Armand Niculescu

Armand Niculescu is a full-stack developer and creator of SparkChess. He has two BDs in engineering and marketing and a MSc in Management. He's been programming since the age of 12 and he also loves design, photography, and - obviously - chess.

The surprising benefits of online chess for seniors

For seniors, learning and playing chess online can bring numerous benefits, such as improved cognitive skills, more opportunities to socialize, and the ability to exercise the mind and body. More 🡢

Exclusive: Free eBook from Forward Chess

We have an exclusive offer for our SparkChess players: a free interactive eBook from Forward Chess! There is a catch, though: the offer expires on March 20. More 🡢

SparkChess - The Free Online Multiplayer Chess Game

Stay home. Stay safe. Play chess!

Due to the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) pandemic, health officials everywhere encourage people, especially those in at-risk categories, to stay at home as much as possible. We’re doing our (tiny) part to make this easier. We’ve increased server capacity and lifted the daily limits for users of the free version, so you can spend more time playing chess! More 🡢

Infographic: All World Chess Champions

We all know that Magnus Carlsen is the World Chess Champion, but who was the first one? And when? Even less is known about women champions. You probably have heard about Susan Polgar, but who is the current woman chess champion? More 🡢

Infographic: Chess Players Titles and Ratings in 2019

Have you ever wondered just how many chess players are in the world? How many of them are women? And what’s with all the titles like chess master and international master? Who is the top chess player ever? More 🡢

Infographic: Countries With Most Chess Grandmasters

Have you ever wondered which countries produced more chess grandmasters? Or in which countries are women more interested in chess? Is there a correlation between the population of the country and the number of grandmasters it produced? More 🡢

World Chess Championship 2018: Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen – Tiebreaks

After three Rapid games and with as many wins, Magnus Carlsen retains his title for another two years. More 🡢

World Chess Championship 2018: Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen – Game 12

Carlsen offers a draw from his superior position and Caruana accepts! This is quite disappointing. More 🡢