Chess is a game of strategy
and tactics.
by Dave Markel
Chess is probably one of the oldest and most famous
games in the world. It is believed to have originated
from India as early as the seventh century, although
the exact origins of chess are unknown. Chess has
appeared in many shapes and forms. Today most people
play what is known as Europeans chess. Chess is a
universal game - universal in the sense that it is
accepted and played in every country and culture.
There are many tournaments held worldwide and many
more in each individual country.
The basic rules of chess are simple, however to
be able to play strategically and master tactics requires
skill and dedication. In its modern form the game
consists of an eight by eight board of alternating
black and white squares and chess pieces. Each player
has sixteen different pieces, which are used to play
the game with. A player starts off with a king, a
queen, eight pawns, and two each of bishops, knights
and rooks. The aim of the game is to corner and immobilize
the opponent's king so he cannot make any further
moves.
Modern chess is also known as the 'queens chess'
as the queen is the piece with the most power. It
can move any number of squares in any direction, given
there is enough space to maneuver. All pieces move
in straight or diagonal lines with the exception of
knights. A knight's movements are similar to the shape
of the letter 'L'. When the opponent's king piece
has been immobilized it is known as "checkmate".
Chess has many benefits and it is now being taught
in many schools over the world to children from a
young age. It has many academic benefits and improves
ones ability and skill. Chess improves a child's thinking
ability by teaching many skills. These include the
ability to focus, plan tasks ahead, thinking analytically,
abstractly and strategically and consider all the
options before making a move. They also improve one's
social and communication skills by playing against
another human player. Research has shown that kids
that play chess regularly have a significant improvement
in their math and reading ability.
Nowadays chess can be played pretty much anywhere.
All you need is the board and pieces and somebody
to play against. If you cannot find another person
to challenge then there are plenty of computerized
versions of chess. The software comes in many different
versions such as 2D or 3D and with nice animated effects
or just as a plain board and pieces. It is possible
to play against a computer player and up the difficulty
level if required. With the advent of the Internet
it is now easily possible to search for many other
players online whom to play against.
Garry Kasparov is one of the world's most famous
chess players. He is a chess grandmaster and one of
the strongest chess players in history. He has the
highest ranking on the FIDE listing. Ranked first
in the world for nearly all of the 20 years from 1985
to 2005, Kasparov was the last undisputed World Chess
Champion from 1985 until 1993; and continued to be
"classical" World Chess Champion until his defeat
by Vladimir Kramnik in 2000.
In February 1996, IBM's chess computer Deep Blue
defeated Kasparov in one game using normal time controls,
in Deep Blue - Kasparov, 1996, Game 1. However, Kasparov
retorted with 3 wins and 2 draws, soundly winning
the match. In May 1997, an updated version of Deep
Blue defeated Kasparov in a highly publicized six-game
match. This was the first time a computer had ever
defeated a world champion in match play. An award-winning
documentary film was made about this famous match
up entitled Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine.
About the Author For more great articles about the
game of Chess visit http://for-more-info.com/chess/chess-intro.html
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