The ‘knight’ chess piece is one of the ‘minor’ pieces in the game of chess, and the knight is one of the most potent chess pieces that a player gets to play with. The knight’s most unique aspect comes down to how it moves across the chessboard. In order to strengthen your overall gameplay standards and improve your chances of setting up for checkmates, having a deep understanding of the knight’s characteristics becomes imperative. A knight helps a chess player develop a strong formation in the opening rounds of a game. In traditional chess sets, the knight chess piece is shaped in the form of ..read more

Chess openings are a crucial part of the game. When you manage to win the opening few rounds of a match, you set up the platform for an eventual win at the end. The correct opening moves enable a chess player to unravel novel approaches. Both white and black have different sets of openings that determine how well a player will perform for the duration of the match. Once you get a firm foothold on the chess board with calculated first moves, your opponent finds it really hard to come back to a position of strength and turn the tables on you. Someone new to chess should spend enough time studyin ..read more

Chess records are a massively interesting bunch of facts that are bound to capture the imagination of every chess enthusiast. These fascinating feats reveal to us what is possible in the field of competitive chess. Human beings have been able to break the limits of the game every now and then to set the bar even higher with each passing era. So, let us sit back and enjoy the sensational chess records that have been established since the time chess was recorded in the annals of history. For the convenience of our readers, we have divided the chess records segment into 10 parts. Each part will c ..read more

Chess is one of the most-played strategy games in the world, and it has been around for more than a thousand years and is continuing to grow in popularity in contemporary times. A primary factor that has made chess a favorite among millions is its uncomplicated rules.  Despite being a complex game, the basic rules and regulations that govern chess can be understood by a child. It only gets more complicated once someone starts climbing the ladder of the professional chess circuit. Here, only the very experienced and skillful players stand a chance to win big tournaments.  The chessboa ..read more

The fastest manner in which a chess player can win a game of chess is by applying the two-move checkmate in their gameplay. Following the trajectory of only a couple of moves can get a person from the chess opening to the chess endgame. However, you should keep in mind that this particular technique will not work for experienced chess professionals. It will only come in handy when you are playing against someone who happens to be a beginner. What is the Two-Move Checkmate? The two-move checkmate is also called the ‘Fool’s Mate’. This set of chess moves allows a player to control the black che ..read more

While playing a game of chess, there will be occasions when you may find yourself running out of chess pieces. During such instances, one may think about playing a more offensive style by involving the king. At the latter stages of a match, there may arise a situation when you may be tempted to attack the rival king with your own king. So, the question is – ‘Can a king kill a king in chess?’ One may think that going after the opponent’s king with your own king is the ideal platform for a decisive victory. However, this is not as simple as it looks from the outside. In fact, the game’s rules ma ..read more

Among the most used chess terms that you may have heard doing the rounds is what is known as a ‘chess gambit’. Naturally, you may want to know what is a gambit in chess. In the simplest terms, a ‘chess gambit’ is an opening move in the game of chess where a player sacrifices a chess piece in order to get some advantage in the gameplay. A gambit is helpful on most occasions as it helps to develop chess pieces in a better way, leads to the weakening of the rival king, and allows for the opening of attacking channels. If you are wondering ‘how many gambits are there in chess’, the answer is plent ..read more

When it comes to sheer power and dominance, the chess piece known as the ‘Queen’ clearly stands at the very top. The queen is also an iconic piece on the chess board, combining the features of the bishop and the rook to transform into a deadly instrument. In terms of material value as well, a queen is worth nine points, which is four more than the next most potent chess piece – the rook at five points. Next to the chess king, the queen plays the most crucial part in determining the course a game of chess would take on the board. As stated above, the queen in chess is the most powerful among th ..read more

It is challenging to ascertain ‘how old is chess’. Our best guess is that it developed in the Indian subcontinent early in the first millennium AD. The present version of chess that we are familiar with originates most likely in the 6th century AD. During that phase of the strategy game, it was more commonly known as ‘chaturanga’. History of Chess People used to play Chaturanga or ‘catur’ on an 8×8 grid. This archaic form of chess had pieces that resemble the chess pieces of today. From there, the game slowly spread across South Asia and reached Europe via the western trade routes. The modern ..read more

Chess has been around for at least a thousand years. However, the rules and pieces used in the game have gone through many evolutionary phases. In this Square Off article, we will deal with the theme – ‘How many pieces in chess’ in close detail. A basic chessboard has 32 chess pieces at the start of a game. Each player has control over 16 pieces, and chess piece moves are determined per standard chess rules. Chess Pieces Names Pawn – Every player gets eight pawns at the beginning of a game, and they are of the lowest value and can generally move one square/tile forward at a time. Knight – The ..read more