If you don’t, then you’re about to discover a great site. I’m a member but I have absolutely no stake in promoting the site apart from the fact that I really enjoy chess and want to share it with other people who like chess or people who fancy learning how to play. (Learning to play chess is dead easy – it’s learning to play well that’s hard. In my experience, playing not very well is still really entertaining so do give it a go.)
Free membership – loads of facilities
Membership is free. You sign up, create your profile, then go online and either wait for a game to be served to you automatically or ask another member to play. You can play turn-based chess any time, at your own speed. You just make your move and get an email alert when it’s your turn to make a move. You play in your browser – there’s no software to download.
And you can play as many simultaneous games as you want.
Play live chess any time of day or night
There are thousands of members so you play with people all over the world, which means no matter what time of day you fancy a game, someone’s always awake and online.
You can join online tournaments and test yourself against other players.
You can opt to play chess on your iPhone if you want to. With this option, you simply download a Java program onto your phone to start playing. Or you can play chess on Facebook. Again, there’s a simple interface to get you started.
Or – play against the computer. For a quick game “against a heartless opponent” set the system to Easy, Medium or Hard and – unless you’re a lot more skilled than I am – prepare to lose. Fast.
Improve your game
You can also watch video lessons if you’re the studious type. Watch and listen to Grandmasters as they explain their thoughts and moves on the chessboard. Chess.com’s video lessons cover ‘everything chess’ from openings to endings, accompanied by insight and analysis.
Chess Mentor is the site’s chess training system. Receive tailored feedback on every possible move. Lessons are given by chess professionals like GM Nigel Davies and IM Jeremy Silman.
You can also search through millions of games – (how much time have you got?) – by top players, to see the most popular openings and moves. And you can explore games that you and others play on the site to familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses displayed.
Tactics Trainer helps you recognize the critical positions that come from pins, forks, overworked pieces and other tactical themes. Or you can ask chess.com’s super-computers to analyze your game and show you the mistakes made by you and your opponent.
You also have access to well-written articles on strategy and tactics and interactive diagrams to help improve your game.
Chessopedia is Chess.com’s free online chess encyclopedia for chess terminology, names and important events in the world of chess. It’s an open wiki, so feel free to add to it.
You can also find chess books or a chess coach. The site’s database has hundreds of books, and hundreds of chess coaches listed by rate and location.
Join a huge, sociable, international network of other chess players
You can view thousands of other members’ profiles and homepages and make contact with them just as you can make your own homepage. And if you want to write a chess blog, write it here. You can customize your blog, with added widgets.
The Chess.com forums are a non-stop resource for discussing chess or just chatting about the ways of the world. Prepare to meet people from around the globe. And use chess news to keep up to date with local, national and international happenings in the complex world of chess.
Create your own mini-chess.com for you and your friends
You can create your own mini-site for people who share your interests and make it open or closed, invite friends and new members if you want. There are also photo galleries showing chess-related images from all over the world. Upload your photos and see those of other members. Participate in surveys, too, to find out what others think and share your opinions on chess and other matters.
Find out about chess tournaments in your area or add details of a tournament you’re taking part in.
The Chess.com world map is a great resource, powered by Google maps – who else? – to help you find players, events, clubs and coaches from around the world in astonishing detail.
Free Membership
Your Free Account gives you other great features too, including your profile, customized chess preferences, notes, messaging and the ability to send virtual ‘Trophies’ to opponents you think did well or badly against you.
It’s a whole world of chess once you get in there. Better have ple-nty of time before you start looking around this site.
