Chess

Chess is played by two players on a board that is just like a checker board. It has a total of sixty-four squares. It is a square with eight spaces across and eight spaces down. There are sixteen pieces controlled by each player. The game has two knights, one king, two rooks, one queen, eight pawns, and two bishops. The object of the game is to get your adversary’s king in a position that he cannot move without being captured. This position is called check.


The game was started in Europe in the 2nd half of the fifteenth century. It evolved form an older Indian board game called Shatranj. Extensive chess strategies are considered to be an art form and avid players have worked on them since the beginning of the game. In the beginning of computer technology, computer scientists’ main goals were to make a machine to play chess. It is now available in many computer programs and players are able to play other opponents online in live time. People even face computers in world tournaments.


It was the sixteenth century when organized competition of chess tournaments began. Wilhelm Steinitz was the first world champion chess player and he took his title in 1886. In today’s society, chess is one of the world’s most popular games. It is played all over the world by millions of people. These people play at home, meet in community and school clubs, play online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.


Sometimes chess is perceived as being a “nerdy” game. This is because not all of the pieces move in the same pattern and the people who like to play chess are smart people that like a challenge. The movement of the pieces is not really difficult to learn but it takes some practice to be a good strategist when playing the game. Another reason for this is because often in school chess clubs it is the very smart and gifted students who choose to join the chess club.


Casual chess games are played without being time, but sometimes it is played as a timed game. The timed games are usually only played by professional players or in clubs. In a timed game, if the time is up the game is lost automatically if the opponent has enough pieces left on the board to put the king in check. The games are played in time ranges from long games that are played up to 7 hours, and short games which can last as little as thirty minutes to an hour. The timing is usually controlled using a game clock.


If you are a good strategist and like a challenge you should learn to play the game of chess. It can be a very exciting and fun game to play. Contrary to some popular beliefs, chess is not a game that is just played by nerds. It gets this reputation because it can be perceived as a difficult game, but it is enjoyed by people from all walks of life.