Any chess players?

[LeafErikson]

I played some around the age of 6-10 at the Atlanta chess club and in scholastic chess tournaments. I wasn’t great and I think the highest USCF rating I had was around 1100. I sporadically played throughout my life but with no regularity. I started playing online blitz chess 3-4 years ago almost daily on chess.com and it’s been an incredibly fun time. I initially set out to get my rating to 1200 and was able to do it. My next goal was 1500 and I was finally able to do that after doing tactic puzzles and such regularly. I didn’t think I’d be able to get much higher than that but I’ve just been steadily improving since getting to 1500 and now I’m regularly rated around 1800 in online blitz chess. I think if I wanted to get to 2000 I would likely have to actually dedicate time to studying (mostly endgames), as I’m almost 30 and my brain doesn’t have the fluid intelligence of someone in their teens. I’m actually surprised I even got to 1800. Does anyone else play chess? I’m sure a few of you do.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm more the back alley chess player type. I don't keep up with ratings, ranks, or whatnots, but if challenged, I'll roll up my sleeves and take to a street game if need be. Coffee houses, smoking lounges, dark alleyways.... I have my three openings I play, and if that's not good enough, I'll just run a faux queen's gambit on ya.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Rarely and not enough to really “learn” the game. At one point my kids got me an electronic chess game - that was really fun and for one winter really got into it and started getting a feel for how to play but other things took over come spring and by the next winter just didn’t pick it up again. Kind of like my pool table - with nobody else to play, I just don’t use it much.

 

[LeafErikson]

Rarely and not enough to really “learn” the game. At one point my kids got me an electronic chess game - that was really fun and for one winter really got into it and started getting a feel for how to play but other things took over come spring and by the next winter just didn’t pick it up again. Kind of like my pool table - with nobody else to play, I just don’t use it much.

That makes sense. I play online at chess.com so I don’t need anyone to play with in person. One of my local friends though is around the same level as me so it’s fun when we have time for a game. I generally play 2-3 5 minute blitz games a day (5 mins a person so 10 minutes is the longest a game can be). It usually amounts to a 30-45 minute commitment a day including analyzing the games when I’m done.

 

[LeafErikson]

I'm more the back alley chess player type. I don't keep up with ratings, ranks, or whatnots, but if challenged, I'll roll up my sleeves and take to a street game if need be. Coffee houses, smoking lounges, dark alleyways.... I have my three openings I play, and if that's not good enough, I'll just run a faux queen's gambit on ya.

Haha like a queens gambit accepted? It would legit be like spotting a unicorn to see two guys playing chess smoking a pipe together in 2023. My friend that I play with vapes while I smoke my pipe when we play.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I love chess. My wife and I play often in my music room while I smoke a pipe and spin a record. I've now started teaching my daughters to play. I grew up playing with my friends and my father.

 

[LeafErikson]

I love chess. My wife and I play often in my music room while I smoke a pipe and spin a record. I've now started teaching my daughters to play. I grew up playing with my friends and my father.

That sounds beautiful man! I’m teaching my almost 4 year old daughter how to play also. She loves it. I grew up playing with my father as well.

 

[yanoJL]

I play. I entered a couple of tournaments when I was living in Miami. I had earned a USCF rating of 1700. It was a provisional rating as I had not yet had enough tournament games for an official rating. But I stopped for a while after an 11-year old put me down in like 20 moves. That hurt, lol.

 

[David D. Davidson]

I love chess. My wife and I play often in my music room while I smoke a pipe and spin a record. I've now started teaching my daughters to play. I grew up playing with my friends and my father.

Same here - it’s more or less the default thing my partner and I do if we’re bored. We probably play three or four times a week, and it’s a great time; she’s roughly as skilled as I am, so the games are always a tossup until the very end.

I grew up playing chess with my mom almost every night, and this is the first (and hopefully last) person I’ve been in a relationship with who plays as well, I absolutely love it!

 

[LeafErikson]

I play. I entered a couple of tournaments when I was living in Miami. I had earned a USCF rating of 1700. It was a provisional rating as I had not yet had enough tournament games for an official rating. But I stopped for a while after an 11-year old put me down in like 20 moves. That hurt, lol.

It’s crazy how good kids are getting nowadays! Chess is basically just pattern recognition and your brain up until you’re 16-17 is just a sponge with all of the tactical patterns in chess. I’m sure I’ve been beaten by my fair share of 10 year olds online. That’s kind’ve insane that they gave you a 1700 rating at the jump. I always thought they started at 1200

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am moderate, I play well enough to hold my own, and occasionally win with luck. I was on a chess team for a few weeks in college. Then I started to realize that the better someone was at chess, the more social issues they have. I have never met someone who was kickass awesome at chess, had their life together, and could adequately read social ques. Some kid sets across from me, with their eyes fixed on waving their hand compulsively in front of their face, I just flick over my king and walk away, ha ha.
I did play one guy who I thought may have been master level with some social skills, till I saw his track marks on his arm. I don't know what it is, but there is something about chess, where to think that many moves ahead in strategy, just fucks someone up... or else, something. Just look at any biography about Chess Masters. It's like they all had mental health issues, or some sort of social issues, or were drug addicts, or the best of them had all three.

I do enjoy a game against another moderate fan, like myself... but, I wouldn't want to be trapped in an elevator with a real chess master.

 

[yanoJL]

.... That’s kind’ve insane that they gave you a 1700 rating at the jump. I always thought they started at 1200

Oh for sure, I had 2 prior tournaments before working up to the 1700. And in one I finished 3rd place (in my division) and even got a very small trophy, lol. But the rating was still "provisional" as I did not yet have enough experience/games to earn an official rating.
And this was a while ago (early 90s). I'm not sure how things are done now, or if FIDE tournaments/ratings are similar to USCF.

One thing I remember is how the kids I played against seemingly memorized opening sequences flawlessly. In between matches the participants were all set up with roll-up vinyl boards on picnic tables just drilling each other on openings from the MCO book. I didn't realize how important rote memorization was at the tournament level. It was like actual strategy didn't start until move 10 or so for some of these players.

 

[LeafErikson]

I am moderate, I play well enough to hold my own, and occasionally win with luck. I was on a chess team for a few weeks in college. Then I started to realize that the better someone was at chess, the more social issues they have. I have never met someone who was kickass awesome at chess, had their life together, and could adequately read social ques. Some kid sets across from me, with their eyes fixed on waving their hand compulsively in front of their face, I just flick over my king and walk away, ha ha.
I did play one guy who I thought may have been master level with some social skills, till I saw his track marks on his arm. I don't know what it is, but there is something about chess, where to think that many moves ahead in strategy, just fucks someone up... or else, something. Just look at any biography about Chess Masters. It's like they all had mental health issues, or some sort of social issues, or were drug addicts, or the best of them had all three.

I do enjoy a game against another moderate fan, like myself... but, I wouldn't want to be trapped in an elevator with a real chess master.

Most of the people you describe are probably rated around 1800-2200. They’re likely very sharp tactically but lack deeper positional/endgame understanding. Because they didn’t have their shit together, they peaked at that rating level as they could never dedicated themselves to the game enough to attain a 2500+ (grandmaster) or 2700+ (super gm) rating.

There are of course exceptions like Bobby Fischer who was certainly wackadoo and also arguably the chess player with the greatest peak of all time. Mikhail Tal was another world champion who certainly had drinking problems. Most grandmasters had the work ethic to become as good as they became but ultimately had families or chose a different career because it’s hard to pay the bills playing chess.

The skill level of a chess Grandmaster absurd. For context, I’m rated around 1800 on the chess website I play on, which is better than 99.5% of people who play chess on the site. If I played a grandmaster in classical chess I would lose 100 times out of 100. Maybe I’d get a game or two in blitz but they’d likely still win at least 95% of the games.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Same here - it’s more or less the default thing my partner and I do if we’re bored. We probably play three or four times a week, and it’s a great time; she’s roughly as skilled as I am, so the games are always a tossup until the very end.

I grew up playing chess with my mom almost every night, and this is the first (and hopefully last) person I’ve been in a relationship with who plays as well, I absolutely love it!

That's what makes it so great - my wife is good and it's a challenge to actuslly beat her (If I even do). We enjoy it much more than zoning out over a TV. My smoking room is our main hang out (no television, only audio gear) and chess is probably our main game. Over the past 5 years my wife has managed to actually get me into board games. Like I said, I love them with a record on and a pipe. We also have the best conversations about life and our day and stuff. Glad to see others enjoying similar experiences.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

That sounds beautiful man! I’m teaching my almost 4 year old daughter how to play also. She loves it. I grew up playing with my father as well.

That's so awesome to hear.
Mine our 5 and 8 (also an 8 month old boy). Right now the girls are into chess and writing in cursive. Next is a manual transmission - and not on one of the tractors.
So wholesome man. Good for you

 

[AcesAndEights]

I played quite a bit in my teens. Just recently picked it back up when my 9-year-old found an old board and asked me to teach him. It’s been fun re-learning while teaching him to play.

 

[TN Jed]

I used to play and was pretty good for my age at the time 10-15 years old. Girls, beer, etc. put a stop to it. I've been wanting to pick it up again, but I've forgotten all strategy. I still know the basics after all these years (40+). Any tips on a good place to pick back up some skills online?

 

[Tate]

I used to play and was pretty good for my age at the time 10-15 years old. Girls, beer, etc. put a stop to it. I've been wanting to pick it up again, but I've forgotten all strategy. I still know the basics after all these years (40+). Any tips on a good place to pick back up some skills online?

Chess.com has puzzles. I really enjoy the puzzles and helps to improve play. I'm not that good yet but improving. They also have lessons in the app. Pretty cool

 

[Servant King]

Dad taught me to play 30-odd years ago, used to spot me a bishop until I got good enough. I do the daily puzzle on chess.com every day after my Wordle, just to keep my skills brushed up. Sometimes I play against the computer, anywhere from skill level 800 to 1200, with varying degrees of success. My endgame has room for improvement (which is pretty normal, I'm sure), and I tend to act too fast and not take as much time as I should. I also tend to rely too heavily on my knights, but being a horse owner, this is somewhat understandable.

Girls, beer, etc. put a stop to it.

Those things tend to put a stop to a great many things. At least that's what I've heard from others...

 

[brian64]

Sometimes I play against the computer

Just don't play against this robot...or if you do, don't rush him.

The incident happened after the boy hurried the artificial intelligence-powered robot, the president of the Moscow Chess Federation told the Russian state news agency Tass. “The robot broke the child’s finger — this, of course, is bad,” Sergey Lazarev said.

Chess-playing robot breaks young boy's finger during match in Moscow

The incident happened after the 7-year-old hurried the AI-powered robot, the president of the Moscow Chess Federation told the Russian state news agency Tass.

www.cnbc.com