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From old to new – the possibility to play chess online
Starting with the 15th century, when the base was set for the modern rules of how to play chess, a lot of players earned the right to be being called “great minds of their time”. In the 19th century, when chess started to be known and played all over the world, there were a lot of chess players from different countries and even different continents who competed. Among the names worth mentioning are: Frenchman Philidor, who started the transition of chess from France to England, Jacob Henry Sarrat (one of the early English players), who studied with Verdoni, Philidor’s successor and one of Sarrat’s best pupils, William Lewis.
William Lewis was one of the hidden operators of the Turk, also known as Automaton Chessplayer, a machine able to play chess that was built in 1769 in Vienna by the German Wolfgang von Kempelen. This machine was bought by Johann Maelzel after von Kempelen’s death. He toured all the capitals of Europe with it, even going to New York and touring North America. This was the start of the new age that gave us the option to play chess with something other than a human partner.
Howard Staunton was the greatest of all early English players, but little is known about him before 1836, the year when he started to play chess. In 1847 he published one of the most famous books on chess ever written, “The Chess-player’s Handbook”. One of the important aspects of the game when you play chess is to estimate the relative values of all the pieces which must be taken into consideration before you make a move. Staunton states in his book that a number of scientists calculated the approximate mathematical value of each piece using the pawn as the unit, and the result were the following: the knight 3.05, the bishop 3.50, the rook 5.48 and the queen 9.94.
The king on the board is not named king for nothing. It is indeed invaluable because it is not subject for capture or exchange, therefore it can’t be removed from the board. An interesting move during the game is castling on the king’s side. Many recommend this to be done very early in the game to gain an advantage in defense. The queen is the most powerful piece on the board, sort of like a lioness that does all of the hunting for the king lion. It can move in any direction and should not be subjected to attacks from inferior pieces on the board. Later in the game two rooks doubling each other are stronger than a queen. The rook however is of little use in the early part of the game due to the fact that it is being blocked by its own pieces. The only way to develop a rook fast is castling on the king side. The bishop has been disputed for his value in the game and some say that the knight in some situations is better than the bishop. But if you look at it from a general point of view and exclude the low number of situations in which the knight might be more helpful than the bishop, you can state that the bishop is indeed stronger than the knight. Its superiority is shown also by the number of squares that the bishop controls. The knights are very useful pieces when it comes to penetrating the adversary’s defenses through a week square due to the nature of its movements. The pawn is the weakest piece on the board, but the skilful management of pawns can lead to advantages later. Keep in mind that when you reach the last line a pawn can be granted the power of any piece you might have previously lost.
Keeping in mind that the rules of chess are the same no matter if your partner is a human or a program and that knowing the above mentioned information on the pieces’ value is vital, all you have to do to enjoy a game of chess is to log on the Internet and find a site that let’s you do exactly this. A chess server is a website that facilitates finding all the best websites for you to log on and to play chess. There is software that enables you to play chess without connecting to a chess server, but if you want to play chess over the internet and meet opponents from all over the world, a chess server is the place to start.
You can try using popular search engines to find a chess server or you can try logging on to chessboss.com, a website that contains a chess tutor, some downloadable programs for your PC and a chess server that helps you find the proper websites and play chess in no time. You should always consider the option of playing chess at home using software to train yourself before opting for a chess server which lets you play chess with other real players. This will surely boost your confidence and teach you some chess moves to improve your strategies. After you feel sure enough about your skills, you can try a chess server.
About the Author: Chess is a strategic game based on patience and observation. We recommend using a chess server to play chess in an environment that helps improve your skills. This is the place where you can find a lot of chess players, study their strategies, learn from them and apply the knowledge in future games.
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