Chess Board Games

I mean, a website dedicated to chess matches between programs (everyone uses a program to play). I would like a website like this since it would help me to know if my chess program is good or not.

http://www.playchess.de/
With this website you can play in tournaments or single games where the use of a program to assist you is allowed. There are other options available so make sure you chose the right one.

http://loirechecs.chez-alice.fr/chesswar/
And this one, which takes out the human element. You don't play using a chess program, the program plays for itself. Not easy to set up unless you know what you are doing.

How to Win at Chess
By Stephen Condren

This article is intended for anyone that desires to improve his or her game of chess. It is clearly not the aim of this article to show you how to be the greatest chess player in the world or how to get your rating over 2000. If you want to win at chess just follow what I say in this letter and you will attain significant results.

First I suggest that you buy or borrow a book entitled "A primer of Chess" by Capablanca. It is my opinion that Capablanca (Capa) was the greatest chess player in history. Read it three times cover to cover.

It is imperative that you gain control of the center of the board and keep it. If you do not the game is lost. Make sure that before you touch any piece that you look at the next move that each adjacent piece will make contingent on the piece that you move and where you move it. No one can keep their eye and mind all over the board. If you try you will expend too much energy and grow tired by trying to second guess all of your opponents moves. Focus on the next move and its impact on adjacent pieces.

As you bring out your pieces (pawns are not pieces) make sure that you only move the piece once. Make sure that every move you make is a single move for each piece until all the pieces are out, and then castle. Try and have all of the piece out and castled by the eighth move and no later than the tenth. If this is the only piece of advice that you heed you will find that your game performance will be up 50%.

Now when it comes to taking pieces always go for the exchange. The rule is exchange knights first then bishops. This is the reason why and few people ever explain this. Knights are at their best when the board is filled with pawns and pieces because it is oafish in movement. It is extremely clumsy and awkward but on a cluttered board its power is greater than that of a queen! (See "The Immortal" a chess game played in 1851 by Adolf Anderssen where he sacrifices his queen in order to secure checkmate with a knight!) No other piece has the ability to jump over pieces like the knight does. It is this unique quality that makes the knight most effective during the start of the game, when the board is cluttered. As the board clears and it becomes open the knights lose their power in proportion to the bishops gaining. That is why bishops are valued more, because they are used later in the game. It is impossible to escape the wrath of the bishops on an open board; they are like ray guns perpetually shooting at you.

When the chance comes to exchange pieces do so and of course take any stray piece that is offered to you. Your goal is to clear the board so that you can march the pawns. That is the true secret to the game of chess.

The king and pawns are what the game of chess is all about not the pieces, however, everyone else thinks just the oppositely. Most people do not care if they lose a pawn or two, as long as they have their piece. This is where you can gain tremendous ground. Let your opponent exchange and when he or she does try and make the exchange move so that the pawn is moved closer to the center of the board. Also, try and prevent the pawns from doubling up (stacked) this may cost you the game.

When you can, try and exchange the queens. Almost everyone hates to exchange their queen but do it. It is in your favor because your opponent feels weaker (and there is no substance to support that) and you can then more quickly with the advancement of your pawns.

Now is the time to close in on your win. Move your king close to the middle pawns and keep the king in front of the pawns. Do not let the opponent's king get in front of your advancing pawns. This is especially true if there is only one pawn and it is yours. If the opponent's king is ever able to get in front of your single pawn and it is near the center of the board your will not win. Keep the king at the center and in front of your pawns at all times.

Finally, as you advance your pawns make sure that the squares that are adjacent to your king's are always three in a row. In other works the side of the king take 3 spaces and the other king is not able to approach those spots. Use that space as an aisle to advance your pawn to queen. Your opponent will have no ability to stop the queening of your pawn.

Warning. It is always advisable after you have queened your pawn to keep checking your opponent's king as you move in on the mate because often the game ends up as a stale mate due to your opponent's king not being able to move and yet not being in check. This is a very common mistake.

With this advise you will find that your game is much improved. Enjoy.

I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago in Hyde Park Township, near the University of Chicago. As I child I was always drawing and painting. My father owned an art supply company, Favor Ruhl & Watson, where I was able to get all that I need to progress in my work.

I have always enjoyed portraiture and landscape. In High School (Naperville Central High School) I took Drafting from Mr. Pierce. I quickly grasped the principles of perspective and hence made a career with both Fine Art and Architectural Renderings.

In the mid 1970's I had joined the US Navy and was stationed on the USS Midway, CV-41. The Midway was home ported in Yokosuka, Japan (A suburb of Tokyo). While in service we traveled all over Asia including such countries as Korea, China, Philipines, Singapore, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Japan.

While in Japan I learned Japanese. I speak German and Spanish as well.

I am a lover of Philosophy and Opera. I admire the works of Immanuel Kant and Fredrich Nietzsche. In music I admire the works of Mozart and Wagner.

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Summer its on the way out—- The cool autumn winds along with the beautiful colored leaves falling may start you yearning for a cozier warmer decor. Plus, we all know how quickly fall will turn into winter, with its cold and snowy forecast. Yes, it is definitely time to warm the place up

Early fall is the perfect time to start warming up your homes decor. With the holidays pending, and all the added hoopla that accompanies them, it's wise to get started early. You might be surprised with just a few simple changes your home can become a warm and inviting atmosphere for your family and friends to enjoy.

When it comes to making a home feel warm and cozy, all homes are not created equal? With the many styles of homes our there, the newer homes with their cavernous great rooms, and vaulted ceilings are more challenging, and can pose problems when it comes to making them feel warm and cozy.

To get started, divide the room into several smaller groupings, using furniture groupings to make areas inviting, and geared to a given purpose, such as an area in front of a fireplace, to sit and enjoy conversation, along with the warm fire. Another great area grouping, add a book shelve to a corner along with comfy chair for read a good book. Also, perhaps an area with a small game table, and a few high backed chairs, for having a challenging game of chess.

Wall color in a room can make all the difference. Darker colors tend to warm up a lager room. Wall paper with larger patterns will also make the room take on a warmer feeling. Moldings should be substantial, and a bit ornate, this will give the elusion that the ceiling is lower, and also adds a very well built sturdiness to a home.

Furniture should be large, small pieces will take on a dwarf out of place look in a large room. Use wonderful upholstered sofas and chairs, covered heavy tapestries, velvets or other heavy fabrics. When it comes to wood, I am an advocate of mixing wood tones. In a larger room if you choose to use glass tables, please make sure they are large, and incorporate ornate wood in there design. The same with the use of mirrors; make sure they have an interesting wood used in the design, and that they are again large and give the elution of heaviness. Include tall bookcases or entertainment centers. These pieces are not only useful to store electronic components, but will add charm to the room.

The larger spaces love accessories and plants. Large spaces will accommodate the wonderful larger pieces of art, along with the larger nick narks. Potted trees and plants are also a must. For scale, when choosing plants and trees make sure to match the scale of a tall ceiling.

Another wonderful tip to make that large room take on a cozier feel, create small room dividers. This can be done by using larger pieces, such as book shelves, screens, a grouping of plants. Experiment, you might be surprised at what allusions you can create.

Let us move on to homes that are more diverse in style. Homes that have rooms that are well separated, such as living room dinning room and such, these homes are somewhat easier to deal with when it comes to making them warm and cozy for the winter months. Let's start with throw pillows, and throws. Throw pillows and throws are an instant warmer upper. Just choose fabrics such as velvets, mohair or chenille, keep in the warm in tone. Also keep in mind the colors of your furniture when choosing. Before shopping consult a color wheel. A color wheel will provide you on just the right warm tones to match your furniture. Bring in some of the fall foliage, bitter sweet, pine cones in a bowl, use your imagination. Bare dried sticks can make a statement if done up in the right vase. Stack some logs by the fireplace in an oversized basket. When using a throw, make it a show piece, thrown just right over that comfy chair. Wonderful darker texture rugs are a must. Layering rugs is also a good way to add texture and warmth to a room, also if you have a wonderful rug that you feel is more than a rug hang it up and display it on just the right wall.

It's always great to change up drapes in the winter; darker heavy textured drapes will instance warmth. So you say your furniture is light, and just can't pull off winter warmth with new pillows. Invest in slip covers. There are lovely slip covers out there.

If possible move that furniture around a bit. Get a chair or two closer to the fire side. Add a table with a good book, and some family photo's. What could be greater than the fire and good memories of times gone by? Decrease glare, soften up your rooms lighting, iridescent bulbs are great for this. Better yet bring in the candles. Candles in wonderful copper or brass holders will really add just the right flare, plus if the candles are a bit scented with vanilla, pine, spice, it will be oh so nice… Candles place near mirrors give a magical effect.

Having guests in for the holidays? Want to make it a visit they won't soon forget? Pamper your holiday guests, make sure their linens and towels are fresh daily, and placed in their room. Don't forget to splash linens and towels with a bit fragrance. Add to the night stand a basket of goodies, such as hand made soap, guest shampoos, talc, and use your imagination. Don't forget to add a little edible goody each night, to send them off to sleep with a little sweet treat.

As you can see it really isn't difficult to add small inexpensive touches to your home. Look for touches that will not only warm up the decor, but warm the hearts of everyone that lives in or visits your home.

No one knows how the game of Chess began. It is not clear whether one person invented it, or whether several different board games gradually merged into one. Indoor board games have been played for millenniums, but the game Chaturanga, linked to modern-day Chess can be traced back to seventh-century India. Its roots probably go back further. The game may even have emerged from a religious ceremony held in order to divine the balance between good and evil. Since it's so hard to draw exact conclusions from such sparse evidence, we may never know for sure where Chess really originated. Regardless of where it originated, chess is the most enjoyable board game that gentlemen can play. The use of strategy to make and plan moves is loved by many.

From India, Chess spread quickly to Persia (present-day Iran), and after the Arabian conquest, it reached the Arab world. Chaturanga now renamed Shatranj, thrived in the "Golden Age of Islam" between the eight and the eleventh century. The Arabs were great mathematicians, and the numerical nature of Chess complemented their scientific interests. Chess arrived in Europe by a variety of different trade routes and by the early invasions of Spain and Sicily. The Vikings took Chess farther westward, and by the beginning of the eleventh century, Chess was already well known across Europe.

In a short span of time, Chess became the most popular board game in Europe. A very interesting set of chess pieces called the Isle Lewis chess set was found at Nig, in the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The Isle Lewis chess set dates back to about the twelfth century. The Isle Lewis chess set forms the oldest surviving complete Chess set. The Isle Lewis chess set pieces are usually carved from walrus ivory and depict characters in a variety of bad moods, from rage to gloom. The backs are carved with elaborate interlacing designs like those on the reverse of the old Tarot cards. The Queens rest their cheeks on their right hands, the Kings have swords laid across their laps, while the Bishops are mitered and are seated. The contemporary Isle Lewis chess set is a collection of all chess pieces you need to play a game of Chess.

Many a debate has been settled with the playing of the game. Chess uses advanced strategies in order to plan your moves ahead of time. Without this planning, it is easy to loose a game of chess rather quickly.

Chess Computers Electronic Games Digital Boards Sets Advanced Travel Chess Computer CH04 Expert Travel Chess Computer CH06 Novag Star Ruby 1023 Kingmaster III 911E-3 Mephisto Talking Chess Trainer CT04 Chess Explorer CT09 Ivan II 712 King Arthur Deluxe 915W Chess Challenger CT05 Mephisto Talking Chess Academy CT06 Excalibur Grandmaster 747K Mephisto Master CT07 Novag Citrine Model 1032 DGT Excalibur Fidelity Mephisto Novag Saitek

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Battle Chess - A Computer Chess Game, Not For The Faint Of Heart
By Mike Hirn

Battle Chess is a computer game version of chess released for the 3DO, PC, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, Amiga, Amiga CDTV, CD32, AtariST, Apple Macintosh, Acorn Archimedes, and the Nintendo Entertainment System. Developed by Interlay Productions, Inc., the game was designed to draw people who did not normally play chess.

Battle Chess elevates the game beyond a mere cerebral one and into a full-fledged war with riveting graphics and animations that bring each piece to life. The objective is the same as the board game version--to capture enemy pieces and finally the King.

The animations are extremely entertaining and clever. The Bishop fights opponents by using magic and twirling a staff with retractable blades that resemble a martial arts expert. The Pawn performs wizardry and hits the ground with the butt of his lance that creates a large hole large enough to swallow the Bishop. The Queen uses magic to capture opponents, and also blasts them to pieces using bolts of energy. In one animated sequence, the Queen decimates the opposing Knight and blasts the Bishop with such force that only his skeleton remains!

The others have moments of glory too, and the Queen does not always dominate. For example, when the Queen throws her energy bolt at the Knight, the Knight can in turn use his shield to redirect the bolt back at the Queen and turn her into a small dragon. The Rook transforms himself into a large rock monster and attacks the Queen, swallowing her whole. The Rook also reduces the Knight to a helmet with feet by pounding the Knight's head.

The King also has a bag of dirty tricks. He takes a gun against the Bishop, strikes down the Rook with magic powder, and hurls a bomb at the Knight. When capturing the Queen, he embraces her passionately before hitting her with his scepter when she tries to stab him in the back with a knife.

When defeated, the King ends up resembling a deflated two-dimensional cartoon character. The Knight cuts open the King's robe, and pounds him into a two dimensional version of himself that looks as though he has been run over by a steam roller. The Pawn, with a flip of his lance, then takes the King's crown for himself as the King pounds the ground in frustration.

Battle chess attracted a large number of imitators but none matched the humorous animation of artists Todd Camasta and Bruce Schlickbernd. The game can be played with 3D animation, and there is also a version in 2D with no animation. There are a total of 30,000 different moves in the game's library. It can be played across 10 levels of increasing difficulty. The game can be played with a human opponent or against the computer. Another entertaining option is watching the computer play against itself.

For more information about chess strategies and playing tips visit http://www.chessmovespro.com

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