Playing chess online helps you track your level of expertise
One of the major beneficiaries of the technological advancements, especially in the sports arena, should be none other than the ancient game of Chess.
The game of chess, also referred to as a War Game, or the King of Games, was first played way back in the 6th Century A.D in India and was spread to other countries across the world. By 1475, the game gained much popularity and attracted the interest of the intellectuals and the common people. Since 1900, the game got professional recognition and World Championships are regularly held then.
The advancement of technology in the form of computers and the World Wide Web has made this noble game more popular.
With the development of online chess, it is easy for any person, having a little knowledge about the game and the passion for the game, to learn the game, practice the game and master the intricate skills of the game with the help of a personal computer.
He no longer need to go out searching for a partner to play a game of chess. He can sit in front of his personal computer, visit the online chess site, select the partner and start playing the game.
There are other benefits of playing chess online.
Many websites come up with a unique way of calculating the level of your expertise in the game. All you have to do is to honestly reveal as to which category you belong to. If you are a novice or a beginner, you can disclose the same. If you are an expert you can declare yourself so.
Depending upon the level of your skill set as perceived and disclosed by you, the online chess site assigns you a basic rating, something like a rating of 1000 or 750, as the case may be. As a registered player with the online chess site with a rating of 1000 or 750 as the case may be, you can select a player having a similar rating and start playing the game.
If you register a win against that selected opponent, your rating will be increased by a certain number. If your manage to end with a draw, your rating will be increased by a certain number less than the number assigned for a victory. If you resign, lose or forfeit the game, then your initial rating will be deducted by a certain number.
As you increase the number of games you play online with the given rating, your level of expertise in terms of the rating will change. The more the percentage of games you register victories, the higher will be the rating.
If you grow up the ladder of rating, you will encounter stiffer battles and tough games against players with similar ratings. You have the choice to select a player with a higher rating than what was assigned to you, and if he opts to play with you, then you will be challenging a relatively skilled player. Exposure to more games and with skilled players will enhance your skill set at a relatively quicker pace. The most important thing is that you can know where you stand in terms of skill set you possess in the game.
Not only will you be able to gauge and keep track of your skill set in the game, you will get an opportunity to play with players from different countries and also interact with and exchange productive ideas on the game of chess. The online chess site provides with the facility of online private chats and this, coupled with the rating, motivates a chess player to grow up the ladder of expertise in the game of chess at a relatively faster pace.
Do you lack in confidence? – Play chess online
One of the most essential characteristics that determine the strength and character of a person is self-confidence. The more confident you feel in your mind, the happier you will be – both internally and externally, and this self-confidence in yourself will lead you to do wonderful things in life.
What has this confidence to do with the game of chess? You might be wondering.
A game of chess will help you gain in confidence and now with the advent of technology, you can have a dosage of medicine for boosting confidence whenever you feel like you want it – by playing chess online.
Of course, to qualify for this medication, the one and only requirement is that you should know the game of chess, whatever may be the level of understanding. Online chess teaches you the game in the easiest way and helps you gain expertise and skill in the game. You need not run around searching for partners to play the game or even allocating some time for this game. If you have a computer with Internet connection, that is more than enough. The latest version of Windows Vista comes pre-loaded with a game of chess, and even you can do away with the requirement of internet connection, if you prefer playing the game with the computer.
Now, let us see how the game of chess improves your level of confidence.
The game of chess, as you might have known already, is a fair game and punishes you immediately when you make a mistake. In other words, there is no possibility for outside influences such as luck or chance. The only thing that you can expect is a mistake from the opponent and this is not in your hands, any way.
As such, as a chess player, you are the master of your destiny in the game. If you make the right moves at the right time, you will gain an upper hand over the opponent. You think deeply, analyze the position, visualize the moves, devise tactics, strategies, and all such things that will help you gain advantage over the opponent. Nobody is guiding you to do so and you do all these things. Is it not?
You are taking decisions considering the demands of the situation. If your decisions turn out to correct one and the desired objective is achieved, what will you feel about yourself?
Suppose, if your plans or tactics did not materialize as the opponent nullifies the plan with a smart move, do you feel dejected and kill yourself? No. You get back with better plans and come with more strength and vigor. Is it not?
What do all these things do to your mind and the confidence? Do you not feel satisfied when your plans turn out to bear fruits and you say “checkmate” to the opponent? Will not your mental strength be challenged when your tactics fail and motivate you further to come up with better and effective moves in the game?
All these things end up in boosting your confidence largely. Is it not? As the decisions were taken by you and executed by you, will not your self-belief get a boost?
One of the primary culprits that affect confidence is lack of belief in yourself. Will a game of chess not instill confidence in yourself?
The traits such as confidence, analytical thinking and visualization are developed as you continue to play the game at regular intervals. Not only will your expertise on the game gain a lift, but your life will also be much better as you will be taking the wise decisions when faced with challenges in real life.
Now, with online chess, whenever you want to relax, just start playing chess online and get the required boost to your confidence and self-belief.
Chess cultivates the habit of fearlessness
The one game that has universal acceptance and speaks a universal language is the game of chess. It is for this reason the noble game of chess is referred to as King of Games.
What has the game of chess to do with fearlessness? In what way, the game helps us cultivate the habit of fearlessness?
Read on.
Chess is a board game played between two players. Each player is provided with 16 pieces each. The only difference is the color of the pieces. Other than that, the type of pieces and the capabilities of the pieces are the same. No player is provided with any undue advantage over the other. In other words, there exists equilibrium in the board, not only in terms of the pieces but also in terms of the space available in the board. There are eight rows in the board, also called as ranks and are referred to by numbers 1 to 8. Ranks 1 to 4 refer to the white side while the ranks 5 to 8 refer to the black side. The sixteen pieces of white are stacked in a specific order in ranks 1 and 2, while the black colored pieces are ordered in the 7th and 8th ranks. The ranks 3 and 4 belong to the white side while the ranks 5 and 6 belong to the black side. As such, there is perfect equilibrium at the start of the game.
When two players with equal pieces, equal capability and equal space fight between themselves, the normal outcome should be only a DRAW and not a victory to one over the other in its normal course. As such, one can win over the other only AND ONLY when the other player makes the mistake or a series of mistakes.
The onus lies on the players to make the right move and do not make any mistake. If you make a wrong move or a wrong calculation in tactics, then there is every possibility that the opponent seizes the opportunity and punishes you for the mistake.
When the game starts and a player makes the move, the equilibrium is disturbed slightly. When the other player responds with a move, then the parity is restored. The incremental change in the alteration of the pieces between the squares following a set of moves will be zero.
As long as you make the correct move, assess the positional factors, analyze the importance of the pieces, visualize the possible response from the opponent and plan an appropriate response, it is but natural that your move will be a correct one.
When your move is backed by logical thinking, analysis, visualization and confidence that the move is the best one in the given circumstances, where does the question of fear arises?
Fear is the outcome of lack of knowledge or poor understanding of the situation. When you are armed with the knowledge of the game, supported by your logical thinking capabilities and visualization and driven by sound decision-making techniques, where is the need for fear about the outcome of the move?
Fearlessness comes not out of bravery or show of strength to the opponent but by a clear understanding of the situation, the knowledge about the pros and cons of the situation, the analysis of the possible future consequences and all such other things. Strong conviction about the possible outcome, driven by self-confidence and understanding, thwarts fear out of the roots.
So, naturally a person playing chess and applying the invaluable traits of logical thinking, analysis, visualization and decision-making need not have fear about the consequences. As such, the game of chess teaches the virtue of fearlessness to the player.
Now, with online chess, any person who knows the game of chess and wants to learn the many invaluable traits it imparts can do so with the help of his personal computer and broadband connection.
Will playing chess help you grow the mind?
It is a universal fact that the game of Chess is a thinking game that stimulates the mind and exercises a person’s brain.
This unique characteristic or feature of the game is primarily responsible for its popularity and its acceptance all around the world, and will continue to be there as long as the humankind derives benefit from the game.
Every person is born with a brain that comes fully developed at the time of birth itself. In other words, the only part in the body that does not grow even as the child grows is the brain. According to scientists, the brain has as many as 100 billion cells or neurons in it, and by the age of six, these individual neuron cells make interconnections among themselves and as much as 1000 trillion such connections are created in the brain. How effectively you use these interconnections and apply it is what we refer to as the mind. Though often used synonymously, brain and mind are two different things and both are essential for the effective functioning.
Let us try to understand this by an example. We all know about the computer. When you say computer, you are referring to two aspects - the hardware and the software. Similarly, when you say brain – we refer to the hardware and the word “mind” is similar to the software. Without hardware, there is no work for the software, and software cannot be used without the required hardware.
Chess is a game that requires serious thinking on the part of the players. It is quite easy to learn the game of chess in a very short time. All you need to know about the game is the structure of the board, the pieces involved in the board, how to arrange the pieces, and how the pieces are moved in the board. You need to know the characteristics of the pieces and their capabilities. Then some basic rules related to castling, enpassant and such other things is all that you need to know. Any person can understand these simple things in less than a day and can start playing the game.
However, the challenge lies in playing the game and mastering the game. This is the challenge. The challenge gets more challenging when you have to decide the fate of your own game. In other words, there is no room for luck or gain. If you make a wrong move, then you have to face the consequences.
In other words, you need to think about each move before finally taking a decision to move the piece. You need to identify the strengths of your pieces and the opportunities that the board presents at any point of time, also safeguard your own pieces from threat and such related things.
All these activities of thinking, looking at the different squares, assessing the strengths, visualizing the moves and calculating the possible counter moves of the opponent – activates the connections of the neurons in the mind and put them to work. It is these connections of the neurons in the brain that make you think and act. Putting those interconnections to work every time you think results in exercising the neurons and their interconnections – is it not?
As such, when you put your interconnections in the brain to work and make them exercise, then it is obvious that these neurons or the interconnections get stronger. While the physical part of the brain does not grow any more, the mind – which refers to the interconnections between the neurons in the brain – gets exercised and strengthened. They indeed grow depending upon the amount of exercise you give to these interconnections.
A person’s mind definitely grows when put to work and exercise. Chess does that exactly and your neurons are put to work. But the interesting aspect is that in the game of chess, you do not know that you are actually exercising your mind or the brain. What you know is that you are having fun, excitement and relaxation while playing chess.
One more benefit of playing chess is that this constant and rigorous exercise to the brain and the mind makes you mentally stronger and you can totally avoid diseases such as Alzheimer or dementia.
You find sportsmen looking in great shape even after they have stopped playing their favorite game long ago. That is possible because of the strength of their physical body and the exercises they put in during their prime years. Similarly, a chess player, having put his brain and mind to rigorous exercises, can have a very strong mental capability and sharpness even in his old age.
This concludes that the game of chess definitely grows the mind, nurtures it and exercises it regularly.
Useful lessons for life from Chess
I often used to ponder what is the reason for the popularity of this board game called Chess, which is said to have been played by people across the world since the 6th Century A.D. More than 1400 years is quite a long time and still this game appeals to many in the world. The advent of technology and the super computer challenging human brain in the game of chess also amuses me quite a lot.
Now, people having interest in the game can seek the help of a personal computer with internet connection instead of a partner for playing chess online. The concept of online chess has captured the attention of the people as is evident from the number of websites vying to offer this exciting game over the Internet.
What is it in the game of chess that makes it stand apart from other games? Why is this game called as the King of Games by knowledgeable people?
Well the game of chess mirrors the life in many ways. The situations which one face in life and encounter the same and the situations on the board are more or less similar and can be compared. If you make a wrong move in the board, then you are bound to face the consequences of the same. If you do not plan a move and act in haste, then you are liable to lose a piece, an advantage, or the game itself.
If you take your life, a small mistake, an error of judgment or a miscalculation, be it in spending money without planning, choosing a life partner in a bar, or building a home with borrowed money – whatever may be the case, done without proper planning or thinking and due to passion, anger or haste, will result in bad consequences.
In that context, both chess and life have more similarities. Though categorized as just a game played for fun and excitement, the game of chess has a number of salient features that help us learn a number of good things useful for life.
The game helps in teaching us a useful virtue of analyzing. When a player sits across the board, before making his move, he has to have a close look at the board, the position of the pieces and the strengths and weaknesses of the squares, squares that need to be protected, squares that can be occupied and the squares that can be attacked. Only after getting a picture of the situation, he decides to move the piece. This habit of assessing the situation before deciding to act is a very important and useful trait, which will help us in meeting situations at life. Our mind will get tuned to look around, assess the situation, consider the options and then act, thus putting a lid on our tendency to take hasty decisions.
As a corollary to the virtue of analyzing, one more important virtue can also be learnt from the game of chess. That is related to planning. After looking at the board and analyzing the situation and just before making the move, one has to visualize the consequences of the move, and also the possible response from the opponent. The player should have a plan of action aimed at cornering the opponent’s King and should strive to take control over the square, occupy strategic positions and then launch the attack. All these things need planning – what piece to move, how to counter the move, which one to capture, which one should be sacrificed to gain positional advantage – all these things need to be analyzed , visualized and then executed for success.
In the life also, one needs to plan wisely. He has to decide which subject should be taken up for specialization, what university of school should he decide to enroll himself and how to achieve his objective. A decision on the academic career taken out of passion or haste, lured by what the other person did, might end up in a wrong decision and ultimately ruin your life. So, one need to carefully plan and take wise decisions. It is in this context the game of chess comes to rescue. The game teaches you to consider all possible options before deciding, and calls for careful and thoughtful planning.
Chess Links
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- Endgame Lessons From Game Twelve of the 2010
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 9
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 8
- 12 chess tactics and how to use those to gain advantage – Part 7