checkmates king [closed]
When talking about kings putting kings in check/checkmate, why doesn’t anyone talk about backing up the space(s) that you had intended to move your king along for said execution? When it comes to the ...
1
vote
0
answers
10
views
Do engines accurately represent their skill level?
I’m a 1200 rapid rated online player. When I play bots, I can usually beat bots as high as 1600.
Does this mean that the bots are inaccurately rated or that I’m underrated?
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
29
views
I played my first OTB Rapid Tournament, How to Calculate my ElO
Two games were against unrated players, one rated player didn't show up and one rated player I beat had only a standard rating. So what will be my initial rating? My tournament results
4
votes
3
answers
695
views
What was the newest chess piece
Out of the all the chess pieces in standard chess, which one(s) was created most recently?
- 421
3
votes
3
answers
597
views
Why does counterattacking lead to a more drawish and less dynamic position than defending？
After 1. e4 e5 2.Nf3, the two most common continuations are 2... Nc6 and 2... Nf6, the first move defends the e5 pawn and the second counterattacks the e4 pawn.
How to explain in layman's terms why ...
- 9,269
-4
votes
0
answers
17
views
Grenade chess ( Grenade thrower) ( aka Atomic chess Grenade edition)<--- If you use it [closed]
Pawns must be promoted to Grenade Pawn. Grenade Pawn can move 1 square in any direction but must stay between the 2nd row and 7th row until 65th turns without going 1st row or 8th row. After Grenade ...
-3
votes
0
answers
22
views
If my variants antichess it can castle, putting in my variants and if you capture all opponent's pieces, you lose or opponent's lose [closed]
Merge variants is to Merge all pieces to win after capturing all opponent's piece, if not or not enough, they you lose
3
votes
0
answers
72
views
When to call out a cheat?
Played a 900 ELO friend on chess.com with no time limit, and was doing very well in the first half. However from move 40 to his win on 73, he played perfectly by stockfish suggestions, and was given ...
- 31
-2
votes
1
answer
59
views
What is initiative?
OK, actually we all know what initiative is, but really? Can we give a clear objective definition (maybe based on game-theoretic foundations, or the shape of the variant tree) which a computer can ...
- 17k
-2
votes
0
answers
41
views
Any tips based on this chess.com blitz game? [closed]
I've recently gotten back into playing chess and would like to improve my game. Here is a 3+0 blitz game I played today as white. I was wondering if any strong players could give advice and would ...
- 15
-1
votes
1
answer
77
views
What Are the Best Opening Strategies for Both Sides in Chess for a Returning Player? [closed]
I used to be an active chess player with a rating over 1300, but I stepped away from the game for a while to focus on other priorities. Now, I'm looking to get back into chess and improve my skills. ...
- 107
0
votes
1
answer
166
views
Why is 37...Ra4 in Harmon-Borgov "completely insane"?
In the last featured chess game in The Queen's Gambit, in the following position, both Nakamura and Carlsen criticize Borgov's 37...Ra4. Carlsen says Borgov should realize that however much he wants ...
- 28.3k
4
votes
1
answer
117
views
Which is the smallest FIDE federation?
Just seen Which FIDE federations has never sent a women's team to the Chess Olympiads
My thought was, what if a federations is too small, in terms of FIDE registered players, to create a team that ...
- 1,448
1
vote
0
answers
64
views
Which FIDE federations has never sent a women's team to the Chess Olympiads
The 2024 Olympiad teams were announced some time ago, and this year there are 184 registered federations in the Women’s section.
Which FIDE federations have never sent a women’s team to the Chess ...
- 2,778
3
votes
1
answer
701
views
I'm not quite sure I understand this daily puzzle on Lichess (9/6/24)
So I am attempting to solve the 9/6/24 daily puzzle on Lichess right now:
[Fen ""]
[Title "Black wins"]
[Startply "37"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 Bg7 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6....
- 153
2
votes
1
answer
48
views
SCID opening trainer - can't get it to re-start after successfully running it once
On scid version 5.2 Mac I was successful in getting the opening trainer to run once on my training database, but now when I try to re-start it, I get the "Repertoire Training" window then ...
- 123
-7
votes
1
answer
121
views
Is chess for the elites? [closed]
They are generally very ruthless towards beginners, and on YouTube you can see videos of IMs like Gotham insulting triple-digit ELO players, while four-digit players laugh at them. I hate the elitist, ...
0
votes
2
answers
98
views
Why is the chessboard and its coordinates the way it is?
I would like to know why the coordinates are the way they are. I know it is a made up thing but I'm curious to know if it were setup any other way, would it still work?
3
votes
1
answer
265
views
Are old games from 2023 considered in new fide rating calculations?
I don’t have a rating yet. When I calculate my rating with the new rating rules do I consider only this year's performance for tournaments played after the the new rule was implemented or do I ...
- 39
-7
votes
2
answers
139
views
Who is not cut out for chess? [closed]
What if someone studies for a few years and only gets a triple digit rating of 400 or 800?
They will probably remain a wood pusher for the rest of their lives, so playing is a waste of time.
For ...
-3
votes
0
answers
61
views
Why is my net performing so terribly?
I'm working on a chess engine. I got inspired by the first net described in this link to work on a similar net. below is the code I wrote:
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
from keras.models ...
1
vote
2
answers
122
views
Could anyone provide insights that clarify when this defense shines and when it might falter?
I've been studying various chess opening systems, and I've noticed that certain defenses, like the King's Indian Defense, can be incredibly effective at different levels of play. I’ve researched this, ...
-2
votes
0
answers
108
views
Is Leela zero only average in the endgame?
During a rapid game Leela zero vs Stockfish the following position popped up : WHITE King on f3 Bishop on e2 Knight on e3 pawns on f2, h2. BLACK King on f6 Rook on g1 pawns on f7 , h7. WHITE to move. ...
- 113
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why is the !? annotation so rare?
This annotation is very rare. I have seen GM games annotated and I have never see this annotation, although it could be used for tricky moves like Qh4 from the 8th game of Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding ...
- 199
1
vote
1
answer
854
views
What happens when touching a piece which cannot make a legal move?
Suppose in an official tournament game, White's king is in check by the Black queen. If I accidentally touch a pawn that cannot legally remove the check, how is the touch-move rule enforced? After ...
- 121
0
votes
2
answers
96
views
Why is it advised that rooks should not lead the attack?
I was watching a video of GothamChess, and in the video Levy said that rooks should not lead the attack. I was wondering why rooks should not lead the attack?
1
vote
1
answer
300
views
Can stockfish provide analysis with non-standard pieces like knooks?
I wanted to know if stockfish can provide evaluation if there are non-standard pieces like knook?
3
votes
1
answer
46
views
2
votes
1
answer
941
views
Chess.com AI says I lost opportunity to win queen but I can't see how
I moved e7 bishop. I can see the move suggested is better but can seem to see how it would win a queen
- 123
3
votes
3
answers
165
views
How to approach rook endgames as a beginner
I am roughly 1400. Of the 15 OTB games I played last year, two ended up with rook endgames - that's 13%. It is often said that at my level I should focus on other things, but whenever I encounter such ...
- 569
0
votes
0
answers
82
views
Origins of the Elephant trap name
Is it true that the Elephant trap is named after the original diagonal moving piece from Chaturanga? I know that in Russian the bishop is still referred to as the elephant, but does anyone know the ...
- 298
0
votes
2
answers
148
views
Checkmate with pawn moves only
Same as this one (also note this), only replace "king" by "pawn". (I.e. shortest 960 helpmate, the mating side only uses pawn moves.) Yes, it can be done in the near-lying 5 moves ...
- 17k
4
votes
2
answers
233
views
Checkmate with king moves only
What is the quickest way to get a checkmate under the following conditions:
The winning side moves the king on every move
The starting position is Chess960?
- 921
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
Numerical search for interesting lines with python-chess- engine optimization
I'm trying to write a numerical tool for searching interesting chess lines with python. In every node of a search tree (every node corresponds to a chess position) i need to get the engine evaluation ...
2
votes
3
answers
82
views
Good chess book for kids
My nephew has just turned 6 and I was wondering what is a good book for him to learn chess at his age as there are so many out there.
He is very smart indeed for his age and particularly good at ...
- 29
4
votes
0
answers
49
views
Database with move times
I was wondering if there are any databases out there with move times included. I'd like to go back through some old championship games and see how much time is spent per move. Anyone know of any ...
- 91
-1
votes
2
answers
98
views
Is there a software I can use that will construct a chess game based on a specific order of captures?
I need to construct a game, whereby certain chess pieces get taken off the board in a specific order. I have tried ChatGPT to no avail, so I am wondering if there is any other kind of AI software ...
- 1
15
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Is it possible to create a board position where White must make the move that leads to stalemating Black to avoid Black stalemating White?
It's pretty common to see positions where White has to checkmate Black to stop Black from checkmating White. I was wondering about the same concept with stalemate.
At first, I thought it was ...
- 401
0
votes
1
answer
86
views
Can a series of legal moves end in this position?
With white having all pawns promoted to queens, and all pieces in their original positions, and black only having their king left, checkmated?
- 936
2
votes
1
answer
55
views
Can pgn-extract find sequences of moves in the middle of the game?
I see that pgn-extract can search for variations in games, but all of the examples in the documentation show variations from the starting position. What if I wanted to look for variations in the ...
- 91
2
votes
2
answers
120
views
Can someone explain this unequal bishops position?
I ran into the following position while playing a game.
[Title "Black to move and draw?"]
[StartFlipped "0"]
[FEN "2B5/8/3k4/bK1Pp1p1/P3P3/8/8/8 b - - 1 1"]
In this ...
- 375
3
votes
0
answers
61
views
Where to find chess books in Washington DC?
The title basically says everything: I'm spending some hours in DC and wanted to visit a chess bookstore or a bookstore with a large chess section.
Where do I go?
- 41
0
votes
1
answer
59
views
Lichess API member's communities
Is there a way of getting all the communities a certain member belongs to on Lichess?
- 161
3
votes
1
answer
850
views
A "clearly" won queen endgame
[FEN "3k4/p6p/4K1pP/5p2/3P1P1P/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
Happened yesterday at the HSK Sommer Open. By engine, White has an overwhelming advantage by simply playing Kf7 and gobbling through the ...
- 17k
2
votes
1
answer
60
views
How to Automatically Pair Players by Category in Swiss-Manager?
I’m using Swiss-Manager for our tournament and I would like to create automatic pairings based on player categories (U6, U8, U10, etc.). Here’s what I’ve done so far and the issue I’m facing:
Player ...
- 21
-4
votes
1
answer
135
views
Frequent beginner's opening mistakes - which is the worst?
A few experiments with LiChess Stockfish. Some frequently occuring bad moves by beginners. Change in the evaluation is given.
1.f3§ -0.8
1.a3 or h3: -0.2
1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 -0.5
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Bd6 -0.6
1.e4 ...
- 17k
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
Convert ctg book to pgn
Is there a way to convert ctg files to pgn?
If so, is it possible to export by selecting the green lines for a certain side?
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
81
views
Stockfish with Syzygy Support in Scid vs PC
My question is simple, yet rather sophisticated. It seems to me, that some people were able to set up Scid vs Pc (or Scid) in a way, that stockfish - or any derivative - is able to use offline syzygy-...
- 23
4
votes
2
answers
831
views
Threefold repetition: what's the minimum number of pieces and/or material points required?
I found the following position online where White's best course is to force a threefold repetition with the sequence Qg5-Kh8-Qf6-Kg8 because all other moves lose:
[Title ""]
[FEN "q4rk1/...
- 401
1
vote
1
answer
85
views
Can you get your USCF rating floor lowered?
As you get older, your chess playing skill often declines. If a chess player has been playing chess regularly and he has been at his floor for a long time and he is getting older, is there a way for ...
- 289