Playing the Popular Sport of Chess Online

The game of chess is believed to have originated in India, from where it moved to Europe and the Middle East. The earliest literary reference to the game dates back to Persia in the fifth century A.D. It is among the most popular games that the world has known, and a mind-boggling number of people are aware of the rules of the game. Even the uninitiated are familiar with the name of Garry Kasparov who achieved the highest rating by the World Chess Federation till date. As recently as September 2007, Vishwanathan Anand became the World Champion.

The game of chess required us to put on our thinking caps. Football and tennis may reveal the physical fitness of a sportsperson, but a well-played game of chess exhibits the mental agility of the player. The game may be slow, but enthusiasts will assert that it is not at all boring. The strategies and tactics that are utilized by the players reveal their skill at the game. Over the centuries, strategies of various kinds have been developed by expert chess players such as Philidor and Steinitz. Today, hundreds of chess books offer to help beginners learn the tricks of the game.

The kings of the past may have used the game to develop their strategy for war. Nowadays, it has transformed into a popular sport. Playing the game online has become quite an obsession. However, the basic principles remain unchanged. The chess player must still exercise foresight and caution before making a move. If one is looking to win, one cannot afford to make rash moves.

It would not be wrong to say that the Internet has fuelled a further craze for the game of chess. In the fast-paced world that we inhabit, it is often difficult to find a fellow enthusiast who has the time for a game. However, on turning to the online world, we can find other like-minded players. Alternatively, we can play against the computer itself. The rise of online chess has ensured that more and more people are beginning to fine tune their chess-playing skills.

We may read scores of books that tell us "How to Play Chess". We may seek advice from people who are fairly expert at the game. However, the best advice comes from actually playing the game. Those of us who are hooked to the online version of chess will testify that it has helped us hone our skills to a great extent.

All You Need to Know About Virtual Chess and Checkers

Without a doubt, strategy games are way better than any other kinds of games such as action games or first person shooter games. The reason I love strategy games so much is that they, aside from providing good entertainment also improves ones intellectual abilities. Strategy games improve the players decision making capabilities. Download able games and free online strategy games are rapidly gaining popularity nowadays due to the entertainment they provide and also due to the fact that they can be so easily downloaded and played.

Strategy games are widely played as board games and as virtual games. The virtual games are slowly gaining popularity over the board games due to the benefits they provide. To play a board game you need another opponent to play the game with you, with an opponent you will not be able to enjoy the game, also in strategy games it is very difficult to find an opponent that is of your intellectual level. The opponent will either be too easy or too difficult to play with. All these problems are solved in virtual games, if they are free online strategy games or download able games, in such games the slot of the opponent is filled in by the computer, what's better is that you can even choose the level of difficulty for your opponent. If you are a beginner at that game then an easy level will suit you or if you are experienced at the game you are playing and are looking for a challenge then you should choose a harder difficulty.

All strategy games are enjoyable to play but the kings of strategy games are chess and checkers. These games have been around for as long as I can remember and we have been playing them as board games. But thanks to today's computer world both of these games can be downloaded and played for free. Chess and checkers have been created in stunning 3-D graphics. The level of difficulty can be chosen by the player and it does not matter if you are a complete beginner at the game as most of the games today also teach you how to play while you play the game, explain every move and also tell you why this move was better than the other moves available to us. So in other words we get a virtual tutor who is ever patient and friendly.

Checkers is much simpler than chess, there are only 2 colors on the board one player chooses one color while his opponent chooses the other. Victory is achieved by clearing the board of the other players pieces. Chess on the other hand is much more complicated and therefore more fun to play. In chess each player controls 16 pieces; one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponents king.

People who have not yet played chess and would like to learn it should download a game today, since I already mentioned how games also help the players learn the game while they play it. Playing with the computer is also ideal for those who want to improve their game because playing with harder difficulty will really improve your game and once you can beat the computer at high difficulty levels no human player will be able to defeat you in that game.

The Best Abstract Strategy Board Games

Abstract Strategy is the title given to the types of board games which offer direct competition between two players with no hidden information or random chance involved. When two players face off, head to head, the only obstacles present are the puzzles that they present to each other. For this fact and the fact that every time a move is made, everything about that move, save for the player's intention, are immediately known, these games are given over to a form of abstract strategy, hence the name. Players need to outsmart their opponent in order to win, no amount of luck will aid them in victory.

Chess is highly considered to be one of the most popular abstract strategy games available. Considering that Chess is one of the most popular games in the world, it is no wonder that it is given some of the best recommendations in the world of abstract strategy. The game is played on a square board, with 8 rows and 8 columns of squares. Players choose a side, generally either white or black, and set their pieces according to a standard format. 8 pawns make up the inner row while the back row consists of the specialty pieces, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, the queen, and the king. Each piece has a special way of moving and cannot break that pattern. By using these different pattern movements, players must try to "checkmate" the other player's king piece, putting it into a position where it will be captured and nothing can be done to stop this. The player who can do this first is declared the winner of Chess.

Other games exist within the abstract strategy realm, however. Go, a game that dates back to Ancient China, is considered to be even more popular than Chess. It has much simpler rules yet requires just as much strategic thought as its European counterpart. Two players, again black and white, take turns placing a colored stone on the board, which has been marked with a 19 by 19 grid of perpendicular lines. Once a stone has been placed on one of the intersections, it cannot be moved from that space, and players try to make chains between their stones. When a chain of stones has been made, no matter the size, it cannot be broken, only removed from the board.

If one player is able to completely surround another player's chain, those player's stones are removed from the board. Play continues until both players can find no more moves available to them, and scoring commences. There a few different styles to tabulating the scores of Go, but both methods generally consider both the number of stones on the board as well as the number of stones which have been captured. These two numbers are often directly in proportion to each other, as stones captures come from areas surrounded, which is considered to be another form of scoring.

Abstract strategy games allow players to think outside the box when they are confronting an opponent, which can be refreshing to many players who tire quickly of traditional board games that rely mainly on luck. These games are often the games which have lasted through history, always providing something that other games do not. They can be used to help educate and keep the mind sharp, and for this reason, they are some of the most beloved games available today.

The Great Benefits Of Chess - Improve At Chess Now, Enjoy 3 Huge Benefits And Valuable Life Skills

Chess - with thousands of books written about it (tactics, strategy, openings, its history, etc.), this 64-squared board game is, without a doubt, the most popular of its kind.

Now, you may be thinking: "Aside from the bragging rights of being the best chess player around the block and winning games, why are people all over the globe are trying really hard to improve at chess? What are the great benefits of chess?"

The answer: A LOT!

I would go as far as saying that learning chess the right way makes you a better and well rounded person - more productive, more disciplined, better at decision making, etc. than those who don't!

Great Benefits Of Chess 1

Unlike other popular sports and games out there, you don't need to be physically strong or mentally talented to enjoy the game.

Heck! Believe it or not, even the world's greatest players (Reshevsky, Carlsen, etc.) are NOT the smartest guys among their peers. These world-class chess players only have average or above average IQs. This is something.

YES, chess is something you can excel in. It's a game that could bring fulfillment no matter what your age, IQ, etc. is.

Great Benefits Of Chess 2

Playing, learning, and improving in chess expose you to a disciplined environment. Getting better at chess requires you to regularly study all its 3 phases -

1. Chess opening

2. Learn chess tactics and strategies

3. Master the subtleties of the endgame.

Being disciplined is something that you can take with you and benefit from no matter where you are - whether you are working at the corporate world, as a freelancer, building your own business, and everything else in between.

Great Benefits Of Chess 3

Life is full of challenges, and so is a game of chess!

How to face your opponent's opening novelties? Which strategy to pursue in a branching variation of the Sicilian Defense? Should you pursue an aggressive and tactical strategy or one that is quiet and try to acquire positional advantages?

These are just some of the questions and challenges that a chess player faces every time he sits at the board. When you are used to these kinds of chess problems and challenges, when you can keep your head cool and clear despite the hardships, dealing with life, which can be a prick, is MUCH easier!

Visualwize Chess Training Software: A Review

Chess enthusiasts of all levels are always seeking ways to improve their chess skills, so that they can win at chess games, whether they play professionally or socially.

One of the most effective ways to improve your chess skills is to use a chess visualization software, which enables you to practice and improve your visualization skills. Visualization is one of the most important skills you need to succeed in chess.

A program that is apparently gaining a lot of popularity and is helping many people to improve their chess is Visualwize Chess Training Software.

Let's address the basic questions on this software.

What is it?

Visualwize is a chess training software that trains your ability to have a clear mental picture of chess moves before you make these moves on the board. This enables you to assess the implications of your moves before you make the actual moves. This therefore enables you to play better at chess, as you will be able to make the right decisions and avoid making some mistakes that would make you lost a game.

This program has 240 visualization training exercises which are designed to develop your visualization skills. It has and more than 1200 moves to visualize. These moves are real moves made by a master player in real chess games. With the software, you can train to visualize up to 8 moves ahead.

The program consists of 4 levels, level 1 being rather easy and level 4 being hard. You can order the level that suits your needs. For those who really want to significantly improve their skills, level 4, the complete program, is recommended.

How does it work - what does the program actually do?

In simple terms, the program shows a chess position from a game between two chess masters, and then, with arrows, it shows the next few moves that have been made in that position by the renowned chess masters. The arrows stop in a position where a tactic, i.e., a combination that wins the game exists.

Unlike other programs and books that use written annotations for the moves, this program uses arrows on the board. This means it reflects a realistic playing scenario, and you don't have to take your attention and eyes from the board to read written annotations.

This is one major factor that separates this program from others that are available on the Internet today. Rather than building up the skill of moving your eyes between notation and the board, Visualwize trains you in the art of seeing unfolding moves without actually affecting the board.

On the website where the program is offered, there are many informative and short videos that you can watch, which describe how the program works.

Why is it important - what benefits can you get from this program?

It is recommended that chess players wanting to take their chess to the next level use this program because it offers several benefits:

• You will be able to see more chess moves ahead, before you actually make any move on the board, giving you an opportunity to assess the consequences of every move before you make it.
• You will avoid making mistakes which can make you lose a game in an instant.
• You will make the most of your training time since you will be able to easily visualize the notation below chess diagrams.
• You become an efficient and effective chess player - you won't need to calculate variations several times over because you will be able to clearly the consequences of your move in your mind, saving you a lot of time.
• You will make a wise investment that will help you significantly improve your chess - the program is favourably priced at only $30. If you were to hire a chess coach, you would pay a very high fee per hour of the coach's time to train you.
• It is convenient - once you purchase the program, you can train at any time of the day or night, as much as you want.

With several books and programs on how to improve chess, available today, Visualwize is considered to be a cut above the rest among many chess enthusiasts.

Training Chess Tactics - Is Visualwize The Best Software For Improving Your Chess Tactical Skills?

Chess is primarily about tactics; hence improving your chess tactics is essential. Richard Teichmann, a famous German chess master, said in 1908: "Chess is 99 percent tactics", and he was right.

Whether you are just starting out in the fascinating game of chess, or a seasoned player, you'll know that it is important to make the right moves and have excellent tactics.

Today, there are several programs that claim they can help you improve your chess tactics and visualization skills, and it can be daunting to establish which one is the best.

Visualwize is a chess training software designed to train your visualization ability in the game. Developed by Louis Holtzhausen, a software developer, chess coach and chess enthusiast, Visualwize is a program that allows you to replicate the exact moves used by masters in actual chess matches, enabling you to advance your visualization skills. As your visualization capabilities improve from using this program, your tactical, decision making, and strategy expertise automatically improve.

What makes Visualwize unique?

Visualization is a basic and essential skill that you need if you want to advance from being an amateur to a master chess player, or if you just want to beat all your friends and chess opponents, and impress them with your abilities.

Visualwize is a program that trains your ability to see chess moves in your mind even before you make them on the board, allowing you to think about the outcomes of your moves before you make the actual moves. This particular skill is what separates winners from losers in this game.

There are some books that claim that they can train you to improve chess visualization skills. However, these books use written chess notations, and this is the major drawback as you will need to continually take your eyes and concentration away from the board to read the notations.

There are some software programs on the Internet that also claim to help your chess visualization skills - but, just like the books, they also use written notation, which means you will need to take your eyes off the board to read these. This is an ineffective and unnatural way to visualize your chess moves, and is not the best way to advance your skills.

Visualwize is unique because the program uses on-the-board arrows to show the moves to visualize, which means you keep your concentration on the board, enabling you to practice your concentration abilities.

What makes this program probably the best tool for training your chess tactics and visualization skills?

• There are no other programs available that train chess visualization ability like Visualwize does, using on-the-board arrows. This means you do not have to take your eyes off the board to read notation first. This simulates the reality when you are sitting behind the board in a match.


• You will increase your tactical awareness since the program requires you to see the tactics in an imaginary position, helping you to make your moves with confidence.


• You will save a lot of thinking time since you will not need to calculate many variations because you will be able to clearly see the consequences of your move in your mind.


• The program's exercises come from actual master games and have been hand-picked from a large database of high level chess games. This ensures top quality material, and represents a realistic game scenario.

Practice makes perfect. This adage applies to many things in life, but more so to the game of chess. When it comes to training the visualization and tactical aspect of chess, Visualwize is perhaps the best tool available. You can improve your chess tactics and visualization skills with Visualwize, and all that you need to do is to get the program and practice.

Chess Sets - How to Find the Right One

Are you thinking about purchasing a chess set for yourself or for someone as a gift? Chess sets come in a lot of different styles, are made from a variety of materials, and are used for different purposes so you will want to know what you are looking for. Chess is a game of skill and strategy that takes a little practice and knowledge to get good at, but once you have learned the game it is a fun and relaxing pastime that you will be hooked on. If you are looking for the right chess board set this information will help you out.

If you are just starting to learn how to play the game of chess then there are a few different types of chess boards you may be interested in. A magnetic chess set will allow for you to be able to play chess when you are taking a road trip in a vehicle, flying on a plane or on your breaks at work. You will never have to worry about the pieces moving around while you are not around your board. Some beginning chess players choose to play with a wooden chess set which can be found in a lot of different styles. You may find wooden chess sets that have plastic chess pieces or you may find ones that have solid wood pieces for you to play with. You will also find a folding chess board set that is made of wood and will provide storage for the chess pieces while you are not playing with them.

If you are an advanced chess player you may want to choose a chess board that has a little bit more to offer. Since most beginner chess sets are usually low end and made mostly for those who want to learn the game and get good before they invest in a chess board set on the next level, you will find more high quality sets that are more durable and will allow you to use them longer. You will find different types of wood that the chess boards and pieces are made from which will be able to provide you with the look that you want. You will pay a little bit more for a professional set but the quality will match the price.

If you are looking for a chess board set for children you will be able to find several great kids chess sets that they will love playing with. You can find Disney chess sets that feature characters from six of their favorite Disney movies. Also, if your child is a Harry Potter fan you will be able to find the Harry Potter chess set that is played with in the movie. Many of the kids chess sets are very beautiful, elegant, and durable so they are perfect for children to carry out their own fantasy while learning how to play the game of chess. There are a lot of kid chess sets that are not being made by the manufacturer any longer so they are hard to find. This means that they are not only perfect for children but collectors love them as well.

There are several other chess sets that you may be interested in. If you are a beginning chess player you may want to choose a magnetic or folding board that you can take with you on the go and play every chance you get. If you are an expert or professional player you will want to select a board that is more durable and sturdy so that it will last you for a long time. There are also several chess boards for kids and collectors to enjoy. No matter which type of chess board set you are looking for you will be able to find the perfect one to play the best game on Earth.

Unique Chess Sets And The Game Of Chess

The game of chess as we know it today has its roots in the 2nd half of the 15th century emerging out of Southern Europe. Once an obscure game considered to be an intellectuals only game, it has blossomed into one of the most popular games on the planet with clubs devoted to nothing but strategy and execution of the game.

The game itself is played on a 64 square checkered board with a fairly complex set of rules. The game is very strategic with some players calculating moves out several moves in advance. A number of books have been written on the subject of strategy and knowledge when it comes to the game of chess and you can simply do a Google search for Chess Strategy to be inundated with options.

As with any popular sport, the equipment involved in the game has been improved on and perfected over the years. Many chess connoisseurs take their chess sets very seriously. It's not uncommon for any participant in any sport to want nothing but the very best equipment available. A number of unique chess sets have appeared over the years with everything from current events to movie characters finding their way onto the chess board. I have seen:

• Dragon Chess Sets
• Gothic Chess Sets
• Pewter Chess Sets
• Civil War Chess Sets
• Lord of the Rings Chess Sets
• Jade Chess Sets
• Crystal Chess Sets
• Staunton Chess Sets
• Franklin Mint Collectible Chess Sets
• Egyptian Chess Sets
• Marble Chess Sets
• War Chess Sets
• Handmade Chess Sets

You name it, just about any kind of chess set imaginable is available out there. Many of these unique chess sets are absolutely stunning and are considered a work of art by those who appreciate the game. Some of Unique Chess Sets or Decorative Chess Sets are almost too good to play the game with, you would want to use them for decoration only.

Speaking of decoration, nothing can finish off a room or office like a beautiful unique chess set that is tailored to the personality of the owner. If you are looking for a thoughtful, personal and very unique gift then a chess set might be the ticket.

Teach Yourself Chess - Calling All Beginners and Children

When a beginner comes to play chess for the first time, it is inevitable that they will be somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer complexity and volume of material they need to learn. Just grasping the mere basics of this wondrous game is in itself intimidating. However, like anything else we want to master, once we can get our psychology sorted, motives, anticipation of pleasure to come and the satisfaction of having a brand new skill, we are well on the way to ultimate victory.

The very first step is to set up your board. Next, learn the basic moves moving the piece strategies and what the main aim of your game is. Let me give you a brief overview in this article as to how to set about this. I'll do my level best to make it as simple as possible. I'll even use the ABC method. You may have heard the old adage "simplicity is the essence of genius". I have no idea who said that, but I fully agree! So, here goes:

A) The Board: You will see that the board has been divided into alternate black and white squares. These are set as 8 rows of 8 squares. The pieces are placed, according to the rules of chess two rows in front of each player on opposite sides of the board.

B) The Pieces: Although the pieces are, according to tradition usually termed "black" or "white", they can actually be any colour. Each of the players possesses 8 pawns, two rooks/castles, two knights/horses, two bishops, one queen and one king. Pawns are placed in the front row and rooks, knights, bishops and king and queen at the back row.

C) The Moves: The Pawns can move forwards two squares for the initial move, and forward one square thereafter. In a "capture" move to take their opponent's piece they are allowed to move diagonally one square to the right or the left.

Rooks: They are able to move forwards, backwards or sideways, but are not allowed to jump over a piece.

Knights: This rule is a little more complicated. They move erratically -two spaces forward and one square to the right or left in an L shape.

Bishops: This piece can move in a diagonal across the board but are not allowed to jump pieces.

Queen: She is able to move forward, backward, side to side but again, cannot jump any of the other pieces.

King: He can move one square in any direction: forward, backwards sideways or diagonally.

The purpose at all times in the game of chess is to capture your opponents King, whilst carefully guarding your own of course. You'll also want to sweep the board of all their other pieces too, or as much as possible. As you start, falteringly perhaps at the start of your training, and as you gain more skill (which with practice is inevitable), you'll soon be able and competent to play the more complex rules and strategies of the great game of chess. Good Playing!

Tips That Every Chess Player Should Know

Chess is a game which can employ a number of different strategies and tactics. Every player needs to discover their own style, trial and error is some of the best ways for a player to learn what works and what doesn't. A number of different styles all can lend themselves to a great game of Chess and each of those styles can perfectly fit different players and personalities. However, as different as each Chess player is, there are a number of tips that each and every good Chess player will follow and keep in mind throughout the game.

The most important part of playing a smart Chess game is to always pay attention. It sounds simple, but this is actually the downfall of most players. They miss an opponent's move or are so concentrated on what their next step might be that they miss something crucial and ruin their entire game. In addition to paying attention, it is important that the player always be thinking ahead. Having a plan is important in constructing a great Chess strategy, but being adaptable is also important.

Whenever an opponent makes a move, it is important for a player to fully evaluate that move, trying to determine why it was made. Players don't make Chess moves simply for the sake of moving, there is always a reason and a plan behind the move being made. Figuring out the opponent's plan is a key part of playing a smart Chess game. If a player can figure out an opponent's plan before it has been fully hatched, it is possible to thwart the plan ahead of time. This can throw the opponent off and buys the player more time, for they now do not need to rush to react to an event that played out on the board.

It is also vitally important for any player to realize just how much the pieces on a board are worth. Each Chess piece has been given a ranked number based on how important they are. Pawns are considered to be worth 1 point each, while Knights and Bishops are worth 3. Rooks are 5 and Queens are 9 points each. Knowing these point values are handy because they can help players keep in mind what is important when it comes to strategy. A Queen is very valuable, as it has the most range and can do the most damage, yet two Rooks can accomplish even more. Many times, sacrifices need to be made in a Chess game and knowing which piece is better to sacrifice will help in the long term of the game.

Keeping the endgame in mind is always a smart investment as well. For example, if a sacrifice needs to be made between a Bishop and a Knight, it is good to keep in mind that a Bishop has a farther range during the endgame. However, on the other hand, this may not be of much importance if the Knight will help more in getting a player to the endgame. There are a lot of things that any good Chess player needs to juggle during a game. Practice is the best key in building all of these skills. Keeping these few tips in mind during a game, however, will show drastic improvements in any player's results.

Chess Tactics & Strategy

Chess tactics and strategy are incredibly complicated, to the point where even a computer can't work out the best strategy in every situation. There are literally millions of possibilities, making it impossible to evaluate them all.

For this reason, chess strategy has been getting gradually more advanced through the ages, as masters of the time write books about their strategies and influence the next generation of players. This also means that observing a particular player's strategies can make it easier to work out how to beat them, regardless of how much you know about chess itself.

While advanced chess strategy and tactics would take years or even a lifetime to learn (it is, in fact, pretty much impossible to learn it all), we can lay out two basic moves here, just to get you started.

To begin with, pretty much the most common move in any game of chess is to pin the other player's pieces. Pinning is when you use one of your pieces to stop the other player from moving one of theirs, as doing so would allow you to take an important piece such as a rook or a queen. A skilled chess player can easily stop almost all your pieces from moving anywhere, effectively controlling your side of the board as well as their own.

A skewer is pretty much the same move as a pin, only the other way around: the more important piece is the one in front, not the one behind. It appears that you are moving your piece into the line of fire, but in reality they are covered. If your opponent takes your piece, they will lose their important piece to your covering piece in the next move, but if they don't take it, then your piece is in a position to take them. This forces them to move their important piece out of the way, allowing you to take the weaker one behind.

Chess - The Game Of Skill

"Chess is war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent's mind." - Bobby Fischer.

Chess, the most popular game in the world, has a long history dating back more than a thousand years. Board games similar Chess have been discovered on ancient Egyptian sculptures. Handwritten manuscript, over a thousand years old, referring to Chess has been found. Remnants that seem to be chess units have been excavated in Italy, and some people believe they should be dated at the second century AD. People have been playing chess with objects on some kind of chess table for centuries, and the earliest version that has definitely been linked to chess is a game called Chaturanga, played in India almost 1600 years ago.

Before anything else, the apprentice must learn the name or rather the two names of each of the squares on the chessboard and must practice recognizing the squares by their names. Just as the larger army usually has the advantage in a battle, so in Chess the player on the chess table with extra forces is more likely than his opponent to win the game. Albeit much of the fun lies in finding the exceptions to this law, the notion of material advantage is crucial to any understanding of the logic of the chess table. The normal protocol at the chess table is that one does not announce that one is about to checkmate the opponent.

The Great War between the Northern and Southern states of the "United States" possess a peculiar interest for civil war chess set enthusiasts, not only because it was a struggle between two sections of people akin to us, but because of the epic courage with which the weaker party with ill-fed, ill-clad and ill-equipped troops, for four years sustained the contest with an opponent not only possessed of immense numerical superiority, but having the command of the sea, and being able to draw its arms and munitions of war from all manufactures of Europe. It is truly amazing the way the civil war ragged on for four years and ended with the obvious victor!

Luck has no part in the game of chess. Now, your apponent can "niss" an important move, but that is a lack of skill rather than chance. The game takes concentration and strategy in order to be the victor of the game. Each piece of the board can move in only certain directions and combinations, making the element of skill necessary to win to be that much greater. I have personally played chess many times and find that my skill level needs improvement. The best ways to improve your skill of the game is to practice and study books that teach different methods of playing in order to win the game.

Internet Chess - Chess Meets The Internet

With the emergence of the Internet, chess has left its pristine physical domain and logged on to a highly popular online, virtual form. The Internet enables chess players to play real time chess with players from all over the world. Chess games are hosted over the Internet on special chess servers. Users download the game, which comes with special, easy-to-install software that allows users to play and chat with other players from distant locations. Java-enabled websites are also available in which a Java enabled browser is used.

There are many sites that offer a large variety of chess games. Chess servers like the Internet Chess Club (ICC) and the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) are available to help you play online chess.

The Internet Chess Club (ICC) is one of the best environments for online games, as the interface is extremely easy to use. The Free Internet Chess Server (FICS), as the name suggests, is a free chess server like the ICC and Chess.net. It requires a player to download a graphical interface like CClient, Winboard or Slics.

Internet chess games are also available at Chess.net. Chess.net has features similar to ICC and FICS with its own graphical interface that must be purchased. Because of the cost involved, Chess.net is less popular than its free counterparts.

Playsite is another site for online chess games. It has multiple games that require a Java enabled browser. Downloading the Java component usually takes time, but this time can be cut down by using a Castanet Tuner. The Castanet Tuner downloads all the codes and graphics from Playsite the first time around, so that in future sessions players only have to download the updates. Over the years many Internet chess servers have been created, including ChessLive, ChessAnyTime, and the World Chess Network.

There are two ways to play chess on the Internet. One way is for players to play a real-time game with another online player. Real-time games have to be completed within a specific timeframe. The other method is to play an opponent who is not online at the same time. With this option, there is no time limit. A player has complete control over the game. Players can chat and study their games in detail, and can also play multiple games simultaneously.

Chess is My Life - Victor Kortchnoi

There are a variety of books on the market that one can pick up and read to learn to play chess. Why buy from a famous Chess player and biographer over some one else you have never heard of? I can think of a few good reasons. First not only will you learn basic strategy and movements of the different pieces such as Rook, or Knight. These colossal giants of Chess bring with them their wisdom and years of experience with them.

Players such as Viktor Kortchnoi are doubtlessly one of the most electrifying personalities of the chess world. While playing successful & writing his novel My Life of Chess Vol 1 & 2, the 73-year-old former double world championship finalist is also famous for his candid language. Kortchnoi was never one for mincing his words. So it is befitting that such a man not known for his words creates two wonderful books to help you learn to better your game tactics with. This is an extraordinary DVD interactive set that allows you to hear him taunt to praise you in your game. This DVD set 1, presents eight of his most brilliant effort from the years 1949-1979, among them games against Smyslov, Geller, Tal, Huebner and Karpov.

This new Interactive DVD Chess game offers more than three hours of first-class chess training, plus an extensive interview with Viktor himself. His resume he states as "two-times contender for the world championship, is a piece of living chess history. In the 60 years of his career, "Victor the Terrible" crossed swords with practically all great players of the past and presence, including Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. A relentless fighter at the board, he expressed his never-ending love for the royal game in a very simple phrase - "Chess is my life". Victor Kortchnoi.

On Volume two of his DVD you get four hours of Victor presenting among other things his games against Kasparov in 1986, Spassky in 1989 and Short in 1990 in his typical gripping style. Detailed commentaries are embedded within the game of Kortchnoi's biography.

Your Computer requirements you may want to check to ensure you meet these standards before purchasing or installing. A Pentium-Processor at 300 Mhz or higher, 64 MB RAM, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Media Player 9.0, DVD drive.

Chess Turns Out to Be Surprisingly Fun

I have to admit, I never thought I would learn to play chess. The game gets a bad rap, especially on TV shows and in movies. Let's face it; it's never a bunch of cool kids whenever they show the chess club and it always leads to bunch of bad stereotypes.

My first venture in to the game of chess came at age eighteen. My brother was home for the weekend from school and asked if I wanted to play him. I laughed and let him know that wouldn't be happening any time soon. But my brother being who he is, he persisted and I ended up relenting to his imploring.

As we sat down to the chess board, I was not expecting much. Honestly, I thought it was going to be more like checkers when I looked at the board. How wrong I was. It was nothing like checkers! All of the different pieces enthralled me and caught my imagination. And how they moved, this was truly a new and exciting experience for me. It was a game of strategy and I was immediately hooked. In fact, I was the one who ended up doing the pestering to play chess from then on, although he never complained.

It never gets old for me. There's always a new strategy to try and no reason to follow the same pattern. No other game provides the constant promise of combining moves and game pieces in an attack manner that differs each time I sit down at a chess board. Sometimes I sacrifice my pawns to pave the way for my more important pieces to assail my opponent. Other times I like to let my knights go charging ahead of the pack to see just how much damage I can do with those two pieces. I like to have fun with it, never forgetting why I became hooked on the game.

This game lets you be creative and actually use your mind. It's not just a bunch of button pushing and loud noises, which are all videogames are these days. It allows true face-to-face interaction with another player. The game forces you to see your opponent, hear your opponent, and study your opponent. When was the last time that a videogames was able to give you that? So give it a try if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed.

Antique Collectible - The Isle Lewis Chess Set

No one knows how the game of Chess began. It is not clear whether one person invented it, or whether several different board games gradually merged into one. Indoor board games have been played for millenniums, but the game Chaturanga, linked to modern-day Chess can be traced back to seventh-century India. Its roots probably go back further. The game may even have emerged from a religious ceremony held in order to divine the balance between good and evil. Since it's so hard to draw exact conclusions from such sparse evidence, we may never know for sure where Chess really originated. Regardless of where it originated, chess is the most enjoyable board game that gentlemen can play. The use of strategy to make and plan moves is loved by many.

From India, Chess spread quickly to Persia (present-day Iran), and after the Arabian conquest, it reached the Arab world. Chaturanga now renamed Shatranj, thrived in the "Golden Age of Islam" between the eight and the eleventh century. The Arabs were great mathematicians, and the numerical nature of Chess complemented their scientific interests. Chess arrived in Europe by a variety of different trade routes and by the early invasions of Spain and Sicily. The Vikings took Chess farther westward, and by the beginning of the eleventh century, Chess was already well known across Europe.

In a short span of time, Chess became the most popular board game in Europe. A very interesting set of chess pieces called the Isle Lewis chess set was found at Nig, in the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The Isle Lewis chess set dates back to about the twelfth century. The Isle Lewis chess set forms the oldest surviving complete Chess set. The Isle Lewis chess set pieces are usually carved from walrus ivory and depict characters in a variety of bad moods, from rage to gloom. The backs are carved with elaborate interlacing designs like those on the reverse of the old Tarot cards. The Queens rest their cheeks on their right hands, the Kings have swords laid across their laps, while the Bishops are mitered and are seated. The contemporary Isle Lewis chess set is a collection of all chess pieces you need to play a game of Chess.

Many a debate has been settled with the playing of the game. Chess uses advanced strategies in order to plan your moves ahead of time. Without this planning, it is easy to loose a game of chess rather quickly.

7 Deadly Sins Of Chess

1/ Don't move your pieces out to the side. Always aim for the centre where they will guard more squares. For example a knight in the middle of the board could cover 8 or 10 squares but knight at the side of the board may only cover 4. The same can be said for all the pieces. If you take the centre stage your opponent has no option than to attack you from the flanks and this will be a weakened attack.Control the centre and you control the game.

2/ Don't castle too late. Get your King tucked in to the corner as soon as possible and out of harms way. A King left in the centre is vulnerable to attack. By the same token, try to castle to the Kings side as it is safer. If you do have to castle to the Queen's side it will take and extra move to get your King tucked in. A word of caution. Take note of what your opponent is planning. If it looks as if there is going to be an all out assault on the Kings and you cannot stop it side then it would probably be safer to castle Queens side.

3/ Do not move your Queen out to the centre of the board in opening play unless there is a very good reason to do so. A Queen can be chased around the board by a host of pieces and while your Queen a running about like a headless chicken your opponent is developing all his pieces.

4/ The oldest Don't in the book. Don't move one piece twice until you have moved all your pieces once. When I say pieces this does not include the pawns. Your pieces should move as a unit. As one galvanized fighting force all covering for each other. The chess board is no place for individual heroes. Again, this is a guideline and not a hard and fast rule. There will be many times in your chess games where it would be dangerous to do this just for the reason that it is best practice. Also, do not miss an opportunity to take a piece or to move to a good position just because it means moving a piece twice.

5/ Don't get blocked in by your own pawns. Try to move the middle pawns out 2 squares at the beginning to let you bishops and knights out into open play. Nevertheless, remember you can not move pawns backwards and therefore when moving them forward make sure they are going to a safe square and by moving them you will not weaken your defence. Give them back up from other pawns and other pieces.

6/ It here are only two Kings and some pawns left on the board during the end game Don't follow your pawns up to 8the rank with your King for promotion. Try to get your King in from of your own pawns. This prevents the opponents King getting in and blocking your pawns. On the subject of promotion Don't always opt for a Queen. I saw a game once where a player was struggling but managed to promote a pawn but realising this was going to be tool late to save a checkmate opted for a knight. This put the opponents King in immediate check and te King had only one move and he was instantly checkmated. Had he gone for a Queen the King would not have been in check and he would have been checkmated himself in the next move.

7/ If you want to continue improving you chess. Do not forget to record each game you play and go over the positives and the negative moves. Remember when you start playing chess you will lose most of your games. Nonetheless, if you learn from each defeat you will start to win. It took me years to beat my Dad but when I was 12 I studied chess books and practiced what the masters did and low and behold I not only beat my dad totally wiped the floor with him. It was my proudest moment and probably my dad's as well but he would not admit it.

Improving Your Chess Game - How to Play Smarter Than a Fifth Grader

One of the hottest prime-time shows right now is "Are You Smarter Then a 5th Grader", pitting grown ups against kids in a battle of wits. Now I'm not sure if it's rigged or if people really are that "lost" (to put it nicely) but regardless of how you would fare on a show like this, here are a few tips to make sure that at least your chess game is "smarter than a 5th grader's".

Read up on Chess and Chess Strategy

While you may be thinking that you can only improve your game by playing it, this is not true. You can actually find many helpful tips and strategies by reading books and magazines that are about chess. Try to internalize what you learn when you are reading, and then play a game using what you have learned. Then, go back and read some more until you have what you read down pat.

As you are reading, you may also want to take some notes on what you are reading as well. Keep a notebook of new strategies and moves that you read about so you can study them over and over again. Writing them down will also help to imprint them into your mind more deeply as well. Later when you are playing you may want to look at your notes for a bit of help until you can remember the moves on your own.

Play with Advanced Players

Another great way that you can work to improve your chess game is to play with advanced players. Usually it is best if you play with a handicap to make the game more interesting for both players. While you are playing with a more advanced player you can learn from the strategies they use and learn how to combat their strategies as well. The more you play with an advanced player, the more skill you will develop as well.

Practice by Using Computer Software

One way of improving your skills that many people overlook is by using computer software. There are a variety of different computer chess games that you can get so you can play chess against the computer. You can also purchase portable chess games as well so you can play almost anywhere. These games are developed to not only allow you to play the game, but many of them also have a special teaching mode as well that will help you learn how to pick the best moves.

Just taking the time to use these methods of learning can help you enhance and develop your chess skills. While they will help you improve, you probably should not expect to be winning against seasoned players overnight. Learning and improving takes time, but the more you work, the better you will become at this game. Using just one of these methods will help, but using them all together will bring about the best results.

Chess Opening Strategies and Moves To Winning More Tournaments

Many comments have been made about the objectives of the opening play and perhaps the best advice we've heard is the one about being able to get to the middle game with a playable position. This ideally means that you have your king safeguarded, your pieces have decent mobility and scope, you also have sound pawn structures, and you have opportunities to create real threats to decisively win material or even cause a checkmate.

Most chess instructional books will list the following as important opening concepts to achieve the above:-

- Controlling the Centre

- Develop your pieces

- Safeguarding your king, ideal defence, maintaining the integrity of the castled king

- Hinder your opponent's attempts to do any/all of the above

The player who can get the job done quicker will usually be rewarded with a superior middle game position. Tempi is therefore a very critical factor in the opening. Every move counts towards securing key positions, getting another piece orchestrated into the attack and/or keeping the king out of harm's way. Many less skilled players tend to overlook the importance of this. So avoid making futile moves in the opening or attacking too early without sufficient attacking pieces or insufficient backup.

TEMPI is basically how to get there faster.

Some openings are deceptively passive and "quiet" favouring a slow strategical battle and gradually building up tactical opportunities which explodes later into the middle game. Some others are aggressive and explosive very early in the game abounding in tactical opportunities for both with lots of threats and counter threats. And, yet others get very quickly into the middle and the end game usually with a race for pawn promotions determining the eventual winner.

Find an opening that suits your style of play and let it well. Gambits and hypermodern openings are usually favoured by strong tactical players as they often present many exciting tactical opportunities.
Always remember, different openings to suit different style of play.

Strategy and Tactics in Chess

Chess is a very consuming game and it needs your focus, attention, and strategy skills. To win a game, you need chess strategy and tactics. That may seem alike to you but they are not.

Chess strategy and tactics are differentiated by long term and short term. A chess strategy is a strategy you use for the entirety of the game - you move your pieces in a way that is harmonious and interconnected.

On the other hand, chess tactics are for short term goals. Chess tactics are a series of moves that help you get your pieces where you want to be. A tactic could be a fork, a pin, or a sacrifice. A tactic can be used to make your opponent move a zugzwang which means an undesirable move. It means a urging or compulsion to move in German.

Chess strategies are used in your opening, middle game and end game. All three aspects of the game are important and should be balanced. Your opening should provide opportunity for your middle game and your middle game should help you end the game and achieve your goal of capturing your opponent's king or a check mate.

Chess strategy and tactics are learned through vigorous and constant play. You can also read up on chess strategy and tactics, practice them on your board. It is best to be familiar with the chess board before employing all sorts of chess strategy and tactics. Remember, chess strategy and tactics are used to achieve a main goal, they are not the end themselves.

Understanding Chess Move By Move

It is so much to learn when you first started playing chess. These includes understanding the chess board, understanding chess move by move and so on. No doubt the more you take time to learn and apply the strategies you learnt, the better you would be in the long run.
With that said, it is worthwhile to understand chess move by move, both basic and special moves. In a game of chess, each piece moves in a different way. Normally, a piece can not pass through squares occupied by other piece. However, it can move to a square occupied by the opponent's piece. When a piece moves to a square occupied by the opponent, it is said to 'capture' the opponent. Hence, the piece which is captured is eliminated from the board for the remainder of the game.

There are six different pieces in a chess game, namely - King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight and Pawn. The King moves orthogonally and diagonally across only one square at a time. The Queen moves orthogonally or diagonally across any number of squares. The Rook moves forward, backward, left or right across any number of squares. Bishop moves diagonally across any number of squares. The Knight moves in two squares in one direction and one space orthogonal to it. It is the only piece which jumps over other pieces, the rest cannot jump over a square occupied by a piece. The Pawn can move only one square at a time backward or forward. However, if the Pawn is the first piece moved at the start of a game, i.e. if it is the opening move of the game, it can move two squares forward. The Pawn can move one square diagonally in front to capture an opponent piece. It cannot capture an opponent piece by moving forward straight.

Apart from the basic moves, it is also important to understand special chess moves as well. One such move is called 'Castling'. This involves the King and the Rook. If the King and the Rook have not moved yet and all the squares between them are blank, then the King moves two squares forward, towards the Rook. At the same time the Rook moves the two spaces the King has just jumped over. However, this move cannot happen if the King is threatened or has to move through a danger square.

Another special chess move involves the Pawn. If the Pawn moves two squares forward on its first move, it can be captured on the square it has jumped over, as if it had moved only one square only, during the turn immediately after its two-square move. This can be done only by another Pawn.

Remember, the more you increase your understanding of chess move by move, the better chess player, you will become.

Chess - The Ultimate Game of the Mind

Introduction

Chess is a fascinating game of the mind played between two players. Chess is a strategy board game that has been played for hundreds of years. Chess is generally believed to be created in India during the Gupta Empire around the 6th century. The pieces used in the game represented the four divisions of their military which were the infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariotry. Today those same for divisions have evolved into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook. The game of chess is so intense and competitive, that it is recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee. I know from my experience playing chess that it is fairly easy to learn but it take years to master. I have a chess tutorial that I use when I want to brush up on my skills.

The basics of chess

Chess is not as bad to learn as many make it out to be but can be somewhat complicated because each piece can be moved differently. Chess is played on a square board of eight rows and eight columns. The eight rows are rows called ranks and are referred to with numbers 1 to 8. The eight columns are called files and are referred to with letters a to h. The players are referred to as "White" and "Black" and they each begin the game with 16 pieces. Each player starts the game with 2 bishops, 1 king, 2 knights, 8 pawn, 1 queen, and 2 rooks. (Once the board is properly setup this is where things go wrong for me and I pull out my chess tutorial).

To begin play, pieces are moved to an unoccupied square, or one occupied by an opponent's piece. If you move you piece on your opponents occupied piece you have captured it is removed from the board. When a king is under direct attack by one or two of the opponent's pieces, it is said to be in check and the game can end. A game of chess is usually divided into three parts: the opening which is around the first 10 to 25 moves, (this is when players move their pieces into positions for the upcoming battle); the middle-game, which is said to be the most exciting part of the game; and the endgame, (at this point most of the pieces are gone) when kings usually take a more active part in the struggle.

Chess games do not always end when a king is in check because either player may resign at anytime if they feel they can not win. When it comes time to moving a chess piece, use this basic hint, count the total value of pieces of both sides. Then modify those moves by factors to accommodate for position of the piece (to explain, advanced pawns are usually more valuable than those on their initial squares), the coordination between the pieces (for example, a pair of bishops usually coordinates better than the pair of a bishop and knight), and the type of position (knights are usually better in closed positions with many pawns while bishops are more dominant in open positions).

Chess on the Internet

Internet chess has been popularized by many websites because it allows people to play against the computer, which really provides a challenge. Online chess also improves the game by making a world wide community of chess players accessible for play, despite their geographic location or time zone. People ask me all the time if they can get the chess tutorial I use so they can try and beat a relative in a different state. With so many websites hosting chess games, a person should have no problem finding an online chess game or tournament to participate in.

Conclusion

Today, chess is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, and in tournaments. In some cases a chess game can go on for days or even weeks without end. Chess is a game that truly enables one to see and predict the consequences of their actions. A good chess strategy can be the difference in winning or losing the game. If one does not really know the mechanics of the game it would not be a bad thing to get purchase a chess tutorial. One of the funniest analogies I've heard refers to chess as a "beautiful mistress to whom we keep coming back, no matter how many times she rejects us."

Chess Clock - How We Use One In A The Modern Game Of Chess

An increasingly popular variation on the standard 'International' chess is known as speed chess. The game involves the use of a chess clock to measure a set period of time in which each player has to make their move, and if the chess clock runs out on a player, they automatically forfeit the match. Not for the feint hearted, speed chess is only recommended for advanced players with an in-depth knowledge of the game, etiquette and strategy of chess.

Speed Chess takes its origins in standard chess, and is a more convenient way of squeezing in a game in your coffee break, or whenever you have spare moment. All you need is a standard chess board and set, a chess clock (which will have two independent clocks and the ability to singularly stop each clock as they count down) and a willing opponent. All the normal rules of chess apply, except in a few specific instances when they are overridden by new rules to regulate such speedy play.

An interesting twist on the rules of speed chess as opposed to standard International Chess rules, is that it is the players obligation to watch both his and his opponents chess clock. If the either clock runs out, the player with the active clock automatically wins, although it is up to him to call his victory, and if he fails to take notice, the game may continue until he does take notice. Having said that, the status of the clocks outweighs any positioning on the board, so even if a player would have won a standard game, if his clock runs out he forfeits. Additionally, in speed chess, if a player makes an illegal move at any stage in the game, regardless of the chess clock, he again forfeits to his opponent.

In speed chess, the chess clock may be set to either 3 or 5 minutes, although rarely other timings can be used. It is a fast-paced, entertaining game, which is both riveting and inspiring to watch, and arguably would draw more attention than an ordinary standard match. Before learning or playing speed chess as a separate entity, it is vital to master the fundamentals of standard International chess, as many of the same foundational rules apply, as well as allowing you to get a grip on the various pieces and their uses. Speed chess is only really recommended for the more accomplished player, as it demands lightening fast reactions to avoid the chess clock, although for the beginner to intermediate, it is also great fun. It is also advisable to get a full run down on the rules which can easily be located online, to avoid the potential for any disputes which may arise from this great variation on the standard game of chess.

So if you have the time, why not give speed chess a go? There's a fair chance if you go to your local chess club, someone will be game for a match, or why not try teaching a friend how to play? The best idea for improving at speed chess is practice, and in no time at all, you'll realize a startling improvement to both your speed chess and your understanding of the game as a whole.

The History of Chess

Whether you play the game of kings on a wooden chess set or with an electronic chess device, chess is a game that is rich with history. Chess most likely began in the Indus Valley with the game of Chaturanga, which means "four parts," because two to four people played it. Each player had fewer pieces than players of today's modern chess game do. With Chaturanga, instead of rooks there were chariots, or even ships, and the king could move two squares at a time. But this ancient game was definitely similar to today's chess, and many gaming historians believe it is the root of the game of chess.

The Arabs would have learned chess from the Persians and then introduced the game to the Europeans, with whom they were fighting, and whose lands they sometimes occupied. Being unfamiliar with Persian names and courtly customs, the Europeans renamed the pieces to reflect their own society. So, with today's game of chess, whether it is played on a traditional wooden chess board or using a 21st century electronic chess device, we are actually playing with European medieval history.

The pawns in chess are serfs. These serfs outnumbered the nobility and clergy in medieval Europe just as the pawns outnumber every other piece on the chess board, and they were considered the nobility's property. While the nobles were actually supposed to protect the serfs, they often got caught up in their own petty wars and intrigues. In fact, the serfs were often made to fight alongside the nobles--only to be sacrificed to the enemy in order to protect the regular army and nobles. This scenario actually mimics the use of pawns in chess today--as they are mainly used as blockers and sacrifices to capture the more powerful pieces.

On each extreme side of the chess board when the game begins, a player has a rook or castle. These were the protective safe havens in medieval times. Set up next to the rooks, one on each side of the board as well, are the knights. The knights were the regular soldiers of the day and lived in castles, and of course they were mounted (typically) and thus with their horses they could make leaps or end-runs around others. Knights were often landed barons and the primary defenders of serfs and commoners. Chess strategies of advanced players put the knights into action very early, sometimes even opening the game with a knight's move. As we move in closer to the royal court (the king and queen) we find it flanked by two bishops. The bishops have great power in chess and this and their positioning on the board symbolize the medieval Church's great power, which often got caught up with that of the secular royal court. Chess players dispute whether the knights or the bishops are truly more powerful in the game. The diagonal-only movement of the bishops probably symbolizes the indirect political machinations of the Church.

Now we come to the court, where the greatest power and the most important piece are. The queen is without question the game's most powerful piece, symbolizing the fact that queens in medieval Europe often pulled the strings behind the scenes, at once protecting, yet at the same time, manipulating the king and the court so as to keep their own power (and lives) intact. And then we have the king--the game's most important piece and the root of all of a player's power, since if the king is check-mated the player loses--symbolically, the player's kingdom has fallen, as his king has lost all of his power.

So whether you play the classic wooden chess game or the modern electronic chess game, be mindful of the history before you.

Chess--It's Not Just for Geniuses

Chess has a rather undeserved reputation as being a game played only by eggheads, a game so far out of the reach of the normal human being that it can only be truly comprehended by intellectual giants. While intellectual giants do indeed play the game, savant status is not a prerequisite. In fact, chess is a surprisingly simple game, and most adults can learn the rules in one sitting.

In Europe and in many Latin American countries, chess is not viewed as an unapproachable pastime of the elite. Rather, it is a hobby and passion for the masses. The reason for the popularity of chess is easy to see--you can learn to play the game in a single day but you can spend a lifetime trying to master it. Chess games are like snowflakes; they never repeat. Except for games that feature a few well known opening traps, each and every chess game is unique. It has been estimated that there are more possible chess games than there are particles in the entire universe.

For those who take the time to delve into the art of chess, they soon discover that improvement comes quickly in the beginning. Mastering a few basic techniques and strategies makes the difference between a novice and a competent player. No extraordinary mental facilities are needed to play a great game of chess and have a good time doing so.

That being said, playing chess well does involve exercising your brain. Chess involves attack and defense, tactics and strategy, skill, insight, and patience. You try to implement your plan while discerning and foiling your opponent's strategy. You know your opponent is doing the same, so you try to fool him. A feint on the wing disguises your real plan of a center thrust, or vice versa. For these reasons, it is said that General Douglas Macarthur advocated making chess a required subject for military officers in training.

Chess is a simple yet deceptively deep game. It can be enjoyed by anyone. Those who choose to delve more deeply into the secrets of chess are rewarded with a mentally stimulating and rewarding lifelong hobby.

The Effects of Chess on Leadership

Napoleon and Chess

"A leader has the right to be beaten, but never the right to be surprised."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte was with no doubt one of the greatest military leaders of his time. For him, failing to prepare meant preparing to fail. Without a plan there was certainly no victory. Without a great strategy you were doomed to lose in battle. And back then that meant your life.

And Napoleon had all the attributes a great leader must have to be successful, and he worked on them by playing an ancient game; a game that has never lost its popularity: Chess. And he sharpened his strategic senses by playing it on a regular basis. And as you might have correctly assumed, he was a master at it.

So I asked myself:

What are the specific positive side effects by playing this game?

And how can we profit from it?

Reason #1 - Creativity

Playing chess will benefit your creativity. While the various opening scenarios of the game might appear similar (I have never played a game that was totally the same), the possibilities afterwards are simply too complex. In this way you really encounter new situations with every game you play - guaranteed. And there are no limits to your creativity. Every game asks for new ways to beat your opponent, you need to vary your tactics in order to outsmart your opponent. For Napoleon these patterns were important for his military strategies: Every battlefield had different conditions and different settings; and not to mention the many different moves of his opponents. Chess seemed to be the perfect practice for this kind of thinking.

Reason #2 - Concentration

In Chess situations can get really complicated and difficult. You have to take several options into account before you finally make your move. This demands a lot of concentration and focus. This is the tough part of chess. Having the will to really think things through.

Imagine how Napoleon would sit over a plan for hours and hours. I don´t know how many hours of the day he used for sleeping but I bet he was simply to focused and concentrated on the task at hand that he might have forgotten to go to bed.

Reason #3 - Logical Thinking

Another great attribute that chess is adding to your life is the improvement of your logical thinking processes. In chess the playing figures are inter dependent, this means that you have to use the figures in harmony with each other. And you do this by logical thinking. You also have to take your future moves into account and most importantly how your opponent might react on this move. You need to think in logical patterns.

Reason #4 - Problem Solving

One of the greatest feelings a chess player can get is the feeling of a successful solution of a problem. Sometimes you can literally feel the pressure when a player is in the aggression mode and is attacking your armies. You need to bring all of the mentioned aspects together to master this difficult situation. By playing chess you not only get used to problems you also get used to start thinking about reasonable solutions. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don´t, but the important thing is that you start the process of trying to solve them.

Reason #5 - Importance of Sacrificing

Back in the days of Napoleon sacrificing was certainly not the best option - resulting in the death of a lot of soldiers. But in chess it sometimes becomes inevitable. You sacrifice in chess in order to get an edge either in your position or in material. Great players are masters of this principle of sacrificing. They draw the attention of their opponent to the initial sacrifice while planning a completely different, more complex way to beat them. I highly recommend to study the following game that was played in 1871 between Glinksberg and Miguel Najdorf. It is called the "Polish Immortal". In this game Najdorf sacrifices like crazy only to beat Glinksberg with a tiny bishop move at the end. This is art.

Reason #6 - Decision Making

In life and as well in chess you are presented many options. And you are the one to figure out which move is the best in each situation. And it is so nice to see how a chess game develops. With only one move of your opponent many new options are created and presented. And with every new move you have to think them through and make the best possible choice. What a great practice for real life.

Napoleon recognized all these benefits and sharpened his mind by playing a lot of chess. This was a part of his preparation. This was his way of making sure never to end up being surprised.

Today, most of us are not facing a military battlefield but there are a lot of personal ones in our lives:
Our careers, our relationships and even our faith.

So let's use chess to sharpen our minds and prepare ourselves for all the possible battlefields out there.

Chess Game

Chess is a game that requires a lot of mental skill and concentration. It is a game for two people who try to adopt different strategies to defeat the other player. It is a very complex game that has infinite possible moves and tactics. Almost every move depends on the other person's moves. The earliest chess games were traced to the 2nd century BC although there is no evidence to its exact existence. There is evidence of a type of chess game being played in India in the 6th century AD; some modern versions were found in Persia.

The main equipment required for playing chess is a chess board and chess pieces. The board is square with 64 equal-sized squares drawn across. The squares are of alternate colors- generally black and white or any other contrasting colors. The chess pieces are totally 32 in number: 16 for each player, comprised of eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one queen and one king. Each player has one set of these sixteen pieces, which are all of the same color - either black or white.

There are unlimited moves in chess, each depending on the strategies of the opponent. The openings or the first moves a very important part of the game, and so are the rest of the moves. Each piece moves differently: the rooks can move any number of spaces vertically or horizontally; bishops can move any number of spaces in any direction diagonally; the queen can move any number of spaces diagonally, horizontally, or vertically; the king can move only one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally; Knight can move in L shape, i.e. two spaces horizontally and one space vertically - they can jump over occupied squares and moves. When one piece comes in the way of another, it is removed from the board. Each player has to protect his/her pieces and also aim to eliminate the king of the opponent. When the king is eliminated, the game is over. However, the game can also end in a draw, with neither player defeating the other.

There are many variations in chess: blitz chess (timed by a chess clock), bullet chess/lightening chess (very fast); correspondence chess (by mail), computer chess (played with the computer) and Internet chess/online chess (played online with another player or the computer).

Chess games can be bought from any games store. They can also be downloaded from the Internet. There are hundreds of free chess games that can be played online or downloaded for free. Some have to be purchased.

No Stress Chess - An Easy Way to Learn Chess

"No Stress Chess" is an easy game based on "real" chess and it is a learning system for beginners and even young children. It works using two key elements which are an annotated chess board and a card system and it removes the difficulty of setting up the board correctly and the strategy part of the game (although you will learn this later as you progress). The simplicity of the system means that children as young a five can play against someone else and they will both be evenly matched

One of the difficulties in a young family is that the very young children can not normally join in a game of chess firstly because they don't understand strategy and secondly they don't remember all the chess moves. In this game you don't have to remember all the moves as the card system deals with that. Youngsters can even join in in setting up the board as the starting position of each piece is shown. As anyone plays the game they will be learning the piece positions and also the moves made by each piece without any effort.

The "No Stress Chess" game system uses an annotated chess board with pictures showing where each piece is to be placed and some additional information such as the pawn "first moves" (1 or 2 squares). The cards in the game each have the picture of the piece to move and also exactly how you can move it.

To play the game each player in turn takes a card and moves the specified piece which means the that game is now a game of chance - although you are really learning how to play "real" chess at the same time.

Why is Chess So Popular?

Chess can safely be considered to be one of the most popular games that exist in the world today. Having roots that go back many hundreds of years, this game has been in existence in its current state since the late Middle Ages, making it into one of the games with the longest lifespan that has ever existed!

Chess is relatively simple to understand despite some of the intricate moving patterns that the pieces employ and new players can master the basics of Chess in under 5 minutes. With only a little effort, the movements of all the pieces can be thoroughly explained, the game's concepts can be illustrated, and the objectives made clear. This easy-to-learn approach to the game gives new players the ability to get right into crafting their own strategies and start to learn the intricacies of the game, making it enjoyable for all.

The game has a wide following among more experienced players as well because it is one of the best mental exercises that one can receive when playing a game. It provides a thrill because there are an infinite number of possibilities that could happen during the course of any game, giving any player a wide opportunity of actions to initiate and react to. Long term strategies can often be enacted on a Chessboard against an opponent, allowing anyone to test out their knowledge and execution of tactics. Competing against a skilled Chess player can provide heavy stimulation for one's intellect, allowing this to be a perfect game to play with a partner.

Popularity of the game has allowed it to grow to the extent that worldwide Chess tournaments are often held, many of them annually. Nearly every country in the world is represented in these tournaments as the reach of Chess is widespread. These tournaments test the skills of all the best Chess players from each country attending, pitting them against one another until one player stands out, above the rest, as the Chess champion. Not only does notoriety play a huge role in these high-stakes tournaments, but often a large cash prize will be up for grabs as well to the Championship winner.

Chess is a great tool, not only for mental stimulation, but also for teaching discipline. Sitting down to solve Chess problems can help train the mind to look at problems in a new light. Sitting down for an actual game of Chess allows players to think creatively and strategically, helping their brains to adapt quickly to circumstances and to weight out all of their options before taking an action. This can be very helpful in everyday life, as many people do things without thinking about them, often being disastrous. Playing Chess frequently can help those people to slow down and evaluate the circumstances first, enabling them to become better, smarter people for it. Analyzing the situation has always proven to be beneficial to a person and Chess is just one of the most fun examples of how this can be done in everyday life. For this reason, the game of Chess has remained a part of popular culture for many hundreds of years, and should remain in that position for many years to come.

Chess - Playing Without a Second Player

Chess is one of the most extensively played and popular games I know of. Chess is also one of the oldest board games. The game is made up of two sets of 16 pieces, including one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and 8 pawns.

For those of us who love to play, it feels like we can never get enough of it. It is also one of the oldest board games around, and it is definitely the most popular and competitive one. If you like to play chess, and you can't find anyone to play with you should look for chess game download sites on the internet. There are plenty of web sites on the internet that offer free games to download.

Games for kids involve simple techniques, puzzles and quizzes, which not only introduce children to basics, but also teach them. It is a wonderful game to encourage your children to learn, for it develops thinking, planning and strategic skills in them. When learning to play chess, one of the most important things that one needs to know is names of the pieces. Mastering strategy and tactics is amateur of constant practice and analysis. While many of us wish to uncover how to play,were not sure about a chess board set up.

The initial moves of a game, which can eventually resolve the course of the game, is mostly known as a chess opening. Practice is the key each time you get better you will feel that all the hours you have put into dominating the game of chess seem to be paying off. Chess strategy deals with evaluation of chess positions, fixing up goals and long term tactics before play.

When you imagine a game of chess, you see a picture in a quiet setting with two persons sitting opposite each other, with serious faces.

Are you getting bored with your games? There are chess books developed for advanced players that will go by means of very specific formats for trying counter strategy reference. Infuse an amount of added competition and excitement by timing your moves with a chess clock.

Chess Over the Years

Over the years, chess spread throughout the world and enjoyed massive waves of popularity. Undoubtedly, reality is reflected in the idea that chess originated either as an aid or substitute for warfare. This stemmed from the notion that chess was invented as a war game and so, that is the manner in which it should executed. In fact in order to be knighted, it helped if you played a good game of chess.

And finally, a mention should be made of pawns; those so adequately named pieces which are even denied the status of chess 'men'. Pawns were sacrificial pieces.

While chess might have originated as a war game, it was seen as a game of nobility and education in Europe in the 1500s. It can be seen that from actions in Europe around the year 1500 that chess had become strongly ingrained in western society. Within European Aristocracy, the concept behind chess became a royal court rather than a battlefield. However, the game's popularity was helped by its social cache: a chess set was often associated with wealth, knowledge, and power. As a result it became fashionable for aristocrats to have live-in chess masters. In fact during difficult times in Protestant Europe there were massive attacks on "ungodly pursuits," but chess was often defended while other pastimes were denied.

As a result chess has long been considered the ultimate test of intellectual activity. Some feel that because of its difficulty and boorishness, chess diminished in its traditional appeal. However, most will agree that the chess community has traditionally been more enlightened than the larger society.

Mass production of chess sets helped introduce chess to the lower class. The low cost to produce the Staunton set allowed the masses to purchase sets and helped to again popularize the game of chess. But chess is more than just a game of skill. Chess stood a turn in education as teachers noted that students' behavior improved upon learning chess. How far beyond chess such aptitude can be expanded is the next big question.

One that is still argued today. Playing chess by computer began in the early 1950s, nearly as soon as computers became available. The rules of play early intrigued computer scientists-MIT wrote the first chess program in 1957. Some programmers believe that work on computer chess led to important software techniques still in use today. The worldwide fascination for chess has been astonishing. It has been said that there is more literature devoted to chess than for all other games combined. Today, chess is played world wide with international appeal.

Social Play Is The Best Chess Teacher

The best chess teacher is simply to play, play and play some more. Chess is a detailed strategy game that can be taught at an early age. Most children begin learning chess when they are young, taught by a parent or relative. This involves simple introductions involving a few pieces and expands to more strategic game play but can only be according to the parent or relatives knowledge base. Many parents wonder how to bring their child to the next level in chess if they prove to enjoy it. The good news is that any individual can advance to the next level through social play. Chess is such a popular game that there are worldwide organizations and mentors available to teach. Once the basic rules and game play have been mastered, an individual may want to consider advancing their skills through a chess organization.

USCF

When you are ready you can visit the United States Chess Federation online and look up local chess chapters. Within these social clubs you will gain a higher level of playing prowess. There are many styles and techniques and playing socially will enhance your knowledge base of this delightful game. Many masters and champions are active in their local clubs and serve to mentor budding players. Having personal contact is much better than the alternative, online game play. Strategies can be rehashed, discussed and a player learns about the intensity of pressure during social play. Educators can coach on play by-play scenarios and the environment is much more fun.

Competitive Play

Once you feel confident in your ability as a chess player, you may wish to enter into a chess tournament. Chess tournaments will certainly kick your game up a notch as you will now be dealing with rated players and a time clock. Initially you will be unrated but as you win matches your rating will increase allowing you to enter future competitions. There are many tournament levels from beginners to masters. Your rating will be based on the number of wins, losses and draws in your competitive history. After time, you will become seeded, reflecting on your level of skill.

Although there is plenty of alternative instructional information available both in book form and online, playing socially can introduce new challenges and offer a more real approach to strategies. Developing your game through mentors and competitive play will ultimately serve to be the best chess teacher in the long run.

You, Yes You, Are You a Psychic World Chess Player?

The standard chess game can be taught quickly although you may lose the first 20 games until you can learn strategies. The King is the feature of the game. You have to put the opposing player's King into such a position that he cannot move in any direction without being taken. This is called checkmate. All the other pieces are there to attack and defend the King. Next to the King you have the Queen, she can attack and move in any direction she is the mightiest piece on the board. On either side of the Queen are 2 Bishops. Here restrictions come into play. The Bishop can only travel diagonally across the board on its own colour square. On either side of the Bishops are Knights that move in an L shape configuration. At the end of each line are the Castles or Rooks that move square in any direction. On the forefront of each major piece are the pawns. Pawns can only move 1 forward: and diagonally 1 forward to take another piece off the board. The first pawn move can go forward 2 places. Stalemate is a drawn game where neither King can be placed in 'Check'. When a pawn reaches an opponents back line it becomes another Queen.

It is an exciting game that engages the brain to invent strategies, cunning, deviations and moves that distract your opponent.

In analogy the world is a huge chess board of intrigue and manipulation. There are many games being played at any one moment and each game has its own title. For instance the head of a country would be the king. Gender does not count they could be male or female. They could also be an elected leader or a despot. The queen is the symbol of an energetic policy, force or strategy and she both attacks and defends. By the side of the King and Queen are two Bishops. They are limited as to direction but can move in long or short play and defend or attack symbolising strategy. The Knights and Rooks become the 'back-up' or supporting entourage but also have the power to defend and the capability to destroy the Queen.

Finally, we arrive at the pawns the power or symbol of the people. They stand in line in front of the elected or positioned backline until they are worn down over a period and obliterated. In analogy this would mean they would be defeated by the oppositions supporting entourage, meaning a change of board. (Leader or Government.)

The power of the pawns is limited and after election or change becomes insignificant. Even though they elect the back line it is the King and Queen who dictate the policy. If the Queen is taken the knights, Rooks and Bishops have to mount a defence.

In undemocratic countries the opposition start the game lacking several pieces that in turn extends the time period and causes inaction on part of the opposition paralysing their positions. Once the opposition can support a full board their chances are evened.

In democratic countries the surprise forage by the opposition can quickly put the King in check and depending on the position of the Queen, checkmate, thus a change of power or Government. Another such action would be the loss of the Rooks and Bishops in support leaving the limited resources of the Knights. A coalition would be like playing with an extra back line they would need a long time extension causing an overcrowded board and confusion in movement. The Queens' in particular would have to know their moves and to play in conjunction. Finding the right moves would make them a formidable force but this could be wrecked by too many Rooks, Knights and Bishops. This crowded board could cause inaction or a step forward into danger.

The European chess board has slowed to a halt, the Queen not moving and changing her tactics over a long period. Here, the opposition goes to sleep and will in time be overrun. It is at the moment a never-ending game of stalemate still not finished. The game will never reach full play until the Queen finalises her Federal State the pawns will have then completely released all power to the back line. The board will be swamped with several back lines completely destroying any opposition. The backline from this will be reduced to a super King and Queen that are unstoppable. Two Rooks will become super banks controlling all before them with a ruthless doctrine disregarding their own and opposition pawns. The game now won, the opposition Queen and all her support are taken off the board. Several games and a while later a new game ensues the pawns gather strength filling 3 full lines in front of a new backline finally defeating the super Queen and King.

In the United States the game moves predictably into the next round. For years a near stalemate has existed but in the final moves a winner has to be found. The pawns have nearly wiped each other out as they move up the board. The Queens rallying support for their Kings try to out manoeuvre their opposition.
One King, a venture capitalist, represents big business and needs to control his pawns. The beliefs of this King are in a financial bottom line policy, and he will use his Queen to take opposition pawns off the board.

The other King who won the last game has a struggling Queen. He needs more time to help make his strategies work. His rooks, Knights and Bishops need to be stronger and work harder. Pawns are a way forward and will be protected not sacrificed needlessly.

Your personal life is a three stage game. The stacked board before you represents your political leaders who semi- dominate your lifestyle. The local council is your first democratic vote yet very few people turn out to register their views. The national election is your second democratic vote but we are now sceptical of our MP's because their actual power has dwindled. The European election is your third democratic vote. This is a voice in the wilderness as few people know who their EMP's are or what they do. Very little is shown on TV as to how this huge machine works. How can 27 countries have the same values and ambitions?

As you reach the European chess board the game is massed against you as the board doubles in size. It is a mad clutter of differing ideologies and philosophies. Your opposing board is filled with kings and Queens and pawns and your moves are limited for there is nowhere to go without being taken. You are swamped as a great many pawns from the poorer countries head towards you for there are no restrictions laid down to follow. The dictates are now free entry to any part of this European Empire without obligation to any countries personal needs.

As you are outnumbered several European Rooks will become dominant taking over financial control of this huge beast. They will become omnipotent causing your part of the board to become paralysed and subjugated without a voice.

Don't worry, after all, it's only a game of chess... or is it?

Chess for Beginners

Strategy

Chess strategy is the ability to realize that certain positions or structures are more favorable than others and to form plans to reach these types of positions. Tactics, then is a means by which we use threats and tricks to realize these plans.

Let me give you the picture of a football team, composed out of egoistic players only after showing off their own abilities, not caring as much about the team as about themselves. When they get the ball, their aim is to put it behind the goal keeper single handedly. They dribble away, by all means skilfully, but the chances of scoring alone are much slimmer than if they teamed up with their comrades. Even if every player was very skilled this team´s results would be poorer than that of a team consisting of less skilled players but playing in concord.

Many beginners in chess go through a phase where they use only two or three pieces to launch a direct attack on the opposing king - preferably the queen and a light piece, bishop or knight. After much practice with this strategy they might become very successful until they play someone handling their pieces as one team. The guerrilla tactics may disturb a little, but in the end the "teamplayer" wins the game more often than not. That is because they defend each other´s backs, and when the guerrilla spear has been broken the guerrilla king is in poor shape to defend himself, since he has wasted a lot of time on the premature solo attack, and the rest of his pieces stand undeveloped and cramped in their starting positions.

For a long time this doesn´t deter the fierce attacker as he is not convinced that his "strategy" is a poor choice. He stubbornly continues and becomes very good in sharp tactical play, but since there is a gaping hole in his play where strategical understanding should be, he will eventually reach a point where he can develop no further.

So now that we realize the importance of cooperation between the pieces, we understand the importance of spending time economically. Time, or tempo in chess language, meaning one move. It´s important to not spend more time on individual pieces than necessary. Develop the piece and go on to the next - if possible, so that when the opening phase is over, all the pieces are prepared and ready to do battle in concord.

What should be our first aim in the game. In one word - to control the center. He who controls the center will have very good prospects for the rest of the game. The reason being that a piece posted in the center is ready to launch an attack either directly on the king, or on the queen´s wing, which ever is the weakest. A chain is only as strong as it´s weakest link.

Sales Strategy - Chess Or Checkers?

The term strategic selling is brought up frequently when describing complex or sophisticated selling. And while there is an element of truth in this, I think it has more to do with the way you approach a sale rather than that the actual sale is actually complicated.

Firstly it may be useful to define what the word 'strategy' means. I have found a number of different definitions of the word:

Strategy (definitions) - A scheme or an elaborate and systematic plan of action - The differentiating activities an organization pursues to gain competitive advantage - A systematic plan, consciously adapted and monitored, to improve one's performance

All of the above definitions are acceptable but I think in a selling situation, the third definition is the most accurate.

Strategic selling means to develop a plan to win and then to monitor it and adapt as necessary. Therefore if the situation changes, for example the customer's need changes or the competition makes a move that positions them in a more favorable position, it is our job to reposition ourselves so that we can improve our chances of winning.

Note that I use the word position a couple of times as I think that this is more important than actually 'competing'. Competing implies that whenever the competition makes a move, we move another move to counter it. A 'tit for tat' type of situation.

This is fine but it is important not to mistake activity for achievement. Just because one salesperson makes a lot of moves and competes for the business by having lots of meetings, phone calls or presentations does not mean that salesperson is actually winning. A strategic thinking salesperson may only make a few moves according to a plan but knows that each move positions her closer to the winning of the sale.

This reminds me of the analogy of checkers versus chess. In checkers, when the opponent moves a piece, you react by moving a piece, usually to take their piece (or pieces) off the board. This is a tactical play and usually is done without a lot of thinking.

However like chess, strategic selling is a more complicated undertaking. Chess players anticipate future moves and will position their pieces in such a way that each one strengthens other pieces on the board. They are working together for the common goal in a common plan which is to checkmate the opponent's King.

So in chess, the move you make is a move that involves thinking ahead a great deal of the time to gauge how this will benefit you in the longer term. This should be the rationale for any sales activity - will it benefit you in the longer term, positions you to win and strengthens the previous work you have done? To continue the analogy, chess is a more complex game than checkers because there are many more variables; just like in the selling world. It requires more thinking, planning, concentration and hard work and sometimes revisions of the plan. To win also takes the qualities of perseverance and stamina with many obstacles to navigate.

Checkers is easier and demands very little forethought and concentration. Because it is easier, it is often the manner in which most salespeople approach their sales opportunities.

That is why strategy is much more important in chess than in checkers and why complex, competitive sales situations should be approached this way.

To use a real life example of what a strategic sales approach looks like, I would like to point out a simple example of two car salespeople.

One salesperson (let's call him Bob) was very good at asking the husband what he is looking for. The husband said he wanted something fast and easy to drive. Consequently, Bob pointed out how fast his manufacturer's car was in getting to 100 km/hour, and how well it can be handled and how many horsepower the turbo charged engine had. Bob took the family out on a test drive and it was certainly a great performance car. This demonstration was very compelling and the married couple with the three year-old child was impressed.

The second car salesperson (let's call him Bill) asked the same kind of questions but he noticed the three year-old child and the mother were not involved much so he decided to include them in his conversation. This was a clever strategic move. Bill found out what was most important was the child's safety. Everything else was nice to have. Guess who got the business?

I know this sounds like common sense but let's face it, we have all experienced situations where common sense was not that commonly used.

So to summarize, strategic selling is nothing more than gaining a stronger awareness of the situation and developing a plan to win.

It also helps if one uses the brain before using the mouth.