Practical chess guides for better preparation and review. Understand your opponent, learn from your games and arrive with a plan.
Fair play
A technical look at online chess cheating detection: what data a game sends to the server, the move-quality, timing and history signals, how they are combined, and where detection struggles.
Read the guideFair play
How Chess.com and Lichess catch cheaters: engine-match statistics, behaviour signals, machine learning and human review. What happens to your rating, and how to check your own games.
Read the guideChess basics
How to set up a chess board: light square on the right, rooks in the corners, then knights, bishops, queen on her color, king, and pawns. Step-by-step diagrams.
Read the guideOpening statistics
Watch 55 years of master games race: the most popular chess openings among grandmasters, from the Ruy Lopez to the Slav and the Italian Game, with win rates and data.
Read the guideChess titles
Chess titles in order, from Candidate Master to Grandmaster: rating and norm requirements, how many GMs there are (1,904 in October 2026) and the youngest grandmasters.
Read the guideChess ratings
The average FIDE rating is 1734 and the median 1700 (221,405 active players). 2000 is the top 12.6%. Compare the average Elo of all 104 countries.
Read the guideOpening analysis
Understand chess opening frequency, win rates and sample size. Compare player statistics by color and source, then inspect the games behind the numbers.
Read the guideOpening study
Build a compact chess opening repertoire with plans, common replies and a repeatable review routine. Use an opening explorer and your own games to find gaps.
Read the guideGame archives
Download a Chess.com game as PGN, export several games from Game History, and import a game into ChessHunter for opening exploration and analysis.
Read the guideChess improvement
How the chess Elo rating system works: the formula, K-factors, a worked example, what counts as a good rating, and why Chess.com, Lichess and FIDE differ.
Read the guideTournament preparation
Build a memorable opening repertoire, scout your chess opponents, and follow a practical pre-game checklist for confident tournament preparation.
Read the guideGame analysis
Learn how to use a chess engine to analyze your games, understand evaluations, spot recurring mistakes, and turn computer analysis into better decisions.
Read the guideOpponent preparation
Prepare against your next chess opponent: find relevant games, compare opening repertoires and build a practical plan around positions you understand.
Read the guideOpening analysis
Learn to spot chess opening weaknesses with move trees, game counts and position review. Separate recurring problems from small samples and misleading win rates.
Read the guidePlayer research
Find your chess opponent’s games on Chess.com, Lichess and tournament archives. Verify their identity and choose relevant games to prepare your next match.
Read the guidePublished by ChessHunter. Practical methods, linked sources and explicit limits on what game data can tell you.
