This article is by WIM Alexey Root William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote many plays, some of which you will read in high school. His line from Hamlet "To be, or not to be" is often quoted. That line summarizes a decision faced by the ... Read more »
This article is by WIM Alexey Root One of my favorite characters on Sesame Street is Count von Count -- a.k.a. "The Count". He counts everything. In chess, you should count the number of attackers aimed at the chessman you wish to capture... Read more »
This article is by WIM Alexey Root Previously we learned the values of the bishop, rook, and queen. Just as for those three pieces, the values of the knight, the pawn, and the king depend on how many squares they can move to in your curren... Read more »
A weekly question and answer column by FIDE Master Andy Lee. Q: What are the rules for castling? And why would I want to castle, anyway? -- Tyler, Alameda, CA A: Castling is an incredibly important strategy in chess, particularly... Read more »
By WIM Alexey Root Would you want to trade $9 for $3? How about giving up $9 to get $5 back? If your answer to those questions is "no" in real life, then it should be "no" in chess too. In chess, each piece and pawn has a point value. That value... Read more »
By Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky What Makes a Draw? Perpetual Check An important variety of a forced repetition is perpetual check. A perpetual check is a series of checks the king cannot escape from. Usually, the player who ke... Read more »
This article is by WIM Alexey Root Many times, in beginner chess games, pawns are like children running around a playground. Each child (or pawn) does his or her own thing without any idea of where they are going . There should be rules ... Read more »
By Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky What Makes a Draw? 50 Move Rule and Repetition of Moves The most frustrating example of a drawn ending is having a King plus two Knights vs. the lone enemy King. At first glance White has a large ... Read more »