The series of IM Andrew Martin’s articles on ChessCube has come to an end, but you can still access this fantastic resource. Andrew Martin’s columns provide excellent game analysis. He analyses both recent and classic games, providing chess players with plenty to mull over.

The quizzes from Andrew Martin are a great way to test your chess knowledge, with Andrew providing further analysis.

These quizzes and columns should be revisited by every chess player who is keen on improving. Follow ChessCube on Twitter for a daily reminder of these articles.

Some artists include Snoop Dogg, Young Jeezy, Missy Elliot, Plies and Ludacris!

The figurines in the Hip Hop Chess set are hand made, and takes about 18 hours to make each piece. A complete chess set of 32 hand made figurines will set you back $5000, or you could order each piece at $300!

Another picture:

More pics and info via: SandraRose

Acres of afternoon and nowhere to go? Respite from your midweek ennui is at hand.

Mig Greengard’s Chess Ninja “Because losing sucks”.

A one stop shop for all you chess news needs:
http://chess.alltop.com/

Checkers has been solved. Does the same fate await chess? What is meant by “solved” anyway? See what Wikipedia has to say:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solved_game

Chess icons, wallpapers and other chess related eye candy.
http://www.virtualpieces.net/home

Do you know what a “macheeide” is? Emanuel Lasker was the world chess champion from 1894 until 1921. He wrote a treatise on the philosophy of struggle in which he defined a macheeide as a theoretical being defined as “the perfect competitor”. What happens when macheeide meets macheeide? All you ever wanted to know about Lasker.

En passant, blunders are not always bad! Sometimes one makes moves which are much stronger than one realised at the time. This works especially well against very strong players who can usually see much more than you can. May all your blunders be of this reverse variety!

Simply a thing of beauty!

The pieces and chess board are constructed with .035″ stainless steel and bronze wiring, one of the smallest wiring types in the world! Unfortunately, you can’t just run out and pick one of these up in a store. But if you have some patience and the build info supplied by the craftsman behind the board, you might be able to put on of these together in about a year’s time.

More pics via - Geekologie (Warning – Strong language ahead!)

Watch a live game on ChessCube with commentary:

Put on your “Blue Suede Shoes” and play with the legend himself, Elvis Presley! This chess set commemorates the King with pieces represented by themes such as “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog.” With this set, Elvis truly is the King!

Via – PoolTablesUSA

We’ve been hard at work making some exciting changes to ChessCube – take a look and see:

ChessCube - spot anything new?

And, there is more on its way. Keep watching this space for announcements over the next few days.

There’s a lot to be said for having a method of assessing positions. A methodical approach can provide comfort in times of trouble and help prevent impulsivity and pessimism.

When it comes to blundercheck time, this question can be of great value: “What does my proposed move UNDO?”

Chess players are very focussed on DOING something. So much so that we often forget that every move also undoes something. Don’t come undone!

This article from Begin Chess on Thought Process is a good read, beginners and experienced players alike: My Thought Process.

The 32 piece set puts Mario up against Bowser - who will win?

Mario – the King, and Luigi – his queen (?) takes on Bowser and his team. Luigi being Mario’s queen has caused a stir on the net, although we still love him . The pieces are hand-painted, with the tallest piece standing at 2.5″ tall.

The catch? There are no magic mushrooms to help you

Via ThinkGeek

In July 2009, ChessCube and CHESSA announced the first FIDE rated online matches. These were matches were played in the 2009 SA Open between players based in Melbourne, Australia and players based in Cape Town, South Africa. GM Amon Simutowe won the tournament.

ChessCube has recently released a report on the event for FIDE. The report summarises the key challenges and lessons from this chess world first, with the aim of encouraging increased online participation in chess tournaments. FIDE’s support for this venture, and in particular in rating these matches, demonstrates exciting possibilities in the world of chess.

This report and the player agreement are available for download. Click on the following links to download pdf versions of the report and player agreement. ChessCube SA Open 2009 Report (pdf). ChessCube SA Open 2009 Player Agreement for online matches (pdf).