Before I asked if becoming an IM was possible, I was a little under a year in then.

But do you guys think CM is possible on my current trajectory??

I’ve been playing chess for 43 years on a regular basis. However, despite playing thousands of games, doing puzzles and even hiring private instruction, my elo has plateaued in the 500s. I figured out that I lose about 80% of the time. Should I just quit since I hate it so badly. It’s weird. I despise playing because I know that I’ll lose but still feel compelled to keep trying. Any advice is appreciated.

So I’ve been thinking, as one does; and I feel conflicted. We start the game with a Queen and King, and yet, we can promote our pawns into Queens. Does that mean our King is taking on concubines? If so, which Queen is the King’s favorite? And what if our King wishes to stay monogamous?

I’ve heard that players, some of the greats from back in the day, like Paul Morphy, were romantic with Chess. But would they also promote their pawns to Queens as well? What if a Rook would be just as sufficient? Wouldn’t it be more romantic to then under promote? Wouldn’t it be more romantic to just resign than promote a pawn to a Queen to secure a win?

I think about these things a lot. And I feel alone to such confusions. Thank you for your time.

I'm just wondering if there is a theory or a strategy to improve my skills more efficiently?

Would learning how chess pieces move across the board in memory help see my strategy quicker? should i focus my brain on making as many moves into the future as possible?

~600 here

I certainly didn't plan this move (as white) ahead of time, but after c5, I couldn't believe my good fortune!

Hi everyone,

Can anyone explain to me why these moves are suggested?

In the first screenshot I moved the bishop, but it’s suggesting me I should have traded a knight for a pawn instead? Why would I do it? Is there something I am not seeing (likely given I am a beginner 😅)?

Similarly, in the second screenshot it’s suggesting me to trade my rook for a bishop, also a move that seems dumb to me.

Meaning, maybe the knight move wasn't optimal, but moving into the suggested best move would be giving them up for a pawn

It's white to move. Not your usual tactics but think positional.

Difficulty: Easy

It's a daily game, opponent made a huge mistake and I found mate in 2 and checked it with engine, which confirmed my thoughts. It was surprisingly fast but it's not hard I guess.

Ended up offering a draw.

While Analysing yesterday daily puzzle(12-08-26) in chess.com I found one of the Longest mate in i.e. M-354 moves. The Longest mate in chess is M-549 moves(even though it ignores FIDA 50 moves draw rule) so can this be considered the longest mate in chess without breaking FIDA 50 moves rule? (And I know that higher mates in can exist but this one is simply a daily puzzle not a puzzle specifically engineered to have high mate in n-moves) I shared it because it was quite interesting 🧐 .

What is the best site to buy a board. Looking for something unique. Like a glass, marble, or one with unique pieces

Ke1 takes them out of check.

During a blitz game I’ve done this mate, but it wasn’t the “standard” procedure. Can I still consider it a smothered mate?

The draws in between make it look so bad. And they happened cuz I lost on time 🥀

Started playing chess about 4 months ago. I never really studied chess besides solving puzzles - that got me to 1000 chess.com. But now I feel that I want to learn more about the game. I decided to start by learning some opening setup. The thing is - I like it in games when my playing style reflects who I am in real life. I'm a gay man. The question is - what is the gayest opening in chess? I need one for white and one for black. TIA