Playing chess against yourself..

Does playing chess against yourself make you better or just crazy?

I think playing chess against yourself is nuts. :P It brings no benefits.

There are chess computer programs around, why play by yourself? I usually use the board only to examine certain positions, but not to play by myself from start to finish.

Analyzing positions by yourself, openings and endgames is a good idea. Playing entire games by yourself strikes me as a little odd, to put it mildly, unless you're stuck on Gilligan's Island and no one else knows how to play (or everyone on the Minnow already were rescued). IMHO you will improve a lot more by playing people and PCs instead of yourself if you're talking about playing entire games from move 1 to checkmate.

You'll go blind.

I used to play chess w/ myself once....lol... (so now i know how a crazy feels like) 

Nothing at all wrong with this practise and it avoids the grim sensation of loosing. It also makes you aware that there or two sides to every position and two sides to every argument.

Playing chess against yourself + talking loudly to yourself = one way ticket to the mental asylum

Fischer used to do it...it made him better and crazy

As long as you try to find the best move for both sides it's fine I guess.

I'm just bumping this thread up as I also wondered this myself. I have never done it because of course you know every thought, but could it be a good idea in some respects...for whatever reason say if you was out and about and took a miniture chess board with you, could doing this help your game in any way? Maybe helping you to find the 'truth' in a particular situation or to play though opening ideas etc.

Also everyone knows that Fischer did this, but to what extent? Did he do this often or only when he was a beginning player.

Thanks.

I've done that once or twice many years ago. Games tended to be quite drawish since I always knew what I was up to. ^^

But that was when I didn't have a smartphone as replacement-opponent.

I would also expect that Fischer, had he had a strong-enough mobile device back then wouldn't have relied on playing himself.

I think it's good. I do it when I want to try out a new opening. For one thing, it forces you to come up with combinations more creative than simple, cheap tactics (otherwise you'll see right through yourself, and unless you're a surgeon that may be unappealing), and for another, if you're playing positions you're unfamiliar with (a new opening), you'll probably start seeing more options spring up after each turn, so you won't always know what you're up to.

If that's crazy, then so am I.

Depends on the ratings of the players. I mean, I've been thinking of playing solo-chess against myself, where one player would be a grandmaster, while the other player would be an exceptionally average player.

Whenever I've tried I've always ended up drawing because I always know what my next move is going to be, at least with a computer or human opponent you can never fully know what they will do next.

I've played against myself a few times.  Usually I blunder pretty quickly.

Everytime I play chess with myself, I win.  That's how great I am.

Fischer did it! And look at what happened to him.

In terms of improvement/experience, playing chess by yourself is a lot like having sex by yourself

'By' or 'with'?

this game is made for two different brains and plans to win a game. I do not think you can outsmart yourself 100%..

I play myself but seem to always lose