Let's play chess

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Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

I haven't played chess in more years than I care to remember. Watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix has rekindled an interest to play chess. Recently retired, this is a good time to jump back in. Everything I need is online.

I had first joined Chess.com, the world's largest online chess website. I was annoyed at the insistent marketing to upgrade to a monthly subscription. You were locked out of nearly every helpful lesson and video unless you paid up. That's not my style.

I then found lichess.org. Everything is free and open source, no ads. I'm in. I just played my first online games - casual, 1 draw, 1 loss. (For privacy concerns, I'm not posting any usernames.)

In addition to online play, I downloaded Scid vs. PC, a free and open source chess database. The user interface is somewhat challenging, but it has a solid reputation in the chess community. If you're serious about chess, this is the program to get.

I followed a YouTube video and setup my PC with the Caissabase game database and Stockfish 12 chess engine. You can analyze and annotate any game in the database, including those you play yourself. I'm playing against the computer. This program can also help you predict moves when you're playing (database tree view), not to mention showing where you made a blunder (mistake). I'm still on the learning curve, but I see what it can do. Impressive.

My main activity right now is watching chess lessons on YouTube and lichess.org. I'm playing against the computer (online and on my PC) and intend to play live games at lichess.org when I'm feeling confident.

There's an active chess community on Twitch - a live stream gaming site. You can find lessons there as well, or just watch the play.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by oldfatguy »

Thanks for the resources! I just started playing again myself after many years, when I started teaching my 8 year old daughter a month or so ago.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by KlangFool »

OP,


My apology. I paid up for the chess.com annual subscription. Not retired yet. So, no time to play with lichess.org yet.

Check out Stafford Gambit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH_fiqlLp2U

KlangFool

P.S.: Queen's Gambit is my favorite opening.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

oldfatguy wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:02 pm Thanks for the resources! I just started playing again myself after many years, when I started teaching my 8 year old daughter a month or so ago.
You're welcome! I don't want to sound like an expert - far from it. I spent nearly a week setting up the software and I'm just passing along what I've learned.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I'm finding that I'm enjoying the challenge and can't wait to start another game.

Believe it or not, I was actually more nervous playing my very first live online game than I was with my first post on Bogleheads. :)

Right now, I'm wondering - what moves should I make to open? Now I see why opening moves are studied in great detail - my next step (as KlangFool succinctly notes).
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by discman017 »

Thanks for this post! Great links to resources!

I have the gold subscription at Chess.com. I feel like I improve by solving chess puzzles, and the gold membership gives you 25 per day, which is about what I have the patience for. So the $29 per year is totally worth it to me.

Chess is a great hobby, especially during COVID when we're not going anywhere. It's fun to play against people from all over the world.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

To be clear, I have a free chess.com account. I can certainly see the benefits of the paid account. There are an incredible number of resources available.

I do enjoy puzzles.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by KlangFool »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:11 pm
oldfatguy wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:02 pm Thanks for the resources! I just started playing again myself after many years, when I started teaching my 8 year old daughter a month or so ago.
You're welcome! I don't want to sound like an expert - far from it. I spent nearly a week setting up the software and I'm just passing along what I've learned.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I'm finding that I'm enjoying the challenge and can't wait to start another game.

Believe it or not, I was actually more nervous playing my very first live online game than I was with my first post on Bogleheads. :)

Right now, I'm wondering - what moves should I make to open? Now I see why opening moves are studied in great detail - my next step (as KlangFool succinctly notes).
LadyGeek,

1) d2-d4 or e2-e4 are the most popular openings for white.


2) In response to e2-e4, I used to play Sicilian Defense (c2-c4)

https://www.youtube.com/user/STLChessClub

https://saintlouischessclub.org/

3) St Louis Chess Club where many of the US Chess Academy folks hang around is a good resource. Many tutorials on chess opening on this youtube channel.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_ ... ss_player)


4) Current US Woman Chess champion, Jennifer Yu, won her championship while in high school. She is a Woman Grandmaster.


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Re: Let's play chess

Post by TravelforFun »

I started playing chess,com in 2015 and I record my scores. I usually play three games a day and my score is steadily (but slowly) improving. 1079 average in 2015 and 1323 this last year. I look forward to playing it everyday.

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Re: Let's play chess

Post by THANKS »

I don't think my chess profile has anything identifying of me...

Removed user name at recommendation.
Last edited by THANKS on Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ Not the chess.com profile, but that this forum is heavily linked with google. You're post has connected your chess.com username with your profile here. Consider editing your post to remove the username.

Members can PM someone if they want to privately exchange their chess username. (I'm not accepting any invites at this time.)
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by ResearchMed »

Has anyone used "Square Off", that chess set that can be played remotely (no surprise) but has a board that will move the pieces on the other person's board?

I'm thinking of getting one to sent to a 2nd grader so we could play a bit.
I was really startled to find out recently that he actually already knows the general moves of each piece.
When he heard that the pieces would move at HIS house, controlled by me... wow did his eyes light up. :happy

Apparently there's a way to use some interface software (via chess.com or something similar) so that both players can have a board, and each player can move the pieces on the "other" board.
Anyone tried this?

He already had wanted a more advanced set of the Kiwi crates, so we got that subscription for him (and a "younger set" for his younger brother), and surprise... when Mom gets home, he's apparently already got the entire set put together on his own. So I'm guessing he really could play a bit of chess.

Note: I do NOT play chess, but I do know the moves of each piece, too. So he and I can sort of learn together.
I'm thinking of just getting one of those interactive chess boards/set until we know if he's really interested in sticking with it. (Er, or if I am!). I can use a regular manual setup here, obviously, to keep track, unless the Square Off software includes a screen for the player who doesn't have the interactive board.

Any comments about it, pro or con?

Thanks.

RM
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Brianmcg321 »

I really like the chess.com app. I did the free trial for a bit and am considering paying for the membership. I like that the computers just don't kill you. LOL. And like all the lessons that are available.

I do like all the puzzles on lichess. Those are fun to play.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

ResearchMed wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:01 pm Has anyone used "Square Off", that chess set that can be played remotely (no surprise) but has a board that will move the pieces on the other person's board?
It's discussed in this thread: Electronic chess set I recommend posting a question there.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by interwebopinion »

Excellent writeup.

And I notice you use hyperlinks the old-school way TBL (creator god?) intended them.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by averagedude »

I just learned the game a couple of years ago. I play sparingly and am a very weak opponent. I can see where a membership to chess.com could improve your game, but other free resources is likely all you need. I would recommend that you purchase a membership to chess.com if you find yourself playing over a couple of hours a day.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ I would agree. What I didn't like was that you needed the top-level subscription to access unlimited videos.

At this point, I'm in information overload. It's important to focus. I'm currently working through the Practice chess lessons on lichess.org.

I'm taking small steps and will mix "theory" (lessons) with "practice" (games).
interwebopinion wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:19 pm Excellent writeup.

And I notice you use hyperlinks the old-school way TBL (creator god?) intended them.
Thanks. Hyperlinks are created using a browser extension. See: Re: Linking wiki articles into forum posts and the following post.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by crinkles2 »

There should be a Bogleheads Chess Tournament.

I have a very low patience tolerance for chess. My mother 'made' me go to chess class as a kid. I find it way too intense mentally and not relaxing and enjoyable. That being said, I would play occasionally with the kids. I am a very weak opponent.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by interwebopinion »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:34 pm Thanks. Hyperlinks are created using a browser extension. See: Re: Linking wiki articles into forum posts and the following post.
Neat tip!
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Compound »

Consider me a +1 for lichess.org

Phenomenal place to play. So easy to get going with a quick game. No need to setup an account if you don’t want.

I’ve played some speed chess on that site on my phone. I got utterly destroyed — I’m not very good at chess when the clock isn’t on and speed chess magnifies my deficiencies.

That said, there’s no substitute for playing games. Get out there and practice what knowledge you acquire at each stage in your journey. Enjoy! :sharebeer
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Sandtrap »

There used to be a chess "app" that my son and I used to play against each other. I think there were also games solicited by self or others. It was popular several years ago. Can't remember what it was. Our moves would take several days each so it took a long time to play one game.
I think it was, "Chess With Friends" or something like that.
Does anybody remember?

I've also tried online one's that I've tried through the decades but I've gotten beaten quickly so often that it was demoralizing so I stopped. I used to have shelves of chess books, sets, clocks, when young. Somehow it get's harder to see the patterns as I get older. Don't know why. But, still love the game.

j :D
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by TheDogFather »

I am a paid member on chess.com as I am going through all the advanced/expert lessons as a way of “getting back into it” as one of my retirement hobbies.

I used to play competitively as a kid and in college.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by usagi »

For those that like to play against the computer (how I spend most of the time when I am in meetings) at Chess.com and cannot stand the new personality based bots I offer the good, old, time-tested computer engine.

http://web.archive.org/web/202003061429 ... y/computer

Enjoy!
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by vbdoug »

I am a big fan of chess.com but I do not play chess. To become a really good player takes years of study and more intelligence than I possess. I do play a lot of "Puzzles [rated]' on the app. That is fun. And also extremely humbling.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by lightheir »

usagi wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:08 pm For those that like to play against the computer (how I spend most of the time when I am in meetings) at Chess.com and cannot stand the new personality based bots I offer the good, old, time-tested computer engine.

http://web.archive.org/web/202003061429 ... y/computer

Enjoy!
Computers are terrible opponents. Even with strength-adjusted play, they play NOTHING like humans. Thank goodness online play is free and accessible!
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by hfj »

If you want to play chess with a more team-like feel in a group, a fun variant we played a lot in college is bughouse, essentially doubles chess where you pass captured pieces to your teammate. You'll need two boards and two clocks (we usually played 5-minute). There was a strong player in the house (got his IM title a few years after college) and while he could easily destroy everyone else one-on-one, things were more evened out in bughouse with team tactics. Since it was a bunch of students it could get pretty raucous with a lot of trash talk, some good memories.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by ObliviousInvestor »

For anybody just getting started learning about chess strategy, I can't say enough good things about John Bartholomew's "Chess Fundamentals" series. Following it up with his "Climbing the Rating Ladder" series is a great idea.

https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnBartholomewChess/featured
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by datadatum »

hfj wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:00 pm If you want to play chess with a more team-like feel in a group, a fun variant we played a lot in college is bughouse, essentially doubles chess where you pass captured pieces to your teammate. You'll need two boards and two clocks (we usually played 5-minute). There was a strong player in the house (got his IM title a few years after college) and while he could easily destroy everyone else one-on-one, things were more evened out in bughouse with team tactics. Since it was a bunch of students it could get pretty raucous with a lot of trash talk, some good memories.
Good memories indeed. In high school we called that double-board speed game "double fizz."

At our chess club, I was a below average chess player, but was dominant in "double fizz." I was frustrated that I could rarely beat the other other kids except in an unofficial game. With hindsight... my career ended up greatly leveraging the ability to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. Funny how that works out.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Sandtrap »

lightheir wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:23 pm
usagi wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:08 pm For those that like to play against the computer (how I spend most of the time when I am in meetings) at Chess.com and cannot stand the new personality based bots I offer the good, old, time-tested computer engine.

http://web.archive.org/web/202003061429 ... y/computer

Enjoy!
Computers are terrible opponents. Even with strength-adjusted play, they play NOTHING like humans. Thank goodness online play is free and accessible!
+1
While great for practice, I've always felt like being disassembled by a "Borge Swarm" when playing computers. But that was a long time ago. Perhaps computer AI for chess is different now?

j :D
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Sandtrap »

datadatum wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:28 am
hfj wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:00 pm If you want to play chess with a more team-like feel in a group, a fun variant we played a lot in college is bughouse, essentially doubles chess where you pass captured pieces to your teammate. You'll need two boards and two clocks (we usually played 5-minute). There was a strong player in the house (got his IM title a few years after college) and while he could easily destroy everyone else one-on-one, things were more evened out in bughouse with team tactics. Since it was a bunch of students it could get pretty raucous with a lot of trash talk, some good memories.
Good memories indeed. In high school we called that double-board speed game "double fizz."

At our chess club, I was a below average chess player, but was dominant in "double fizz." I was frustrated that I could rarely beat the other other kids except in an unofficial game. With hindsight... my career ended up greatly leveraging the ability to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. Funny how that works out.
+1
I had long forgotten, if not for this thread, when I used to work in a room full of design engineers. Work was tedious and hours were long. We broke up the mental monotony by setting up chess boards on top of the file cabinets. Moves were 1 per day and no talking about the games in progress. So, it was all mental. Those that were methodical and deliberate with lot's of patience did well at this style of play.

I also have done this occasionally on a construction site with a friend. We set up a board in a protected area. 1 move per day. Blow the sawdust off the board before moves.

Am I the only one that does better with physical official size weighted chess pieces vs symbols on a digital screen?

j :D
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Sandtrap »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:58 pm I haven't played chess in more years than I care to remember. Watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix has rekindled an interest to play chess. Recently retired, this is a good time to jump back in. Everything I need is online.

I had first joined Chess.com, the world's largest online chess website. I was annoyed at the insistent marketing to upgrade to a monthly subscription. You were locked out of nearly every helpful lesson and video unless you paid up. That's not my style.

I then found lichess.org. Everything is free and open source, no ads. I'm in. I just played my first online games - casual, 1 draw, 1 loss. (For privacy concerns, I'm not posting any usernames.)

In addition to online play, I downloaded Scid vs. PC, a free and open source chess database. The user interface is somewhat challenging, but it has a solid reputation in the chess community. If you're serious about chess, this is the program to get.

I followed a YouTube video and setup my PC with the Caissabase game database and Stockfish 12 chess engine. You can analyze and annotate any game in the database, including those you play yourself. I'm playing against the computer. This program can also help you predict moves when you're playing (database tree view), not to mention showing where you made a blunder (mistake). I'm still on the learning curve, but I see what it can do. Impressive.

My main activity right now is watching chess lessons on YouTube and lichess.org. I'm playing against the computer (online and on my PC) and intend to play live games at lichess.org when I'm feeling confident.

There's an active chess community on Twitch - a live stream gaming site. You can find lessons there as well, or just watch the play.
(links preserved in quote to show context and available to others).
This is great!
I'll check out each of the links.
Aloha
j :D
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

I should mention that it took me several days to get Scid vs. PC configured. It's a great learning experience. Not only for chess terminology, but understanding how computers analyze performance and predict moves.

From what I understand, it's the same as investing - Prior performance can predict future performance. :wink:

Load in a database that contains every game played since the start of time and use those statistics to predict what the next move will be.

The Caissabase database contains 4.2 million games (really) and the Stockfish 12 chess engine incorporates the rules.

Why can't computers beat humans? That question hasn't been answered since computers started playing chess.

FYI - lichess.org uses the Stockfish 12 engine.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Brianmcg321 »

LadyGeek wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:34 am I should mention that it took me several days to get Scid vs. PC configured. It's a great learning experience. Not only for chess terminology, but understanding how computers analyze performance and predict moves.

From what I understand, it's the same as investing - Prior performance can predict future performance. :wink:

Load in a database that contains every game played since the start of time and use those statistics to predict what the next move will be.

The Caissabase database contains 4.2 million games (really) and the Stockfish 12 chess engine incorporates the rules.

Why can't computers beat humans? That question hasn't been answered since computers started playing chess.

FYI - lichess.org uses the Stockfish 12 engine.
Didn’t Deep Blue beat Kasparov in 1997?
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by halfnine »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:58 pm ...In addition to online play, I downloaded Scid vs. PC, a free and open source chess database. The user interface is somewhat challenging, but it has a solid reputation in the chess community. If you're serious about chess, this is the program to get.

I followed a YouTube video and setup my PC with the Caissabase game database and Stockfish 12 chess engine. You can analyze and annotate any game in the database, including those you play yourself. I'm playing against the computer. This program can also help you predict moves when you're playing (database tree view), not to mention showing where you made a blunder (mistake). I'm still on the learning curve, but I see what it can do. Impressive...
Thank you. I will have to take a look at these as we don’t have a home based chess engine. Some information I came across previously that might be relevant from ChessDojo.

How to Use Chess Engines
How to Spend Your Money on Chess

Anyway, I am not a chess player but my children (age under 10s) have been playing for the last year now. They started it as an activity when Coronavirus started impacting outside activities and haven’t stopped. Some of what I’ve picked up along the way:

ChessKid (junior version of Chess.com) was great for them for the past year. It taught them all the basics in an easy to understand kid fashion. They don’t use it much anymore having progressed rapidly (as kids do). They play largely on Lichess now. I like LIchess not only because it’s free but it is also easy to download their games and all the tournament data so we can review their games as well as their opponents.

Now that they have progressed beyond the basics they both have openings they play that fit their personalities. My eldest plays the Queens Gambit, Caro-Kann, and the Dutch Leningrad. My younger plays the London and a mix of the Modern/Pirc/Kings Indian. This mix not the ideal opening as it has its flaws but it is great for the child as they can play the same opening moves whether they face e4, d4, Nf3, etc and can get into the same positions on the board in most scenarios.

I recently came across the website Opening Tree in which one can download games of any user from the various platforms and it will analyzed all the games and show historical data on the various repertoires they play or face. Right away I was able to determine that my youngest child has great difficulty against 1…d5 2…Bf5 so it is something they can now work on.

I’ve also found Chessable to also be quite beneficial. They were using various sites for puzzles (I preferred ChessTempo) but now are largely using Chessable instead. I purchased thematic puzzles courses that are based on the openings they play so they are more likely to see these tactics in the actual games they play. And the spaced repetition (IMHO) allows them to pick up the patterns more quickly. I also review their games played and can then create their own tactical puzzle course within Chessable based on the positions they actually played and where mistakes were previously made so that they are less likely to make the same mistakes in the future. The free “Short & Sweet” opening courses on Chessable are also quite nice to introduce one to an opening. These free courses normally come with about an hour or so of free video explanation. The children have also been creating their own repertoires within the Study function on Lichess. I export these out and then import them into Chessable. Chessable then refreshes them on their lines as needed to keep them up to date.

As a final note I will say that the recent explosion of chess since The Queens Gambit has had a small disadvantage for my younger child on Lichess. Their rating is around 1500 which is the same rating as any first time user of the site. Which means they are often paired with them and then their games are entirely variable in the quality. They end up playing players who are often well above or are well below that rating and often end up getting very little experience out of the game for the 10-30 minutes they've likely invested.

Anyway, best of luck out there. And develop with tempo.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Angst »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:58 pm I haven't played chess in more years than I care to remember. Watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix has rekindled an interest to play chess. Recently retired, this is a good time to jump back in. Everything I need is online.
I have the book lined up to read next.

Here's a fun fact for Boglehead chess enthusiasts:
Rex Sinquefield is a chief benefactor of the World Chess Hall of Fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Hall_of_Fame
https://saintlouischessclub.org/blog/rex-sinquefield-founder-saint-louis-chess-club
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by camden »

I had a great uncle who was a chess grandmaster, active in national and international competition from the ‘30s through the ‘50s and in senior tournaments into the ‘60s. Knew him only casually as a youngster, and he never served as a teacher of the game, but I started to play because of him. I discovered to my chagrin by the time I reached my mid ‘20s the undeniable fact that I was the world's worst chess player. Everyone beat me, literally everyone, including people who could not beat anyone else. The sad fact is, whatever talent or combination of talents it takes to be good at that game, I ain’t got it (them). Kudos to those who do, for it is a fascinating game.

Side story about my great uncle; in a tournament the late 1950s, he played (and was beaten by) a 14 year old Bobby Fischer. He came home and told his wife about it, her expecting him to be annoyed at losing to someone so young. Instead he told her “No disgrace there; that kid is the best chess player I have ever faced”.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

Brianmcg321 wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:47 am
LadyGeek wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:34 am ...Why can't computers beat humans? That question hasn't been answered since computers started playing chess.
Didn’t Deep Blue beat Kasparov in 1997?
I stand corrected. Perhaps the question should be "Why can't humans consistently beat computers?"

From Wikipedia: Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov
Deep Blue's win was seen as symbolically significant, a sign that artificial intelligence was catching up to human intelligence, and could defeat one of humanity's great intellectual champions.[2] Later analysis tended to play down Kasparov's loss as a result of uncharacteristically bad play on Kasparov's part, and play down the intellectual value of chess as a game that can be defeated by brute force.[3][4]

... Today you can buy a chess engine for your laptop that will beat Deep Blue quite easily."[5]
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by lightheir »

LadyGeek wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 7:34 am I should mention that it took me several days to get Scid vs. PC configured. It's a great learning experience. Not only for chess terminology, but understanding how computers analyze performance and predict moves.

From what I understand, it's the same as investing - Prior performance can predict future performance. :wink:

Load in a database that contains every game played since the start of time and use those statistics to predict what the next move will be.

The Caissabase database contains 4.2 million games (really) and the Stockfish 12 chess engine incorporates the rules.

Why can't computers beat humans? That question hasn't been answered since computers started playing chess.

FYI - lichess.org uses the Stockfish 12 engine.
Forget SCID on PC. It's too annoying to use and the interface is super outdated.

Just use lichess for everything. You can do all the analysis and markups of games you want, pull from databases easily, and have Stockfish engine analysis every time. On any platform with a web browser. Unless you don't have an internet connection, there is no longer any reason to use SCID. (I used it a lot back in the day - I'd go so far as to say if you're that committed to installing SCID, suck it up and drop $60 on the FAR superior Fritz commercial program by chessbase which will save you tons of time if you become a serious player. But lichess is all you need!)
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by retired recently »

Bughouse was mentioned upthread. My son is a decent chess player but he and his friend play bughouse quite often now. It is possible to play online which works well given Covid shutdowns. He plays most evenings and comments on how he plays Russians, Israelis, Chinese, etc.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Coburn »

Hmmm...chess. Last time I played was back in late-80s when I was in college. Last tournament was in Marshall Chess Club (in NYC)...are they still around? :)
ObliviousInvestor wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:55 pm For anybody just getting started learning about chess strategy, I can't say enough good things about John Bartholomew's "Chess Fundamentals" series. Following it up with his "Climbing the Rating Ladder" series is a great idea.
Bartholomew is very enjoyable to follow...his strong positional style is more my taste than Eric Rosen or GothamChess, both of whom play much more tactically.

1.d4 or c4...along with Nf3 are my weapons of choice. Last time I played e4 was in college.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by tm3 »

LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 6:11 pm
Right now, I'm wondering - what moves should I make to open? Now I see why opening moves are studied in great detail - my next step (as KlangFool succinctly notes).
Great info, thanks for posting! I hate online play but right now it is the only choice and I may get motivated enough to try the software you recommend.

TIFWIW, but the chess coach I worked with eons ago told me that by far the most important study is tactics however most students make the mistake of spending most of their time on openings. My goal was to learn only 3 openings but to learn them well -- one for when I was white (Torre), one as a response to d4 (King's Indian), and one as a response to e4 (Pirc). A good way to practice tactics is the free www site ChessTempo.

Good luck!
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by sean.mcgrath »

Hi LG,

If you want puzzles on the go, I love ChessTactics on my iPhone. If you also install SmallFish (a lightweight StockFish), you can analyze them as well.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Elysium »

Couple of things:

I was in the circuit, almost every weekend, knew every major player's style and what they played. I have played, was rated, won, lost, knew all about openings, tactics, strategies, style, traveled internationally for tournaments, personally know some of the names listed above (including titled players), now that life is behind me, so to speak. I don't like to talk about it very much.

For beginners, best focus on learning tactics, than openings. Learn basic opening styles like d4-d5 or e4-e5 and the basic traps. If you just want to play something easy and force opponents to play to your style, then play the London system (1.d4-d5 followed by 2.Bf4). Once you are past the basic traps in openings in either of these styles then focus on improving tactics and end games than openings. Heavy theory, openings, engine analysis, and long lines are for advanced players. Class A and above. One can easily go from novice to Class D, in a few months, from there it's a grind.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by tc101 »

Before the virus I was going to local chess clubs. They are all shut down now, but as soon as enough people get vaccinated they will start meeting again.

I enjoy the face to face interaction over a physical chess board much more than playing online. I met lots of fun people at the chess clubs and sometimes would drop by even if I didn't feel like playing, just to socialize.
. | The most important thing you should know about me is that I am not an expert.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by LadyGeek »

lightheir wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:13 am ...Forget SCID on PC. It's too annoying to use and the interface is super outdated.

Just use lichess for everything. You can do all the analysis and markups of games you want, pull from databases easily, and have Stockfish engine analysis every time. On any platform with a web browser. Unless you don't have an internet connection, there is no longer any reason to use SCID. (I used it a lot back in the day - I'd go so far as to say if you're that committed to installing SCID, suck it up and drop $60 on the FAR superior Fritz commercial program by chessbase which will save you tons of time if you become a serious player. But lichess is all you need!)
My background is engineering. I installed Scid because I saw "free and open source" as a software challenge and a way to learn. You are absolutely correct. Now that the initial rush is over, I'm more interesting in playing the game than using the software.

lichess certainly meets my needs now. If I want to get serious later, there are a ton of options open to me. Small steps, focus...

FYI - I'm reading everyone's posts and will jump on recommended sites when I'm ready.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by jpasc »

I played with friends and occasional tournaments in high school and weekly club tournaments and occasional larger tournaments in the 2nd half of the 1990's. I was a decent amateur player, good enough to give the master level players at my club a decent game much of the time and occasionally snag a win or draw from them. I played on the Internet Chess Club for a couple years in the early 2000's but haven't played much or paid much attention to chess news since. I occasionally play a game on my tablet only to confirm how rusty I have become.

I can claim to have beaten two US champions and have it be only a minor embellishment. =) Once of the kids at my regular club way back when would go on to become a US Cadet co champion and I played a young woman on an excursion to a Manhattan Chess Club weekend tournament who would become a US Women's co champion years later.

camden, I am fascinated by the story of your great uncle. One of my best friends lost a tournament game to Hikaru Nakamura back when Hikaru was 8 or 9 (we were in our mid 20's.) Many years later he mentioned how annoyed he was by that loss and I had to point out to him that kid went on to become one of the best chess players in the world.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Artful Dodger »

Angst wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:13 am
LadyGeek wrote: Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:58 pm I haven't played chess in more years than I care to remember. Watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix has rekindled an interest to play chess. Recently retired, this is a good time to jump back in. Everything I need is online.
I have the book lined up to read next.

Here's a fun fact for Boglehead chess enthusiasts:
Rex Sinquefield is a chief benefactor of the World Chess Hall of Fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Hall_of_Fame
https://saintlouischessclub.org/blog/rex-sinquefield-founder-saint-louis-chess-club
I visited The Chess Hall of Fame a year or so ago when they sponsored an MC Escher exhibition. Rex was also in attendance and we spoke briefly.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by willthrill81 »

I too gave up on chess.com years ago. There were too many annoying aspects of the site that had nothing to do with playing chess.

Last year, I started playing on lichess.org and have really enjoyed it.

Still, I really miss Sierra's Power Chess 98 from years ago. It had an opponent, the 'King', who adapted to your strength. As your strength increased, so did the King's. And there was voice annotation of your games with the King by the strongest opponent in the game, the 'Queen'. I've never come across anything else nearly as good as it was.
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by Raraculus »

Artful Dodger wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:33 amI visited The Chess Hall of Fame a year or so ago when they sponsored an MC Escher exhibition.
The one in St. Louis? Is it any good?

The Chess Hall of Fame used to be located in Miami. Wish I've visited there back then!
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Re: Let's play chess

Post by abuss368 »

My father in law gets out his chess board and loves it. Retired and he is very good.

I have not learned the game but it has grabbed my interest.

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Re: Let's play chess

Post by rockstar »

I play on chess.com daily and do puzzles daily.

Lots of good YouTube and Twitch channels for chess.
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