The Chess Guru blog
Straight-talking chess advice. No 40-move theory dumps, just the stuff that moves your rating.
How to get better at chess: a no-nonsense plan
No fluff, no 'study more.' The exact order to work on tactics, endgames, and openings, and how much of each, to climb from beginner to solid club player.
8 min readWhy you keep losing at chess (and how to actually fix it)
It's almost never your opening. It's hanging pieces, missed tactics, and rushing. Here's how to find your real leak and plug it.
6 min readThe best chess openings for beginners (and the ones to skip)
Forget memorizing 20 moves of the Sicilian. Here are the four openings that actually help you improve as a beginner, and the trendy ones that quietly wreck your rating.
7 min read7 chess opening traps every beginner should know
The traps that win games in under 10 moves, and how to avoid walking into them yourself. Scholar's mate, the Fried Liver, Legal's mate, and more.
7 min read5 chess endgames every beginner actually needs
You don't need 40 endgames. You need 5, cold. Opposition, the Lucena, the Philidor, and the two basic mates that decide most beginner games.
6 min readChess tactics for beginners: the 6 patterns that win games
Forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, the back-rank mate, and the smothered mate. Learn these six shapes and you'll win material in almost every game.
7 min readHow to play the Italian Game: a beginner's guide
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. The plans, the main lines, the traps to know, and why the Italian is the best first opening for a beginner.
7 min read