The Palace Journal
This section brings together the archives of Le Palais des Échecs, in particular the hundreds of mate in 2 puzzles published over the years, as well as numerous articles on chess. To explore the blog by theme, visit our Learning chess, Great players, Chess culture or Buying guides sections.
Black Friday on 27 November, Cyber Monday on the 30th: here’s how to make the most of these two dates to choose a wooden chess set, chess board or backgammon set that will last, whatever your budget.
A full portrait of Alexandra and Andrea Botez, the streaming sisters who made chess go viral on Twitch and YouTube: age, FIDE titles, Elo rating and key moments in their careers.
The Elo rating is the international system that measures a chess player’s strength: the higher the number, the stronger the player. Invented in 1960 by physicist Arpad Elo, it ranges from 800 for a beginner to over 2800 for the world elite. This guide explains how the Elo rating is calculated, what level you’re at, […]
Born in Iran and naturalised French in 2021, Alireza Firouzja reached 2804 Elo points as early as 2022, a record for early achievement. A full portrait of the French-Iranian prodigy, from his beginnings in Babol to his place in the world’s top tier alongside Carlsen, Nakamura and the new guard.
Chessboxing is one of the most unusual sports in the world: competitors alternate between boxing rounds and rapid chess games, testing both their physical strength and their strategic intelligence. Born from a comic book and now a genuine international sport, chessboxing fascinates and intrigues. Here’s everything you need to know. What is chessboxing? Chessboxing (or […]
Scholar’s Mate delivers checkmate in just 4 moves, exploiting the f7 square, the only square in Black’s camp defended solely by the king at the start of the game. The white queen and bishop combine to strike the fatal blow if Black fails to react in time. A single defensive move is enough to neutralise […]
Checkmate is the situation where the king is attacked with no way to flee, be defended or capture the attacking piece: the game stops immediately and the player delivering the mate wins. The expression comes from the Persian shah mat, “the king is helpless”, passed on through Arabic into European languages. These words denote a […]
Bobby Fischer is the most fascinating and tragic chess player in history. World champion at 29 after defeating Boris Spassky in the “Match of the Century” at the height of the Cold War, a genius with an estimated IQ of 180, inventor of Chess960 — then a fugitive, a recluse and an exile. Here is […]
We all know it, entertainment isn’t just a source of fun, it can also be good for your brain! 🧠 If you thought playing board games was just a way to kill time on evenings with friends, think again. These games can genuinely boost your intelligence. Ready for an IQ upgrade? Here are the 7 […]
Playing lots of chess games is the best way to improve. There are many servers where you can meet opponents of every skill level, day or night.
