The Gamble Family (.Net)

As my adventures into chess continue, I joined FICS (Free Internet Chess Server). FICS allows anyone with a graphical interface (GUI chess client) such as WinBoard, Arena, iNemesis and others to connect to the magical chess server and play real-time games of chess against other people or computers. FICS allows you to play all types of variations such as Blitz, rated/unrated, and all other combinations imaginable. So, in just a manner of seconds from typing in a “seek” command, you can be playing chess with a real human located in any place on the planet that has access to the internet. What will they think of next? I have played two games so far, and I lost both of them. My time expired in the first game, and I got mated in the second game.

I’m still reading all that I can get my hands on related to chess strategies and tactics, openings, etc. Even though I’m still only at the beginning stages in this adventure, in playing against Chess Tiger, I can already see that my skills are improving. I currently have Chess Tiger set for Training Level 3 and Ply Count at 4. This translates to an ELO rating of around 1200-1300. So far, I’ve won four games and had two stalemates. I’m also forcing my (Palm Pilot) opponent to more moves. It’s a long and frustrating road, but in those rare occasions where I manage to pull off a win, the personal satisfaction makes it all seem worth while.

By the way, my FICS handle is RebelThunder. Maybe I’ll “see” you online at FICS one day and we can have a friendly match.

As a young boy of 10, I was interested in playing Chess. The only problem with that was, I lived in a small town (less than 1500 people), I had no brothers or sisters, I didn’t know anyone else in town that played Chess, and the Internet hadn’t been invented yet. Nonetheless, I bought a Chess set (folding cardboard board and plastic pieces) and studied the included pamphlet that explained the (very) basics of the game. For several of the weeks that followed, I played myself in order to improve my understanding of the game. Unfortunately, when you only have an opportunity to play yourself, the game gets very boring, very fast.

I have always been drawn to Chess. I don’t think that is was the strategy of the game as much as it was the Chess boards and pieces. I love the looks of a fine walnut chess board and it’s rosewood pieces.

For some reason, chess has always conveyed a certain “richness” to me, and I’ve always respected those who understood it’s strategies and tactics. Names such as Anatoly Karpov, Aron Nimzovich, Emanuel Lasker, Jose Capablanca, Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Wilhelm Steinitz, just to name a few, stir up visions of geniouses locked in battles of the mind while the world watches and hold its breath.

With the invention of the computer and the Internet, the amount of training materials available today simply boggles the mine. Chess database programs allow you to simulate and analyze the moves of any past championship match and play “what if” scenarios. The Free Internet Chess Server (FICS) allows anyone with a computer and chess GUI (such as WinBoard) to play a match against someone located in any place on the planet through the Internet. The number of chess equipment vendors, as well as the endless selection of pieces and boards available boggles the mind. And, the number of software packages available that allow you to match your skills against your home computer or PDA continues to grow daily.

So, with all of that said, I have renewed my interest in the game of Chess. I am currently reading several books to improve my understanding of the game. I have several software packages on my PC with which to analyze, study, and play chess. Presently, I consider myself beyond the beginner stage, but not to the intermediate stage. My current tools include Chess Tiger for playing against my Palm Pilot, SCIDand Chessbase Light for analysis, and Arena and WinBoard for playing against my PC and FICS. Best of all, each of these, with the exception of Chess Tiger, are free.

And so the journey begins. I don’t aspire to the ranks of Garry Kasparov, but I do intend to up my ELO rating to something above 1600 in the not to distant future.