← Sean Cole

Chess

A hub for Sean's chess projects and a curated directory of the sites and tools he uses.

“Chess is a matter of delicate judgement, knowing when to punch and how to duck.” Bobby Fischer

Featured

Guide

How to defeat the Duolingo chess bot

How to make Oscar cry.

Read the guide →

Database

Grandmaster Almanac

Every grandmaster of chess who ever lived is here.

Browse the Grandmaster Almanac →

Reference

Chess Phrasebook

The language of chess is universal.

Learn chess phrases in 25 languages →

Fan Page

US Chess League / Pro Chess League

Nineteen years of USCL/PCL history, covered here.

Explore the league history →

Games

Sean's Chess Page

In case you're curious about Sean's mediocre chess career.

View the occasional entertaining game →

Chess-related links

Play Online

• Lichess
• Free Internet Chess Server (FICS)
• Internet Chess Club (ICC)
• Gameknot
• World Chess
• ICC for US Chess Members — discounted ICC access via USCF

Databases & Game Archives

• Chess Games.com — 2M+ game database
• Olimpbase — olympiad / team event archive
• Chess Metrics — historical rating data (archived)
• Pitt Chess Archives
• Chess Archeology
• Gameknot Games Database
• FICS Games Openings Explorer — ECO breakdown of FICS games
• CCRL 40/4 ECO Report — engine-vs-engine results by opening
• Sean's USCF Tournament History — Bill Myers rating archive
• Sean's Chess.com Daily Archive

Learning, Openings & Analysis

• Lichess Analysis Board — Stockfish engine analysis
• Chess Publishing.com — opening theory updates
• ChessReps — opening repertoire trainer
• Noctie AI — human-like AI sparring partner
• Chessvia AI — AI coaching assistant
• DecodeChess — plain-language move explanations
• Chessodoro Performance — drills your repeated mistakes
• Chess Doctor
• Chess Recorder (John Pratt)
• AI Chess Coach
• Chess Repertoire Companion — repertoire drilling app
• Supercharge Your Chess (TheChessWorld)
• Building a 1.Nf3 Repertoire
• Albin Countergambit Notes — Norwegian-language survey
• Study Plan for Advanced Players: The Opening
• Typical Patterns Everyone Should Know
• How to Quickly Gain Rating Points

Opening Blogs & Deep Dives

• Sverre's Chess Corner — 1.a3 archive
• TWS27 — Icelandic Gambit archive
• Science on the Squares — opening posts
• Path to Chess Mastery
• Parzival's Horse
• Brooklyn64 — Sicilian 3.Bb5 — archived; original site offline

News & Publications

• New In Chess
• Chess Cafe
• Level Up Chess — online magazine & club guides
• Chess Life

Variants & Curiosities

• Chess Variants
• Xiangqi vs Computer — play Chinese chess
• Chess Curiosities (Tim Krabbé)
• Unorthodox Chess Openings (Chessville) — archived
• Dragons & Mythical Openings (Clyde Nakamura) — archived
• The Orangutan (1.b4) — archived
• Chess Banned in the Heartland

Software

• Chessbase
• WML Software
• Playing Stockfish with PHP — developer tutorial

Stores

• The Chess Store
• Chess & Bridge — formerly Internetchess.com

Books, Ebooks & Collecting

• Everyman Chess Ebooks
• Forward Chess Opening Books — interactive ebooks, newest first
• Everyman Ebook Café PDF Archives
• Chess Museum — Books for Collectors
• Chess God 101 — Books Forum
• Mads Andersen in Nuuk — Google Books excerpt

Clubs, Tournaments & Places to Play

• Chess.com Club Tournament Schedule
• Best Places to Play Chess in Paris
• Chessnut Chess Hangouts — archived club listings
• Best Chess Cities — archived research

Directories & Reference

• Chessopolis — chess link directory
• World Championship History (Mark Weeks)
• Chess Titles Map — FIDE title distribution by country
• 64.place — global directory of chess clubs & cafés
• The Chess Countries of the World
• 24 Executives Who Are Exceptional at Chess

Federations & Governing Bodies

• World Chess Federation (FIDE)
• United States Chess Federation
• USCF Member Services
• Northwest Chess
• ICCF (International Correspondence Chess Federation)
• FIDE Top Federations — countries by top-10 average rating
• FIDE Federation Directory