Searching for Chess

While I had my database software open to investigate Correspondence Chess Ratings and Chess960, it seemed like a good time to investigate an October upsurge in interest in my About.com instructional material. Just like the last time I looked into a similar phenomenon, documented in Google Likes Me Why Exactly?, I found nothing particularly noteworthy; a rising tide lifts all boats. Since the same 'A:' pages that I highlighted in 'Google Likes Me' popped up again, I decided to complete the unfinished action that I noted:-

The next logical step would be to see what searches returned those particular pages, but that will have to wait for another time.

Here are my top five pages returned by Google search in October, along with the most frequent search strings used.

• Top 10 Popular Chess Openings • Choose one from {'best' / 'common' / 'famous' / 'greatest' / 'popular' / 'top'} plus 'chess' plus one from {'defenses' / 'openings' / 'variations'}.
• The Origin of Chess • Choose one from {'birth' / 'birthplace' / 'origin'} plus 'of chess'.
• Chess Traps : View Full Games • No mystery here: 'chess opening traps' or simply 'chess traps'.
• Positional Play : Pawn Structure • The word 'pawn' plus one from {'structure' / 'formation'}, usually without the word 'chess'; the most original query was 'what is it called when a pawn moves backwards'.
• Chess Equipment : Chess Sets, Boards, and Clocks • The word 'chess' plus one from {'equipment' / 'material'}.

My chess equipment page wasn't in the earlier 'Google Likes Me' list. This gives me a clue about the reason for the upsurge : chess is increasing in popularity.