Finishing Touches on Chess Pieces

Posted on November 17th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

Once chess pieces have been created and all of the details that need to be worked in to the material have been completed, the final step is adding material to the base of the pieces. The added padding provides 2 functions. 

The first is to protect the pieces and chess board from each other when playing. Some times all of the moving of the chess pieces across the board will strip finished away or lead to chips in the chess set. It should be noted that this is not a defect in the quality of the chess set, just part of the natural wear. 

The second reason for the padding is more for the feeling of the game of chess. Having the padded bottoms allows the chess pieces to float across the chess board. When moving the queen from end of the board to the other has that additional sense of gliding along her path. 

There are two different types of padding that are available for chess pieces, leather and felt pads. Leather pads are usually reserved for chess pieces that are on the more expensive side. They add a good and thick cushion on the bottom that is very durable. The other option is green felt that is professional billiard table quality. The green felt provides a good quiet sound when playing, as well as the utmost protection for your fine wood chess board. 

 

,

Tags:

,

Chess Pieces, Chess Boards // Add Comment »

Anand and Kramnik - An Awaited Match-up

Posted on October 21st, 2008 by BraRoeChess

I just wanted to drop a line about the current match-up in Championship Chess. Two masters of the chess set, former Champion Vladimir Kramnik  has been granted the right to regain his title against current champion Viswanathan Anand. It is scheduled as a 12 game match that began on October 14, in Bonn, Germany.

 People have been waiting for the match between Anand and Kramnik for months now, and 5 games into the series, there is no one that has been disappointed. Many experts in chess circles believe that Kramnik was going to be able to handle Anand and that he would be able to emerge the World Champion.

 After the first 5 matches, many are surprised to see that Anand has an impressive lead of 3.5 - 1.5. What is even more impressive is that both of his outright victories have come when he was playing black. As a matter of fact, 2 of the last 3 matches have been decided with Anand playing Black to victory.

 The series is certainly not over yet, and I know that no one is prepared to count Kramnik out. But I have to ask, was anyone expecting Anand to have 2 point lead after 5 matches?

,

Tags:

,

Chess News, Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

A Little Strategy on the Chess Set Never Hurts

Posted on October 8th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

You can’t just waltz into a chess game and wing it.  Well, most people can’t, anyway.  It’s good to go in with a strategy for how you plan to overcome your opponent’s ability in front of a chess board.  You may even want to go in with a few different strategies since there a few different parts of the game.

The opening, middle game and endgame are three very different parts of the game and must each be handled accordingly.  The opening usually last around twenty moves and is meant to set yourself up for the next phase of play.  The middle game can a bit longer to quite a bit longer and is the part of the game where most of your pieces are lost as well as your opponent’s pieces.  This is the part of the game where strategy can be of the utmost importance because you want to be in good shape for the endgame.  That is the stage of the game where most of the pieces are gone and opponents try to finish each other by taking the king.

When developing a strategy for winning the game, it is important to be able to alter and adapt as things don’t quite go the way you thought they would at the beginning.  Remember, your opponent will be coming in with his or her own strategy to counter yours.  You’ll both be trying to keep your kings safe while at the same time exploiting each other weaknesses.  So keep your king safe and remember that just because your opponent may have more pieces on the board, doesn’t mean you are losing and should get discouraged!

,

Tags:

,

Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

Mixed Feelings on the World’s Most Expensive Chess Set

Posted on October 7th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

I recently checked out the world’s most expensive chess set.  It’s quite the site to behold and possibly covet.  Valued at almost nine million dollars, it would make quite the addition to any chess enthusiast’s collection.  No other chess set screams “luxury” quite like a chess set that has been made of gold and platinum and then highlighted with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls.  If chess has a decadent side then this is surely it.  This gives me mixed feelings.

Is a chess set supposed to be so over the top?  Should it be simple yet beautiful and not be the center-piece of the room?  I would have to wonder if there is really any point in spending millions of dollars for just one board game.  Any chess set will due if you truly play the game to play the game.  One might argue that such a chess set brings a flashiness to chess that does not have any place in the world of chess.  The game starts to lose its meaning when we go for love of the look over love of the game.

Then again, maybe this is just the perfect tribute to chess.  This board could be seen as the most expensive homage to chess ever to be constructed.  Maybe instead of trying to be flashy and stylish, someone decided to glorify the game with some of the most precious materials in the world the way no one has ever done before.

So, I walk away from seeing the world’s most expensive chess set wondering what the motives were behind such a set and whether they were worth it.

,

Tags:

,

Chess Sets, Chess News, Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

No Substitute for a Staunton Chess Set

Posted on October 6th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

To me there is no other chess I would rather play with than the Staunton chess set.  It is a classic and its design embodies the game of chess.  I’ve seen quite a few chess sets, with their different designs and styles of chess pieces, and always I come back to the Staunton.  How could I not?

For over one hundred and fifty years the Staunton chess set has been the favorite of anyone who is familiar with the game of chess. There’s reason most chess clubs and tournaments use the Staunton chess set.  It has a wonderfully classic design and a utility to its design that makes the pieces easy to handle.

Though Howard Staunton himself did not design the chess set, it was named after him for good reason.  In the middle of the eighteen hundreds, chess was becoming an increasingly popular past-time and he was seen to be the strongest of the competitive chess players at that time.  He loved the design of the chess set so much that he publicly endorsed it and when as far as speaking out against other chess designs for their inferior utility of design.  He was right in his opinion of other chess sets.  What other design has been so time-honored and long-enduring?

Fancy designs and novelty chess sets will never take the place of the Staunton chess set for me. The crown of the king, the beautifully carved equine head of the knight, and the fantastic battlement-like rooks will always be my chess pieces of choice.

,

Tags:

,

Chess Sets, Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

Move After Move of Chess Set

Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by BraRoeChess

You might look at a chess board and think that there aren’t all that many moves you can make on such a small board.  You have sixteen pieces to work with and sixty-four squares to move them around on.  So, it looks like a lot of moves are possible, but not a ton.

 

Games can end up being extremely short.  A player can forfeit before a move has even been made.  A game of zero moves.  The next shortest possible game would be a two move blunder resulting in what is called a Fool’s Mate.  There are only eight variations that can result in this checkmate and it almost never occurs, even during practice.

 

Games can the opposite direction, too.  The longest recorded game resulted in a draw after two hundred and sixty-nine moves of battle on the chess board.  That’s quite a different scenario than the Fools mate or a forfeit.  A came can go either way depending on your strategy and skill level as opposed to your opponent’s.

 

So now its easy to think of chess as a game that can last a scant two moves or a game that can last a couple of hundred moves lasting hours and hours.  So, you might be extra surprised to find out that the number of legal moves in a game of chess is somewhere around ten to the forty-third power.  Wrap your mind around that figure.

 

With that number in mind, there’s no reason to lock yourself into the same strategy over and over when your playing chess because there are many, many variations to try and no reason not to do a little experimenting to see what works for you the next time you sit down to that chess board.

,

Tags:

,

Chess Boards, Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

ChessBoss - Helping You Play Better Chess

Posted on September 30th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

I wanted to take a moment and bring attention to a website that is doing good thing for consumers playing chess. I can’t truly do it justice describing all of the benefits of Chess Boss, but please have a look at what they offer to you:

 

ChessBoss.com is your number one source for everything if you play chess. Whether you play as a beginner or a grandmaster you can find something here that will allow you to have fun as you play chess and play chess better. Our free chess download is a program that is advanced beyond the rest of the free chess game downloads available. Once you play on our free chess game you will see why we are better.

The most important thing anytime you get a free download on the internet is security. You need to know the site you are on isn’t going to give you a virus or defraud you. Chessboss.com has the best security on the web and will never give you a problem as you try to play our free chess games. Our site uses top encryption technology to ensure all of our players’ information is safe as they play.

Are you a grandmaster or a skilled player who is tired of the same game? Are you a new player who wants to try a different game anyway? We offer a huge variety of different ways to play chess so it never gets boring. We offer everything from loser’s chess, in which the object is to lose, to random chess where the back row is set up in a random configuration each game. All of these games are free to play, just like the regular chess game.

Free chess is a lot of fun. Playing chess games for money is even more fun. ChessBoss.com is the only place on the web that you can play chess for real money. Not only that, but our security ensures that when you play chess all you need to worry about is your next move. Also, our rating system ensures that beginners aren’t playing against grandmasters. You will always end up in a fair, competitive game that will test your skills without you being completely outmatched by your opponent. Plus our instant matching service makes it easy find a chess game.

This is no ordinary free chess download. We at ChessBoss.com have created the best free chess download on the web. The graphics in the game are clear and detailed and the program runs smoothly. Chess is better when you can see the board clearly. Get a clear view at ChessBoss.com.

,

Tags:

,

Chess News, Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

Does Chess Make You Smarter or Just Look Smarter?

Posted on September 26th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

Some people think that playing chess will make them look smarter. I hate to be the one to tell them this, but they are wrong.  It only makes you look smarter if you actually know how to play and can hold your own against your opponent.  Simply sitting down to play at a chess set with just a little bit of knowledge of the rules isn’t fooling anyone.  You can’t just randomly move the chess pieces around and hope for the best. People will notice when you are faking it.  So, don’t go into a game of chess thinking that onlookers will be impressed by your intellect just because you are sitting at a chess board.  You have to actually have some knowledge to back up your actions on this one.

 

That being said, if you do have the know-how and the will to play, chess can make you smarter.  This is a game that forces you to think and consider your moves carefully.  Each piece moves differently from the other pieces and you have to keep that in mind while playing.  So there you are with multiple pieces that move multiple ways trying to oppose multiple pieces also moving multiple ways.  If that doesn’t get your mind running, I don’t know what would.  Strategy is essential as well as a subtle attention to detail.

 

Crossword puzzles? Soduko?  Those are a good warm up, but if you want to really give your mind a workout, sit down and play a game of chess.  You’ll find yourself having quite a bit of fun as well as developing your problem solving skills and organizational abilities.

Tags:

Chess Sets, Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

Chess Does not Have to be High-Tech

Posted on September 24th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

We live in an age where games are getting more and more high-tech.  Is that really what makes a game fun?  Do we really need to stare at a screen for hours on end getting carpal tunnel syndrome from pushing the same few buttons over and over?

I think not.

A simple game of chess can be just as fun as any videogame.  It doesn’t require some crazy plotline that would never happen, exaggerated sound effects, or even a power outlet.  It’s a game that lets you actually be face to face with your opponent and maybe even have an actual conversation during game play.  Astonishing, I know.

A simple board, some finely crafted playing pieces, and a willing partner are all you need to enjoy this wonderful game.  It takes just as much brain power as any game you can think of and emerging victorious over your opponent is just as satisfying as beating the hardest level of any videogame.

You can play it just about anywhere, too.  In the comfort of your own home, in a park to enjoy a beautiful day, or even your break room at work are all possible locations to enjoy a game of chess. That’s the beauty of the game; it’s wonderfully versatile in where and when it can take place.

In an age where gaming is going further and further technologically, remember that there are simple alternatives that can be just as fun.  So keep chess in mind when you’re in the mood for some good, simple fun.

,

Tags:

,

Chess Opinion // Add Comment »

Different Ways of Displaying a Chess Set

Posted on September 20th, 2008 by BraRoeChess

There are more than a hndful of chess players that keep their chess sets on display. Not only do I not blame them, I encourage them! A well selected chess set is a remarkable site, and certainly the talking point to most any room that houses it. The concerns that is brought up most often is whether or not to display a chess set with all the pieces aligned and ready to play, or to leave them in set as if a game where already in progress.

Proponents of the first choice like the clean look of the chess set. Ready to go, with endless possiblities just waiting, the game beckons to be played. Seeing the chess set gives that sense of hope when looking a board ready to go.

The other option is too set the board up as if there were a match already in progress. Showing off the battle of wits that has been engaging two players. When one walks by such a chess set on display, the natural inclination is to stop and look at the game.

Either way, it really doesn’t matter. Both ways show off a chess set, and gives people a good idea of a hobby or interest of yours.

,

Tags:

,

Chess Sets, Chess Pieces, Chess Boards // Add Comment »

— Next Page »