Our Editorial Standards

Every lesson, guide, and piece of advice on Old School Chess goes through a rigorous process of creation, verification, and ongoing review. Here is how we ensure accuracy and trustworthiness.

How Content Is Created

Every piece of content on Old School Chess is developed with the support of research and AI, then verified against established sources and reviewed by our editorial team. Factual claims are checked against master-level game databases, classic instructional texts, and authoritative reference works. We don't publish unverified theory.

Professor Archer's explanations are grounded in the foundational chess literature, including Capablanca, Nimzowitsch, Silman, Dvoretsky, and Kotov. When he explains a concept, it traces back to these proven sources and is cross-referenced with master-level databases.

Every content page follows a consistent structure: clear explanation of the concept, illustrative examples drawn from real games or established positions, and practical guidance on how to apply the idea in your own play. All content is reviewed by our team and verified against the sources described below.

Fact-Checking Process

Chess is a precise game, and our content must be equally precise. Here is how we verify different types of information.

Opening Theory

Verified against the Lichess opening explorer and master-level databases containing millions of tournament games. Move orders, evaluations, and typical plans are cross-referenced before publication.

Endgame Positions

Verified with Syzygy tablebases - mathematically solved positions that provide definitive answers. When we say a position is winning, drawing, or losing, it is verified to absolute certainty.

Strategic Concepts

Cross-referenced with multiple instructional sources. A concept like "prophylaxis" is explained with reference to its origin in Nimzowitsch and verified with examples from master-level play.

Historical Facts

Tournament results, biographical details, and historical claims are cross-referenced with multiple chess history sources including FIDE records and established chess historians.

Content Review Schedule

Content accuracy is not a one-time effort. After our initial full-site audit, we maintain a regular review schedule to ensure our material stays current and correct.

Annually - Core Theory Pages

Foundational lessons on openings, tactics, endgames, and strategy are reviewed once per year. While timeless principles rarely change, we verify examples and refine explanations.

Per Major Event - Tournament & Event Content

Pages referencing specific tournaments, title holders, or rating records are updated with each major chess event - World Championship cycles, Candidates, and Olympiads.

Ongoing - Platform & Location Data

Chess platform pricing, club details, and federation URLs are the most perishable data on the site. We check and update these as changes are reported or discovered.

Correction Policy

We take errors seriously. If a community member, reader, or fellow chess educator identifies an inaccuracy in our content, we act promptly.

  • Errors reported by the community are investigated within 48 hours of receipt.
  • If an error is confirmed, the page is updated immediately with the corrected information.
  • Corrections are clearly noted on the page, showing the original claim and the corrected information, so readers can see exactly what changed.
  • Significant corrections are noted with a "Last updated" date visible on the page.
  • We welcome corrections and treat every report as an opportunity to improve.

Sources We Trust

Our content draws on a carefully selected set of authoritative sources. These are the references we rely on and hold ourselves accountable to.

FIDE

The international chess federation. Our reference for official rules, ratings, and tournament records.

Lichess Opening Explorer

Millions of master-level games used to verify opening theory, move orders, and statistical outcomes.

ChessBase

The leading chess database software. Used for historical game research and position verification.

Syzygy Tablebases

Mathematically solved endgame positions. Used to verify our endgame content with absolute certainty.

Classic Instructional Texts

Works by Capablanca, Nimzowitsch, Silman, Dvoretsky, and Kotov. The bedrock of chess pedagogy.

Peer-Reviewed Research

Cognitive science publications from journals like Psychological Bulletin and Memory & Cognition for any claims about learning benefits.