Post by thomasallencummins on Jun 25, 2013 6:28:40 GMT -5
CHESS.
I've always been interested in the game of Chess but have never really found a way to enjoy it until about 6 months ago.
I was browsing around on my IPOD Touch and found a free chess app so I downloaded it and began to play, just for kicks. (See below)
I had been exclusively playing the Solitaire app for the previous year or so and wanted something different to pass the time waiting in lines, doctor appointments, lunch hours and just free time in general when conventional entertainment is absent.
I have played chess many times before so I did not need to learn how the game is played in general however opening moves and advanced strategy was always something real chess players concerned themselves with, when I played I was only visiting and would not be sticking around long enough to be bothered with nuance and tactics.
I have been playing chess in my free time steadily for the past 6 months and have discovered a genuine fondness for the game. However it should be noted that my experiences have been limited to a free app. Playing the game against a flesh and blood opponent is undoubtedly a very different experience. However I believe that I have learned more about Chess in the last 6 months of play than I had in all the time playing previously during my life.
There are a few things I've discovered about myself with regard to my preferences. Firstly I have developed and opening strategy which I've never been able to do in the past. The configuration, if I am permitted to set it up, allows the highest likelihood that I will be able to both defend and attack from a position of relative comfort.
The second thing I've discovered is that (especially with regard to playing the AI of this particular computer chess variant) I find that it is in my best interest to take my opponent's queen as early in the game as possible and by sacrificing my queen if necessary. Eliminating the opponent's queen increases my chances of victory by a large margin. This is most likely due to the fact that I have insufficient skill at defending against the opposing queen's moves.
The third thing I've discovered is that I have an almost childish desire to try to populate my defeated opponent's side of the board with as many queens as possible, even to the point of having to concede a stalemate or a draw. The greatest number of pawns translated to queens I have managed so far is 6 which looks really cool on the board. I recognize that this strategy, if played against another actual person, would be the equivalent of a superior college football team running up the score 77 to 7 against a painfully weak opponent. I would never humiliate another human being in such a way but against a computer its pretty enjoyable.
So that's it for now. I'm playing chess now and I'm enjoying it.
I may decide to begin playing against human opponents online which will force me to raise my game...in a good way.
:-)
I've always been interested in the game of Chess but have never really found a way to enjoy it until about 6 months ago.
I was browsing around on my IPOD Touch and found a free chess app so I downloaded it and began to play, just for kicks. (See below)
I had been exclusively playing the Solitaire app for the previous year or so and wanted something different to pass the time waiting in lines, doctor appointments, lunch hours and just free time in general when conventional entertainment is absent.
I have played chess many times before so I did not need to learn how the game is played in general however opening moves and advanced strategy was always something real chess players concerned themselves with, when I played I was only visiting and would not be sticking around long enough to be bothered with nuance and tactics.
I have been playing chess in my free time steadily for the past 6 months and have discovered a genuine fondness for the game. However it should be noted that my experiences have been limited to a free app. Playing the game against a flesh and blood opponent is undoubtedly a very different experience. However I believe that I have learned more about Chess in the last 6 months of play than I had in all the time playing previously during my life.
There are a few things I've discovered about myself with regard to my preferences. Firstly I have developed and opening strategy which I've never been able to do in the past. The configuration, if I am permitted to set it up, allows the highest likelihood that I will be able to both defend and attack from a position of relative comfort.
The second thing I've discovered is that (especially with regard to playing the AI of this particular computer chess variant) I find that it is in my best interest to take my opponent's queen as early in the game as possible and by sacrificing my queen if necessary. Eliminating the opponent's queen increases my chances of victory by a large margin. This is most likely due to the fact that I have insufficient skill at defending against the opposing queen's moves.
The third thing I've discovered is that I have an almost childish desire to try to populate my defeated opponent's side of the board with as many queens as possible, even to the point of having to concede a stalemate or a draw. The greatest number of pawns translated to queens I have managed so far is 6 which looks really cool on the board. I recognize that this strategy, if played against another actual person, would be the equivalent of a superior college football team running up the score 77 to 7 against a painfully weak opponent. I would never humiliate another human being in such a way but against a computer its pretty enjoyable.
So that's it for now. I'm playing chess now and I'm enjoying it.
I may decide to begin playing against human opponents online which will force me to raise my game...in a good way.
:-)