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136 guides, grouped into 8 reading paths. Start with the improvement loop, then follow the topic you need next. Every post is a standalone guide; the series gives it a place in the bigger picture.
136 guides 8 series Newest 29 Oct 2026
The five-step review · Beginner → club
Start here: the improvement loop
Form an opinion before the engine speaks, turn the worst moment into a puzzle, and leave with one sentence you can use in the next game.
15guides
How to convert a winning chess position (without giving it away) A winning position is not a result. It is a position with fewer good moves for your opponent and several ways for you to make it complicated again. How to analyse your own chess games (without wasting the review) Most players run the engine, see a red blunder, and move on. A useful review starts before the engine and ends with one change you can actually make. How to study master games without an engine A master game is not a museum piece. It is a conversation about plans, and you learn most when you join it before the engine speaks. How to review a lost chess game without tilting Losing feels like evidence. It is not. A loss is a set of decisions you can inspect, and the review should be about the decisions, not the score. Why opening traps stop working (and what to learn instead) A trap is a bet that your opponent does not know the refutation. Against a stronger player, that bet loses more often than it wins. Opening preparation with an engine: plans before moves An opening repertoire is not a list of moves. It is a set of plans you can recognise when the opponent leaves the script. How to handle a chess losing streak without changing everything A losing streak feels like evidence that something is broken. Usually it is variance plus tilt, and the fix is smaller than a new opening repertoire. How to use engine lines correctly (without following them blindly) The engine is a calculator with no clock, no nerves and no opponent. Its line is a proposal, not a prophecy. A 10-minute pre-game routine for better chess A routine does not make you play perfectly. It removes the small sources of noise that make a normal game harder. Endgame training with Stockfish: depth, tablebases and practical drills Endgames are where deep analysis pays off most. The goal is not to memorise every tablebase position; it is to recognise the few structures that decide games. How to choose a time control for chess improvement The best time control is the one that exposes the skill you are working on. If you only play one format, you only train one skill. How to prepare for a chess tournament with online tools Tournament preparation is not about learning a new opening. It is about making your existing chess reliable under pressure. Post-game routine: the fifteen minutes that improve your chess The minutes immediately after a game are the best time to capture lessons. Playing tired: how to protect your rating and your health Tired chess is not the same as fresh chess; calculation slows down and blunders increase. Tilt: how to stop one loss from becoming five Tilt is the tendency to play faster, more aggressively and less objectively after a frustrating result.
Repertoire · All levels
Openings: plans before moves
Named openings explained through their pawn structures and typical plans, not twenty-move memorisation dumps. Pick a line, understand the middlegame it creates.
23guides
Transpositions: the same position through a different move order Transpositions let you reach a familiar structure while avoiding an opponent's preparation. Building an opening tree from your own games An opening tree shows what you actually play, not what a book says you should play. Opening surprises: how to handle an unfamiliar line Every player eventually faces an opening they do not know. Four Knights Game: symmetrical structure, asymmetric plans The Four Knights looks symmetrical, but small differences in development and pawn structure decide the game. Scotch Game: open lines and early piece activity The Scotch opens the centre early, trading the e4 and d4 pawns for rapid piece development. Vienna Game: a forgotten route to the king The Vienna Game aims for f4 and a quick kingside initiative without the heavy theory of the Ruy Lopez. Alekhine Defence: provoke the pawns, then attack them Alekhine's Defence invites White to push pawns with 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5, then attacks the resulting space. Pirc Defence: invite overextension, then hit the centre The Pirc lets White build a broad centre and then attacks it with ...c5, ...e5 and piece pressure. Scandinavian Defence: early queen play without falling behind The Scandinavian trades the centre immediately: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 or 2...Nf6. Catalan Opening: the long diagonal and queenside pressure The Catalan combines a queenside fianchetto with central pressure, often leaving White with a lasting edge. London System: a low-theory repertoire that still asks real questions The London System is a setup-based opening: Bf4, e3, c3 and Nbd2 create a solid centre and a clear plan. English Opening: flexible flank play with reversed Sicilian ideas The English reverses the Sicilian: White plays c4 first and decides later whether the position becomes a Reversed Dragon, Symmetrical English or a detached queen's pawn game. Grünfeld Defence: attacking the centre from distance The Grünfeld lets White build a big centre and then attacks it with ...d5, ...Bg7 and piece pressure. King's Indian Defence: concede space, then strike the centre The King's Indian is a deliberate space concession: Black builds a kingside attack and challenges the centre later. Nimzo-Indian: piece pressure against White's centre The Nimzo-Indian uses ...Bb4 to fight c3 and the centre before the pawn structure is fixed. Slav Defence: holding d5 without blocking the bishop The Slav defends d5 with ...c6, keeping the light-squared bishop free and the position flexible. Queen's Gambit Declined: classical chess in its purest form The QGD is a reliable answer to 1.d4 built on central tension, ...e6 and careful piece development. Caro-Kann: solid development and the battle for the light squares The Caro-Kann is a resilient defence that develops the bishop before closing the pawn chain. French Defence: turning a cramped position into a counterattack The French is a lesson in accepting a space disadvantage in exchange for a clear pawn-chain target. Sicilian Dragon: opposite-side castling and the race that follows The Dragon gives Black a long diagonal bishop and a clear target on the queenside while White attacks on the kingside. Sicilian Najdorf: a practical guide to the Open Sicilian's sharpest branch The Najdorf is a counterattacking system: Black concedes space in the centre and attacks White's setup with ...e5, ...a6 and piece play. Ruy Lopez: how to build pressure without memorising 20 moves The Ruy Lopez is not a trick opening. It is a long-term fight for the e5 square and the initiative. Italian Game for club players: plans, traps and a practical repertoire The Italian Game is one of the cleanest ways to learn open-game chess: develop every piece, castle early and choose a plan before the tactics start.
Technique · Club → advanced
Endgames: convert, defend, repeat
The positions that decide real games: king and pawn opposition, Lucena and Philidor, wrong rook pawns, fortresses, zugzwang and exact tablebase method.
20guides
Tablebases explained: exact endgame truth without memorisation A tablebase gives the exact result with perfect play. It does not tell you which move is easiest for a human to play. Converting an endgame advantage: the last five percent Converting an endgame is a separate skill from reaching one. Queen endgames: checks, pawns and the long grind Queen endgames are volatile; one check can change the result, and the king's safety matters as much as material. Rook versus bishop: the endgame of open lines Rook versus bishop is usually won by the rook, but the defender can build a fortress with the right pawn structure. Endgame clock management: when to stop calculating Endgames are where time management and technique interact most directly. Active king: the piece that decides endgames In the endgame, the king becomes a fighting piece; its activity often matters more than a pawn. Pawn breakthroughs: creating a passed pawn by force A pawn breakthrough is a sacrificial advance that opens the path to promotion. Tablebase technique: turning exact results into practical play Tablebases give the exact result, but the best move is not always the easiest move for a human. Zugzwang: when having to move is the problem Zugzwang occurs when every legal move makes the position worse. Fortress: the defensive structure that cannot be broken A fortress is a defensive setup where the stronger side cannot make progress despite extra material. Queen versus pawn: the race to promote Queen versus pawn is usually won, but the defender has drawing resources when the pawn reaches the seventh rank. Wrong rook pawn: the most famous drawing corner A rook pawn with a bishop of the wrong colour can be a draw even with an extra bishop. Same-colour bishops: the drawing tendency and how to fight it Same-colour bishop endings are notoriously drawish, but the stronger side can still win with a passed pawn or a weak king. Bishop vs knight: when the bishop dominates Bishop versus knight depends on the pawn structure, not on a fixed material value. Outside passed pawn: the endgame trump card An outside passed pawn distracts the opponent's king and creates a winning tempo in the centre. Rook and pawn races: count tempi, not moves Rook and pawn races are decided by tempi, not by the number of pieces on the board. Philidor position: the standard rook endgame draw The Philidor position is the main drawing method with a rook and pawn against a rook. Lucena position: the standard rook endgame win The Lucena position is the classic winning technique with a rook and pawn against a rook. Triangulation: losing a tempo with the king Triangulation is a king manoeuvre that loses a tempo and puts the opponent in zugzwang. King and pawn opposition: the first endgame skill Opposition is the geometry of two kings fighting for key squares.
Strategy · Intermediate
Positional play: structures and squares
Pawn chains, isolated pawns, outposts, weak squares, open files and prophylaxis. The quiet decisions that make the tactics work later.
25guides
Queen activity: the piece that needs a plan The queen is powerful but easy to expose; its best square depends on the pawn structure and the king positions. Piece trades: the decision that shapes the whole game Every trade changes the pawn structure, the piece activity and the attacking potential. Pawn chains: attack the base, not the head Pawn chains point in a direction, and the base is usually the most vulnerable point. Passed pawns: the asset that must keep moving A passed pawn is a pawn with no enemy pawns in front of it on the same or adjacent files. Doubled pawns: when the structure is worth the damage Doubled pawns are not automatically bad; the open file, the bishop pair and the initiative can be worth more than the structure. Improving your worst piece: the simplest plan in chess When there is no forcing move, the best plan is often to improve the piece that is doing the least. Positional sacrifice: giving material for lasting compensation A positional sacrifice is not a forced tactic; it trades material for long-term advantages such as a strong centre, better pieces or a weak enemy king. Exchange sacrifice: giving a rook for a knight or bishop An exchange sacrifice trades material for structure, activity or a direct attack. Initiative: the obligation to keep creating threats The initiative is the ability to force the opponent to react. Prophylaxis: stopping the opponent's plan before starting yours Prophylaxis means asking what the opponent wants to do and preventing it before it becomes dangerous. King safety: the difference between an attack and a bluff King safety is not only about pawn shields; it is about the number of attackers, defenders and open lines around the king. Seventh rank: the rook's most dangerous home A rook on the seventh rank attacks pawns from behind and restricts the opponent's king. Open files: control the entry squares, not just the file An open file is only useful if your rook can enter the opponent's position. Rook lift: bringing a heavy piece into the attack A rook lift moves a rook to the third or fourth rank to support a pawn advance or switch to the kingside. Bishop pair: how to turn two bishops into a lasting advantage The bishop pair is a long-term asset, especially in open positions with pawns on both wings. Outposts: the knight's dream square An outpost is a square defended by your pawn where an enemy pawn cannot attack your piece. Weak squares: find them, occupy them, and never give them away A weak square is a square that can no longer be defended by a pawn. Piece activity: the real currency of positional chess A position is not judged only by material and pawn structure; the activity of the pieces is often the deciding factor. Space advantage: how to use it without overextending A space advantage gives you more room to manoeuvre, but it also creates more squares to defend. Pawn breaks: the move that changes the structure A pawn break is a move that challenges the opponent's pawn chain and changes the position permanently. Minority attack: the classic plan against a queenside pawn chain The minority attack uses fewer pawns on the queenside to create weaknesses in the opponent's majority. Pawn majorities: which side should push, and when A pawn majority is only an advantage if it can create a passed pawn safely. Backward pawns: the quiet weakness that decides endgames A backward pawn is a pawn that cannot be supported by its neighbours and sits on a half-open file. Hanging pawns: when two pawns are strong, and when they are targets Hanging pawns on c5 and d5 can control the centre, but they can also become targets on open files. Isolated queen's pawn: turn a weakness into active piece play An isolated queen's pawn is a structural weakness only if the pieces cannot support it.
Pattern recognition · All levels
Tactics and puzzle craft
Pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks, deflection and zwischenzugs — plus how to solve hard puzzles without guessing and turn your own blunders into training material.
14guides
Chess puzzle themes: fork, pin, skewer and discovered attack Puzzle themes are not labels for memorisation. They are questions that help you find the first candidate move. Puzzle rating vs game rating: why they diverge Puzzles measure pattern recognition in a clean position. Games measure everything else: opening, clock, nerves, and the ability to create the pattern. How to solve hard Lichess puzzles (without guessing) Hard puzzles are not solved by seeing further. They are solved by asking better questions before calculating. How to create puzzles from your own chess games Generic puzzles teach generic patterns. Your own blunders teach the patterns you keep missing under pressure. Back-rank mate: the weakness behind the king A back-rank mate exploits a king trapped behind its own pawns. Zwischenzug: the move in between A zwischenzug is an in-between move that delays the expected recapture or retreat. Overload: when one piece has too many jobs An overloaded piece is defending more than it can handle. Deflection: luring a defender away from its duty Deflection forces a defending piece away from the square or line it is protecting. Removing the defender: eliminate the piece holding the position A removing-the-defender tactic captures or deflects a piece that is guarding a key square or piece. Double check: when the king must move Double check occurs when two pieces give check at once. Discovered attacks: moving one piece to unleash another A discovered attack moves one piece out of the way so another piece can attack. Skewers: the reverse of a pin A skewer attacks a valuable piece and forces it to move, exposing a less valuable piece behind it. Forks: one move, two targets A fork attacks two or more pieces at once, forcing the opponent to lose material. Pins: how to exploit a piece that cannot move A pin restricts a piece because moving it would expose a more valuable piece behind it.
Read Stockfish · Beginner → intermediate
The engine room
Depth versus nodes, centipawn loss, accuracy scores, MultiPV and infinite analysis. Use the engine to test your reasoning instead of replacing it.
9guides
MultiPV explained: when to look beyond the engine's best move The best move is not always the most useful answer. MultiPV turns the engine from an oracle into a comparison tool. Stockfish depth vs nodes: what is the difference? Depth is how many plies the engine looks ahead. Nodes are how many positions it visits. They are related, but they are not interchangeable. What is a giga node? 100 GN explained with practical examples A giga node is a billion positions searched. It sounds enormous, and it is, but chess analysis spends nodes quickly. Here is the practical arithmetic. How to read a Stockfish evaluation (cp, mate and +0.30) An evaluation is a compressed opinion, not a verdict. Learn what +0.30, -1.20 and M5 actually mean before you change your opening repertoire. Chess accuracy scores explained (and why 100% is not the goal) Accuracy is a summary of how much your moves lost compared with the engine's best move. It is useful for finding patterns, not for ranking yourself. Blunder, mistake or inaccuracy? How chess engines classify moves The labels are useful shorthand, but they are thresholds, not verdicts. A move can be a blunder in one position and the only practical try in another. Why a full-game review beats checking only the blunders The worst move is rarely the whole story. The move before it, and the plan behind it, usually explain more. How to use infinite analysis without wasting credits Infinite mode is not a magic button. It is a long search you have to steer. The skill is knowing when to stop. Centipawn loss and win probability: why chess engines use both Losing 100 centipawns from +0.20 is not the same as losing 100 from +8.00. Win probability captures the difference.
Clock and nerves · All levels
Play, compete and keep your head
Time controls, increment, draw offers, takebacks, premoves, connection etiquette and the practical side of online competition.
16guides
When to accept a draw (and when accepting is a mistake) A draw is not always a failure and not always a safe result. The right answer depends on the position, the clock and what you need from the tournament. Where your chess clock actually goes (and how to fix it) Most players do not lose on time because they think too long. They lose because they spend time in the wrong places. Chess time controls explained: bullet, blitz, rapid and classical A time control is not just a number. It changes the opening choices, the tactical density and the kind of mistakes you make. What bot depth should you play against? A deep bot is not a strong human. It is a predictable calculator. Choose the depth for the skill you want to train. Why engine assistance ruins improvement (and why it is banned) The point of a game is not the result. It is the feedback. An engine removes the feedback and leaves only the result. Time trouble: how to make good decisions with seconds left Time trouble is a decision-making problem, not a chess-knowledge problem. Opponent scouting: using public games without crossing the line Scouting is preparation, not surveillance; use public games and opening choices to make a plan. Mouse slips: reducing the most avoidable losses A mouse slip is a move you did not intend, not a move you did not calculate. Premoves: speed versus safety A premove can save seconds, but it can also create illegal moves or tactical disasters. Playing with increment: how the clock changes your decisions Increment changes the risk calculation: you can afford to think when every move adds time. Rated vs casual games: using both without hurting progress Rated games measure performance; casual games are for experimentation. Online cheating: protecting your games and your rating Online cheating damages the rating pool and your own improvement. Disconnect etiquette: what to do when the connection drops Disconnects happen; the important thing is how you handle the clock and the result. Takebacks online: when they help and when they hurt Takebacks can make casual games more friendly, but they can also hide the mistakes you need to learn from. Draw offers: when to offer, accept or decline A draw offer is a psychological and practical tool, not an admission of weakness. How to choose a time control that improves your chess The right time control is the one that lets you think about the right things without rushing every move.
Your database · All levels
Library, notation and PGN
PGN headers, FEN, SAN, clocks in PGN, tagging, duplicate detection and exports. Build a permanent library you can actually search.
14guides
Chess notation explained: how to read and write moves Algebraic notation is the language of every chess book, PGN file and engine line. It takes ten minutes to learn and pays off forever. FEN explained: the text format behind every chess position FEN is how computers describe a chess position in one line. It looks cryptic until you read it field by field. PGN explained: how chess games are stored and exported PGN is the lingua franca of chess games. It is simple, portable and worth understanding if you keep a game library. How to build a permanent chess study library Most players lose their best analysis in chat windows and temporary tabs. A study library turns scattered work into a reusable asset. How online chess clocks work (latency, increment and flag falls) An online clock is a server-side timer, not a local stopwatch. Understanding the difference explains most clock disputes. Building a personal chess database from scratch A personal database should contain your games, key model games and a small reference set, not every game ever played. Game hashes and duplicate detection: how ChessUrge keeps libraries clean A game hash is a fingerprint of the PGN content used to detect duplicates. Clock data in PGN: what is stored and what is lost Most PGNs store moves and results, but clock times are often omitted or stored in non-standard comments. Chess notation for database work: SAN, UCI and coordinates SAN is for humans, UCI is for engines; both appear in chess databases. FEN vs PGN: which format to use for positions and games FEN describes one position; PGN describes a sequence of moves. Database hygiene: removing duplicates and fixing broken PGNs A clean database is faster to search and more reliable to analyse. Tagging games: build a library you can actually use Tags turn a chronological list into a study tool. Exporting games: PGN, archives and backups Export is your insurance against platform loss and the starting point for deeper study. PGN metadata: the headers that make your games searchable PGN headers are the difference between a pile of moves and a useful database.
Put it into practice
A reading path is not a training plan.
Turn the next idea into a daily habit: solve a few puzzles, review one game and keep the positions that repeat in a study.