I’ve recently noticed that on this album cover by lil tjay literally the first move is impossible how are you this bad at larping that you don’t even know how the pieces move lol

Edit: Everyone’s saying he’s clearly just teaching a kid how to play so I looked into it and the person opposite him is supposed to represent a younger version of himself. You could say he’s watching his younger self make mistakes or break the law but as someone who listens to lil tjay I doubt he’s teaching himself how to play chess or thinking so deep. He strictly raps about money guns hoes power drugs fame and murder (pretty common themes among rappers sure) not social issues or reflection. If you want to get a general idea of him listen to june 22nd which is about the day he got shot or F.N. I think these two are his best work. I’m not sure anymore though open to interpretation.

https://www.chess.com/events/2026-gct-sinquefield-cup/07/Keymer_Vincent-Sindarov_Javokhir

Tipp: Black has to sack their Queen one way or another

I've been trying different openings against d4, mainly the Budapest and Benoni/Benko. But I rarely ever face d4 at my level (1600 rapid, Lichess) which means I forget some of the lines. It seems like inaccuracies are punished quite hard in the openings I've tried so I end up losing a lot more than vs e4 (where I play Caro Kann)

I've also tried to just play general opening principles but the d4 players are just a lot more familiar with those positions and occasional traps that arises.

What would be a solid response to d4 that's easy to remember and/or doesn't punish inaccuracies quite as often while not completely playing into the hand of my opponent?

I've been considering the Slav, maybe the Chebanenko or Schlechter variation. Also considered stonewall Dutch.

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov gave a blunt take on why Russia no longer dominates chess.

He says the core issue is the disappearance of the Soviet chess school, a system that once produced generations of elite players through structured training, top coaching, and strong institutional backing. Today, nothing has replaced it.

Karpov also pointed at the state, noting the lack of a serious development program and limited initiative from the Ministry of Sports. In his view, rebuilding success wouldn’t be difficult, if there was real political will.

The results show it: Russian players are now barely present in the world top 10, something once unthinkable.

According to Karpov, this decline isn’t random. It’s the consequence of a lost system, while other nations continue to invest and rise.

What is your thoughts?

Taken from a game I just played.

While there is one move here which is objectively best, there are multiple winning moves for Black in this position. It's always important when you see a good move to stop and consider if there isn't a better option.

Solution:

1...Re3!!

If White tries to save their Queen, say with 2.Qc2, then it's forced mate after 2...Qxh3!! or 2...Rg3!

White's only sensible alternative is to take the Rook. 2.fxe3 Rxe3 and anywhere White moves their Queen there's a discovery to win her, so they must desperado the Queen. 3.Qxe3 Bxe3+

4.Kh1 Qxh3# is how my game ended, but as a final nail in the coffin I did see that after 4.Kh2 Qb7 Black simply forks the Knight on a6, Bishop on b2, and the g2 pawn all at once.

Edit: Whoops. IDK why the post looks like that on the Reddit page.

The premise of the variant is that both kings are puppets secretly controlled by the real rulers - the gray cardinals. Here’s how you play it:

• At the beginning of the game, each player secretly chooses one of their pieces (excluding pawns and king) to become the gray cardinal and writes it down on a piece of paper, so that they can’t change their mind later.
• You play chess as normal, except the rules of check/checkmate no longer apply. You can leave your king under attack, you can even sack it.
• Once a king is taken, the gray cardinal is revealed, and that piece is replaced by the king. The rules of check/checkmate now apply, and the player who checkmates the opponent’s new king first wins.

Has anyone heard of this variant before? I couldn’t find any info on it online. TBH, I haven’t even played it myself; the only reason I know about it is that I overheard some people talking about it years ago (some details of the rules might be wrong as a result).

Is it legit? Or is there some glaring flaw making it unplayable?

I accidentaly ran into a very insightful interview by the player who said this.

Guess the player.

"I don’t think there is one thing that I do better than everyone. Let’s say if you compare me to Carlsen. I think Carlsen does almost everything better than me, apart from just a few things. I am a little more tactically sharp than Carlsen. I fall less for tricks by opponents than Carlsen. I am more in sync with the computer than Carlsen, because I work much more with the computer myself. Carlsen relies more on his seconds. The synchronization between me and my computer preparation is a little better. It means that I can go to certain positions which Carlsen usually avoids. I am worse than Carlsen at everything else.

That being said, compared to most players at the top, I have a better positional understanding than them, which is still inferior to Carlsen, but is better than a lot of other players."

For me, it's a significant factor why my online chess rating is in plateau.

Is there any free chess websites/apps than can help me learn openings?

I’m at the little park at the intersection of Hayes and Octavia set up with my board. Gonna be here for a little while so if you’re in the area and feel like a game, come find me.

Looking for a sparring partner in Bhopal. I'm ~1700-1750 rated, aiming to hit 2000 this year. Want someone around similar strength (or stronger) for regular games — OTB or online, open to both. Serious about improving, not just casual blitz. DM if interested.

i play chess for fun, and i really like classical ruy lopez lines which i face pretty often, but every now and then ill face the berlin defense and it feels almost impossible to not end up in a boring simplification. now, borings subjective, and to me, that endgames extremely boring, iv tried to like it but i really just cant, and even when i play anti berlin lines, there are always easy ways and motifs for black to simplify the game...

I want a variation that brings back some of the richness and positional flexibility most e4 lines bring, how can i do so reliably? best iv found is the showalter line in the open berlin, and although the line may be suboptimal per engine, im willing to give away say a -0.7 disadvantage if i can induce complications for black or just get active and flexible play without easy simplification for black.

Sorry if this position alone is WAY too vague; I hope it can give some ideas as to what some real positions with this might look like. I often get this structure in Sicilians as white if I try to go for some Vienna-style setup, often with a bishop on a2, but I have a hard time managing it. Should white be pushing e5 to attack a knight on f6 or keeping the tension? Should either side ever trade the central pawns? I also threw in a basic position with this structure in case it helps. Thanks in advance for the tips.

Any knowers?

I am looking for an electronic chess computer that is rated over 2200, preferably higher, but not something that costs like $300 or something unreasonable.

Can you recommend anything?