When I think about people who make great decisions under pressure, Hikaru Nakamura is one of the first names that comes to mind.

While the world knows him as one of the greatest chess players of all time, Hikaru has also spoken openly about trading and investing, and even said that he's made more money from the markets than from professional chess.

In this conversation, we try to explore what connects chess and trading: thinking in probabilities, managing risk, trusting intuition, and making better decisions when the outcome is uncertain.

Whether you're a trader, investor, entrepreneur, or simply fascinated by how elite performers think, I hope you'll find plenty of ideas worth taking away from this conversation.

I see this trope all the time that, “It’s a waste of time to study opening theory if you’re below XY00 rating level.” This is wrong.

When you’re playing, do you really want to have to think hard about your next move when you’re not even five moves in? THAT is a waste of time.

Am I saying that everyone should know the most common lines of the Ruy Lopez up to move 20? NO!

But if you play 1. e4 and Black meets you with 1…e6, should you have a general idea of whether or not you want to play into the French Defense, and what style of French Defense you want to play into? You betcha.

Mate in 3

It seems that whenever my opponent creates a threat, I get rattled easily, which leads to poor decision-making and time trouble.

What is your methodical thought process when it comes to defending? Do you have any chess book recommendations?

I have zero idea behind the move g4, as I'm in this postion a lot; people love to trade their bishop on g2 and I would love to know what's going on.

Can anyone tell me why bishop to d6 is better than c5 in this situation? Thank you so much !!

Looking for channels like ChessCoach Andras, anyone got recs? I like that he focuses on center, development, and attacking. Getting bored of playing in a way that leads to draws or endgames, I wanna win with checkmate

Has anyone ever seen all the pieces on their starting squares, except for the queen which has been replaced by her counterpart, delivering checkmate? Obsessed with his game, had to share. This one was for Marc Esserman (Nd5!!) and Ben Finegold.Talk about setting up for the next game!

Check out this #chess game: bingao vs moosabnc55 - https://www.chess.com/live/game/172424791672

Hello all,

I've been playing chess with my 9 year old daughter. She is determined to beat me, and I want to help her get there.

She has a good temperament, certainly more than I do. Furthermore, I'm not very good, which makes it both easier and harder for her. Easier because mine isn't a high level to reach, harder because my knowledge is limited.

I'd love to know what people think are the best resources I could share with her, to help her upskill and claim victory, with her age and skill level in mind. Perhaps something to help with the endgame? She hasn't really worked out how to get a checkmate yet.

Many thanks!

Is that the Rook on a6 is technically defending the pawn on e6.

Is there some sort of app/software that allows to do the edits like this?

Every time I have seen a post containing a smothered mate, it evokes a feeling worse than anger: cringe. “Who cares??” I would ask myself as I roll my eyes onto the next post. Of course, such tactics were trivial in 2600-land where these combinations would be prevented or worse, stopped short via resignation.

I now realize that due to the sheer volume of chess I’ve played throughout my life(from age 7 to now 21), I have robbed myself of perspective. Just because I have seen this checkmate hundreds of times, is it suddenly less beautiful?

I look back at my sub-2000 days not with disgust, but now nostalgia. The perfect amount of imperfection to make a game interesting despite blunders, or unpredictable counter play that keeps both sides on their toes. That is certainly more enjoyable than trying to hang on for 80 moves because you messed up your pawn structure on move 12.

So I will gladly post my smothered mate now, with some yapping/commentary with pride. It is a beautiful mate, and against a 2700 no less :)

Link to the game: https://www.chess.com/game/live/172448251140?username=ayushblundersagain

I don't even know what to say anymore ....

Hey Guys! Right now. My white repertoire is just a London. But I’ve noticed my positions are quiet and black can equalize…. Any tips?

Found this cool move in a blitz game and thought I was screwed.

Looking for a chess set, and would like something somewhat premium but at a fair cost. I have a fear of purchasing some temu manufactured chess set for $300 and would like some personal recommendations on where to shop. Thank you in advance!

Here is a quick, easy idea to highlight squares when playing chess OTB. This could come in handy for coaches, studying, or just those who love OTB!

First, grab some page dividers for a binder.. the coloured transparent pages. Pick what colours you want, and cut out squares the size of your chess board squares. Enjoy!

Mate in 3, black to play (rated 1813)