Chess.com

[Pedal Castro]

Anyone else play on this chess server?

One of the things I said I'd do once retired but not quite got round to was picking up chess again. I used to teach it as a Junior school winter activity club but am not actually that good a player myself.

My new son in law suggested chess.com which I recently joined and it's really good. I did check but couldn't find a yacf club on the site.

My chess name is Juzilex
https://www.chess.com/stats/daily/chess/juzilex

[Hot Flatus]

I'm on it all the time. Mostly the 10 minute games with people. Think I started about 3 weeks ago.  Its funny how time of day affects my ability to play.

[Pedal Castro]

I've done a few 10' games but that's not helping improve because there is no time to think things through.

[Hot Flatus]

I've done a few 10' games but that's not helping improve because there is no time to think things through.

It's not helping me improve either 

But actually I quite like the psychological warfare of moving really fast (and trying to think quickly) and force others to make mistakes. Different kind of thing, more akin to a video game, for my generation who like instant gratification (except when I lose)

[Hot Flatus]

By the way, my profile name is Dwight Rortugal

[Wowbagger]

I did some coaching on that site a fortnight or so ago - the early teenage son of a friend. We played a game and then analysed it.. it’s a very long time since I had been on that site. It remembered who I was and I found my password. There seems to be some kind of analysis engine to help you rate your games which there never was about 15 years ago when I used it a lot.  There were several moves in the game in which it suggested improvements for me.

I won the game, but I was extremely rusty. It’s 16 years since I played a competitive game.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It's annoying when you lose because of internect breakdowns and unsatisfying to win in the same way.

[Wowbagger]

I played another game against the same teenage opponent a couple of weeks back. He caught me in an opening trap which I knew about once as after the game I recall that I caught a strong player out with it in a British Championship game nearly 20 years ago. Both games went pretty much the same way: white took a big advantage in the opening, then faffed about unable to finish black off, until black came back in the endgame and won.

I'm rather hoping that pal Rebecca NOTP, but I've mentioned her a few times in despatches, doesn't ask me to play him again. I find it very stressful and tiring - but I don't want to say no. I'd rather just coach him some endgame studies or mates-in-2 problems. At some point her lad will beat me and then probably lose interest in playing me, but I feel that my generation owes a huge amount to a couple of generations down the line - a debt that we can never repay - so what little I can do, I'll try to.

[asterix]

I know how to play basic chess but find it too pedestrian.  Consequently I've hardly ever played it and last time I won without either of us losing a piece. My opponent was not amused and wouldn't play again.

Cards are more my thing.

[aidan.f]

Lynn and I are playing each other regularly at home and enjoying it. I think we could do with playing different opponents but we both would need to find a level not too far above our self-taught ones.

[Lightning Phil]

Social chess is good at matching you with similar level players.

[Pedal Castro]

Lynn and I are playing each other regularly at home and enjoying it. I think we could do with playing different opponents but we both would need to find a level not too far above our self-taught ones.

One good thing about chess.com is that it can match you up with random players of similar ability. I now have a "club" of 9 family members who regularly play tournaments against each other, from bullet games where you only get 1minute to play all you moves, to 3 days per move.

The bullet arena tournaments are great fun, where you slog it out with around 1000 other players, playing as many games as you can in a set time, usually 30 minutes total.

[aidan.f]

Phew, reads as way above our level.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Looking at a game I played earlier against someone rated 200 higher than me, the analysis machine thing rated two of my moves as "Critical move! You found the only good move!" and considered one of them worthy of the double exclamation mark – but I still went on to make a number of blunders and lose the game!

[rogerzilla]

I last played a few years ago on holiday in Austria.  I was trying to teach SO to play but we were being stalked by one of those you-don't-want-to-do-it-like-that Germans, who was desperate to play me next.  I politely declined as I knew he'd absolutely kick my arse.  I know the rules of chess but that doesn't mean I can play well.

[Hot Flatus]

I last played a few years ago on holiday in Austria.  I was trying to teach SO to play but we were being stalked by one of those you-don't-want-to-do-it-like-that Germans, who was desperate to play me next.  I politely declined as I knew he'd absolutely kick my arse.  I know the rules of chess but that doesn't mean I can play well.

That's the difference between our nations.

In England it's unsolicited advice on how to play the fruit machine in a pub you don't normally go in.

In Germany its chess.