Marseillais Chess, also known as Double-Move Chess, is an intriguing chess variant where players make two moves per turn instead of the traditional one. The game’s rules were initially introduced in the local newspaper Le Soleil in Marseilles in 1925.
Month: December 2023
Reflexmate: Force to mate
A reflexmate is a chess puzzle where the player controlling the white pieces must, on their first move, compel the opponent playing the black pieces to deliver checkmate within a predetermined number of moves, even if the opponent does not wish to do so. Additionally, both players are bound by the requirement that if either of them has the opportunity to deliver checkmate, they must take it.
Arabian Mate: Deadly combination of rook and knight
In the Arabian Mate, the knight and the rook form a strategic alliance to corner the opposing king on one of the corners of the chessboard. The rook positions itself on a square adjacent to the enemy king, thereby blocking any diagonal escape routes and enabling it to deliver checkmate.
Learn to play Swiss Gambit: The clash of f-pawns
The Swiss Gambit is an opening in chess that shares a common starting sequence but has two different versions. It begins with the moves 1. f4 f5, and from there, White employs the gambit by playing 2. e4.
Polerio vs. Domenico: The fried liver of the past
Giulio Cesare Polerio was an Italian chess theoretician and player who lived in the sixteenth century in the Kingdom of Naples. He has gained significant recognition as the author of seven influential Codexes, labeled A to G, which played a crucial role in shaping the narrative of chess history and the development of chess theory.
Monochromatic Chess: Follow the color
Monochromatic Chess, a chess variant of unknown origin, maintains the standard rules and initial board position of regular chess. However, it introduces a unique twist: pieces that start on black squares are restricted to black squares throughout the game, while pieces that begin on white squares must exclusively occupy white squares throughout the gameplay.
Shortest Proof Game (SPG): Re-trace the steps
This task is called Proof Game (or, in this case, Shortest Proof Game), and it belongs to the category of retrograde analysis chess problems.
Tame the hedgehog: Development under shelter
The Hedgehog is a strategic setup in chess often utilized by Black and can emerge from various openings. It involves exchanging Black’s c5 pawn with White’s d4 pawn and then positioning pawns on a6, b6, d6, and e6.
Learn to play Stafford Gambit: Risky and tricky
Black sacrifices a pawn and gives up all center pawns. In return, Black hopes to get the initiative and an attack on the kingside. The Stafford Gambit is undeniably not a strategically strong opening choice. Nevertheless, its deceptive nature makes it a compelling option, particularly in fast-paced blitz games, where it can lead to entertaining victories.
Alexander Alekhine vs. Max Euwe: The psychological victory
In December 1937, Alekhine recaptured the title from Euwe in a convincing manner with an impressive score of ten wins, four losses, and eleven draws. Among the many remarkable games played during this highly significant match, one of the most noteworthy and shortest ones deserves our attention.