DiegoDiego Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Any good folk of P&B into chess at all? I've slowly got into it in fits and starts over the last five years. I'm at the point where I'm beating Stockfish level 4 about half the time when I actually concentrate properly. That's supposed to be Elo 1700, but I imagine an equivalent FIDE rating would be a good few hundred points below that. As an all round sports fan I maybe enjoy following it at the top level more than I do playing though. Coronavirus, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura have combined to really give chess a new lease of life. The online tournaments have combated virus issues in a way in which other sports would love to copy, Magnus has used his leadership and business nous to re-imagine the way tournaments are organised, and Nakamura has lead the way in popularising the sport online with his constant streaming of games. There are very few fields where an amateur can make a modest donation to charity and face one of the best in the world. Chess has been using its ability to be played online very well in order to revitalise itself. Dubov seems to be the man of the moment with his attempts to make every game as interesting as possible. I'm paraphrasing but "Why should I play for the draw against Magnus? I have an opportunity to have an interesting game against the best in the world, it doesn't matter if I win or lose." He ended up knocking out Carlsen but then lost four straight to the much weaker Radjabov. (Yes, yes, [insert Simpsons "Nerds!" image], chess isn't a sport, et cetera...) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin.Hood Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 No. Old boy collected a chess set of Lord of the rings which is smart. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Alli Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I used to play for the school team at both primary and secondary level until I lost my virginity then life just become less about concentrating and more about sliding into the fanny. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I don’t play chess but I really want a replica Lewis chessmen set because I think it would look superb as a table ornament. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Shandrix Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Think Tim Rice did better tbh, but "I know Him So Well" is a right wee toetapper. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venti Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lambies Doos Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Yes, love chess tbh... Taught my sons to play years ago and now they beat me most of the time. I act disappointed but #secretly proud. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmouth Strikes Again Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Played for years, few guys at work, but they've left, so played online at chess.com, not been on it for a while highest ranking was 1200. The Queens Gambit on Netflix is worth a watch. Thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I've played on and off for a few years but as I don't know anyone in real life who's interested so I'm stuck playing online and/or against the computer. I find chess.com has a lot of great information including lessons pitched at different levels. The paid version has a lot more but I haven't explored that. My biggest problem is lack of patience and I tend to make moves without really studying the implications and I make a lot of mistakes through simple carelessness. And @throbber; I've never heard of that rule and don't see how it would work in practice. If he no longer has a king on the board, how could he possibly lose? He's yanking your chain. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, Shotgun said: I've played on and off for a few years but as I don't know anyone in real life who's interested so I'm stuck playing online and/or against the computer. I find chess.com has a lot of great information including lessons pitched at different levels. The paid version has a lot more but I haven't explored that. My biggest problem is lack of patience and I tend to make moves without really studying the implications and I make a lot of mistakes through simple carelessness. And @throbber; I've never heard of that rule and don't see how it would work in practice. If he no longer has a king on the board, how could he possibly lose? He's yanking your chain. Castling is a valid move but can only be done as long as neither the king nor rook have moved and as @throbber's dad admitted not legal when the King is in check. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 I've played on and off for a few years but as I don't know anyone in real life who's interested so I'm stuck playing online and/or against the computer. I find chess.com has a lot of great information including lessons pitched at different levels. The paid version has a lot more but I haven't explored that. My biggest problem is lack of patience and I tend to make moves without really studying the implications and I make a lot of mistakes through simple carelessness. And [mention=40259]throbber[/mention]; I've never heard of that rule and don't see how it would work in practice. If he no longer has a king on the board, how could he possibly lose? He's yanking your chain.I think throbber's father was talking about castling which indeed you cannot do while in check.I'm in a similar position to you Shotgun and it's one of the reasons I like playing chess, it trains me to focus on one thing at a time and to think things through which is becoming a more useful skill in these days of constant distractions and instant gratification.When I play the computer it's hard for me to care enough to properly concentrate, but when there's someone on the other side of the board I put way more effort in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Alli Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 It certainly reads like you've dealt with it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgun Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Ah, got it. When Throbs said "swap his king for his rook", I was thinking more along the lines of promoting a pawn, as in exchanging one piece for another. Makes a lot more sense now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 Castling is a valid move but can only be done as long as neither the king nor rook have moved and as [mention=40259]throbber[/mention]'s dad admitted not legal when the King is in check.You also can't castle if one of the squares the king would move through is under attack, as in the example below where the bishop on a3 is attacking the f8 square. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mr. Alli said: I used to play for the school team at both primary and secondary level until I lost my virginity then life just become less about concentrating and more about sliding into the fanny. ^^^expert at bashing the bishop. Edited January 2, 2021 by Melanius Mullarkey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I love a bit of chess. I've played online a few times but I've had folk openly tell me that they just have a separate chess app next to them and mirror my moves with the computer set to hard. Which is pretty shit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Grimes Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) Admittedly I am a Chess newbie but I’m at a loss as to how I have not put my opponent in checkmate His King has nowhere to go yet he still appears to have another move to make..... I’ve just moved my Pawn from F2 to F4 Edited January 2, 2021 by Frank Grimes 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 Admittedly I am a Chess newbie but I’m at a loss as to how I have not put my opponent in checkmate His King has nowhere to go yet he still appears to have another move to make..... I’ve just moved my Pawn from F2 to F4 The e4 pawn can capture the f4 pawn en passant. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Grimes Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 3 minutes ago, DiegoDiego said: 13 minutes ago, Frank Grimes said: Admittedly I am a Chess newbie but I’m at a loss as to how I have not put my opponent in checkmate His King has nowhere to go yet he still appears to have another move to make..... I’ve just moved my Pawn from F2 to F4 The e4 pawn can capture the f4 pawn en passant. Thank you Wasn’t even aware that was a rule 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTillEhDeh Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Don't play much these days - do like the daily puzzles on chess.comBTW - did anyone watch the Queens Gambit? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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