Questions tagged [theory]
Theory commonly refers to the erudite study and the philosophy behind the moves in chess (like the opening or endgame theory), but this tag can also be used for questions about the theoretic study of the game itself.
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Can previous and continuing research on N-piece tablebases be used toward human theory of chess?
This follows another questions here:
What is the status for EIGHT piece endgame tablebases?
My answer there was appropriately removed as being question in reaction to that question, well in light of ...
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Fixed games in chess-is it real or just a conspiracy theory? If real, how bad is it?
One famous case of fixed chess games is the Keres vs. Botvinnik World Championship 1948. I ran across this example while looking for other such chess games from history.
It is known that Stalin was ...
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London system move order nuances Qb6 without Nc6
In the London system, playing early Nd2 is recommended to react against Qb6. For example if we take this move order
[FEN ""]
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nd2 Qb6 6....
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Theory behind the Cow Opening
Recently IM Eric Rosen played the Cow Opening every game in Titled Tuesday, scoring 6.5/11 and increasing his rating. He streamed it and put it on YouTube. It is a Hippo style opening which can play ...
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Why is Nf6 a blunder here?
With Nf6, I'm trying to bring my Knight out. If the Bishop takes it, I can take the Bishop with by g7 pawn. Why is this a blunder?
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What are some good "club-player" Sicilians?
My criteria for good "club-player" openings are:
objectively good
as little memorization is needed as possible
forgetting theory / messing up move orders / playing mediocre moves won't kill ...
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What is the theory behind Bishop's Opening, Philidor Counter-Attack?
What is the theory for this opening for black?
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 c6
I've started playing the Bishop's Opening because it is something ...
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How do you win with a queen against a rook?
What's the technique behind the moves of the stronger side in order to win?
Are there situations where the side with K+R can force a draw against K+Q?
I've read plenty of examples of K+Q vs K+R, but ...
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Which are the ideas in the Van't Kruijs Opening?
In a game with a friend, he made a really unexpected move, e3:
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/4P3/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
Afterwards, when analysing the game I found its name is Van't Kruijs ...
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Is chess a solved game?
Chess is a zero-sum game of limited decisions. The number of possible moves at any given point, and the number of possible states of the board, are all finite.
Tic-Tac-Toe, is one of the easiest ...
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Forced mate from move one - what is this train of thought called?
I have intuitively thought that one of the following must be true:
White has a forced mate from move one.
White doesn't have forced mate, but does have a forced draw from move one (and in turn, black ...
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What do modern chess players understand about the game that previous generations did not?
In an interview, Garry Kasparow stated that each generation of chess players knows more about the game than the previous one. He applies this thought concretely to the question of who is better - him ...
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Is there value to learning openings as a new player?
Am a new player (had played before hadn't picked up a board for 3 years having never taken the game that seriously) and am going to try and commit to at least 1 rapid (10+5) game per day.
Have made it ...
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Is it possible to get a professional degree in chess?
I am a software engineer by profession, and a chess enthusiast (around 1600 rated).
I would like to know is there any professional university certified course like Masters etc. in chess?
Can someone ...
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London system plan against Qxb6 when white has time to go a3 and Rc1 getting out of pin
In the London system where white doesn't develop the b1 knight early the Qxb6 followed by a3 is considered a mistake due to the following sequence
[FEN ""]
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. ...
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QGD is 3... Be7 better than 3...Nf6
3...Be7 a.k.a the Alatortsev Variation is a possible response as black for QGD players
When I checked with the database 3...Nf6 is the most played move instead of 3...Be7.
When black plays Nf6 they ...
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Opening Theory in Hexagonal Chess?
Is there any opening theory in Glinski's hexagonal chess (rules here)? If so what are some standard openings?
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Second Troitzky line, where knight and pawn could be located?
I am trying to understand where the pieces should be located for the second Troitzky line (checkmate 2 knights vs a pawn in 50 moves limit) and fail to get it. So from wikipedia:
Black's pawn is ...
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What is the theory behind center control?
Center control is an important aspect of playing chess, most openings are built around controlling the center, but why? Is center control really that important for winning a game?
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When did this chess game against ChatGPT diverge from theory?
I have recently been tinkering on and off with ways to make ChatGPT play chess. This has worked somewhat well, even with ChatGPT3.5, using a prompt crafted to make ChatGPT re-prompt itself at every ...
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Top sources for opening theory
Can anyone recommend any good sources such as periodicals, websites, or what not to stay up to date on the latest opening theory? I am willing to pay if the source requires such. How do the top ...
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Can you suggest book references on chess theory?
as stated in the title I am looking for structured textbooks on chess. I have followed chess.com lessons and I have a rough idea of tactics (forks, pins, skewers, sacrifices, etc) but I feel like I am ...
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Are all main lines and variations of chess openings necessarily SOUND?
Are all main lines and variations of chess openings necessarily SOUND?.
I mean since we can't know all possible games, unique games, which are so large, about 10⁴⁰, how can I be sure that all "...
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Morphy Defence in Ruy Lopez
I don't get the point of Morphy's Defence in the Ruy Lopez opening:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
If White's purpose was to exchange Bishop for Knight and take the e5 pawn after ...
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How to Learn Chess Comprehensively
I'm a pretty new to playing chess - I understand the fundamentals and can implement some of the basic ideas like forks and pins, but have never properly learned how to play. I'm looking for a ...
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Why is the Budapest Defense considered not fully sound or even dubious? What theoretical difficulties arise for Black?
[fen ""]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ng4 4. Bf4 (4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3) (4. e4 Nxe5 5. f4) (4. e3 Nxe5 5. Nh3)
White can choose from multiple setups, most common are 4. Bf4, 4. Nf3, 4. e4 or even ...
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What are some "quick start" openings?
First of all, I'm sorry if it looks like I didn't really research before asking the question, but I really did put in some effort and couldn't find a satisfying answer.
My problem is, I don't want to ...
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Please advise which books are about strategy with explanations [duplicate]
I have many books that show openings, endplays, tactics, different puzzle to find best moves, databases with games, articles...
All this stuff shows specific moves, which I have to find by myself.
I ...
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What is the farthest away a game can be from a guaranteed checkmate?
What is the maximum number of moves away from checkmate that a player can be where checkmate is guaranteed? There are many positions that are a guaranteed win for a player if played perfectly, right? (...
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If there was perfect play from both sides, will it be draw or win for one?
If there was perfect play from both the colors, will white win because of the first move advantage or will it be a draw?
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Has anyone attempted to characterize chess mathematically?
From years of being student, researcher, and practitioner of chess, I feel like it possesses completeness and elegance that are found in mathematical proofs and theories. Thus, it seems only natural ...
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Pawn confrontations: capture, push past, or leave the tension?
When your opponent moves a pawn to a position where it can be captured by one of your pawns, how should you determine whether to capture it, push past it or leave the tension on the board and make a ...
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How to calculate the number of positions in chess?
For layman, can someone explain how you calculate the number of available positions in a chess game, and how do you get the huge number of 10^120 or 10^46?
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Is white winning in chess with the 1st and 8th ranks reversed?
Here is the position I am referring to:
[FEN "RNBQKBNR/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/rnbqkbnr w - - 0 1"]
It seems that there are no forced checkmates for white, any f3-Qh4# plans are thwarted ...
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Chess960 - can Black profit by being allowed to choose a custom setup?
In Chess960, the White position is mirrored. In some positions, White enjoys a larger first-move advantage than in standard chess.
Could we make Chess960 fairer by allowing Black to choose his setup (...
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What is the longest forced win with 3 to 6 pieces (ignoring 50 & 75 move rules)?
I am wondering, what endgame, with 3 to 6 pieces, has the longest checkmate with optimal play? Right now, the longest I'm aware of is the two knights versus one pawn endgame, which in certain ...
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Most advantageous starting position in chess [duplicate]
What is the most advantageous starting position in chess for White?
All Chess960 positions are known to be roughly equal (the standard chess position being one of the fairest starting positions; in ...
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When moves are randomized, is there an inherent advantage to the player who goes first, or the player who goes second?
Imagine we are pitting two automated players (bots) against each other, but instead of thoughtful moves made by the players, they make completely random choices. I realize that this is not really the ...
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How to study highly theoretical openings like the Najdorf, the Grünfeld, or the Ruy Lopez
So I'm probably not at the stage where I'm ready to do this yet, but I'm curious. I know that some openings (like the Najdorf, the Grünfeld, and the Ruy Lopez) are considered highly theoretical ...
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What is the idea behind the Nd7 Nb6 by black maneuver in the King's Indian Defence?
I have seen this idea often and want to know the idea behind it.
White can create a doubled pawn weakness on b7 and b6 by doing Bxb6, but then would black have control over f4 and also c5? (unless ...
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Has AI changed opening theory, and if so, how?
Pre-AI, it's hard to imagine that opening moves had changed much. Following the birth of computer engines, has AI changed opening theory, and if so, how?
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Estimation of "God's Elo"
Assume a 32-piece tablebase would exist. It would be a Chess God. Surely there have been estimations of its ELO?
According to the very related question, two problems arise:
a) At any point the ...
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As a Closed Sicilian player, is it impossible to avoid the Taimanov Variation without accepting an inferior position?
I'm a Closed Sicilian player and I like the setup with Nc3/g3/Bg2/d3 a lot for White, since it cuts out having to learn tons of theory I'd have to know otherwise against the Open Sicilian. However, I ...
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What are White's main ideas in the exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez?
I was wondering what are the main ideas for White are in the exchange variation, Ruy Lopez opening.
[fen "r1bqkbnr/1pp2ppp/p1p5/4p3/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 5"]
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Systematic approach to learning opening/endgame theory?
Some relevant information: I've been playing chess for 4 years, and for 3 in tournaments, although I've only played in about 10 tournaments so far (3 big ones, like the Pan Ams and Chicago Open). My ...
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Rossolimo 3.Bb5 vs open Sicilian against c5-Nc6 sicilian
Many chess players nowadays recommend the Rossolimo against c5-Nc6 Sicilian:
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
However, I find the open sicilian to be easier to play:
[fen ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 ...
CommunityBot
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What influenced the development of the King's Indian Defense?
The King's Indian Defense is characterized by the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6. (As opposed to 2...e6, with the intention of developing the Bishop to the Queen-side.) Black aims for a strong King-side ...
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Before Qe6 in game 6 of the 2021 World Chess Championship, was it really a draw?
In game 6 of the World Championship 2021 between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, before Qe6 the engine says +0.9 at around depth 30/99, but I heard supposedly it's a (theoretical) draw. I know ...
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What should I do about the dilemma of castling early?
OK, it has been said that one of the opening fundamentals is to castle early, but I have a dilemma with this and it may very well be a natural dilemma that has to be dealt with or there may be signs ...
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How should I play against the Philidor defense?
As white, I often encounter the Philidor Defense by black:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
I usually play Nc3 or d4 on the next move, but is this the best move? What are some lines (advantages or ...
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