Comment by PhishMaster on Do the rules of chess state that a Bishop+King can...
It would only apply to USCF tournaments that state that they are also FIDE-rated, not every tournament by default because they are "affiliated to FIDE".
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on Game analysis - Understanding the potential of this...
The position in the diagram starts at move 19, yet your analysis starts at move 21. Even reading the book, the Na6, does not move until move 39, so I am not sure what it meant by your computer analysis...
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on Is the number of legal chess positions odd or even?
@DKrueger Even then, the number will be so high, it probably cannot be counted to in billions of lifetimes. I think that the only way is some kind of mathematical proof, like on a much lower level, why...
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on Guide to using a book
@Pranav I think we are talking about two different things: Pattern recognition, which you get by doing many problems, but many of those patters flow from getting the better position because you are a...
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on Pawn Structure Change in the Pirc - dxe5 or Nxe5?
Again, like so many positions in chess, if your pieces are better, and you can open the position, you usually will profit.
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on Game analysis - Understanding the potential of this...
In general, when your major/heavy pieces have more scope, and there are open files, when they penetrate, they attack weak pawns, and when the opponent has to defend them, often something cracks...
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation,...
It would be helpful to see some games, or at least the openings, to get a better idea why you are losing. It may not be the opening, or it may be that the positions you are getting do not suit your...
View ArticleComment by PhishMaster on What is the definition of an "outpost"?
When I went to add the link, the first page I found on Wikipedia was this one, which is closer to correct: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_chess#O
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for What's the best way to learn the French?
The fact is that you will need to pick a good book, which is difficult since there are a million books out there on the French.When starting out with a new opening, picking a book that is heavy on...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for In Bughouse can you claim a draw if the position on...
Not having a governing body for bughouse, the rules are a little informal.Per the Wikipedia article:Depending on (local) rules threefold repetition applies, in which case the reserve of pieces is not...
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Answer by PhishMaster for How can someone find their Morphy number?
This may not help if you do not have games in the ChessBase database (or even enough games), but ChessBase recently released a feature called "WinChain", which TRIES to find your "number" to any...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Can someone explain this computer suggestion to me?
Well, you were winning handily, and up material, and position. The move Nd4?? blundered a piece, and Bd2 actually makes it clearly worse, which is why the computer liked bxc3. Given two clear choices...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Polerio Gambit game for review
First, this is not really a Polerio, aka Muzio Gambit (this is the only name I have ever heard it called). That is characterized by the move 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0. You left out some of the opening...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Do the rules of chess state that a Bishop+King can...
First, Carlsen, despite having only the Bishop, WON that game. So it is not about mating material, but about ANY possible mating position, and there was one here.The rule at hand is this:Paragraph 6.9...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Help with the Sicilian Defence - I need to...
First, in chess, being behind in development is not always the end of the world. It certainly can be if your king gets stuck in the center of the board, and comes under attack; but there are many...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for What does it mean to ''analyze grandmaster games''?
I agree with you, more than your coach. Just analyzing a GM game, even with a computer, is not helpful just by itself if you have no idea what is going on.For example, just earlier today, I answered a...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Do any national chess bodies not strictly follow...
I do not know the rules for every country, but if the USCF and ICCF are any indication, most bodies have their own tweaks to tournament rules. The rules for the actual piece movements are consistent....
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Why does Stockfish suggest capturing a bishop in...
I agree with the other two answers, but I feel like I also need to comment on the beginning of the game since there was A LOT more important stuff there than just the answer to why Qxg5.This is very...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Can Black save this Knight vs Bishop endgame with a...
I know I am late to the party, and it should be a draw, but none of the answers really hit on the easiest plan, and that was f5, making is impossible for white to create a passed pawn, except for an...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Idea behind e-pawn sacrifice in Open Sicilian:...
I think that a lot of the answers to your various questions about "why this or that" come down to the fact that it is just very unexplored theory, and the black players are just using their best...
View ArticleWho is the oldest person to become a GM via norms and hitting 2500 in rating?
Who is the oldest person to become a GM via norms and hitting 2500 in rating? In other words, the standard way that most GMs achieve the title.This would rule out any of the old masters pre-FIDE, and I...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for What is the definition of an "outpost"?
No, it does not have to be a knight.It is really any forward square (5th rank or 6th rank), occupied by any piece (knight, bishop, rook, and more rarely since it can be chased away by less-valuable...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Why does the London System have the reputation it has?
Well, I want to give you a third master's opinion, and most coaches teach the London because they can teach students an opening that the students can, for the most part, be mindless for the first 10...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for How does white mate in two?
I would not normally answer this, but the real answer was deleted by its author for some reason, and is hidden. I also think that the original -3 for the question was more due to the original poster...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for How many grandmasters have been stripped of their...
After doing some checking, it seems that this is a relatively new phenomenon. Before the advent of technology, and strong chess playing programs on smartphones, it does not appear that any GMs had ever...
View ArticleDid Fischer really have a 180 IQ?
I have read many times that Bobby Fischer had an IQ of 180. Did he really have that high of an IQ? Does anyone have proof that he was ever even tested (like a citation from an early book about...
View ArticleHow is "fianchetto" really pronounced?
I have heard "fianchetto" for four decades now, and I have always pronounced it "fēənˈCHetō", but I have heard many people also pronounce it "fēənˈketō".It is of Italian origin, so I am wondering if...
View ArticleWhy is the f7-g6-h5 pawn complex so important for black in rook endgames?
I was watching the chess24.com video on endgames with Mark Dvoretsky, and the video “Plus-equal mode | Part 1” covered the game Tony Miles-Simon Webb, Birmingham 1975, and we quickly get to the...
View ArticleDid any other language than English ever use Descriptive notation? Which...
Descriptive notation seems to be limited to certain languages like English, and I found a Wikipedia article that mentions Spanish and French.I have never seen a Russian book that uses Descriptive, and...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Where is the list of FIDE approved clocks?
Here is the document that includes that. See section 5.5.
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for In Fischer-Petrosian 1971 game 7, why did Fischer...
This is a very famous position. Well, here are some reasons, and there are quite a few:Since this was a Candidate’s Match to qualify to play Spassky, it comes down to exact calculation above all....
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for Pushing the e-pawn
I disagree that it is primarily about development.This is a very common theme, and it comes down to the fact that e5 is not easily defended by a pawn (aka "artificially isolated"). Bg4 soon will trade...
View ArticleHow do they determine the starting position for Fisher Random / Chess 960?
I am watching the Fischer Random World Championship with Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So, and I am wondering how they determine the starting position?Is it software that picks, or do they start left to...
View ArticleAnswer by PhishMaster for What is the Bongcloud opening?
The Bongcloud opening is a joke opening that is meant to give your opponent a chance, and also it is meant to show contempt for your opponent. You play it because you think you are much stronger than...
View ArticleWhat happens if a player dies at the board? What is the ruling?
What happens if a player dies at the board? What is the ruling? I am interested in both FIDE and/or USCF rules.I seem to recall about 40 years ago, when reading my first copy of the USCF rule book,...
View ArticleChessKid or an adult chess site for a 15-year-old?
Coincidentally, a month, or two, before the COVID-19 started spreading across the United States, and schools closed anyway, I had already started homeschooling my 15-year-old daughter. She had never...
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