When I signed up to chess.com at the start of the year, having only played a few serious games these past twenty or so years, there were a number of surprises (mostly pleasant ones) that awaited me:

1. online chess (my preferred format)
   
2. a worldwide chess playing community
3. representing many interests and backgrounds
4. post match computer analysis
5. being able to analyse moves while playing
6. the explore facility
7. conditional moves
8. teams I could join
9. nice people I could relate to in those teams
10. matches I could play for those teams
11. chatty types when playing
12. non-chatty types when playing
13. trophies
14. forums
15. vacations
16. Natalia Pogonina
17. cheats (sadly)
18. chess can be fun
19. chess may help reverse mental decline
20. chess can be addictive

Please note I have since added some further discoveries later in the thread, one of the nice things about playing chess.com

Nice list, can't decide with one or two whether they are good or bad though!

Hmmm. Easy to make that guess with No.16.

Nice post. What I loved was all the tools that one can use to analyse games. How often a move was played and how often that leaded to lose-draw-win. The game editor..

And once I started playing I loved the tactic trainer and tournaments.

One thing that I advice chess.com is to communicate (even more) that EVERYONE can learn chess and that chess is NOT just about looking X moves ahead. That is what I didnt know and withheld me from investing time into chess.

the only suprise i have had is that i found out im rubbish at chess

lol Walter - one of the consequences of computer analysis it shows one what awful moves one does make!

Well, looks like you also found that you enjoy your game, Walter.  I wonder whether that might not be the best discovery to make.

right on both counts

You may change your mind about reversing mental decline if you read enough forum postings. In fact I'm beginning to think chess may hasten mental decline in some of the members here at chess.com, but that's just IMHO. Or maybe they were retarded to begin with, who knows?

At any rate it's nice to see someone with a few compliments instead of complaints!

nimz0r0y at 55 mental decline might be an issue for me ,heaven knows everything else is going to pot so i might as well go mad as well ha ha

I'm sorry to tell you this, but EVERYTHING hastens mental decline.

Youth?  Schooling?  Life experiences?

I was gonna say something, but I forgot what.

rooperi  

 no. 7conditional moves and no.11chatty types when playing.

I love the Tactics Trainer.

lol ms jenned - we know all about that

think the best thing is getting to meet great guy's like yourselves who share a common interest

Nice list

It certainly sums up most of our own experiences here too I believe

I have copied most lines to help persuade friends to join chess.com !  Of course nr 2 and nr 3 are basic important, --  and nr 11 makes nr 18 possible ; I do agree with nr 20, my wife asked me not to start a new game half an hour before dinner time... !  Number 14, the forums, I like to add my ideas and information on it, and get responses !    A happy chess player, RomyGer.