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The Ponderchess journal

Look closer at the game.

Ideas to play with. Stories to get lost in. A deeper understanding of the sixty-four squares.

An imagined ivory-colored queen sculpture beside a smaller counselor-like piece in a warmly lit gallery.

History & culture

How the modern queen changed chess

The queen acquired her identity before she acquired her extraordinary reach. Follow the two changes—and see what her long-range movement adds to the game.

4 min readHistory & ideas
Read the story
Learn something new2 stories
An ivory-colored chess set in the Italian Game position after 4.c3 Nf6.

Openings

When to play d4 in the Italian Game

The central break is more than a pawn push. See how c3 changes the recapture, follow the idea in 3D, and try the position yourself.

4 min readWatch & learn
A sparse chessboard with White's king on h5, a pawn on g5, Black's pawn on f5, and a rook on a5.

Rules & fundamentals

En passant that exposes your king

Two pawns leave a rank at once. Compare two nearly identical positions to see when en passant is legal—and when it opens a line to your king.

3 min readPlay the position