so, i've been playing against the computer for about a month or so now, and i've gotten to the point where i can beat it about half the time.

i know it's a computer program and all, but am i wasting my time with this? or do you think it's a valid tool for improving one's skill?

 just a bit of background, i'm a total novice. i've never picked up a book on chess or anything like that. in fact, i havn't a clue what anyone's talking about with this N5e.6 to 8E%.3/15 talk...  i walk through the game people post on here but i really can't "read the language", so it's hard for me to really read any articles or tutorials.

thanks for your help and any input

Which computer is this?

I play against the computer (Chessmaster) a lot. I find it a good way to improve at realising the small positional advantage (though I never win, the aim is to last as long as possible). It has also got me to always assume that my opponent won't blunder or will see straight through my plan. Which means I generally play more correctly as a result, though not always!

 I think it's a perfectly valid way of learning.

i'm sorry, i meant the computer opponent for this website.

i've played chess off and on my whole life. when i was a kid, i used to play a game called "battle chess" on the Nintendo quite a bit too. i understand your meaning though. -- i find it quite demoralizing when i spend minutes plotting my move and the computer pulls a bishop out of no where and eats my rook in less than a second :(