Chess Guides & Insights
Training advice, analysis techniques, and tactics to help you improve with every game you play.
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Chess Visualization: How to Train Your Brain to See 5 Moves Ahead
Visualization — the ability to calculate and see positions in your head — is a trainable skill. Here's how to systematically improve it.
The Best Chess Openings for Beginners (And Why Memorizing Lines Is a Trap)
Everyone wants to know the best opening to play. The honest answer is more useful than any line you could memorize.
Why You're Stuck Under 1000 Elo (And the One Habit That Will Fix It)
Most players stuck under 1000 Elo are making the same fixable mistakes. Here's what's actually holding you back and a concrete plan to break through.
How to Use Stockfish: The Beginner's Guide to the World's Best Chess Engine
Stockfish is the strongest chess engine in the world and it's completely free. Here's how to actually use it to improve your chess.
How to Use Engine Analysis to Actually Improve at Chess
Most players open the engine after a loss, see a sea of red, and feel discouraged. Here's how to use analysis the right way — to build real chess understanding.
How to Analyze Your Chess Games Like a Grandmaster (Step-by-Step)
Post-game analysis is the single most effective chess improvement method. Here's a structured 5-step process used by serious players at every level.
Chess Tactics Training: Why You Keep Blundering (And How to Finally Stop)
Blunders aren't random — they follow patterns. Understanding why you blunder is the first step to training yourself out of it.
5 Opening Mistakes Almost Every Beginner Makes (And How to Stop)
These five opening mistakes cost beginners hundreds of rating points. Learn what they are, why they happen, and how to fix them for good.
Chess Engine Evaluations Explained: What +1.5, -3, and the Eval Bar Actually Mean
What does it mean when Stockfish says +1.5? What's a centipawn? This guide explains everything you need to know about reading engine evaluations.
How to Get Better at Chess: 7 Proven Methods That Actually Work
Stuck at the same rating for months? Here are 7 evidence-based methods that actually move the needle — from tactics training to engine feedback.