Main MenuBook & Article Categories
- Main Menu
Book & Article Categories
- Main Menu
Collections
Explore all collections
Board Games: Expert Guides and Resources
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Articles & Books From Board Games
Set yourself up for success by understanding the art of the chess opening Chess Openings For Dummies helps beginning and intermediate chess players improve their game by making the first few moves count. With a strong opening, you can dictate the flow of the game, control the center, and keep your king safe. This book shows you how to make tactical early moves that put you on a strong footing for the rest of the game.
Article / Updated 10-20-2023
Setting up your chessboard is the first step in playing a game of chess. Take your time setting up the board, until you’re confident that you know where everything goes: The rooks go on the corner squares. Place the knights next to the rooks. Put the bishops on the board next to the knights. After the bishops come the queens.
Article / Updated 10-20-2023
Some chess pieces are more powerful than others. Some are stronger than others. The element of material is concerned with this relative strength of the pieces. It is quite common to see advantages in other elements converted into an advantage in material, because an advantage in material is the easiest advantage to convert into a win.
Article / Updated 08-16-2023
Before you can play a game of chess, you need to know how to move the pieces (legally). A chess piece’s power is tied to its mobility. The more mobile a piece is, the more powerful it is. Here's how the various pieces can move: Pawns: Pawns can only move forward. On their first move, they can move one or two squares.
Article / Updated 07-10-2023
In 1971, Robert James Fischer (nicknamed Bobby) shocked the chess world by winning 19 consecutive games against an extremely high level of competition. This feat has been compared to throwing back-to-back no-hitters in major league baseball.During his peak playing period, from the mid 1960s into the early '70s, players spoke of "Fischer Fever," where they felt ill just having to play against him.
Article / Updated 06-06-2023
Many commercial chess-playing computer programs (chess players call them engines) are available. Most of them can beat just about anyone. One of the most powerful engines, Stockfish, is free to download. Another championship program, Komodo, offers its latest versions for sale, and its outdated versions (which are still incredibly strong) for free.
Article / Updated 05-03-2023
Mikhail Botvinnik won seven consecutive major tournaments from 1941 to 1948, including the tournament held to determine the champion upon Alexander Alekhine's death. There's little doubt that he would have defeated Alekhine, and it seems certain that he was the best player of the 1940s.Remarkably, Botvinnik was an engineer by profession and didn't dedicate himself to chess the way most of the champions did.
Article / Updated 08-04-2022
The Queen’s Gambit is more than the name of the latest Netflix mega-hit. It’s one of the oldest and best openings in the game of chess and the one Beth, the main character in The Queen's Gambit, uses (spoiler alert!) to defeat Russian grandmaster Vasily Borgov to become the world’s top chess player. Going for the Queen's Gambit.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-20-2022
Unless you have amazing powers of visualization (à la Beth Harmon from The Queen's Gambit), chess requires a chess set and a board for you to play on. The chessboard is divided up into sections called ranks and files, and the set is composed of different chessmen with different movements and powers. After you understand all of these topics, you can start playing the great game of chess, with checkmate as your goal.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-01-2022
Backgammon is an exciting, tactical game. This Cheat Sheet gives you some of the essential info you’ll need on your way to becoming a master backgammon player.Backgammon starting positionsKnowing the starting positions in backgammon is very important. Before you start playing the game in earnest, be sure to lay out your board like this.
