10+ Best Articles on Chess
The most useful articles and videos on chess from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Chess Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved on chess by Refind users in 2023 so far.
Videos
Watch a video to get a quick overview.
A brief history of chess
Trace the storied history of the game of chess, from its origins in 7th century India to the computer software we use today. -- The attacking infantry advanc...
Inside Magnus Carlsen's mind: How he visualizes the chess board
Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZO28NtkwwQPlease support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:- Shopify: https://shop...
How to ...?
How to Get Good at Chess, Fast
How to Get Good at Chess, Fast A step-by-step guide to rapid chess improvement Last updated: March 1, 2016 Edit: This article was unexpectedly popular, reaching #2 on Hacker News and being linked t…
Trending
These links are currently making the rounds on chess on Refind.
#27: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?
Overview of the past, present and future of the game in the Land of the Rising Sun
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles on chess—all under 10 minutes.
How Did the Chess Pieces Get Their Names?
One player’s pawn is another’s farmer. And at one time, the queen was the virgin, and rather powerless.
A Good Chess Cheater Might Never Be Caught
The line between human and computer play is very hard to find.
«In an era when chess engines entirely dominate the game—when they’ve so monopolized human players’ thinking, strategy, and preparation that chess has, in certain ways, come to resemble poker—is it really possible to disentangle creativity from computing?»
Why teens are suddenly obsessed with chess
In some schools, it’s become a problem, but at most, it’s encouraged
The cheating scandal roiling the chess world has a new wrinkle
World champion Magnus Carlsen abruptly resigned after making a single move in his highly anticipated rematch with Hans Niemann. Calls have increased for an investigation.
James Stanley - Cheating at chess with a computer for my shoes
Sat 30 July 2022 Tagged: software, 3dprinting, chess, electronics I have come up with a new way to win at chess: I have connected up a Raspberry Pi Zero in my pocket to some buttons and vibration…
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles on chess.
Playing chess is an essential life lesson in concentration
The challenge of chess – learning how to hold complexity in mind and still make good decisions – is also the challenge of life
«I believe concentration is a defining feature of a fulfilling life, a necessary habit of mind for a viable civilisation, and that chess can teach us more about what concentration really means.»
What is Chess? What to think and how long for
Your knight for my pawn, and you have to take it. Things are about to get worse, sunshine. This is my game now. You have been out-calculated. I don't want the piece, I want your soul. My attack hurts…
Reconstructing Turing's "Paper Machine"
Can you guess when the first chess program was written – relative to the invention of computers? Ten years later? Wrong. The great mathematician Alan Turing did it earlier than that. During the…
The Chess Master and the Computer by Garry Kasparov
In 1985, in Hamburg, I played against thirty-two different chess computers at the same time in what is known as a simultaneous exhibition. I walked from one machine to the next, making my moves over a period of more than five hours. The four leading chess computer manufacturers had sent their top models, including eight […]
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