Falkbeer Countergambit

You’ve already seen that the King’s Gambit is a powerful weapon. If Black isn’t ready to respond properly in the opening, they will easily lose the game in a few moves. It’s clear as day that simply accepting the opponent’s sacrificed pawn is the wrong strategy. Why? It forces you to go on the defensive…

Defense Against the Scholar’s Mate

You probably already know how the scholar’s mate works. Now it’s time to learn how to save yourself from it! All players face such a threat from time to time. But there is nothing to be afraid of. We’ll tell you how to unfold a simple and reliable defense against the scholar’s mate. White goes…

King’s Gambit

This opening is associated with the Renaissance. It has been loved by players for many centuries because it often leads to dynamic games. You need to see it just once to grasp its beauty. A cascade of victims and non-standard ideas look impressive on the board. But nowadays, the King’s Gambit is rarely used by…

Scholar’s Mate

Many people have heard the word combination “scholar’s mate”, even if they’ve never played chess before. Although they might guess its meaning, very few of them know how it works on the board. Let’s have a look at how to win the match in just 4 moves. Before we dive into the mechanics, we’d like…

How to play chess openings: 5 main principles

Mastering chess at a proper level requires a lot of skills. It’s not enough to learn how the pieces move and how to checkmate the opponent. Once you’ve studied the basics, it’s time to learn how to play chess openings.  That’s the kind of knowledge that allows every beginner to improve at chess. Let’s explore…