12:14 AM
Game addiction for me has been an ongoing battle in life. I think it's just the competition that really draws me. I think I rode the entire computer game craze and jumped off before it really hit mainstream like you are seeing today. Today there is a complete explosion in computer games and console games and major players are trying to conquer the area. After playing and completing many, many games of different genres I finally decided that it would be best to not play computer games at all and stick with one particular game that could be respected. It's actually almost strange how when you tell people you play Quake they think you are a nerd and if you tell them you play chess they think you are brilliant.

Odd as it may be chess is a game that I focus on time and again in waves. Lately, I'm in an off period, increasingly embittered by the thought that chess is just a complex game of tic-tac-toe to me. Although the number of moves in chess is huge, the number of intelligent moves is very small. The more moves and positions you memorize, the better a chess player you are. I don't care how naturally talented you are when you start you will plateau and will have to start buying books and reading what the masters do and have done.

However, down the in lower echelons where I like to dwell when I'm not completely obsessed with winning, my favorite tactic is to make an absolute disaster of the board. This generally takes away any memorization bonus of the player's and forces them to work from sheer brainpower alone...much more fun in my opinion.

I am dedicating a page of my site to my two favorite lines in chess: The King's Gambit and the Sicilian->Dragon Variation...to be contiued.

Here's a few links to get you started:
The most essential is being able to play and find those of your skill level.
Yahoo!
FICS - Free Internet Chess Server
Chess.net

This is a great way to learn and you don't have to settle for the computer that either crushes every ounce of willpower out of you or plays inconceivably poor critical moves because it was programmed to do so. It's moderately social if you want it to be, but mostly the communication is only "Hi....hi", "GG....gg" and that's it. On these public boards you will learn how to stop the standard attacks. You'll learn all the cheap wins and learn when the other player is playing very risky moves because s/he thinks you are a beginner. And you learn how to punish them for this assumption. =)

You'll be exposed to a variety of openings and quickly become bored with the most common ones and want to expand your horizons. It is surprising how many people just play the same stale moves day after day for years. They might as well be playing tic-tac-toe for all the predictability of the game.

You'll also learn that a lot of people have a chess problem and very fragile egos when they lose. Petty attacks occur regularly and those who are losing will try to get you to take a draw or they will drop the connection instead of having the chess server record the loss. It's not a big deal and you get used to it fast. Just stay above the riffraff and don't bother to answer them if they get abusive. They are likely far better at slinging childish insults than you will ever be. (That's a Good Thing^tm)

On the Clock

Clocks are typical in chess with another player. I like it because it keeps the game moving and forces both parties to focus on the game. The standard is typically 5 minutes for a good game. This gives each player 5 minutes to make all of their moves. If you prefer a slower game, I still recommend setting a time limit of something like 15-20 minutes. Some people are *really* slow.

On the road to Expert

If you actually get pretty decent on these boards and want to advance, you will have to stop playing and start reading. Almost every move you can think of has already been analyzed and played by every master out there. All you have to do is pick up a few books. There are a billion out there, try to find one with a lot of practive moves where you have to find the solution. These logic puzzles are priceless and you will be stumped by them again and again over the years and can quickly use them to increase your playing ability. As I said above in my minirant, chess is not a game of chance or insight. It is at first, but if you were to watch a game between a brilliant player and a well-read player, you'd better bet on the well-read one.

Always take the time away from the online games to stop for a few weeks at a time and study chess positions and openings.

In the Jungle

If you do all the above, you are a strong player. You can beat all of your friends regularly and handily. So when you step into a chess hall you should be able to easily pummel all your opponents, right? Heh, wrong. You're gonna lose. Badly. But that's okay because you can go down to Washington Square park and pick up a few bucks from the drifters betting in the park! Wrong again! They will crush you. What the @#$% is going on?

Chess in the park and in the chess hall is a different beast. I love it. The game becomes something else other than memorization and playing the proper move. It becomes a psychological war instead. Some games are 10% skill and 90% psychology, others the reverse. How can chess be psychological? An example is the other player riding your clock to think. You'll be playing a 5 minute game and it adds up, they'll play fast and sometimes really poor moves to keep your clock running and not theirs. As long as they play the move quickly and more importantly confidently then they *will* cause you to pause and think about what they are trying to do. Hopefully (for them), they will take advantage of the time you are giving them to really come up with a decent play.

Just the opposite can also be done. There are documented plays, one such called the "Oh my god!" play where the strategy of the player is to make a timid move, release the piece with his hand and then say "Oh my god!" as if they just saw their mistake to make you take the piece. This will then subject you to a battery of attacks followed by a loss. It's fun. =)