O/T: Chess. I love chess. No one to play?

[DrMike]

Well, there's a problem already... in chess, white moves first.

[Beazld]

I just finished binge watching “The Queens Gambit” on Netflix. A fictional story about an orphan girl chess prodigy becoming world chess champion. Fictional character but entertaining for a chess know nothing, plus I have a soft spot for attractive red heads!

[beechur johnson]

I was playing checkers on the computer some years ago. Skill levels from 1-10. A good way to kill a few minutes. Games go fast. Not as involved as chess, but somewhat addictive. Everyone should give it a try. Still makes you put the thinking cap on.

[lynnl]

I don't know the board notation scheme either, but I'd think it'd be quick and easily learned.

[mklotz]

Well, there's a problem already... in chess, white moves first.

That and the pieces are set incorrectly. Queen always goes on color.

Board notation is explained here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_notation_(chess)

[DaveM 7766]

Pieces are set up wrong, Queens should be on her color

[mklotz]

If you can't find opponents easily, you can still improve your play a great deal by solving chess problems.

Here's one to try...

Set up a situation on the board where white is in check and his only legal move to cancel the check checkmates black. It's called a helpless mate.

[RB211]

It's kind of like landing a 777 into a crosswind with a cranky ground controller.

How about an impossible to please Korean check airman?

[nickel-city-fab]

Could play, but it has been decades, and I wasn't very good back then either. Thank you for posting this! it made me smile. And yes, I always move my pawn out first if possible.

[J Tiers]

There are a huge number of "known openings" in chess. They vary in approach widely. A knowledge of at least a couple dozen common ones prevents easy losses.

[Danl]

Correct, and dozens of variations as the game progresses. It seems to me that chess masters and grandmasters must have super memories. Some chess prodigies have, in their youth, played many simultaneous games, blindfolded, and won most with a few draws and no losses. Sheesh....

[skunkworks]

No.. more like calculating your fuel so you end up with 1 gallon left when you land. (based on 12 stops and weather conditions...)

How about an impossible to please Korean check airman?

[Arcane]

There are a huge number of "known openings" in chess. They vary in approach widely. A knowledge of at least a couple dozen common ones prevents easy losses.

Back in 1972 or so I worked with a man from one of the European countries (forget which one now) who said he was once the chess champion of his country and not only did he know those huge number of openings, he could set up the chess board to show what it was anytime during a game.

As an aside, to see him you'd never suspect he was such an accomplished chess player. Huge extremely strong man with hands twice the size of normal man's! At the mill where we worked we would have to regularly clean up spillage from the crushed rock that contained the asbestos. The rest of us would use square mouth spades because a shovel full was quite heavy but he'd use a big scoop shovel and shovel like it was snow and not finely crushed rock.

[Joel]

It seems to me that chess masters and grandmasters must have super memories.

I am not sure if it is so much a superior memory as the intricacies of the game just 'make sense' to those with that particular gift. They see it fundamentally different that I do, that much is crystal clear. Relate it to things that you are particularly and naturally good at. For me, those things are simply clear to me, despite the fact that there often seems little logic behind that fact.


I am reminded of the movie 'Searching for Bobby Fischer', which is a good movie about a young chess prodigy (apparently pretty accurately based on a true story) - worth the watch.

[JRouche]

Well, there's a problem already... in chess, white moves first.

Yes. I waited for a move and there were none, cept for the code stuff which I apparently need to learn.

So black went out first. Queen and King in the wrong spot was a faux pas. JR