Thread: Chess

Anyone here play chess, either for fun or competitively? Seems like chess would be the perfect hobby for comp programmers, lots of logic and creativity. Anyone here rated in the USCF or FIDE? Me, I love to go to chess tournaments and have a USCF rating of 1850, won a few small prize tourneys, but still waiting to win my first huge prize. Came close twice, second place by 1/2 a point both times! Oh, and playing on the internet is fun too!

Your in denver??? mile high city? I live in boulder.

I like to play chess, but I've been taking the last few months "off". I haven't played in a tournament for about three months. (My rating, too, is in the mid 1800s.) I've found chess to be important because it gives me a microcosm of the world which is easier to understand but which contains abstractions that help clarify life. (For instance, you can see the diferences in thought patterns which lead to strategic play or tactical play; you can see a lot of important psychology points; if you look at grandmaster play, you can see the way their styles relate to each other in terms of being good at doing X or Y, and how those players matched up with each other.) It's very much the same as any hobby, in this way, I imagine; but I think chess is particularly good because of its rich history and innate complexity.

I completely agree webmaster, what tourneys have you been in? Any big ones? Biggest ones for me have been the Chicago Open and recently the Levy Memorial in Denver.

And ethic, you're too impatient for chess but will play Monopoly?? Try blitz chess, VERY popular on the internet. Have to make all of your moves in 1, 3, or 5 minutes. Ruins my chess game, but people love it!

Your in denver??? mile high city? I live in boulder

Muttski, I moved here about 5 months ago, live in Northern Lakewood. Do you go to school here or work?

I am close to becoming a National Master. I am rated 2100-2200 blitz, 2100-2200 standard, 2200-2300 lightning, and roughly 2100-2200 for variants such as wild and crazyhouse. This next summer/fall I will be playing full time in national competitions to secure my official national master title, such as the World Open, National Open, Foxwood Open, and many of the regional events, specifically south, and southeast.

If you are looking to play on the internet, come to www.chess.net You will find me as PREVAIL

Playing on ICC is a complete waste of money. Play where chess is free.

I play (noncompetitively + infrequently), but I move rather quickly. I would never last in a tournament. I would get too bored at everyone taking so long and would just quit.

I used to play chess in my school times, and I enjoyed it and won some interschool tourneys too. But now, I have a phobia for this game, just don't have patience to sit so long and you also got to think a lot, which is something I refrain from.

I'm not a tournament boy, but I'm sure I can give chess champions a hard time.

Yes, Topics should never, ever be revisited....

You failed to mention your rating and your titles.. do tell.

I'd love to get to the master level, but to get over the 2000 hump takes LOTS of study and playing time, time I don't have at the moment! Plus, unless one plays tournaments all the time, rating points increase SOOOOO slowly, especially since I started out so low at 1200. I do love the look on a 2000+'s face when they see that they are losing to me, a lowly 1800 I use ICC extensively though. I love all their features including coverage of the major chess events in the world, have different ratings for standard, blitz, bullet, all the wilds etc, the fact that they kick people out who are abusive or frequent disconnectors, AND have programs set up that check to see if you have a chess playing program running in the background. Of course I get ICC for free, that helps... I've only looked at chess.net briefly, blackwyvern does it come with most of the above?