Online Chess: Intellectual Battlefield Online
Chess fascinates a lot of people of any age all over the world. In this internet age where everything is just within a click of the mouse, online games are very in demand. Online chess is one of them. It is very easy to learn chess online. Tutorials on playing chess are available in some chess websites. Due to its accessibility online more & more people are enjoying & gaining its many benefit that chess offer.
As what Helmut Phleger, a retired chess grandmaster, said “I learned logical and objective thinking and developed responsibility, I acquired will power & tough mindedness”. Thus, playing chess more often help to develop responsibility, independent thinking, self-discipline and will power to achieve a goal. Playing chess sharpens mental ability. Planning a strategy and tactics to win a game of chess provides an intellectual battlefield by analyzing what the problem and finding a solution.
Chess is a part of school curriculum in some countries like Russia, United States, Singapore, and Brazil. It is widely encouraged for students to learn and play chess for it is believed to build characters and personalities that is important in life.
Chess is played either for recreation and competition. During the 16th century it’s the start of organized competitive chess. In 1886, Wilhelm Steinits from Prague is the first official world champion. The current World Champion is Vladimir Kramnik
Want to learn Chess? – try online chess
Have you ever thought of exercising your brain? Many of us take extra care to maintain our body, our muscles and bones in a fit condition and attend to gym or do some regular exercises such as walking, jogging, doing push-ups, pull-ups and even meditation to improve our physical body. How many of us do think of an exercise for our brain?
If you are interested in exercising your brain, one simple way is to play a game of chess. Research has found that persons playing chess regularly have very good mental health and are not prone to diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer and multiple sclerosis. In fact, some of the patients suffering from these diseases have been advised to play chess in order to keep the brain in a better condition and thus postpone the inevitable for a longer period of time.
What is chess and how to play this game?
One of the most fascinating and exciting board games is Chess. This is a game that only provides fun and excitement to the players and other who know the game of chess, but also exercises your brain and stimulates the mind.
Basically, chess is a board game played between two players on a square board having eight rows and eight columns. Each player is provided with 16 pieces each that include the chief piece, the King and other pieces. The objective of the game is to capture the opponent's King and say “checkmate”. In his pursuit to corner the opponent's king, one has to make a series of moves alternatively, deploy a series of tactics and strategies, sacrifice some of his pieces and capture some of the opponent's pieces and such other things. The interesting part is that the game of chess punishes wrong moves. In other words, there is no room for wrong moves. If you make a mistake or make a wrong move, the opponent will seize the opportunity and will try to say “checkmate” to you.
You are the master of your fate in the game, and this calls for serious thinking and concentration. In addition to deep thinking and concentration, one has to analyze the position, visualize the moves, plan the tactics, take decision and execute the same to perfection. All these activities stimulate the mind and exercise the nerves in the brain, thus providing an excellent work-out or exercise for the brain. This is what I referred to as taking brain to a gym.
Not only does the game of chess exercise your brain, it teaches invaluable lessons that can be mastered and used in tacking with real-life situations. The many virtues that chess teach include logical thinking, concentration, imagination, creativity, patience, decision-making and motivation.
The advancement of technology and the Internet has taken the ancient game of chess, said to have been first played in the 6th Century AD, to a much greater level and a number of websites are available in the World Wide Web that teach the game of chess in a interesting and easy-to-learn manner. There is no need for searching a partner to play a game of chess.
Online chess sites provide an opportunity to the chess lovers to learn the game, play the game either with the computer or with another player in virtual chess room, and gain the expertise. All you need to do is visit the online chess site, get registered as a player and start learning the game. Some chess sites do charge a nominal fee while others offer it as a free-service.
The other interesting aspect of learning chess online through a website is that you can choose the time and pace of learning, with no pressure for completion of the course or something of that sort. In other words, there is no restriction on the time front. The online chess website as well as the lessons will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
Role of chess in a student’s life
One of the most important phases in a man’s life is his school days, where as a student, he starts learning the various academic subjects that will make him earn a living in his adult age and help him lead a purposeful and satisfactory life.
It is in the school that the children are taught extra-curricular activities as well apart from the academic subjects. The learning part should involve some fun and art that will help him learn the academic subjects with more interest and motivation.
One such game that teaches very good and invaluable virtues to a child that helps him perform relatively better than others in addition to providing ample fun and entertainment is the game of Chess.
Chess, the board game, involves two players playing over a square board with the primary objective of capturing the opponent’s King and saying checkmate. It would be fun learning this game and playing it out in the school days. Children would love to take up the challenge of making the moves that are not wrong ones.
The game of chess is a thinking game. There is no room for chance or luck in the game. The game is not only a thinking game that provides lot of fun to the players, it is also a very cruel game in that if you make any mistake, you will be punished for that mistake instantly. The punishment might result in loss of advantage, losing a key piece or hearing “checkmate” from the opponent.
In other words, as a chess player, if you make a wrong move, you will get punished. So, the onus lies on you to make the correct moves. You cannot make any random moves and deem them to be correct. So, you need to think before making a move. This act of thinking on the part of the students helps them learn the trait of focusing on the board, think about the possible alternate moves, and finally take a decision to make a move. By involving in this activity, the capability of the student or the child to think will increase and this act of thinking exercises the brain.
Not only will the child be thinking about his move, but also, during the course, learn to anticipate the possible counter move from the opponent. Taking in to account the response from the opponent, the player starts to think a bit more deeply and visualize the position mentally and formulates plans to counter the move of the opponent. This invaluable trait of analyzing and foreseeing what would be the opponent’s move is a very important trait, which is taught to managers in their management course. Children playing chess automatically cultivate this aspect and that too at a tender age.
These analytical skills and decision-making skills, which children or students learn by playing chess will help them apply these very skills when faced with real-life decisions and will end up taking the wise decision. They will realize that it is their activities that decided their way of life and fate. This is a very important virtue that gives the mental strength and confidence to take up the life and make it prosperous.
Now, with online chess, it makes it much easier for the children and the students to learn the game of chess. A number of software are available in the market that teach the game in a fun way and stimulate the mind with tons of puzzles. Friends and relatives separated by distance can still play chess online through the Internet and improve their skill sets.
Students learn the virtues of thinking, visualizing, analyzing, planning and concentration through the game of chess and these traits help him fare better in real life situations and succeed in their life.
Research has proved beyond doubt that students playing chess regularly have excelled in their academic career. The confidence level of a chess player who wins a game over the opponent will be much higher than others because it was his decisions that led to the victory. This self-confidence motivates him and strengthens him to face the life in a better way.