r/chess Weekly Discussion Thread

Game Link: https://www.chess.com/events/2026-clutch-chess-champions-showdown/06/Sindarov_Javokhir-Nakamura_Hikaru

And more bullet compared to blitz. Do they truly play so little rapid online, or do they usually have an alternative anonymous account that they play rapid on?

If they genuinely play so little rapid games, then what is the reason?

For instance, an acquaintance of mine who is a WFM, has played over 62,000 games on her account that are probably over 97-98% bullet and in total has played 13 rapid games. I doubt she has an alternative account because she plays about 50 to 100+ bullet games a day (sometimes over 150) post-work (she works a full-time job as a doctor).

Game link: https://www.chess.com/events/2026-clutch-chess-champions-showdown/03/Nakamura_Hikaru-Praggnanandhaa_R

I am at an IBM conference in Atlanta, GA, and there is this booth with the original board and pieces, in the original configuration, of the match.

https://www.chess.com/events/2026-clutch-chess-champions-showdown/05/Praggnanandhaa_R-Caruana_Fabiano

I remastered Windows Vista’s Chess Titans—unlocked its max engine speed, added PGN exports, and added a hidden "Crazy Hard" difficulty!

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you probably remember Chess Titans, the classic 3D chess game that came bundled with Windows Vista and Windows 7. When Windows 8 dropped, Microsoft quietly killed it off alongside the rest of the nostalgic built-in games.

I decided to bring it back from the dead—with a few much-needed modern upgrades:

1. Instant Move Speed: The original game intentionally delayed the engine's moves to make it feel like it was "thinking." I removed that artificial delay—now, as soon as the engine calculates its move, it plays instantly.
2. Export to PGN: I always wanted to analyze my games post-match. You can now save your games as .pgn files and upload them directly to Chess.com or Lichess for analysis.
3. Unleashed Engine ("Level 11: Crazy Hard"): The original engine was heavily throttled. I uncapped its depth limit and added a new 11th difficulty level so you can play against its full, unrestricted strength.

I’m around 1200 ELO myself, and Level 8 already gives me a tough time, so good luck with Level 11!

You can download the modded version here: https://we.tl/t-UMdZO5LTGk8PC8K7

Let me know if anyone manages to beat Level 11 on Crazy Hard!

Note: I was just feeling super nerdy. It is not for profit. No ads or anything like that.😄

Game link: https://www.chess.com/events/2026-clutch-chess-champions-showdown/02/Nakamura_Hikaru-Caruana_Fabiano

Forgive my mid elo but is this a weird setup or what. Pretty obvious move is K-C3 fork, right? Lol… politicians love a photo op

Capablanca simul played at 65 boards against 84 opponents in 1915: 48 wins, 5 losses and 12 draws in 6 hours 45 minutes. Capablanca , Cuban chess player was the 3rd World Chess Champion from 1921 to 1927. Source: American Chess Bulletin 1915

Link

Garry Kasparov has said that his criticism of World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju "still stands", but he still gives Gukesh slightly better chances in the upcoming World Championship match against Javokhir Sindarov. The former World Champion spoke at a press conference in Antwerp on 21 October 2026, ahead of a simultaneous exhibition at the KMSKA museum, as reported by Sport in Antwerpen.

Kasparov criticised Gukesh's form since winning the 2024 World Championship. "Like Magnus Carlsen, I was fiercely critical of Gukesh. And that criticism still stands," Kasparov said. He added that Gukesh "didn't make a good impression at the Olympiad", but that a match against a single opponent is "completely different".

"As far as I can judge, Sindarov provides more entertainment, but experience is important. And Gukesh has that. You can hardly beat Gukesh. That is why I give him slightly more chances," said Kasparov. "It is not important how long you prepare for a match. Experience is usually the deciding factor."

He described Gukesh as a more defensive player, comparing him to "a tennis player who does not come off the baseline". But he left the door open for Sindarov: "You never know. If Sindarov takes the lead, he might be able to beat him.

This is a common position I am frequently in. It's always e3g5. I don't get why they do that. I'm not castling in that direction, obviously with my pawns pushed so much... So forcing an attack on that side of the board is pointless.

They also frequently get their Queen pinned during this opening. Again I don't know why, but they never see it.

Link to full game for anyone who wants to look: https://lichess.org/game/NBaphvprxX68

is it worth reading im 2000 elo and what some books can you give recommande for me to reach 2500

For context, i only play bullet, 2k1 on Lichess and Chesscom, and I want to better my endgames with the above pieces.

Is there a geometric trick I can use to premove/ visualize these endgames so I can play them faster?

In my childhood, I came into contact with a dangerous drug due to a mistaken judgment. Because of that, I lived as a slave to drugs even after becoming an adult. I was not human.

Then, two years ago, I happened to come across chess. I became interested after watching a Grandmaster stream on YouTube.

Chess was amazing. While I was focused on the chessboard, I didn't feel any craving for drugs at all.

It felt as if the craving to use more drugs had been replaced by the desire to play chess better.

I have been playing chess every single day for two years. Solve puzzles, practice coordinates, and play rapid matches every day.

And for two years, I never once used drugs, nor did I ever feel the desire to.

Chess saved my life.

Maybe it's just me, but over the last 6 months or so opening this way with White seems to be massively popular. They play a London, or a Colle, or a Reti, or a double fianchetto. Now I admit; I struggle against this sort of slower, transpositional, conservative opening set-up. But right now it just seems like 2 out of 3 players with White are doing this, in a wide variety of rating classes.

I'm an average 1500+ rapid player and improving gradually. How much do I need to master notation? I understand what it all means, but it may take some time for me to process where the pieces are moving in my head. GMs seem to do this so naturally. So if I wanted to reach 2k elo, do I need to master pieces moving using purely notation?

I have been following chess for more than 2 years now, and one thing that I have come to realize is that the content and top tournaments are so random and inconsistent in terms of entertainment. For once, you will have so much that it's hard to follow, and then, all of a sudden, there is literally nothing. And this cycle continues.

What are your thoughts on this?