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.