Chess has always been one of my favorite games. I’m always surprised at the number of people who don’t know how to play chess and have never played. But more surprising to me is that most of them have no desire to learn to play.
We had chess tournaments in my house growing up. When we went camping, we brought a chess set. In the car we played with a magnetic set so the pieces wouldn’t fall down if the road got bumpy. It’s a good way to spend a long block of time with someone without necessarily talking but still connecting.
When I got my first computer, I purchased chess software for it so I could play chess with my computer. It was a clunky game and not as good as playing with a real board because it was easy to get the various pieces on the computer screen mixed up with one another. It was much easier to keep track of who was who with a real physical chess board in front of you.
I don’t play video games. I’m not against them, I just have never owned them and they are not something that I grew up with or anything for which I had any interest. The few that I tried did not capture my attention. Frankly, I thought they were a waste of time.
However, I do have Chess loaded on my cell phone and have had it loaded on there ever since I can remember. I don’t have many friends who like to play chess. Even my many siblings who I used to play with growing up no longer like to play much. But the great thing is I can play chess with my phone and can choose the skill level. If I choose “skilled,” I have never been able to win the game at that level. However, if I choose “beginners” level, I rarely lose.
Often times, if I’ve had a bad day at work or am under stress, I play a game of chess with my phone & set it to the beginner level. After winning a few games, I begin to feel better.
After watching some of the videos and articles on gaming, I am beginning to realize that I should explore what is out there. For that much interest in online gaming, there must be some games that would capture my attention.