Let's Talk Chess

[philomath]

Anyone on PB like chess? The topic came to mind while I was reading a bit on George Salmon. He was Regius Professor of Divinity and the 32nd Provost of Trinity College Dublin. He was also quite the fan of chess.

I've played since grade school and enjoy it, but have played less in recent years. I've found playing a slower game of chess in person to be a good chance to catch up with people and talk about what's going on in life. Every now and then I'll play a game of it online as well.

Besides enjoying the strategic aspects of the game, I'm also a fan of the history and artistry of it. One of my favorite archeological discoveries (outside of Biblical archaeology) is The Lewis Chessmen found on The Isle of Lewis. I was gifted a copy set of them years ago and still break them out at get-togethers.

If you enjoy chess, do you find yourself playing it that often? Also, do you like longer or shorter games? Even though I've played faster paced games with a chess clock, I tend to prefer a slower pace.

If you have any recommended reading on the topic, please share! I've looked a bit through Howard Staunton's The Blue Book of Chess, but haven't been able to get used to the descriptive notation that he uses for games as of yet.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

I enjoy chess and I went through a phase some years ago of playing kind of regularly. It is definitely good for the brain. We have a glass set and also a Lord of the Rings set.

When playing with other people, I have found that it is not a quick to learn and pickup game, that there is kind of a niche for it, and that average games with random people normally aren't even competition. What I mean is that some people don't know how to play at all, some people know the basics, some people are pretty decent, and some people are extraordinarily good. If you have a friend and ask them if they play chess, most likely they are not going to be on the same skill level you are, which means one person is generally always going to win while the other loses. It's just the nature of the game. It's very much skill level based. It's kind of like for example an 8th grader challenging a 4th grader to math problems. We clearly know who's going to win. Sometimes you get people that are on the same level though which makes good competition.

 

[Frisian Gardener]

PM me for my chess.com username.

 

[MyCrows]

PM me for my chess.com username.

You beat me to it!

I'm game for a game as well. I play on 3 days timer.

 

[philomath]

PM me for my chess.com username.

You beat me to it!

I'm game for a game as well. I play on 3 days timer.

Sent a message to you both!

 

[philomath]

We have a glass set and also a Lord of the Rings set.

This sounds really cool. Which characters are pieces? Also are the pieces of the glass set Staunton shaped or a different shape?

It's just the nature of the game. It's very much skill level based. It's kind of like for example an 8th grader challenging a 4th grader to math problems. We clearly know who's going to win. Sometimes you get people that are on the same level though which makes good competition.

That's very acurate. What's especially fun to see is newer players getting better after playing a while with more experienced players.

 

[SeanPatrickCornell]

I've loved chess for all of my adult life. However, I am terrible at it and no matter how much I think I've learned, I blunder away every opportunity to improve and I never see what's coming. I think I am Chess Challenged.

Still fun though.

 

[jwithnell]

I enjoy chess. Lately I've been playing through the bots on chess.com, white then black, and moving on to the next one after winning unassisted.

 

[JH]

If it helps any chess nerds, Lichess is superior to Chess.com because it lets you analyse your games and openings for free without a paywall like Chess.com, and Lichess is open source.

 

[Jack K]

I learned when I was nine and was considered a good player through my high school years, doing well on my school chess team. But to keep playing competitively beyond that required a level of dedication I didn't want to give, so I quit. These days, I only play when someone begs me. The game does not feel relaxing, and I've lost much of what I once knew.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

This sounds really cool. Which characters are pieces? Also are the pieces of the glass set Staunton shaped or a different shape?


That's very acurate. What's especially fun to see is newer players getting better after playing a while with more experienced players.

I think the white pieces are like the protagonists, and the black pieces are the antagonists.

I prefer the traditional looking chess pieces. That's what the glass set is. The only thing about the glass board is that it is difficult to see the differentiation in pattern.

Sometimes at the toy store I see a Mario Chess set. That always catches my eye, but I just don't think we would play it much. My oldest son knows the basics of it and can play, but doesn't really have an interest.

 

[philomath]

I learned when I was nine and was considered a good player through my high school years, doing well on my school chess team. But to keep playing competitively beyond that required a level of dedication I didn't want to give, so I quit. These days, I only play when someone begs me. The game does not feel relaxing, and I've lost much of what I once knew.

Chess as a relaxing game is an interesting thing for me to think about. It certainly isn't relaxing in the same as way bird watching. I guess the most relaxing thing about it for me is the focus it requires, which can be calming. Making a blunder and losing a queen isn't very calming though.

 

[philomath]

I think the white pieces are like the protagonists, and the black pieces are the antagonists.

I prefer the traditional looking chess pieces. That's what the glass set is. The only thing about the glass board is that it is difficult to see the differentiation in pattern.

Sometimes at the toy store I see a Mario Chess set. That always catches my eye, but I just don't think we would play it much. My oldest son knows the basics of it and can play, but doesn't really have an interest.

That's the same sort of thing I face with chess sets. There are sets I think look cool, but wouldn't get used, so it doesn't make any sense to get them. I've been teaching my niece the game and most of the time she has to be bored with most other choices before she decides to play, but she enjoys it a lot since she's a bit competitive. If I thought a specific set would make her more interested in playing I'd probably get it. As far as it goes though, I don't plan to get any more chess sets unless my current ones get lost, stolen, or broken. The Lewis Chessmen are my favorite pieces, I've also got a weighted tournament set in my car for if the occasion presents itself while I'm out and about, and a smaller magnetic one for train and airplane travel.

When I was learning in grade school, I had a lot of classmates who would play on snack breaks and lunch. It was a good incentive to learn since there was only one board and everyone else would come and watch.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Two friends were playing chess and one said to the other, “Let’s make this interesting,” so they quit playing chess.

Learn from them.

 

[Knight]

I play bullet online to decompress. My Lichess rating is ~2150 in bullet. In person, untimed is preferred. In the past, I considered going to a local club in Atlanta to see if eventually obtaining a title was (un)realistic. Real life prevented that, probably for the better.

 

[greenbaggins]

By far the best instructional book on chess ever written is the 4th edition of Reassess Your Chess, by Jeremy Silman. Work through it slowly and carefully (I recommend a computerized chess board, as it allows you to backtrack moves far easier). You will gain several hundred rating points through this book alone. This book is not the best one for beginners. It is for those who have played a while, know the rules well, and are aiming to up their game.

 

[Knight]

By far the best instructional book on chess ever written is the 4th edition of Reassess Your Chess, by Jeremy Silman. Work through it slowly and carefully (I recommend a computerized chess board, as it allows you to backtrack moves far easier). You will gain several hundred rating points through this book alone. This book is not the best one for beginners. It is for those who have played a while, know the rules well, and are aiming to up their game.

When I was a teenager, I greatly improved after reading his The Amateur's Mind.

 

[Wilhelmus à Broccoli]

I know the objective and how each piece moves but I can't seem to think even three or four moves ahead - it hasn't evolved behind "aha, I see a chance to kill your bishop!" for me. By second grade my little brother Samuel was beating me pretty consistently and I think if your knowledge of chess extends even a little beyond knowing how the pieces move you would also beat me pretty consistently. Would Reassess Your Chess be helpful to me, or is there something even more rudimentary I should try first?

 

[Knight]

I know the objective and how each piece moves but I can't seem to think even three or four moves ahead - it hasn't evolved behind "aha, I see a chance to kill your bishop!" for me. By second grade my little brother Samuel was beating me pretty consistently and I think if your knowledge of chess extends even a little beyond knowing how the pieces move you would also beat me pretty consistently. Would Reassess Your Chess be helpful to me, or is there something even more rudimentary I should try first?

The first book I can remember reading and learning from was Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. It's still popular 60 years after it was written (#2 on Amazon's best seller list behind a book by GM Levy Roseman, who is popular with the younger crowd nowadays).

 

[Jack K]

The first book I can remember reading and learning from was Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. It's still popular 60 years after it was written (#2 on Amazon's best seller list behind a book by GM Levy Roseman, who is popular with the younger crowd nowadays).

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is a masterpiece, an exceptionally well-written book for beginners. If Fischer himself had been responsible for the simplicity of that book's teaching method, it would raise his genius to a whole new level.

 

[philomath]

Two friends were playing chess and one said to the other, “Let’s make this interesting,” so they quit playing chess.

Learn from them.

Here I stand, I enjoy chess, I can do no other
[automerge]1778778601[/automerge]

By far the best instructional book on chess ever written is the 4th edition of Reassess Your Chess, by Jeremy Silman.

I greatly improved after reading his The Amateur's Mind.

Thanks for these suggestions, I'll have to give them a try!

 

[jwright82]

I love chess, haven't played in years. My brother is pretty good but he lacks the big picture part of the game. When we played all the time, I tried to teach him a life lesson. I would play the same opening and then as the game progressed he would win.
I would let him win like 9-10 times and then change my opening move and he couldn't adapt, so I would just start winning until he wanted to give up.
I told him his problem was his emotional pride, that he invested in winning. Once I changed how I started his pride in beating me all those times was challenged and he emotionally couldn't handle it.
I said "that's what life is like, if you're emotionally prideful about winning then you can't handle losing." If you can let go of your pride and learn from losing then it decreases your chances of winning in the future. I don't think he ever learned the lesson.
You will lose sometimes in life but that's an opportunity to learn why. What did you do wrong? How could you have played "the game" differently to win? Losing at a boardgame and learning a larger principle of life is better than learning that lesson losing in life.

 

[greenbaggins]

I know the objective and how each piece moves but I can't seem to think even three or four moves ahead - it hasn't evolved behind "aha, I see a chance to kill your bishop!" for me. By second grade my little brother Samuel was beating me pretty consistently and I think if your knowledge of chess extends even a little beyond knowing how the pieces move you would also beat me pretty consistently. Would Reassess Your Chess be helpful to me, or is there something even more rudimentary I should try first?

In your case, I would recommend Silman's The Complete Book of Chess Strategy before the Reassess book. It is good preparation for reading Reassess. The Amateur's Mind is also tremendously helpful. I would read Complete Book, first, then the Amateur's Mind, then Reassess, in that order. You will greatly improve.

 

[MyCrows]

Our chessboard. It's pretty old, and the frame had fallen apart this year, so our oldest son took the initiative to build a new base out of two 2x4s, with three 2x6s on top. He calls it the "home defense chessboard."

 

[Frisian Gardener]

"The ability to play chess is a sign of a gentleman; the ability to play chess well, a sign of a wasted life."

-- attributed to Paul Morphy