Chess & Checkers

Ever wonder how to go from being a beginner or an average player to a superior player, possibly on the way to becoming a master? Here are some things you can do which will improve your game and...

When playing chess, it is important that you have a good understanding of the openings you play in order to ensure that you do not fall into any early tactical traps or set yourself up for a...

Legall's Mate is a nifty quick checkmate in the middle of the board that includes a queen sacrifice! This makes it a specially good trap to try against beginners, most of whom will not realize...

People all over world play checkers. In England and some other countries it's called draughts, but it's still the same game. Checkers is a simple game that is quite popular, especially with old...

The Ruy Lopez (also known as Spanish) opening in chess is one of the most popular and extensively explored openings in the history of chess. As such, it is a good opening for beginners to...

Unlike the two-move Fool's Mate which really never occurs in practice, many new chess players fall victim to the four-move Scholar's Mate, or some variant of it. This article shows you the steps...

The Ruy Lopez, or Spanish chess opening, has been around for generations and is still popular today. It is a sharp opening that fights for immediate control of the center and aims at great piece...

The Reti opening is in the hypermodern school of chess, meaning that it utilizes pieces, instead of pawns, to control the center. When played with 2. b3, this opening will employ a bishop on the...

The English chess opening is highly popular at all levels, from beginner to grandmaster. Named after the English player, Howard Staunton, it was incorporated in the mid-1800s but didn’t...

The Blackmar-Diemer gambit is a sharp line for players who enjoy an attacking style of chess. The idea is to use your massive lead in development and open f file for a swift and brutal attack. ...

Playing any gambit in chess is risky: If you don't understand the ideas behind the gambit, you start the game with less material than your opponent, and that is usually not good. However, when...

Have you ever watched a Grandmaster game in which there was a spectacular Queen sacrifice? Many of those very same Grandmasters began their serious chess study by learning openings like Legal's...

Learn tips on how to choose who plays the black pieces and who plays the white in this free video clip on board games and strategy games.

The English Opening is an appealing option for players who are tired of King's Pawn and Queen's Pawn openings, and those who wish to avoid the majority of Black's likely preparation. The English...

Reaching a conclusion of checkmate in a game of chess requires an understanding of which pieces you need to keep on the board to end the game to your advantage, thus avoiding a checkmate against...

What's known as the Spanish opening, or Ruy Lopez, has been played as a sequence of opening moves in chess for centuries. It is effective, easy to learn, and commonly used by beginning chess...

To play the Sicilian Opening in chess is to engage in moves going back to 1594, when Giulio Polerio is documented as having used it in a game against Gioachino Greco. In the Sicilian Opening,...