Mark's Chess Blog

Want to play chess better? Of course you do! Every chess player's favorite topic is how to improve. It's hard to know where to go after learning the basics. Motivation ... Read More

In Women's History Month, we mention Susan Polgar, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Sonja Graf, Lisa Lane, Sofonisba Anguissola, Vera Menchik, Rachel Crotto, Diane Savereide, Lina Grumette, Jacqueline Piatigorsky, and a few more women ... Read More

Short takes : There are things to be taken more seriously and there are things to be taken less seriously. The following is a mix. MOVE 36 • '"Move 36" makes reference to ... Read More

Ask any chess player to list the World Chess Champions and you're likely to get an answer like 'Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, ...' It's a rare player who will ask, 'Which ... Read More

In 2004 US Chess Championships, your Chess Guide starts a thread on a recent announcement by America's Foundation for Chess (AF4C) and the NTC Foundation : the next U.S. championship will be ... Read More

In this space on 8 November 2003, we mentioned that the USCF was (1) moving to a new state and (2) seeking a new Executive Director (ED). A recent flurry of press ... Read More

It's a FAQ! After a year and a half as Chess Guide, we have a good idea what's on your mind. Have a question? Look here for the answer. Sometimes ... Read More

In A couple of newbie questions, CarolHS asks, 'What are the rules for promoting Pawns? And, can Knights move one space, then two, or only two spaces then one?'. Along with the ... Read More

We didn't realize it at the time, but our article Famous Women Chess Players was released during Women's History Month in the U.S. In another lucky coincidence, About.com's Women's History site recently informed visitors, 'Queen Piece ... Read More

Our register of outstanding players now recognizes the Queens of the game. We added the names of 18 women who have competed in title matches for the Women's World Championship.

Regular members have been using the Chess Forum to maintain ongoing discussions. Here are two topical subjects. The oldest active forum thread must be What ever happened to Unification? • When the thread started ... Read More

The Just Can't Get Enough department : Following up last week's Elsewhere on the Web, Bobby Fischer -and- Chess as Sport stay in the news! First, let's start with a few ... Read More

We expanded our glossary from 20 to 90 terms, with definitions for everything from Algebraic notation to Zwischenzug. Watch for more glossary terms coming soon!