Game Of Chess

[#1]

I love the odd game of chess but this is way out of my depth.

[#2]

Nope, not for me thanks i was never any good at it. That and i wasn't actually taught how to play it..

[#3]

No expert myself @7up I taught myself. I have one friend that I kept in touch with from the school days years ago. As teens we were always playing it whenever we got the chance. Almost 30 year on and when we do happen to meet up which is very rare the game of chess is an absolute ritual. To this day we draw pretty much lol

[#4]

A 'friend', back in my school days boasted that he could play two people at chess at the same time and guarantee to win at least one of the games. His bluff was called.

He sat between two desks with a board on each and the opposing players the other side of each desk. He insisted 'to be fair' that one of the other players took the first move, Then all he did was to copy that move onto the other board and when that opponent replied he copied that back to the first board.

Can't believe he thought he could get away with it

[#5]

I like chess but play poorly.

I played a couple of games against a manager at my last place of work.

He knew all the opening gambits and won both games easily.

I used to sit in the college library and watch games being played on a large magnetic board fixed to the back wall.

I never took part, they were clearly way above my level.

[#6]

It's weird for me because my school friend is the only one I can still play it with. No one else I know likes it. I tried playing it on the computer but the 2D just kills it for me. I can only play it with an actual board and pieces.

[#7]

@Steve

I haven't met anyone else who plays it for years. I liked to play for fun, though, as I was never much good.

[#8]

People I have played against play pro-actively, thinking 2 or 3 moves ahead.

I play reactively and tend to play catch-up which is no good.

[#9]

Maybe we should meet up @Mav I will bring the refreshments. When we were young we were very competitive but now we are adults and all the years later it is more just like a fun ritual. Weird thing is he says he can't play it either as no one he knows likes it!! think it is true as well as his skills have not sharpened and I know he feels the same about me lol

[#10]

My uncle used to play 'professionally', in as much as he played a lot of tournaments. He also ran a couple of clubs. He had many trophies etc. He taught me to play. I enjoyed the game but what spoilt it for me was that a twelve year old lad doesn't want to spend all weekend playing one game of chess.

[#11]

Remember those days at the end of term when you could bring games into school?

On one such occasion a friend taught me the basics of chess, in a very effective way. He asked me to make any move I liked, and each time he would say whether it was a valid move, and correct it if it wasn't.

By the end of the afternoon I knew the moves and the rules, and have played, not terribly well, ever since.

SWMBO is about the same standard, and there's a board permanently set up in the lounge. We make a move in spare moments when in the vicinity, and most games last about a week!

[#12]

Chess is easy to learn, but difficult to play well.

I bought my eldest grandson a chess set last year and we have the occasional game but I don't suppose it will be long before he'll be wiping the floor with this cobweb brained old fogey. Years back I often played it with my much younger brother - and by the time he was nine I rarely if ever beat him. 

[#13]

What kind of board do you have @198kHz I know you can get some right beautiful ones.

[#14]

@Steve   From an aesthetic point of view, my favourite set is a stone Lewis one, which we bought in the late 90s from Toberymory, Isle of Mull. Not easy to bring home, as we were on an SYHA/public transport holiday, and the board is 16½" square and weighs 3·2 kg.

 Back in the early 70s we bought a 16" nice solid wooden board with pieces in 16th century style. The pieces must be in the house somewhere, and we usually use the board with new wooden Staunton pieces. The non-Staunton pieces can be pleasant to look at, but we're always mixing up kings & queens and bishops & rooks.

The photo seems to have had a foreshortening effect, but the king is actually 3" high.

 

 In a cupboard somewhere there's a smaller (12" ?) glass set I picked up for a song at a roup (auction) many years ago when we lived in Moray. Looked to be unused in original packaging.

[#15]

Very nice @198kHz especially the stone one. You can get some beautiful chess sets and although I wouldn't play on one they do make fantastic centre pieces in Dining areas or Conservatories. What is the piece in the bottom photo? it looks like metal?