Get better at chess

... a real one this time (ie: not software)! It has wizards for the bishops, dragons (each with dragon eggs) for the knights. The rooks are thin, tall model castles. The pawns are trolls on one side, and crouching gargoyles with clubs on the other. The two kings and queens are beautiful too.

I bought it about a year ago although I never played chess at the time. I actually decided against buying it when I first saw it in the shop window. Then I spent the night regretting that & woke up still thinking about it. I phoned the shop to check that there were still some available, went straight out & bought it.

At the time I ached to use it. I bought 3 books about chess intending to study the game but found that lack of time prevented me from following the interest then. After a few weeks without any follow up the urge faded. I felt saddened by that as I believe in following strong passions toward things – I find I learn a lot when I’m driven.

That chess set has been on display in my home ever since, though sadly never used for an actual game. With my newly re-awoken interest in the game I’m hoping that my chess set will at last be used! :)

... though until very recently it was in the “one day I will” category. I’ve known the basic rules of chess since I was a child & I played some games then but never really got into it. As an adult that seems to surprise a lot of people as, so they say, “but you are just that sort of person…”

About a week ago, inspired by a chess-loving friend of mine, I decided that now was the time. I searched online and found Chessmaster Challenge, though it was only a 60 minute demo. Never the less it was exactly what I was after & I loved it. I wanted more. I found that by downloading that software from different places I could have more 60 minute demos!

I was on my fourth time through the Chessmaster Challenge demo when I happened, for other reasons, to visit PC World & found a chess program, apparently different, and bought it (Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition). It turned out to be the same software but with a lot of extra stuff than the online edition contained.

I am totally hooked. I’m working through the tutorials and doing the chess puzzles in the software. I love the puzzles more than the full games at the moment. The puzzles involve a chessboard with a game at some point during play. You are instructed to, for example, get checkmate in 2 moves, or recognise & avoid the imminent checkmate, and so on. There are also lots of exercises in the tutorials to practice attacking, defending, seeing ahead, starting the game, and so on.

Is this the start of a new, lifelong hobby? Maybe. Right now it feels that way. :)