Articles. Strategy, Terms and Stories
Short reads with diagrams for players who want to understand the games, not only play them. Each article explains one idea, opening or story, and has a short video if you prefer to watch. For the rules of a game, see our game guides.
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Stories
The people, the machines and the games behind the games we play.
Chess
The Immortal GameAnderssen gave up a bishop, two rooks and his queen, and still won in 23 moves.Published November 8, 2026
The Mechanical TurkThe chess playing machine of 1770 had a human inside, and the legends about it were the bigger hoax.Published November 8, 2026
Kasparov vs Deep BlueIn 1997 a computer beat the world chess champion in a match for the first time. The games and why they mattered.Published November 8, 2026
Bobby FischerThe 13 year old who stunned America, the 1972 world champion, and the title he refused to defend.Published November 8, 2026
Checkers
Backgammon
Strategy
Openings, plans and ideas that help you win more games.
Chess
Caro-Kann DefenseWhy Black plays c6 before d5, and how a solid opening turns active.Published November 8, 2026
Sicilian DefenseWhy Black answers 1.e4 with c5, what Black gets, and how the Smith-Morra Gambit fights back.Published November 8, 2026
King's Indian DefenseBlack lets White take the center, tucks the king away, and then fights back with e5 and a kingside attack.Published November 8, 2026
Discovered AttackOne piece steps aside and another strikes. Discovered attack, discovered check and double check.Published November 8, 2026
Pin, Skewer and X-RayThree tactics that all use a line of pieces, and how to tell which one you are looking at.Published November 8, 2026
Four Mating PatternsLadder, smothered, back rank and Arabian mate. Checkmate is not magic, it is geometry.Published November 8, 2026
5 Beginner MistakesFrom Fool's Mate to the Poisoned Pawn. Five classic mistakes and the one question that avoids them.Published November 8, 2026
Walls
Terms
The words players use, each explained with a diagram and a short video.
