Enjoyment can be had whatever your level and it is possible to do well without trying too hard.
Perceptions Of Chess
Chess is a fun game, with many different perceptions about it, including:
- It is an intellectual pursuit
- Players can see many moves ahead
- It is only for players who take it seriously
While all the above might be true in particular contexts, the reality might be a little different. In the context of playing on the internet at fast time limits:
- Chess is fun at all levels
- Good players are familiar with patterns; experience and intuition determine most moves and concrete analysis is only used if and when deemed necessary
- The third point above only applies to some, especially on the internet
Chess On The Internet
There are many internet chess sites, of which the most well-known is probably the Internet Chess Club. This and other major sites are regularly populated by top grandmasters, but also by legions of lower-rated players ranging from novices through to club players and above.
This means that a prospective player can find his own level and preferred type of game, whether it be fast, slow or even a chess variant such as kriegspiel.
To do well at blitz chess or bullet chess, the faster versions at approximately five minutes or one minute per player per game respectively, it is clearly necessary to think and play quickly.
To make it both enjoyable and easier to be successful a few general points are worth adopting:
- One should play to one's strengths at every opportunity. The technically best move is no good if one doesn't know how to follow it up quickly.
- Developing a good knowledge of endgames will be much more effective longer-term than learning openings. The endgame also contains wonderful intricacies of its own.
- One's objective should be to enjoy playing. Ratings are only numbers and will rise and fall and one should avoid letting them influence how one plays. Also in the unfortunate circumstance where someone does something to annoy, a stoic approach avoids wasting time and effort when chess is there to be enjoyed.
With the above points heeded, then one might consider developing a repertoire of openings that one can become familiar with. For this purpose, less familiar variations against the common openings are to be favoured. Bizarre openings are used to good effect by some players at bullet and blitz chess and while not this author's preference, they do contribute to the enjoyment of playing internet chess.
There is no hurry to create the openings knowledge and in this instance practice will not make perfect but combined with the above points it might just provide an edge!
