January 2026 – hirechess.com

Tata Steel Chess 2026: Tough Days for Indian Stars as Gukesh, Arjun Stumble and Pragg’s Wait for a Win Continues

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee is famously unforgiving. Often called the “Wimbledon of Chess,” it has a long history of testing even world champions at their emotional and technical limits. Round seven of the Tata Steel Chess 2026 Masters proved exactly that, as several Indian stars faced a sobering reality check […]

What is a chess game?

January 23, 2026January 23, 2026 sunilhireholi@gmail.com Tagged beginner chess guide, chess basics explained, chess board game rules, chess game explained, chess game for beginners, chess game introduction, chess meaning and rules, chess pieces and moves, chess rules for beginners, chess strategy basics, free chess training videos, how chess works, how to play chess, learn chess step by step, online chess learning India, what is a chess gameLeave a Comment

What Is a Chess Game? A Beginner-Friendly Explanation of the World’s Greatest Thinking Game A chess game is not just about moving pieces on a board.It is a long, thoughtful conversation between two minds, where every move asks a question—and every mistake gets answered. At first glance, chess may look complicated. But once you understand […]

Is 17 Too Late for Chess? A Coach’s Honest Answer

January 22, 2026January 22, 2026 sunilhireholi@gmail.com Tagged adult beginner chess, can I become a chess master after 17, can you start chess at 17, chess career after 17, chess for teens and adults, chess fundamentals for beginners, chess improvement for teenagers, chess training for beginners, does age matter in chess, how to improve at chess fast, is 17 too late for chess, is it too late to start chess at 17, learning chess at 17 years old, online chess training free, starting chess lateLeave a Comment

By Sunil Hireholi | Chess Coach since 2005 | Founder, Hire Chess Academy This question reaches my inbox more often than you might expect: “I’m 17. Is it too late for me to start chess seriously?” Let me answer this clearly, honestly, and without false motivation—based on two decades of coaching and reporting on chess. […]

Does Chess Help Your IQ? What Science, Experience, and Chess Masters Reveal

January 21, 2026January 21, 2026 sunilhireholi@gmail.com Tagged brain training games chess, chess and brain development, chess and intelligence, chess benefits for brain, chess cognitive benefits, chess for kids and adults, Chess improvement videos, chess improves thinking skills, chess learning ability, chess mental training, chess pattern recognition, does chess help your iq, does playing chess increase iq, Free basic chess training, Hire Chess Academy, how chess improves focus, how to think better in chess, improve iq with chess, learn chess for beginnersLeave a Comment

By Sunil Hireholi | Chess Coach since 2005 | Hire Chess Academy One of the most common questions I’m asked by parents, students, and working professionals is: “Does playing chess actually increase IQ?” The short answer is:👉 Chess may not magically raise your IQ overnight—but it absolutely trains the skills that intelligent thinking is made […]

What Is the 80/20 Rule in Chess? How to Improve Faster by Studying Less

January 10, 2026 sunilhireholi@gmail.com Tagged avoid common chess mistakes, chess endgame basics, chess fundamentals for beginners, chess improvement plan, chess improvement strategy, Chess improvement videos, chess king safety principles, chess opening principles, Chess strategies for unrated players, chess tactics for beginners, chess training methods, Free basic chess training, high leverage chess concepts, Hire Chess Academy, how to improve at chess faster, how to study chess effectively, learn chess the right way, pareto principle in chess, piece activity vs material chess, what is the 80/20 rule in chessLeave a Comment

By Sunil Hireholi | Chess Coach since 2005 | Hire Chess Academy If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by chess books, opening theory, or endless YouTube videos, let me tell you something important: You don’t need to learn everything in chess to become strong. In fact, after coaching chess players for nearly two decades, I can […]

Does Playing Chess Online Make You Worse at Live Board Games? A Coach’s Honest Answer

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026 sunilhireholi@gmail.com Tagged avoid blunders in live chess, chess board vision training, chess calculation skills, chess fundamentals for beginners, Chess improvement videos, chess mindset for tournaments, Chess strategies for unrated players, chess visualization skills, does online chess make you worse, does playing chess online affect over the board play, Free basic chess training, How to improve chess quickly, how to play better over the board chess, Improve OTB chess performance, learn chess for beginners, online chess habits impact, online chess training, online chess vs otb chess, over the board chess vs online chessLeave a Comment

By Sunil Hireholi | Chess Coach since 2005 | Hire Chess Academy This is one of the most common—and most misunderstood—questions I hear from modern chess players: “I play well online… but why do I struggle when I sit at a real chessboard?” If you’ve ever felt this disconnect between online chess and over-the-board (OTB) […]