Xml Chess

Recognizing a Quality Chess Table

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:02:49 +0000

Recognizing a Quality Chess Table

If you are planning to purchase a chess table, there are several things that you should consider, depending on how you plan on using it, how often, and who will be using it. Chess is a game that is taken very seriously by a lot of people and it is not uncommon for chess players to spend upwards of $5,000 or even $10,000 for a chess table in their home. The following is information on determining the quality of chess tables, because the price of a chess table is not always a determining factor of its quality.

Three Types of Lumber Used for Chess Tables:
Chess tables are usually made out of three types of lumber– Hardwood, softwood and composite. Hardwood chess tables are usually made out of thick and durable woods, such as cherry and oak. They are long lasting and resistant to most scratches and dents. Softwood usually consists of woods such as fir and pine, and are susceptible to scratches, dents, knots and splits. While the base and structure of the chess table should not be made out of softwood for quality purposes, softwood can make a visually appealing chess board surface. The final type of wood is composite, which is made by placing scrapes of either hardwood or softwood under a large amount of pressure. They are the least expensive but are not durable. They are, however, used to bring down the price of a chess table by using composite wood for less visible elements of the table, such as the inside of drawers.

How to Spot Quality Construction When Examining Chess Tables:
After determining which wood a chess table is made of, one should examine each individual table they are looking at for any imperfections and characteristics that would signify a chess table of lower quality than what the price states or of what the are looking for.

The first thing a buyer should do is examine the table for design flaws, such as gaps in the parts or uneven parts. In no way should a table move when pressure is applied to the top and there should be no squeaking sounds neither.

You should also ask how the lumber used to make the wood was dried. After wood is cut to be used for building furniture, it must be dried. Some companies air dry it, while others use a heating chamber, which is considerably more effective. When furniture is built with lumber that has been put through a heating chamber, it is more protected against humidity in your home.

Chess Board Variations Across the World

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:59:38 +0000

Chaturanga

Chess is a board game that is played between two players with a chess board. The chessboard is square-shaped and contains 64 squares arranged on an 8 by 8 grid. Each player during a chess match starts with sixteen different pieces. Each player has one king and queen, two rooks, knights, and bishops, and eight pawns. Every unique piece on a chess board has unique ways of traveling up and down the chessboard. Both player in a game of chess has the goal of using the pieces to checkmate the opponent’s king. This means that the king is under attack, and there is no possible move that will deem the king safe from the attack. If a king is in check, it means it is being attacked, but there is a move that will keep it safe, either by moving the king or another piece to block the attack.

Although the standard game of chess played throughout the world is played on the 8 by 8 grid in many countries and in official competitions sanctioned by the FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs or World Chess Federation), there are many other variations of chess that use different chess piece combinations and chess boards. In most cases, the chess board consists of a larger or small surface with more or fewer squares, while some other chess boards have different layouts or different shaped spaces, such as triangles or hexagons. Many variants that use different chess boards are much older than the standard western chess board variant.

Chess Variants Using Different Chess Boards:
While most variants only have a few subtle differences, others have major differences, completely changing the nature of not only the chess board, but the game itself. The following are some of the most common chess variants that use different chess board structures:

Chaturanga:
An older chess variant originating from India, this game was played on an 8 by 8 board, similar to a western chess board, but the squares were not checkered. The pieces were also very similar to the modern game of chess but called different names. The exact rules are not known either, although some chess historians have some idea that they are similar to the game of Shatranj (Shatranj is an old form of chess also originating from India).

Hexagonal Chess:
A chess variant, popular in Eastern Europe, that used a different chess board in the shape of a hexagon. The spaces on the board had three different colors, and an extra bishop and an extra pawn were added from the standard game of chess. Due to the nature of this chess board, the pieces have similar, but altered move sets.

Three-Dimensional Chess:
A chess variant using a significantly altered chess board, originating from an older version called Raumschach from Germany. The chess board has four different playing surfaces and the rules are slightly altered to make the game more strategic.

Grid Chess:
A chess variant that uses chess boards with dark grids added to the playing surface for added rules.

Commonly Used Chess Strategies in Each Stage of the Game

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:57:16 +0000

Commonly Used Chess Strategies

Chess is a board game that is played between two players with a chess board. The chessboard is square-shaped and contains 64 squares arranged on an 8 by 8 grid. Each player during a chess match starts with sixteen different pieces. Each player has one king and queen, two rooks, knights, and bishops, and eight pawns. Every unique piece on a chess board has unique ways of traveling up and down the chessboard. Both player in a game of chess has the goal of using the pieces to checkmate the opponent’s king. Though there is no clear distinction between them, the structure of a chess game can be divided into three stages: the opening, middlegame, and endgame.

Chess strategies are defined as setting up long-term goals for a player to advance towards victory over his or her opponent. Chess strategies contrast from chess tactics because chess tactics are short-term moves (about two or three moves), while chess strategies are selected from the opening of the game and usually end with the completion of the game. A chess strategy is usually formed after the quick evaluation of an opponent’s pieces at the beginning of the game, from pawn structure, king safety, the position of other pieces, and the control important squares on the board. He or she may also alter a strategy depending on the style of play of his or her opponent.

Chess Strategies in the Opening:
There are many different possible openings in a game of chess. The chess strategies used in openings involve the following goals:

To develop one’s pieces onto important spots on the board so that they will have a significant impact on the game to benefit the player.
Many players understand the importance of controlling the center squares of the board and the opening chess strategy of players usually involves controlling them.
King safety should also be considered during the opening. A good chess strategy is to “castle” the king at the right moment to ensure its safety for the middlegame.

Middlegame Chess Strategies:
This is the part of the game in which the most assessment takes place. The opening has already been established and long-term chess strategy plans can now be formulated. Since the middlegame is when most combinations of moves can occur, this is the phase where the most planning takes place. A “minority attack” is one chess strategy in which a player attacks an opponent’s queen side if the majority of pawns are on that side. One key chess strategy is for a player is to transform the game into an endgame by reducing the pieces on the board to a small amount.

Endgame Chess Strategies:
The chess endgame occurs when few pieces are left on the board. Pawns become more important, and in this stage, they may even become promoted to queens if they reach the 8th rank. The king also becomes more important and many chess strategies involve it moving to the center of the board so that it can attack opponent’s pawns.

All About Chess Tables

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:53:48 +0000

Chess Tables

Chess is a vast game that takes skill and strategy to win. Many people find chess to be a very interesting hobby, taking it very seriously. This makes chess more than just a board game, but a part of life for many competitive players. This is one of the many reasons why chess tables are quite popular around the world. The amount of time taken to pick out a chess table that compliments a chess players house should be carefully planned and used. Serious players may spend on average about $1000 to $10,000, while casual players can purchase less expensive ones in the $200 to $500 range. Before buying a chess table, a user should first understand the options that are available to him or her.

Choosing a Style for Your Chess Table:
Many people are unsure of which style to go with that would compliment their house nicely. One should understand that buying a chess table should be a major decision in which a person should spend a lot of time performing research. You should understand and decide which styles you like and which styles you don’t like to narrow your search down. Explore all possible options and then start comparing styles to find your favorite.

What are Your Needs?
Once you have a general idea of the furniture style that you are looking for in a chess table, its time to understand exactly what your needs are. Who will be using the table and how will they be using it? Is it strictly for chess, or will your chess table also be used as an all-purpose table? Are you looking for a table that accommodates other games as well, such as backgammon? Once you consider all of these questions, you’ll know what to look for in a chess table.

Furnishings of Chess Tables:
There are three types of wood categories for most chess tables: hardwoods, softwoods, and composites. Hardwoods, such as cherry and oak are quite heavy and are best at resisting dents and scratches, and will prove to be durable in the long run. Softwood includes pine and fir, and are not always the best choices for quality to build a chess table. Lastly, the wood that is least expensive is composite, which means it has been manufactured from remains of hardwood or softwood, along with resin. The contents are then put under pressure to form the structure. These types of chess tables are not very durable.

Three Common Chess Tactics Commonly Used

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:50:36 +0000

Western chess

Chess (Western chess) is a board game that is played between two players with a chess board. The chessboard is square-shaped and contains 64 squares arranged on an 8 by 8 grid. Each player during a chess match starts with sixteen different pieces. Each player has one king and queen, two rooks, knights, and bishops, and eight pawns. Every unique piece on a chess board has unique ways of traveling up and down the chessboard. Both player in a game of chess has the goal of using the pieces to checkmate the opponent’s king. This means that the king is under attack, and there is no possible move that will deem the king safe from the attack. If a king is in check, it means it is being attacked, but there is a move that will keep it safe, either by moving the king or another piece to block the attack.

A chess tactic, which should not be confused with a chess strategy, is a short sequence of moves that is used to limit an opponent’s options and may result in the player using the chess tactic to gain an advantage. A chess strategy, on the other hand is a more long-term in nature, taking longer for an advantage in a game of chess to be realized. A chess strategy can be thought of as a series of chess tactics used to gain an advantage over an opponent. Chess tactics are generally two moves in structure, the first move is usually done to establish a threat on two fronts, while the follow up move finishes the tactic, giving the player an advantage. The following are common chess tactics that are used in competition in one form of another:

Forks:
This is a tactic that involves one piece to attack two or more of the opponents pieces at the same time. The goal of this chess tactic is to capture the piece without the player losing one of his or her pieces. This is useful because the opponent can only counter one of the threats being presented.

Skewer:
A skewer is a type of chess tactic also known as a thrust and described as a “reverse pin”. It is an attack that is placed on two pieces within a line. The more valuable piece in this tactic is usually in front of the less-valuable or equal piece. This hopefully forces an opponent to move the more valuable piece to avoid capture, which would then expose the lesser piece for easy capture.

Battery:
A chess tactic that involves a formation where two or more pieces are placed upon the same rank, file or diagonal. It is used to plan the capture of pieces that are protecting an opponent’s king. It can also be used to gain exchanges to earn an advantage. Other definitions of battery chess tactics describe it as two pieces in line with the enemy king on a rank, file or diagonal.

Learn to Play Chess Beginners Chess Guide

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:47:17 +0000

Learn Chess

For a player to learn to play chess, it is an easy task, but to master it is one of the hardest tasks for even the best players in the world. The following is a quick guide to learn to play chess and to get the basics of the game down.

The Chess Board:
Before you start beginners chess, one should get familiar with the chess board and the pieces of the chess board. The chess board is made up of 64 checkered squares arranged in an 8 x 8 pattern. Each row of squares is called a rank and they are identified using numbers 1 through 8. Each column is called a file, identified by a letter A through H. Diagonals are also important because a few select pieces are allowed to move diagonally across squares.

Setting Up the Board to Play:
When starting beginners chess, one should understand the manner in which the pieces are set up on the board. The player with the white pieces sets up his pieces on the side of the board with a “white” square on the bottom right hand corner. If you are a white player, the queen is set up on the left side and the king on the right side. If you have the black pieces, your queen is set up on the right side and the king on the left side. The rook pieces are put on both bottom corners, and next to the rooks are the knights. Then comes the bishop pieces and finally, the pawns are placed on top of those pieces on both sides.

Piece Moves:
One of the essential parts of beginners chess is to understand how each piece is able to move on the chess board. The pawn can only move one square forward, unless it’s the pawn’s first move, in which case it may move up two squares. A rook can move along ranks and files any number of spaces, as long as it is not obstructed by another piece. A bishop can move any number of spaces diagonally. The knight can move in ‘L’ shaped patterns only, and is the only piece that can move through other pieces. A queen can move along ranks, files and diagonally any number of squares. Finally, a king can only move one square in any direction, along ranks, files and diagonally.

The FIDE and Its Regulation of Chess Tournaments

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:45:18 +0000

FIDE

The Federation Internationale des Echecs (or the World Chess Federation) is an organization that connects all chess organizations throughout the world into a single network of 158 national associations and is run by a governing body that regulates chess tournaments. It is generally referred to as FIDE and originated in Paris, France in 1924. The motto of FIDE is Gens una sumus, which translates to “We are one people”.

The FIDE’s main role is to regulate chess tournaments throughout the world. The main chess tournaments that it regulates is the World Chess Championship and the Chess Olympiad. The International Olympic Committee recognizes the FIDE as the supreme organization which is given the sole responsibility to set up chess championships and chess tournaments, both at global and continental levels. Other high-level chess tournaments also follow the guidelines of the FIDE, although they are not official run by them.

The FIDE is also given the task of assigning Elo ratings to chess players, which determine achievements of chess competitors around the world. The FIDE hands out titles after a competitive chess tournament, such as FIDE Master, International Master, International Grandmaster, while also giving out women’s titles equivalent to these. In addition, the FIDE awards Grandmaster titles and Master titles for chess gurus who are able to achieve new heights in problem and studies of chess.

World Chess Championship:
This chess tournament is set up to determine the player who is deemed the World Champion in chess. The tournament is thought to have originated in 1886 when two world class chess players, William Steinitz and Johann Zukertort, played a match with each other. From then on, the World Chess Championship became a staple chess tournament, where players can challenge world champions to be crowned the new champion. From 1948 to 1993 the FIDE regulated the World Chess Championship, until Garry Kasparov broke away from the FIDE. They were reunited however in 2006.

Chess Olympiad:
The chess Olympiad is a chess tournament started in 1924 when the Olympics decided to hold a chess tournament in the Olympic Games. This was a failure, however, because distinguishing between professional and amateur players was not successful. The FIDE began organizing this chess tournament in 1927 as the Chess Olympiad held its first official competition.

What is the Staunton Chess Set?

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:42:53 +0000

Staunton Chess Set

The Staunton Chess set is a type of chess set with a unique design used to play the game of chess. This is the standard style of chess sets that is used to play during official chess competitions. The person that is credited with the design of this chess set is Nathaniel Cook, who named it after Howard Staunton, an English Chess master who was born in 1810. The first 500 Staunton Chess sets were hand signed by Staunton himself, and the first time this chess set was available was in 1849 in London, quickly making it the standard for normal play. It was not long before this style of chess sets spread across the world.

Chess sets were demanded to become more standardized as the popularity of chess increased in the later part of the 18th century and early 19th century. The 15th century was the time when the standard modern chess set began to take form. Other chess sets that were popular during this time were the English Barleycorn chess set, St. George chess set, the French Regence chess set, and the central European Selenus chess set. The reason why chess sets design are important is because it was found that if a player used an unfamiliar chess set during play, it can easily alter the results of a game. This is one of the primary factors for the eventually standardized competition chess set.

The Development of the Staunton Chess Set:
Cook developed the chess set in the neoclassical style and was based on the respectable Victorian society. The bishop was fitted with a mitre that was easily recognizable, a queen had a coronet and the king’s crown was designed to be easily recognizable. Also, the knight was carved as a stallion’s head, while the rook had a simple design, projecting a feeling of security. The pawns are thought to have been derived from the balconies of Victorian buildings. While these theories are not proven, this is the general theory about the design of the chess set. In addition, the underside of each piece is fitted with felt and weighted with lead to provide comfort and stability.

The Nature of White and Black in Chess Games

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:39:41 +0000

White and Black in Chess Games

The modern game of chess is a board game that is played between two players with a chess board. The chessboard is square-shaped and contains 64 squares arranged on an 8 by 8 grid. Each player during a chess match starts with sixteen different pieces. Each player has one king and queen, two rooks, knights, and bishops, and eight pawns. Every unique piece on a chess board has unique ways of traveling up and down the chessboard. Both player in a game of chess has the goal of using the pieces to checkmate the opponent’s king. This means that the king is under attack, and there is no possible move that will deem the king safe from the attack. If a king is in check, it means it is being attacked, but there is a move that will keep it safe, either by moving the king or another piece to block the attack.

The Black and White Pieces on Chess Boards:
The player with the white pieces is the player to move first on the chess board and this player is considered the “white” player. The second player, considered the “black” player moves on the chess board second. While both players are called the “white” and “black” players, the pieces are generally not always either white or black. The white pieces can be a light color and the black pieces may actually be a dark color, such as brown.

The Chess Board Itself:
Modern chess boards consist of 64 squares lined up in a 8 by 8 checkered pattern. Each light square is called a “white” square while each dark square is called a “black” square. Just like the pieces, each square on a chess board is not necessarily colored white and black, but rather they are light and dark contrasting colors. An example of this is that on most plastic chess boards, the squares are colored white and green, rather than traditional white and black. Also, on wooden chess boards, the squares are colored light brown and dark brown.

History of Light and Dark Colors in the Game of Chess:
History shows that chess boards in early games were divided into 64 squares, but the squares were all the same color. It was not until the thirteenth century that the Europeans brought the checked light and dark patterns to chess boards.

The tradition of always allowing white pieces to move first came much later than that. In 1749, chess books cited that black moves first. Also, in 1824, Johann Horny wrote a book in Germany that also stated that black is the first color to move on a chess board. In one of the most famous games played in chess history, called the “Immortal Game”, the black piece moved first.

Further into the 19th century, rule books stated that the player who moved first had a choice of color and subsequent games played after one another, the first moving players would alternate, with each player keeping his or her color. It was not until 1889 that Wilhelm Steinitz claimed that the player chosen to move first had the white pieces.

Finding Free Chess Online

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:36:57 +0000

Free Chess Online

Many chess players, beginners and advanced players alike, choose not to join a chess club. These chess clubs, while providing networking and chess education, often carry expensive membership fees. In our struggling economy, more and more players are looking to cut costs and save money. Today, millions of chess players play chess for free, skipping out on the expensive chess club membership fee, by playing chess on the Internet.

More websites are beginning to offer free chess games through their online chess servers. The opportunity to play chess at any time of day with an opponent from anywhere in the world is only compounded by the fact that these servers offer free chess online. The money saved from chess club memberships can be used to buy gifts during holiday time or to upgrade the living room couch! Finding opportunities for free chess is a relatively simple process. If you have access to the Internet, finding a website that offers free chess online can be accomplished with a simple inquiry at an Internet search engine.

Everybody wants something that is free. Remember this fact when you are searching for free chess online. If any website asks you for your payment information, leave the website immediately (it may be a scam). To make sure your free chess is in fact, free, make sure that you can start and finish a game of chess without having to enter your credit card number or send an envelope full of cash to a shady address.

Playing free chess online actually provides many benefits for the chess player extending beyond the money saved. Playing chess online also allows you to:

• Practice against players of all skill levels at any time of day. That means that even if you turn your computer on at 3 in the morning, you will be able to find an opponent!

• Play against different players, expanding your knowledge about the game through experience of playing against different styles.

• Play against players of your level or higher, improving your game through practice and repetition.

• Revisit the game of chess. Whereas playing against your opponent in person allows you to study the opponent and his or her mood, playing free chess online forces you to look at your chess game objectively as only the positions of the pieces, diversifying the way you think about the game.

As you can see, playing chess online can provide you with more benefits than just saving you money. With more schools implementing chess into their academic systems, the number of chess players from the United States will likely grow in the future. The websites that provide a free chess service will continue to grow, adding more features (such as different variants of chess) and hosting tournaments on the Internet. For those seeking to save money and improve their chess game, playing free chess online may be the solution.