How do you feel about chess games!

[tmc]

Ok, so i used to turn my nose up at chess, yet this was at the same time that i was really enjoying strategic games like advance wars that are inherantly chess based.

I continued to turn my nose up at chess, yet this was at the same time that i was also enjoying puzzle games that stripped game mechanics down to their basics and were low on effects and the like, i.e. tetris.

So why didn't i give chess a go? one of the oldest games of all time, and a game which has stood the test of time. Maybe it was i thought it was too boring, i wasn't clever enough to play. But then I did play it.

I loaded chessmaster onto my pc, went through the tutorials and, i'm hooked! What a freaking game! I can't get enough of it and it's depth and many, many 'strategy' games now feel lightweight in comparison and my point is that the signs were there that i was enjoying the types of games that lend their heritage to board based games like chess etc all along.

And so i'd encourage you to give chess a dabble if you've never played it and would like you to share with me your thoughts about computer chess or board based computer games in general.

[scooterb23]

Warning: most of this post doesn't discuss video games

I used to play a lot of chess. Then I got to the point where if I wanted to improve any more, I would have to begin studying books.

That's when I stopped playing.

I have a belief: when you have to begin reading books to improve at a game? It stops being a game, and begins being work. And I didn't want to turn chess into work. I've maybe played 5 games in the past decade. I find "lighter" strategy games like Power Grid and El Grande far more fun than Chess. I gues I went the other way, I want more "fluff" on my strategy games these days.

Warning: the rest of the post does discuss video games

Having said all that, I do dabble in the chess games when I see them, although I haven't really played them since Chessmater 2000 on C64. I am intrigued by some of the different mini games and modes I have heard new games trying out, but not enough to have played the games as of yet

[Emuaust]

I have never really been into chess at all and pretty much suck at it, although the chess games that ships on windows vista has got me playing a bit as it has this cool rewind feature which you can use to determine where you lost to the computer by making the wrong move, makes for a nice learning curve that teaches you to think ahead. Awsome Fun, now replaces solitare!

[kedawa]

I find chess way too unforgiving.
Making one mistake often results in defeat.
I am curious to know which chess simulations are good.
The only one I've ever played is Battlechess on Amiga, and I really just played it to see teh bloodz.

[Kevin Listwan]

Yup Chessmaster is a great game and has some amazing lessons in it too. I coach a chess team at the high school I work at and actually use this to go over some of the lessons by using a projector since it is easier to use than anything else or doing lessons one-on-one.

Now they just have to make Chessmaster for the xbox backwards compatible.

And I do read books on chess and so far it is still enjoyable, but I do see your point, in order to get good you have to spend a lot of time studying.

[Gabriel]

RE: Reading a book to improve performance at a game being like work.

What do you think about reading tips in a magazine or buying hint guides like move lists for fighting games?


RE: Chessmaster backwards compatible

You do know they have Chessmaster on Xbox Live Arcade, right?


RE: Chess

I learned chess at a very young age, so young, in fact, that I tend to just assume everyone knows how to play chess. It never occurs to me that anyone wouldn't know how to play.

Anyway, despite learning young, I suck at chess. I'm not even a competent novice player. I picked up a book recently because I've always wanted to be better. It has already improved my game significantly. I'm still pretty pathetic, but not mate-in-three hopelessly so.

[Iron Draggon]

I love Chess, but I seldom play it anymore... even against a computer... I tend to win most of the time, and that gets boring... I'm not a master by any means, but apparently I'm good enough that most opponents simply aren't enough of a challenge for me... so I just don't bother to play much now...

[Icarus Moonsight]

I played club in school and with my dad and grandpa. Now, I can only get vs human games on Clubhouse Games Chess. I have played over 1,000 matches easy since I picked it up. If you are playing someone who opens as white with h4, it's probably me if you can't manage to fool or scholar mate them. :D

For a cpu opponent try WinBoard. You probably won't win, but you will learn. :) http://www.tim-mann.org/xboard.html

[scooterb23]

RE: Reading a book to improve performance at a game being like work.

What do you think about reading tips in a magazine or buying hint guides like move lists for fighting games?

Tips in magazines? Good for people who want them, I only really pay attention to them once I had finished the game. And I skip over those sections when I read mags now. And buying guides? Huge waste of money. I own exactly two guides, one of them was for a golf game...and the book came with a disc of extra courses, and the other is a RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 guide I bought because the store gave me $25 off the game if I bought the $15 guide...figure that one out. Come to think of it, I never have opened that RC2 guide...

[Daltone]

Battlechess was awesome.

That is all.

[unwinddesign]

Chess is a great game, although I rarely play any more (I used to play sparingly). I prefer strategy games like Age of Empires 3, which I would hardly call "fluffier," just more focuses on twitch action strategy. It is true almost all strategy games owe a little something (or a lot, in some cases) to chess. And yeah, I wish I was better, but I just to like to mess around and play a game every 3 or 4 months.

In response to reading up on chess to become better, I pretty much stopped playing AoE3 when I would've had to start watching replays of top-tier players to become better. I want to play, not research, dammit!

[BHvrd]

Played chess on Home tonight on ps3, and of course it was as good as ever as chess always is. Had a stalemate, lol.

[DigitalSpace]

Chess? Meh.

[jb143]

I havn't played in a while but used to all the time. I used to be pretty decent and even won cash in a few online contests too.

As far as books...they only helped my game. My favorite one has basic strategy then the rest is more like chess puzzles. A shapshot of the game with a what's the best move senareo. It really makes you think in a way that comes up in games all the time. Like any hobby it's nice to know the additional information. In chess it's the strategies, names of moves, gambits, etc... You can't learn that from only playing and reading it somewhere doesn't make it any less of a hobby.

[SegaAges]

I am alright at speed chess, but that is about it

[chrisballer]

Battlechess was awesome.

That is all.
I second that battlechess was awsome. Man, that was a long time ago.

[R.Sakai]

My much younger brother always kicked my ass at chess.
My 2600 kicked my ass at chess.
My 2600 kicked my brothers ass at chess one day.
I cheered, lol.