Training

Pawns move forward one square (two from the start row) and capture diagonally. Knights move in an L (two then one) and jump over pieces. Bishops move any distance on diagonals. Rooks move any distance straight. The queen moves any distance in any direction. The king moves one square. You are in check when your king is attacked; checkmate (no legal move escapes attack) ends the game. Stalemate is a draw.

1) Control the center with pawns (e4/d4, e5/d5). 2) Develop knights and bishops early so they control squares. 3) Castle to tuck the king into safety and connect the rooks. 4) Do not push the queen out early — it becomes a target. If you remember one thing: develop pieces, don't waste moves.

A fork is one piece attacking two at once (a knight fork is the classic). A pin traps a piece because moving it would expose your king or a more valuable piece. A skewer is a line attack that hits a valuable piece in front and a second piece behind it. A discovered attack happens when you move one piece and uncover an attack from another. Spot these and you take material for free.

In a king-and-pawn endgame, push the passed pawn and use your king to escort it. Opposition means placing your king directly facing the enemy king so you control the key square. Lucena: with a rook and a pawn on the seventh, build a bridge to promote. Philidor: the defender draws by keeping the king in front of the pawn.

Isolated pawns (no friendly pawn on a neighboring file) are permanent weaknesses. Pawn islands are groups separated by open files. A passed pawn has no enemy pawn ahead of it and can run to promotion. A bishop is 'good' if its diagonals are open, 'bad' if blocked by its own pawns. Rooks belong on open files. Form a plan around these facts rather than grabbing random material.

Cards 2-10 count face value, face cards count 10, an ace counts 1 or 11 whichever is better. You win by finishing closer to 21 than the dealer without busting. Basic strategy: stand on 17 or more, hit below 17 against a dealer upcard of 7+, double down on 11, split aces and pairs of 8s, never take insurance. Deviations are small; the list above loses the least over time. Practice it in the Arena.

On the come-out roll, a pass-line bet wins on 7 or 11 and loses on 2, 3, or 12. Any other number becomes the 'point'; you then win if that point is rolled again before a 7. Once a point is set, take odds behind your pass line — this part pays at true odds with no house edge. Avoid the center 'proposition' bets; their house edge is steep. Practice it in the Arena.

Hand rank, high to low: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, pair, high card. Position is the hidden edge: acting later means you saw more opponents act. Bet for value when ahead, bluff sparingly and only when it tells a believable story, and read the board for what your opponent could hold. Practice it in the Arena.

Discover what the counterparty actually needs before you propose terms. Anchor with a credible (not absurd) first offer. Trade concessions in parallel — give one, ask for one. Settle only when both sides gain something, because a repeat counterparty is worth more than a one-time win. This mirrors the marketplace listing and offer flow: post, discover, propose, settle.