chess [n.]

a board game for two players, the object of which is to put the opponent’s king under a direct attack, leading to checkmate.
- ORIGIN from Old French esches plural of eschec ‘a check’, from a Persian word meaning king.

Oxford Dictionaries

This page includes topics related to Chess. There are tutorials, software, associations, online chess, unusual aspects, … .

We continually add to information available and are willing to consider suggested areas and sources as time permits.

Chess

Associations & Groups

• Australian Chess Federation
  The peak body for chess in this country.
• Chess Guide FIDE
  International Chess Federation. It includes the rules of the game, chess problems, information about ratings, ratings lists, more.
• Internet Chess Club
  ‘With over 25,000 paying members from all over the world, the Internet Chess Club is the longest running and most vibrant chess community on the internet’.
• World Chess Federation
  World Chess Federation Sections covering games to a shop for resources.

Chess Software

Freeware programs unless otherwise indicated.

• 100% Free Chess
  ‘Vivid graphics enhance game play across five skill levels’.
• AlphaChess
  ‘Fully functional chess game that allows you to challenge your computer or another player in a local game’. Customisable.
• Arasan Chess
  Move pieces with the mouse, timers, moves listed, more.
• Arena
  ‘Arena is another excellent freeware option, which keen players may well consider the best of the bunch. It is particularly rich in features and the attractive interface is worth exploring since it offers many useful options’.
• BabasChess
  ‘A new revolutionary Internet Chess Client for Windows. Combines ease of use with powerful features for advanced users; integrates a fast and customizable playing environment with a powerful PGN viewer/editor, chess engines support for analyzing positions’.
• Battle Master
  Multiple options.
• Bookup 2000 Express
  ‘Chess Openings software from Bookup. Will teach you about chess openings and train you with its sample ebooks. This software will get you to constantly improve your opening preparation and theoretical knowledge’.
• Brutal Chess
  ‘Rules and gameplay are as in any other Chess game except here you can choose some pretty cool chess piece designs and the 3D graphics make it look great’.
• Championship Chess
  ‘This game will help you get better while you benefit from the intellectual exercise Chess has provided players with for centuries !’
• Chess++
  ‘A modern multi-platform 3d chess game implementation with user programmable rule sets, a client software application [chesspp], and a server application [cheppd] by which all the games are managed’.
• Chess - GNU Project
• Chess Mafia
  ‘Easy to use and provides realistic visualisations with multiplayer options’.
• Chessmaster 8000
  Information on the most popular chess game you can buy.
  Not Freeware.
• ChessOK
  ‘2 program versions are available’.
• Chess Position Trainer
  ‘Chess Position Trainer is a state-of-the-art chess software with a focus on chess opening, training and repertoire management. Chess Position Trainer is both Free and priceless at the same time. More simply, Chess Position Trainer is what you use when you want to learn and train your chess opening repertoire, not fight it’.
• Chess Squared
  ‘Regular Chess is played on an 8x8 board. Chess Squared is played on an 8x8x8 board. That’s the equivalent of eight chess boards ! These boards are stacked vertically, allowing a player to make any valid chess move [with the exceptions of castling and en-passant] on any plane. That is, you can move your piece normally, on to a board above or below, or on the horizontal plane. ’ Requires Java Runtime Environment.
• ChessV
  ‘ChessV is an open-source Universal Chess program with graphical user-interface, sophisticated AI, support for opening books, and other features of traditional Chess programs. Currently, over 50 chess variants are supported’.
• Chess Wizard
  ‘A powerful, Free chess playing and learning software’. Also available as a portable program.
• Crafty Chess
  ‘Crafty is a free, open-source computer chess program developed by Dr. Robert M. Hyatt. Crafty can be compiled and executed from a terminal window on a Macintosh, Windows or Linux computer’.
• Diag Transfer
  ‘The simplest way to copy chess diagrams from one program or web page to another quickly and easily’.
• DreamChess
  ‘An open source chess game. Our primary target platforms are Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. DreamChess features 3D OpenGL graphics and provides various chess board sets, ranging from classic wooden to flat figurines. A moderately strong chess engine is included : Dreamer’.
• Flash Chess
  ‘Program that allows you to play chess against your computer. There are two difficulty levels, shallow and deep. Keep in mind this program is for beginner players’.
• Haundrix Chess
  ‘Haundrix Chess is a Free open source chess program that can be used for playing against your computer and for viewing/editing your PGN files. It ships with three chess engines with different playing styles’.
• Hell Chess
  This version is for Pocket PCs.
• I-Chess
  Suitable for all levels and playable both on and off-line.

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• José
  Multi-optioned chess activity.
• LittleThought
  ‘LittleThought is a Free UCI compatible chess engine. It does not include a chess GUI, so you will need to use your own or download a free one’.
• Lord of The Chess
  ‘Lets you play chess against the computer or with a friend in different levels. This game has an easy and clean interface and is recommended for beginners and also for professional players’.
• Maniac
  Graphical interface, multiple variants, a tutorial on how to play Maniac chess.
• Mayura Chess Board
  ‘Attractive graphics combined with a powerful chess engine makes Mayura Chess Board one of the best programs for playing chess on Windows PCs. Beginner, intermediate and expert levels of play are supported’. Requires MS Net 2.0.
• Nagaskaki Chess
  ‘A Free, fully functional chess program for Windows 98, NT and XP’.
  Now also available as a portable program
• Portable WinboardX
  Multiple play options, tutorials and help, other resources, more. Links to the Deep Rybka engine.
• Pychess
  ‘The goal of PyChess is to provide an advanced chess client for Linux following the Gnome Human Interface Guidelines. The client should be usable to those new to chess, who just want to play a short game and get back to their work, as well as those who wants to use the computer to further enhance their play’.
• Sigma Chess - Macintosh Chess Software
  ‘A Freeware, master strength Macintosh chess program for Mac OS X’.
• stChess
  ‘Welcome to the chess tournament administration and management software stChess’. Covers multiple formats, can be printed in Word or RTF, more. Requires Net Framework 2 [already installed from Vista up].
• ‘Think Like a King’
  [SchoolChess.com’s School Chess Software System]
  For those looking for a usable, quality system to help develop chess this commercial site may be very useful. The program has been designated Official Scholastic Software through the American Chess Association and is used in a range of countries including Australia.
• Zango Chess
  ‘For beginners and experts. Play solo or challenge your friends’.

History of Chess

• Chess History Centre
  Current column, archive, history repository, Historian’s Essential Links, books, more.
• History of Chess
  Origin, India, Iran, East Asia, Islam, Europe, origins of the modern game, birth of a sport, post-war era [1945- ], references, external links. From Wikipedia.
• Links & Bookmarks
  As well as board games and other information there is a collection of links to chess history and origins, also to chess variants.
• Some History Surrounding Chess Pieces
  Information on background and use.
• The Chess Family
  ‘History and Useful Information’. Information and links.
• Top 10 Greatest Chess Players in History
  One selection, including a range from Kasparov and Fischer to Big Blue.

News & Information

• Bill Wall’s Chess Links
  A vast listing of links, done alphabetically.
• Chess
  Rules, notation for recording moves, strategy & tactics, history, place in culture, chess composition, mathematics and computers, psychology, variants, references, further reading, external links. From Wikipedia.
• Chess About
  Latest news, famous players, links, more.
• Chess Corner
  Assistance, software information, tutorials, information on chess openings, chess ecards, books, columns, more.
• Chess Games
  Access a database of historical chess games.
• Chessopolis
  Vast collection of chess links in multiple directories, discussion forum, chess files, store, more.
  Highly Recommended !
• Chess Theory - Links
  Around 10 000 links to all things chess. Select from specific directories.
• FICS - Free Internet Chess Server
  Information, news, news about variants, more.
• Scid : A Free Chess Database App
  ‘A chess database application for Windows, Linux and Mac OS operating systems’.
• The Week in Chess
  ‘Daily Chess News and Games. Weekly digest for download’. Based in the UK.
• Welcome to Chess.net
  News, events and tournaments, photo gallery of players, competitions, links, other material.

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Online Chess

• Blubbie Chess Server
  ‘Free chess server where beginners can challenge the computer online while reading the latest news in their own language. The computer thinks only 2 half moves ahead, so give it a go and try to beat it. It’s possible to change the settings to suit stronger players’. Try their Daily Chess Problem.
• ChessHere
  ‘An online chess server where you can play online chess against chess players from across the globe. Games are rated according to the ELO System. Completed games are saved, and you can access games at any time’.
• Chess Online
• ChessWorldOnline
  Free to register.
• GameKnot
  Java based interactive games.
• Thinking Chess
  ‘Play chess against a transparent intelligence, its evolving thought process visible on the board before you’.
• Webchess v1.5b
  Free chess game online. You need to register.

Tutorials

General tutorials, tutorials on specific aspects.

• Chess Corner
  ‘Created by a chess enthusiast for chess enthusiasts, especially those new to this fascinating game. Please explore the sections on the left frame. I hope you will find something of interest and will call again soon. If you are new to chess don’t miss our interactive Learn to Play Chess Ebook’.
• Chess Dominion
  Thinkquest. How pieces move, strategies, history, famous chess player biographies, stamps showing chess, how to teach chess, more.
• Chess is Fun
  ‘Here are some fairly easy lessons. Those relatively new to chess should play through the introduction to chess and the section on chess strategy’. Masses of help.
• Chesskids
  Tutorials, information and news, connections to clubs, resources allowing school chess clubs to be run effectively. Also try Chesskids [Aust.] [Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania] for help in this area. Check about costs.
• Chess Openings
  It is always good for a game if you start strongly. This site helps you do this.
• Chessville - Instruction & Study Materials
  Mutliple sections including chess comics.
• Chess Visualisation Training
  ‘One of the most important advances in your chess life is to master the art of visualisation. Develop this using the training provided at this site.
• Free Chess
  Tutorials for players from beginners upwards, links, clubs & organisations, news, tournaments, books for all levels, games, more. Also try Internet Chess Page.
• How to Play Chess
  For Beginners and Parents. ‘Read the Rules of Chess and then watch the Flash movies on chess basics, or jump around and learn about one chess piece or the other’.
  Highly Recommended !
• Logical Chess
  ‘All 33 games from Irving Chernev’s book Logical Chess : Move By Move [Every Move Explained]’.
• Lucas Chess
  ‘The aim is to play chess against the computer with increasing levels of difficulty and with a limited number of hints that are given by a chess tutor. Also included are thousands of training positions such as different types of endgames, tactical combinations and chess problems’.
• The F.I.D.E. Laws Of Chess
  If you want to know about the laws of chess from the simplest information to the most complex, this is worth a visit.

Unusual Aspects

Fonts, graphics, special forms, more.

• Braille Chess.Net
  Even people with limited/no vision will be able to enjoy the game of chess. Visit and find details.
• Chess Fonts
• Chess Graphics
  Graphics, cartoons. While no longer being developed it still has a considerable supply.
• The Chess Variant Pages
  ‘Today, the game of chess as we know it, has remarkable differences from the original game. At the same time, in different parts of this world, different chess games are played. Additionally, these games and Western chess have many variants. These pages want to describe such variants, and give pointers to places that contain more material on them’.
• Jungle Chess
  Download this animated game Free.
• Virtual Pieces
  Icons, Diagrams, Graphics, links. Quite amazing.

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