Barry Newton

Chess Elo

Chess Elo is a way of giving players a rating that is universally used in the chess world. It is not however exclusively for chess and can be used in a number of 2 and over player games such as computer games and football. The Elo chess system was named after an Hungarian born American physics professor Arpad Elo. Previous rating systems proved inaccurate and therefore it was inevitable that someone would come up with a new and improved... (posted by Barry 2 years 346 days ago.)

The Fianchetto

Guess where this funny word comes from. Yup, you got it, it is from Italy: the Italian for "flanking." A long time ago Pawns were only allowed to move one square in the initial move and if you moved any one of the centre pawns it would block at least one of your own Bishops. They wisely changed the rule to open the game up but before they did this it was common practice to Fianchetto your Bishops to get them into open play. So when... (posted by Barry 3 years 261 days ago.)

Chess Pawn Formation

It is more important to concentrate on your chess pawn formation than focusing on moving your pieces. Why? Well for three reasons. The first is you need to attempt to control the centre ground. Whoever controls the centre of the chess board controls the game. The best way to control the centre squares is to have your pawns covering them. Secondly, if you move a piece too far forward you can always bring it back. this cannot be said... (posted by Barry 3 years 310 days ago.)