Chess Madness!

I remember the first time I ever played a game of chess. I remember it not because the game came naturally to me and I was quick to defeat my opponent; nor did I fumble incompetently only to be destroyed by a fellow chess novice. I remember the game because it was alien to me. No one in my family, on either side, had a chess set at home. No one played chess among my friends, even the most intelligent and cultured. At the time, that seemed quite natural to me. Since my teen years, however, I have always had a chess set, always been ready to play a game. Therefore, when I look back on my youth, that 9^th grade game of chess played carefully in a post-geometry classroom against another curious student stands out clearly; and, yes, I did lose.

Almost anyone will know to what I refer when I speak of chess, whether you play the game or not. However, should there be anyone who happens across my little blog that hasn’t a clue about what I mean; chess is a board game played on an eight by eight grid of squares. It pits two players against each other in challenge of strategy and tactics. Each side has sixteen pieces, half of which are “pawns.” All other pieces, with the exception of two, are pairs: the “bishops,” “knights,” and “rooks.” Finally, the last two pieces are the strongest, the “queen,” and the most vulnerable, the “king.”

This post is not very instructional about how to play chess. On the contrary, it is about how I have learned, and continue to learn to play chess. After my first, awkward game in the geometry room, I joined a school “chess club” for a couple of years. My enthusiasm was further boosted during my teen years by the 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer about a child chess prodigy whose life has some parallels to the great chess genius referenced in the title.

One of the main sources of information about playing chess is the tips and tricks about strategy and tactics that you get from fellow players from time to time. Another important source of information for me in learning to play chess has been books. The public library has always carried several volumes about chess. I have also bought several books about chess over the years. Some of my favorites include:

An Introduction to Chess: Book 1 by Leonard Barden (1972) as part of Drake Chess Handbooks.

Chess for Dummies by James Eade (1996) published by IDG Books.

Modern Ideas in the Chess Openings I by I.A. Horowitz (1953) published by Cornerstone Library.

Teach Yourself Chess by William R. Hartston (1985) published by Teach Yourself Books.

Of course there are many other books and each has its own appeal. Another important resource in developing my enthusiasm as well as my skill for chess was a game that came bundled with the Packard Bell PC my mother bought for me during my sophomore year of college: Chessmaster 3000.  This game had incredible graphics and allowed for two players or for human vs. computer. The game also had a chess tutor function that taught chess openings, strategy and tactics, and finishing moves.

These days, there are many diverse sites on the Web tailored to chess devotees. Here are just a few from my bookmarks:

http://chessteaching.x10.mx/1001-brilliant-checkmates/

http://www.johnpratt.com/items/chess/kostics.html

http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/immortalgame/games.php

Now, for the really fun part and how my chess habit relates to my learning life. The most recent Web site added to my list is http://www.chesscademy.com/. Each of the other three representative sites explores some aspect of chess—historical and/or tactical. The chesscademy.com Web site, on the other hand, is a comprehensive “classroom” experience. You can begin instruction at whatever level you feel comfortable with—beginner, intermediate, or advanced. From there, the student watches multi-media presentations and then completes brief quizzes for points.

The most attractive thing to me about the chesscademy.com Web site is its pedagogical style. Chess is a complex game and I think that to get to “the next level” at my age, requires some serious study. At the same time, I want to keep it a game—to keep it fun. Otherwise, what is the use in trying to be any good. Up for a game? Happy learning!