Chess Matches
Categories
I asked one of the attendees at Chess on Tap, Matt (blue circle for higher rating) what attracted him to casual chess. Being a seasoned tournament player, he told me the opportunity to play relaxed games reminded him that chess is a game. It’s supposed to be fun, after all. Playing at a social chess meetup allows the chance to get to know other players in a friendly atmosphere without the stress of ratings pressure or tournament rules.
From this golden age of chess come some of the most famous games of all time. The following are my picks for the absolute essential romantic chess games everyone should know.
If you are new to chess, you might not even be aware of the different time controls in regular chess. For the most part, there are four distinct time controls in chess games. Not only do these time controls change how long you are playing the game, but they also often have a different rating both online and OTB. So if you play a shorter game, it won't affect your other online ratings. It is important to know what time controls there are.
Freestyle chess is otherwise called Chess960 or Fischer Random Chess. It follows the same rules of chess with one key difference: the starting positions of the pieces on the back rank are randomized.
Nestled in amongst these high-stakes dramas, there are games played purely for the love of chess. One such game is the Immortal Game, played in 1851 by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky. This brilliant example of Romantic era chess is worth knowing. It might just inspire you to take a risk in your next match!
Blitz is a form of speed chess that tests your ability to perform under pressure. Avoiding the rigorous calculation of longer time formats, blitz chess allows for imperfect but dazzling play
In every sport, job, or vocation, there is a top of the top. A group of people who rise above the rest and excel. Sometimes those individuals are highly skilled or uniquely positioned to be great, but they also have to work very hard to reach the top.
Learning chess can feel like a massive undertaking. It’s like learning a new language and sport all at once. If you are like me when I first started learning as an adult, you might be diving in headfirst and immersing yourself in as much chess as you can. This is a great way to learn quickly, but you have to watch out for some common mistakes and blunders along the way, not just on the chessboard, but in your learning process as well.
We preview the 2025 Grand Chess Tour Finals. The format, the players, everything else to know about this exciting knockout tournament!
The first step to learning anything is to understand the language and terms used. I have made a list of all of the most essential chess terms that you need to know to master the game of chess and become the best player that you can be.
Here we have 10 of the most famous games in chess history. Some are noteworthy for the brilliance of the games, others because they were a remarkable moment of historical drama, and still more because of personal conflicts.
Blind chess pushes your memory, focus, and calculation like nothing else. In this guide, you’ll learn how the game is played without sight, who the top players are, and why blindfold chess is now used by even world champions as a training tool. You can even try it yourself — with no board at all.
