Playing chess helps us learn the fine art of balancing
“As you sow, so you reap” is an old adage and it has relevance to all aspects of a person’s life.
A person’s destiny is in his own hands. It wrests with him whether to make his life a garden of roses or a hell. – These are the most common sentences we often hear in a motivational discourse.
The purpose of this article is not about the motivation or about life. But one that struck me is the similarity between the life and the game of chess.
Chess is a simple game that any body can learn in no time, provided he or she understands the basic knowledge of the game, the objective of the game, the various pieces, the capabilities and the moves. The requirements are a chessboard, a partner and time to play the game.
Now, thanks to the Internet, two of the three basic requirements are eliminated and the third one has become flexible. One need not have a chessboard and need not look for a partner to play the game. He need not allocate a specific time or place to play the game. I am talking about playing chess online. All you need is a PC with internet connection. There are innumerable sources to teach the game, its various intricacies and also the option of playing online chess either with the computer or with other players separated by distance.
Chess is an easy game to learn but very difficult to practice and master, to say the least, as it is one game that challenges your mind to the core.
In chess, there is no room for the hand of god, luck or chance whatsoever. The only real chance is the mistake of the opponent. In other words, the result of the game of chess, which you play, lies entirely in your own hands. If you make the correct moves at the correct time, you will stand to win the game. If you commit a mistake, then you have to face the consequences of hearing checkmate from the opponent.
In life, it is but true that we take some decisions out of impulse, passion or haste that turn out to decide the future course of life. Just for the sake of example, if one had thought for a while before spending on his credit cards lavishly, he would not have to forego his savings and bring misery to his life. There are many things that were done without proper analysis and forethought and the result is the course of the life gets altered as a result of such actions.
The game of chess teaches many virtues to us that will help a lot in planning and organizing our life. Chess teaches us to think and plan carefully before making every single move. So the virtue of thinking before acting is learnt, which will help us to eliminate the option of hasty decisions in life.
Having taking a decision to make one move, it is the responsibility of the player to own the consequences of the move. For example, if you decide to move the pawn before the Knight to open up the adjacent bishop, you are also exposing the rook on the other side of the Knight to threat of attack from the opponent’s bishop. Now, it becomes your responsibility to protect the rook. Every move in the game alters the plan of action and opens up new possibilities and threats.
The game teaches the virtue of owning responsibility for the actions one take during the course of life. This is a very important virtue that helps to face the life with courage and determination, having realized the reasons for the present state.
The game of chess teaches the importance of patience. In this fast-paced life, where everything is very fast, the virtue of patience is fast losing its importance and is also a reason for many problems.
The virtues of analysis and thinking, owning responsibility and being patient, learned through the game of chess, help us to master the art of balancing in life and in turn make our life a very successful and prosperous one.
The power of online chess in mastering the war game
Thanks to the advancement of the technology and its reach to the millions of people, World Wide Web or the Internet is transforming the way we look at this global village and interact with our fellow village men in the globe. Yes – it is true that the barriers of time and distance have been literally dismantled through the means of communication, and information is exchanged beyond borders at the speed of light.
One of the beneficiaries of this technological revolution is the game of Chess, also referred to as a war game. The game of chess is a thinking game played between two players that require the deployment of a series of tactics and strategies aimed at cornering the opponent’s King and saying checkmate.
Though the game is a very ancient one, being played since the 6th century, the game of chess has been confined to be meant for the people in the high society and or the intellectual elite. The masses were, though aware of the game, not encouraged to take up this game with great interest. Only of late that the popularity of the game had spread to more people thanks to the conduct of world championships and various other tournaments. Now the game is slowly moving to the masses and many people are reaping the benefits of chess, and the credit should go to the Internet for having popularized this intellectual game to the masses.
Online chess has made it possible for aspiring people to take up this game in a serious way and enhance their skills.
The primary requirement of a minimum of two people and common time to spare for a game has been done away with, as a result of the advent of online chess. Chess lovers and players, separated by the distance, can interact over the Internet and play a game of chess. Only difference or a snag is the absence of physical interaction across the chessboard.
It might so happen that, in physical world, finding the partner with the right skill set to play with may not be always feasible. There tends to be some imbalance between the skill sets of the players. One keeps constantly winning while the other tends to be a loser due to this mismatch. Both the players then tend to play the game for the sake of fun with no special efforts to enhance their skill set or grow up the ladder.
In online chess, one can choose the type of player you want to play with, taking into account your skill set. If you are a novice in chess, you can choose either a novice or a little experienced player than you to play, so that the play teaches you important aspects that would nurture your skills and help you grow up the ladder.
A number of chess related sites offer online chess for free and encourage people to use their sites to upgrade the skill set.
While there are a number of games offered online to people, including many war games, this battle or the game of chess is the best one. The reason being that online chess not only provides amusement and fun, but also helps in enhancing one’s skill set and at the same time, teach and cultivate a number of good virtues such as attention, concentration, planning, decision-making, execution and above all patience, which are very essential and help in making one’s life a successful one.
Play Chess Online
Play Chess Online
Are you interested in playing a game that is full of skill and strategy? A game that was created in the 15th Century? If you are, then you would love playing chess online. This challenging game has two players that play on a board of 64 alternating black and white squares. Each player is given 16 pieces of which they must use to move around the board in an effort to protect their king. The pieces consist of a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The pieces are usually black and white, with the player using the white pieces making the first move. In order to win the game, the king must be unable to move to any square on the board. This is called “Checkmate.” Online chess games are set up the same for people wanting to experience this challenging game.
There are many advantages to playing chess online. One of the best reasons is that you will always be able to find someone that will want to play chess online with you. Another great reason is that you don’t have to worry about getting the board and pieces out and setting them up. By playing online, everything is done for you.
Whether you are a novice or an advanced player there are many different opportunities of playing chess online. You may not feel like playing with another person so you may opt to play with a computer player. If you are a novice, it is suggested that you play with computer players until you have learned the basics of the game and developed your own strategies. Most of the websites that have computer players available are able to teach you the basic moves and help you when you make an incorrect move. This is very beneficial in learning the game.
You will not be able to learn all the basics of the game within a day. Some people take years to learn all the different moves and strategies of the game. This is not unusual as playing chess is very challenging. However, the more you play chess online, the better you will become. Eventually, you will find the confidence to play against others.
If you are interested in playing chess online, you may want to talk to some of your friends. Maybe they know how to play chess or would be interested in learning how to play. If they are, you can meet on a website and learn or play together. This is a great way to keep in touch with friends that live a great distance away from you. You may not get to see each other very often, but you can plan a Sunday afternoon chess game online. Not only will be able to catch up with each other, but, you will have fun playing chess together online.
Are there any children in your life that you would like to share the experience of playing chess online with? If there are, children are great at learning this challenging game. They will love the idea that they are playing with kings and queens. Usually children are able to pick up the basics of playing chess online faster than adults play. Plus, it will get them off the couch and give them a more challenging game to play than those “gory” video games that they usually play.
You will never feel greater pride than when that child wins their first match and is able to shout “Checkmate” at the screen. The child will feel a sense of accomplishment that they will always remember and will yearn to feel again. You will also be helping the child learn the art of concentration, which will become very handy during their school age years. Teach your child how to play chess online, you will feel a great satisfaction.
Are you a gambler? Like to place bets on the horses, pull the slots? If you do, there is also a chance for you to bet on online chess games. If you are interested in placing a bet on a chess game, the first thing you will have to do is find a gaming site where betting is allowed. Go into the chess site. Once you have entered the site, you will have to register and supply the site with your credit card number. This is because you will be betting with actual money. Your opponent will also be able to place a bet. Whoever wins the online chess game will win the money that was wagered.
If finding the time to play chess online is a problem for you, the great thing to know is that these online chess games are all played in real time. That’s right! There is no time delay in the play. You are actually playing at your time, while your opponent is playing at their time. Most of the sites provide little timers that must be stopped when a move has been made. This not only gives the players a certain amount of time in which they must move their chess pieces, but it helps to keep the game moving.
Most chess games can last anywhere from six to 12 minutes. However, depending upon the skill of the players, games can often last over an hour. Tournament players have been known to play one chess game in eight hours.
You don’t have to worry about finding someone to play chess online with you. There are thousands of players online at any given moment. All you have to do is go to a gaming website and ask if anyone would like to play. You will have the opportunity to play with people that live around the world. Who knows if you become an advanced player, you may become known as a great opponent to play chess online with. People may flock to you, asking to play chess online.
Remember the goal of playing chess online is to not only learn the different skills and strategies of this challenging game, but to have fun doing it. You don’t want to play a game that will bore you or that doesn’t provide that “fun” factor. Therefore, make sure when you play you don’t take yourself so seriously. This is a time for you to relax, meet new people, and have the opportunity to play chess online. Make the most of it and you will have a great experience, whether you are a novice or advanced player.
Using Chess to Promote Self Confidence
It is vital that you develop self confidence. It should be developed in the early years of the child. That way, when your child grows older, he or she will have the strength and confidence to face the challenges of life.
Playing chess has many benefits and one is promoting self confidence. You can learn many techniques and skills that you can apply in daily life.
Every time you win a game, you improve self esteem and self confidence.
When you get criticized, what is you natural reaction? Most individuals will get offended and their confidence level will drop immensely. Many people who have shown intense concentration, mental strategy, abstract thinking, and problem solving are regarded as capable individuals. These things can be developed by playing chess.
Chess is widely known as an intellectual game. In fact, it is an excellent game for geniuses and scholars. Many Americans find it very hard to learn how to play and grasp chess. Many students will benefit greatly from playing chess especially those who failed in school and in their academic learning. You can definitely improve your self confidence by learning the complexity of the game. Grasping the rules of such complicated game can make you more confident.
If your child has a history of school failure and academic problems, it is a good idea to teach your child how to play the chess games. Your child can learn positive characteristics and together with other kids, they can enjoy a cognitive experience. Society thinks that chess is complex game which only gifted and smart individuals can play. You can even join your child so that together you can understand the game’s strategies, nuances, and its vocabulary. Soon you will see great improvements in your self confidence and that of your child. If you can play the game well with family members and other opponents, you will feel more confident and you will not see yourself as stupid. Always keep in mind that stupid individuals can’t play chess because of its complexity.
In due time, you will see great improvements not only in the personality but also in intellectual capacity of the chess player. If you want, you can enroll in a chess class that provides different activities and exercises that can help in mastering the game. As you build confidence, you’re also improving your academic output. With heightened sense of control, an individual can exhibit increased confidence and positive attitudes.
Do you know chess players that are quite successful in other fields as well? Chess players show intense concentration, abstract thinking, and mental strategies which is extremely difficult to understand and learn.
With more self confidence, you can face the many difficulties of life. You can indulge in whatever endeavor you want to explore because you’re aware that you can do it and that you can achieve all your dreams. It is very important for every individual to develop this positive trait. So if you’re interested in learning the game or perhaps you’re child wants to enroll in a chess class, don’t hesitate to try it out because you will enjoy the many benefits that come with it.
Tips to Beating Chess Computers
Are you an avid player of chess? If you want to beat chess computers, there are ways to do it. However, you must understand how computers think and work so that you can predict the things that it might not spot and the parts that computers are good at that makes them a better player.
A computer can easily decide who is ahead of the game. Computers use scoring algorithms and the most common figures are: double pawns – 0.5 pts, isolated pawns – 0.5 pts, backward pawn – 0.5 pts, queen – 9 pts, rook – 5 pts, bishop – 3 pts, knight – 3 pts, pawn – 1 pt, and the king between 41-200 pts. Computers consider these piece values before making any move. Your available moves should be more than that of the computer. If you can place your pieces well and make certain attacks, pins, and passed pawns, you can add more points to your score. Computers automatically compute its score against yours. If the result is negative, it means that you’re winning the game.
Computers already have a database for openings like that of Sicilian Defense, Queen’s Gambit, Giucco Piano, and Ruy Lopez. If you stick to the openings database of the computer, it will not have a hard time in figuring out your moves. Choose an unusual opening which is not possibly included in its database. The computer will already use up too much time in searching its database. Learn about the unusual moves like Hippopotamus Defense.
When you’re in the middle of the game, the computer can configure 30-40 moves for each possible move. For instance, you plan to sacrifice your queen because you calculated that within 3 moves, you can get checkmate; you plan to use other pieces that branch out from such move. This is risky especially if you’re dealing with advanced computers but some computers might fell for such tricks.
Computers use transition tables to remember the best lines from precious searches. You must avoid repetition because the recent position is still stored in the computer’s memory. By doing so, the computer will search other moves that consumes more time.
The database of computers contains 3-5 piece endgames. Try to avoid exchanging off the pieces not unless you’re quite sure that it can help your position. Keep the branching factor high for each move so that the computer will do shorter searches.
Here are extra tips for you:
1.Try the slow kingside attack. You can use the Stonewall for the opening move and gradually use your forces to make kingside attacks. Avoid using standards moves; instead, try to use unusual move orders.
2.Play positionally. If you’re a positional player, this trick might work. Play naturally.
3.Keep closed moves. Use the slow system of double fianchetto and wait for the right moment to break using c4 or f4.
If you don’t want the computer to beat you, then don’t play computer chess. Still, if you think you’re capable of beating chess computers, make use of these helpful tips.
