Anand–Topalov 2010: study adaptation across a championship match
The Sofia World Championship match is a useful setting for comparing plans, preparation, and responses to pressure.
3 min read · one exercise
♜ A chapter of the Academy
Games & history
Meet the players, games, and stories that make chess worth studying.
22 original lessons · Free to read
Can a computer beat a grandmaster? What that means for learning
Deep Blue's 1997 match marked a public milestone. For a learner, a strong engine is most useful when it checks a specific idea.
3 min read · one exercise
Chess in popular culture: turn curiosity into a first lesson
Stories make chess feel dramatic. At the board, the useful next step is learning how a position creates that drama.
4 min read · one exercise
Chess in the Cold War: study the moves beneath the symbolism
The 1972 Fischer–Spassky match carried political meaning, but its games also offer precise lessons in development and planning.
4 min read · one exercise
Chess records that teach you something about the game
A two-move mate, a 269-move marathon, and a record young grandmaster each point to a different chess lesson.
3 min read · one exercise
Corus 2010: learn from a tournament, not just its winner
The Wijk aan Zee event offers a way to compare different players solving similar opening and middlegame problems.
3 min read · one exercise
Expensive chess sets: price, craftsmanship, and practical play
Luxury sets can be jewellery or collectible art. Their value tells you little about how useful they are for learning chess.
4 min read · one exercise
Famous chess games: a study list organized by the idea
Choose a classic for development, coordination, or defence, then explain the quiet moves that make its finish possible.
4 min read · one exercise
Famous chess puzzles: turn a classic game into active practice
Use historical combinations as calculation exercises by hiding the answer and searching for the defender's strongest reply.
4 min read · one exercise
Great chess players to study: choose a teacher for each skill
Use Morphy, Capablanca, Fischer, Polgár, and other masters as guides to different decisions rather than forcing a single ranking.
3 min read · one exercise
Great women in chess: study the games and the barriers they crossed
Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Judit Polgár belong in a study programme for the chess they played.
4 min read · one exercise
How many possible chess moves are there?
Separate legal moves in one position, move sequences, and distinct positions before comparing the huge numbers associated with chess.
4 min read · one exercise
Linares 2010: use a tournament collection to compare plans
Study an elite event through repeated decisions: central tension, useful exchanges, and the moment a position changes.
3 min read · one exercise
The Immortal Game: follow the attack before counting the sacrifices
Study Anderssen–Kieseritzky as a lesson in development, exposed kings, and the exact geometry of a mating finish.
4 min read · one exercise
The longest recorded chess game: 269 moves and an endgame lesson
Nikolić–Arsović, Belgrade 1989, is recorded by Guinness at 269 moves. The useful lesson is precision and persistence in long endings.
3 min read · one exercise
The Staunton chess set: why recognizable pieces matter
The familiar tournament-style pieces date to the nineteenth century. Their lasting strength is that you can read the board quickly.
3 min read · one exercise
The Turk chess machine: a hidden player, not a thinking engine
The celebrated historical automaton used a human operator. Its story is a useful prompt to ask how a chess tool really works.
3 min read · one exercise
What is a chess grandmaster? Titles, ratings, and norms explained
A grandmaster title recognizes high-level competitive achievement. It is different from an online rating or a coaching qualification.
3 min read · one exercise
Where did chess come from? A game that changed as it travelled
Chess developed through earlier games and changing rules. Understanding that history helps separate modern chess from its ancestors.
4 min read · one exercise
Who is the greatest chess player? First choose the question
Peak strength, dominance, longevity, and influence measure different things. Use the debate to guide study, not replace it.
4 min read · one exercise
Young chess grandmasters: admire the milestone, study the process
Early titles are remarkable, but a learner's useful measure is the quality of the next decision, not an age deadline.
3 min read · one exercise
Zurich 1953: learn to explain a whole tournament's ideas
The Candidates event won by Smyslov became a classic source of annotated games and strategic lessons.
4 min read · one exercise