Chess training appsThe Best Chess Endgame Training Tools in 2026Endgames are the purest calculation in chess. With few pieces on the board, every move counts exactly, and there is no middlegame fog to hide a mistak…Antoine·Jul 11, 2026·5 min read
Chess training appsThe Best Chess Opening Trainers in 2026, ComparedStudying openings is easy. Remembering them a week later, in a real game, is the hard part. That is the job of an opening trainer: not just to help yo…Antoine·Jul 11, 2026·6 min read
Chess ImprovementIs Chess Good for Your Brain? What the Science Actually SaysShort answer: yes, chess is a genuine mental workout, but the popular version of the claim is overhyped. Playing chess reliably trains a cluster of do…Antoine·Jun 13, 2026·7 min read
Chess ImprovementIs Being Good at Chess a Sign of Intelligence?Being good at chess correlates only modestly with general intelligence. Chess strength is mostly built from years of pattern learning, not raw IQ. Here is what the science shows.Antoine·Jun 13, 2026·6 min read
Chess ImprovementHow to Train Chess Visualization: Pick the Right Trainer and PlanMost club players lose the position after 2–3 moves when calculating, then blunder under pressure. You can change that in 4–8 weeks with a focused rou…Antoine·Jun 9, 2026·10 min read
Blindfold ChessMagnus Carlsen and Blindfold Chess: How the Champion Trains Without the BoardMagnus Carlsen and blindfold chess go beyond a stunt. In New York in 2015 he tracked three boards with clocks, and in Vienna he faced five opponents w…Antoine·Jun 9, 2026·8 min read
Chess ImprovementBoard Vision in Chess: Drills to Instantly See Every SquareStrong board vision chess skills, the ability to take in every square and piece at a glance, can cut your blunders fast. With 10 to 30 minutes a day,…Antoine·Jun 9, 2026·12 min read
Chess ImprovementHow to Calculate in Chess: A 5-Step System for Finding the Right MoveMost blunders start with missed forcing moves. Use a repeatable checklist that searches checks, captures, and threats 2-3 moves deep. How to Calculate…Antoine·May 28, 2026·10 min read
Blindfold ChessHow to Choose a Blindfold Chess Trainer: Features That Actually MatterDisclosure: Dark Squares is our product. We have aimed for a fair comparison, but readers should weigh our perspective accordingly. Blindfold training…Antoine·May 26, 2026·7 min read
Blindfold Chess10 Classic Drills Masters Use to Train Blindfold VisualizationBlindfold chess is not magic. Miguel Najdorf played a 45-board blindfold simul in São Paulo in 1947, and George Koltanowski set a 56-game consecutive…Antoine·May 21, 2026·7 min read
Blindfold ChessKoltanowski vs Najdorf: Two Blindfold Masters, Two Different MethodsTwo blindfold records still frame the debate: George Koltanowski's 34 boards in Edinburgh (1937) and Miguel Najdorf's 45 boards in São Paulo (1947, 39…Antoine·May 19, 2026·9 min read
Blindfold ChessPawn Endgame Principles for Blindfold Play: Lucena, Philidor, OppositionBlindfold endgame skill converts half-points in long games. In opposition, kings face each other with one square between them, and the side not to mov…Antoine·May 12, 2026·9 min read
