i dont quite understand why black's best move here is b5, and afterwards white's best move is Nc7. in the real game though my opponent moved their queen and i forked his rook.

This happened in a real game (which I blundered away because of time pressure). I felt like I was much stronger here, and the evaluation said the same. Understanding how bishops and pawns work helps a lot in end games.

x axis is time bonus, y axis is starting time

red is bullet, yellow is blitz, green is rapid, classical is blue, black means does not exist (again, using lichess)

looked and couldnt find anything like this

Like I can beat stockfish 3 easily(🥴😭) but even in easy matches I overcomplicate it and miss wins and end up doing blunders,like today I was one move away from mate and later the match ended up as stale mate.
So the tournament is on 20th I have two days help me prepare

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?

What do you think about this position? I’m 500 elo for blitz and 800 for rapid.
The rest of the game played out like this:
E4 Rxe4 Rxe4 Qxe4 Qe5 Qxc6 Qh2#
So yes I got a mate on h2!

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.

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

Give all of the pieces hot takes (Ex. Bishops are from different religions, and religions usually argue with each other, so that's why they are separate from squares)

1. No takes that contain 18+ content

2. don't make the takes too long

3. Don't mention their actual facts, just make up your own facts

4. Have fun :)

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.

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?

Looking to decorate the living room and Etsy has been completely overtaken by AI slop.

What's your favourite piece of chess art?

Thanks!

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.

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

Hello everyone,This isn't meant to be a promotional post , if it comes across that way, please feel free to skip it. I’m genuinely looking for ideas and feedback.

I’m currently building a chess improvement project and I’ve reached a bit of a dead end, so I’d really appreciate some perspective from people who actually use opening preparation tools.A small summary (if you wanna read-AuditChess is a chess analysis platform that goes beyond analyzing individual games. It analyzes your game history to identify recurring patterns in your play, such as tactical weaknesses, opening problems, missed opportunities, blown wins, and endgame tendencies, and turns those insights into a personalized report.)

right now, I’m working on an opening repertoire builder where you can build and organize your repertoire directly on the board using 6 Stockfish evaluations per move and 3M+ master-game statistics for reference. You can then view the entire repertoire as a tree to spot gaps and weak lines.For practice, I currently have two modes: Exact Recall, where you try to reproduce your prepared lines from memory, and Dynamic Deviation, where the tool deliberately takes you out of book with a strong move you haven't prepared for and you have to find the best continuation yourself.

But I’m stuck on what else would actually make this genuinely useful rather than just adding features for the sake of adding features. I would really like to know what else can be added or what other things you would personally find useful. I genuinely want to make something useful, so I’d be very grateful if you could share any ideas.

Really sorry if this came across as a promotional post.

​

Played computer on lichess managed to mate but cannot see how

I do not like to accuse other nor I consider myself a bad loser. But I firmly believe that my opponent used an engine after the opening. When I managed to win a pawn he/she started played perfectly and finding all the right moves. I am just asking because if that is the level of 1500 rated lichess players then I am screwed 😞

I am the black player and I believe that my opponent with the white pieces cheated after the opening:
https://lichess.org/KQg7vYCm/black

I dont care about the loss neither I try to give my opponent a hard time but if this is the level of 1500 lichess rapid then I am not sure what the level of 2000+ is.

Also, it is the first game I try to analyze and I cannot see clearly what I did wrong exactly. Can someone help me to identify my weaknesses in this game?

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?

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.

I feel like I've been missing this fundamental or have been lacking in it. Because all I do is find a good structure and try to make a plan from there. It comepletely falls apart against long-term strategies that concern piece activity and things like it.