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Chess

Used to play a lot, but now...not so much. Chesscube.com is a pretty good site to play games (though I don't see too many professionals there).
 
I used to do tournaments. I probably play at around 1700 USCF by now, since although I haven't done tournaments lately, I still take lessons and play online from time to time.
 
It must have been over 10 years ago, I was really into playing chess on Yahoo! Games. But yea, it was really fast paced and I don't think I really learned anything..

I see people playing "Super Chess" in the university commons, where it's like.. 3 chessboards lined up for one huge board. I think that would drive me crazy.

Hey, how about Pokemon, as long as the title for most competitive game is at stake? :P It has lot more pieces, moves, and requires a lot of strategy / predicting your opponent? ^^;; Also easy to start, but hard to master >.<
 
Just played a ~90 minute game with my father, I'm not sure how good I really am at chess, mainly because I only play my dad and brother, and we are all fairly even.
 
I was on the elementry school team which won the Iowa chess tournoment, and came in 3rd twice. In junior high we won the state title once and came second (though I didnt lose) the next year. My trophy cabinet is filled with trophies. But my high school doesnt have a chess team, so I rarely play now.
 
I like to think of myself as a pretty good player. I was the captain of my elementary school team in grades 6-8 and went 24-0 at regionals over those three years (my teamates sucked though so my team never finished that good).

I sometimes play some friends at university but I beat them all relatively easily even though they claim to be good. My dad is a good player and hovers around 1900 on the ELO rankings, but i can very rarely beat him. Most of our games come down to him gaining a pawn in the middle game and then beating me late game by having 4 pawns when i have 3 :(
 
What openings do people use?

As white:

English Opening
Bishop's Opening
The Reti

As Black:

Against E4: French Defense (Classical Variation if possible)
Against D4: Dutch Defense (Stonewall/Leningrad Variations)
Against C4: Four Knights Variation/Ultra Symmetrical Variation
 
white i try to use kings gambit as much as possible. I prefer the fast styles of play that allow for my creative thinking to come out. closed games are not good for me

so i obviously play sicilian whenever my opponent leads e4. when d5 i play knight to f6
 
I don't play that much tbh, and I know very little opening theory. But I have been trying the Reti, and it seems to work quite well. I've also tried the Stonewall Attack, which is basically white playing the line of the Dutch defense. Very solid and requires little detailed knowledge of move orders, but a bit passive and tricky to attack from.
I wonder if relative novices are best off avoiding opening with e4 as white, in order to avoid the Sicilian Defense? (Since it's very heavily analysed, and quite easy to make mistakes in)

EDIT: I think I'm at a stage in my chess knowledge where what I should do next is study openings. I have reasonable middlegame play, and just about know the basic endgame checkmates (though I'd probably want to revise them). Vs the computer I've tried playing through openings (with an article by my side), and found that a good opening essentially sets me up well for the middlegame, putting me in a good position as it were.
Hmm...chess isn't too different to Pokemon after all. An appropriate lead in Pokemon sets one up well for the rest of the battle.
 
I would consider myself a decent chess player. Do all of you only play traditional or do you play other forms like Bug House, Speed Chess etc.?
 
cantab said:
I don't play that much tbh, and I know very little opening theory. But I have been trying the Reti, and it seems to work quite well. I've also tried the Stonewall Attack, which is basically white playing the line of the Dutch defense. Very solid and requires little detailed knowledge of move orders, but a bit passive and tricky to attack from.
I wonder if relative novices are best off avoiding opening with e4 as white, in order to avoid the Sicilian Defense? (Since it's very heavily analysed, and quite easy to make mistakes in)
Click to expand...

If you don't like E4, try C4 (the English) or the Reti. Stonewall is a bit too slow for white IMO, you'd be better off taking advantage of the first move.

Bird's Opening (F4) isn't bad, but Froms Gambit (...E5) is dynamic and you've got to be prepared.

If you don't like Sicilian (I hate it) play E6 against E4 and D5 against D4. The French Defense is very solid.
 
How good is the level 10 in Windows Vista's Chess Titans game compared to the skill level of someone you all would consider an average player? I don't really play at all, but sometimes i get bored and play against the computer in chess titans.
 
im not an expert but i am always enthusiastic to play and acquire new techniques as i go along. I play Yahoo! Chess frequently with a few dudes from here, and i'm always seeking new opponents to crush (me).
 
Chess is not always about making a plan and stick to it. Your opponent might, by accident or on purpose, ruin that plan leaving you frustrated. As for myself, I always improvise and it worked out too. Even though I don't call myself to be an expert, I was second on our school chess tournament last year (no I'm not a nerd in a chess club, but since I hate sports I'd go with it. ^^).
 
actually, chess is almost entirely about making a plan and seeing it through ~_~
have you read jeremy silman's How to Reassess your Chess? i highly recommend it!

as for openings, used to be a very devoted Benko Gambit player... good times! i also liked to dick around with crazy shit like the Frankenstein-Dracula attack (as black) hahaha
 
I once beat a Chess champion from Germany once. Granted he gave me a handicap of one Rook, I did it. He beat me mercilessly every game after that but it will never take away that one game from me. On topic though I used to play a ton back in high school but not so much anymore.
 
how many of you guys would be interested in playing in an online smogon chess tournament, hosted by myself and eric the espeon? there was one (sort of) a while ago, but the host went inactive, and we're looking to revitalize the idea.
 
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