Articles Index

Basic Pawn Endgames

A review of several basic pawn endgames commonly seen in chess.

Popular Lines in the Caro-Kann Defense

A guide to the most popular lines in the Caro-Kann Defense, a common chess opening.

Common Lines in the French Defense

A survey of the most common lines in the French Defense, a popular chess opening.

Common Lines in the Italian Game

A description and guide to the common openings lines which can be reached from the Italian Game.

Common Lines in the Ruy Lopez

Some of the most common variations in the Ruy Lopez opening.

Ten Basic Checkmates to Know

A guide to ten basic checkmates that every chess player should know, presented as a series of mate-in-one problems.

Every Move Explained: Morphy's Opera House Game (1858)

Paul Morphy's famous Opera House Game is presented, with each move by each side explained.

Basics of Chess Strategy: Bishops

Learn how to use the bishop in chess. Improve your chess strategy with this tutorial on bishops.

Basic Principles of Chess Openings

Learn the basic principles of playing chess openings properly.

Special Rules: Castling, Promotion and En Passant

A quick guide to the chess rules that cause new players the most trouble: castling, promotion and en passant.

How to Checkmate with a King and Queen

Learn how to checkmate with a king and a queen, one of the most basic endgame checkmates in chess.

Common Lines in the Sicilian Defense

A guide to the most common lines seen in the Sicilian Defense, a chess opening.

Basic Chess Tactics

A guide to basic chess tactics, including forks, pins and skewers.

Fool's Mate -- The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

A move by move guide to the fastest checkmate in chess, the Fool's Mate.

Illustrated Guide to the Chess Pieces

The first step towards playing chess is learning how each piece moves. Each of the six pieces moves differently, and this guide will help you understand how to use each one.

How to Set Up a Chess Board

How to correctly place the board and pieces at the start of a chess game.

Check, Checkmate and Stalemate

While many beginners may confuse them because they look similar at first glance, check, checkmate and stalemate are very different situations. It is important to be able to identify each and understand what they mean.