do any of you play the Chess games on PC?

I just thought I'd reply to a few things that have been said on this thread...

1. I haven't had much luck playing against computer opponents either. I'd much rather play against real people online (or at a real board if possible). There are several sites where you can do this; I use gameknot.com because it's the first free one that I found.

2. If you feel that the computer is always choosing the right move to counter whatever you're doing, realize that of course it will attempt to do this. You move to attack a piece, it moves to protect that piece or get it out of danger. Anything else would be a blunder. AI opponents never miss something like that, no matter how easy you set their difficulty. They might fall for more advanced combinations and long-term plans, though.

3. Castling alone does not protect your king. It helps protect your king (by placing him behind a pawn wall), and helps develop your pieces faster (especially one of your rooks). However, your opponent will immediately begin to plan how he can attack your king (you should be doing the same), and you have to watch out for that. Is your opponent lining up a queen and a bishop to attack one of the pawns guarding your king? Try advancing a pawn to block the attack. Is he trying to pin a pawn against your king and then move a piece to a square the pawn would otherwise be controlling? Think of a way to counter that. Your pawn structure is very important; those three pawns that are in front of your king when you first castle don't have to remain stationary. Try moving them into a structure where they mutually support each other. This is even more important if your opponent threatens back-rank mate.

4. If your pieces keep getting stuck behind your pawns, it means your pawn structure is weak. This is bad, as pawns are very important in chess. Develop a good pawn structure while you are developing your pieces. You want your pawns to be controlling the center if possible, and mutually guarding each other. Consider pawn chains, in which pawns placed along a diagonal line support each other, with only the rear-most pawn unsupported. Try to avoid "doubling up" pawns on the same file, since two pawns on the same file cannot support each other. When initially moving pawns, move them in ways that will allow you to develop your other pieces, especially bishops and knights. Try the "fianchetto" trick (it's a simple structure involving three pawns and a bishop; if you don't know what it is, look it up online).

5. It helps to pick a particular opening you like and stick with it for a while, until you get used to it. However, don't get stuck on rules; you have to be able to adjust your game as the situation demands.

6. Have a plan. Think about how you can attack your opponent's king, or how to force him to lose material.

7. Try studying chess puzzles, or games played by good players. The site I mentioned earlier (gameknot.com) has some online chess puzzles. Another site, www.chessgames.com, has a new puzzle every day (they start out easy on Monday, then get progressively harder as the week goes on). It's a great site that has a huge database of games; take a look at a few to find out how the masters play the opening, middle, a late game.

8. Don't worry if you don't become great quickly. The masters and grandmasters have devoted their lives to the study of the game - and believe me, it can fill a lifetime! There are more tactics and nuances than anyone can master completely. If you doubt this, look at the comments made on games by some people at chessgames.com. I still don't understand most of what they say.

Most people who play chess play for fun. Only those willing to make it the focus of their lives ever become truly great. I think I'll stick with playing for fun.

i tried studying all the in-game tutorials of Josh Waitzkin in Chessmaster 10, and i watched all of his annotated games

i noticed it helped me very, very little

the opening principles section that he gave sucks. it was the worst section of the whole Waitzkin tutorials. it only explains how to set up the pieces in an ideal situation, and it demonstrates this as if the opponent did not get to move. but it does not show you how to achieve something similar once the opponent does move too

i tried play vs. some real people online and i got totally massacred even when i try to "control the center" like Waitzkin says to do. the problem i have is that even if i can control the center, i can't figure out how to break thru the enemy pawn structure since pretty much every square that gives access to attack his major pieces is always covered by an enemy pawn

i always fubar up my own pawn structure by accident. i end up with stuff like two of my own pawns on the same file after having to kill an enemy knight early on. or with my own Bishop stuck between two of my own pawns in the center, which also pins my Queen to that Bishop (just lost a game because of that).

the problem with the Waitzkin tutorials in Chessmaster (aside from his utterly crappy and very brief openings tutorial) is that he is speaking way above my head. i can't follow what he does. i can recognize positions in my own game that suck due to watching those tutorials, but i can't prevent myself from getting into those bad positions. and i can't find a way to penetrate the enemy defenses even when i have a good position.

what i need is some very dumbed-down Chess books. i need some lowest common denominator stuff because Waitzkin ain't doing me any good.

so:

1.can any of you recommend the titles and authors of good Chess books that are extremely dumbed-down and which explain how to achieve good openings, in-depth? i don't just want generalized principles, i want deep explanations

2. ditto that for pawn structures. how to build a good one for myself in every game, and how to penetrate the enemy pawn structure. i very badly need this knowledge, and told in a dumbed-down, specific way.

3. what is the correct way to counter a guy who immediately attacks with just his knights? i am not sure if this question is too general to answer or not, if it is then disregard it. but i'm pretty peeved cuz i just tried to control the center, yet i got massacred by a guy using just two knights vs. me. he moved his own pawns very little. eventually he moved two up one spot just to get his Bishops out, but that's it. he didn't even try to take the center yet he still obliterated me. yet Waitzkin says taking the center is always what you should do. so i'm confused.

Navaros, I would have a totally different piece of advice.

If you want to really learn the basics (and they are a prerequisite if you even want to understand grand master chess games, let alone analyse them) I would recommend that you forget all about your computer.

Go out to a second-hand bookshop and buy a load of (English-translated) old Russian chess books, preferably introductory courses for Opening, Middle Game and End Game. Over the years the Russians (Soviets) have produced scores of EXCELLENT chess books containing theoretical outlines of all the basic principles, special "learning problems" and examples from master and grand master games for further study. Look for books by M. Blokh, M. Pozharski and such.

EDIT These books are good precisely because they start with the basic principles and show you a hundred ways in which they apply, what the advantage is by turn 10 or 15 of applying a certain principle on turn 6. So they give the in-depth explanations that you require. They tell you why it is good to cover a pawn with a castle on, say, turn 7 so you can reap the benefits on turn 25. They explain what an attack actually is, what good defence really means, what the use of a sacrifice is. I used four or five of these books to teach myself when I was at school and later as a student, I enjoyed the puzzles no end, and it was great to be able to actually apply that knowledge in games. Oh, the beauty of a good chess combination... END OF EDIT.

Now buy a nice old-fashioned wooden chess board and rather large, simple wooden pieces. Nothing shiny, because it tires your eyes. Mount the pieces on little sheets of velvet if they don't come with them. Install yourself in a quiet corner with one light directed at the board and some good secondary light. Sit in a comfortable chair and don't forget to put tea or coffee within reach. Disconnect your phone.

Enjoy. :bow:

How could I miss this topic? Haven't been around Arena for a while… Too much work to do.

I thought I was the local chess fanatic. Not too good in it any more, I used to roar and rampage when I was a youngster, now I am mere average with few bright moments.

Play against me under this very nick on GameKnot. Its free.

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Originally Posted by voigtkampf

Play against me under this very nick on GameKnot. Its free.

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I just visited the place, it looks like a relaxed site for someone like me who hasn't touched a piece for quite some time. Thanks for the tip, Voigtkampf. I may look for a game there come January, if so I'll use my .org nick. :charge:

It is a very relaxing place indeed. I would be honored to try myself against you, Adrian! :bow: Find me under this very same nick on the GameKnot.

When are you available for a game VK?

All the time. :duel:

Can I play you considering my rating? I can't see any game with your name on it...

KE

when's this tournament gonna start?

come on guys, sign up.

Al

PS: ...and gals (oops!)

I need to spend some time Looking round for an decent site for us to use, Ideally a free one that we can all sign up on using our .org names so as to not get confused with whos who, Im still a little busy for the next week or so as I'm of the island but when I'm back I'll start getting the ball rolling.

In the mean time it would be very helpful for anyone interested in playing leave any suggestions for anything to do with the tournament they have in this thread, and once we have a format we will advertise wider round the .org for competitors.

thanks in advance for your suggestions/help.
KE

i'l play. $5 per piece captured right? ~;) i've never been to this gameknot, but if people from here are already playing there, we could try to meet there at specific times in an room we could name 'the org' if we can create our own rooms in there.

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Originally Posted by ah_dut

Can I play you considering my rating? I can't see any game with your name on it...

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You can challenge people specifically, and then it's up to them whether or not to accept the challenge. People usually try to play others who are close to them in ratings, though.

BTW, my screen name on Gameknot is "blunderqueenagain." Because I do. A lot (when I'm playing blitz chess). :dunce:

I've been working chess puzzles on chessgames.com to improve my game, and it's been working, somewhat. On Gameknot, I play primarily blitz chess, because I like fast-paced, exciting games, but I play the occasional regular game as well.