Online chess community where you can play chess, learn strategies and tactics, read chess news, see book reviews, find rules & tips, get free downloads, and more! http://www.chess.com/ 2007 Chess.com "A recorded game of chess is a story in symbols, relating in cipher the struggle of two intellects; a story with a real plot, a beginning, a middle, and an end, in which the harmonies of time and place are scrupulously observed; the fickleness ...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/clash-of-the-titansTue, 15 Nov 2011 19:26:28 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/clash-of-the-titansThis is pretty cool. In an interview with SF Weekly, George R. R. Martin explains how there is a bit of chess in his epic fantasy series: "The title of the first book, A Game of Thrones, made me think of a chess board when I heard it back in 1...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/george-r-r-martin-was-inspired-by-chessMon, 11 Jul 2011 18:16:44 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/george-r-r-martin-was-inspired-by-chessToday, the Icelandic Chess Guild, one of Europe's largest chess playing organizations, has announced that Chess will be adopting a "free to play" model where membership fees will no longer be required. "We just thought it was time," commented IC...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/chess-goes-f2pSat, 25 Jun 2011 20:32:31 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/chess-goes-f2p[Boy, it's been too long since I last did a chess blog entry! ] Things are coming up Chess, and in a big way. Chess is clearly experiencing a second golden era, largely due to the arrival of the affordable PC and internet. Contrary to the wa...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/a-quick-review-of-bobby-fischer-against-the-worldMon, 13 Jun 2011 23:52:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/a-quick-review-of-bobby-fischer-against-the-worldSo, I was digging around in my closet the other day, attempting to access my secret stash of printer ink cartridges, when I came across a flat cardboard mailer lodged in the darkest corner of said closet. Perplexed for a moment, I pulled the m...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/chess-art-then-and-nowFri, 25 Feb 2011 17:00:22 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/chess-art-then-and-nowThe wind howled, whipping snow around Richard as he pulled open the door to the storefront Chinese eatery. He entered quickly, pulling the door closed behind him so the wind would not catch it and barge in behind him like an unwelcome intruder...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/pwned2Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:13:34 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/pwned2I suppose it was bound to happen. After resisting the heretical call of Fischer Random Chess, aka Chess960, I finally had my first game at the invite of a longtime Chess friend. I have to admit...it was refreshingly different.If you're not familia...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/welcome-to-crazy-landThu, 11 Nov 2010 22:00:21 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/welcome-to-crazy-landThe horror show begins.... In a recent game, this position was reached after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 Nf6 6.Bf4 Nc6 7.O-O Qb6 8.b3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qxd4. Really, an unremarkable position. My best response was obvious: Right? ...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/amaurosis-scacchisticaSun, 12 Sep 2010 21:01:11 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/amaurosis-scacchisticaWhen Fritz say's something as cool as the title of this entry, you've just got to immortalize it in a blog posting. The following game involved a contest between me and a new opponent. Such first-time outings usually prove to be interesting as ...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/a-decisive-sacrifice-that-breaks-all-resistanceSun, 25 Jul 2010 18:36:00 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/a-decisive-sacrifice-that-breaks-all-resistanceCheck out these artist conceptions of a forthcoming line of Chess-inspired military equipment:   Well..."forthcoming" in my mind, anyway. While I don't care for the spider legs on some of them (Lucas may be fond of them but I much prefer a...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/mecha-chessSun, 02 May 2010 18:39:40 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/mecha-chessUsually I like to tie a particular game to a larger theme, but this time the theme is no theme; I just want to indulge myself in my favorite hobby. Well...maybe that is not entirely true. There is a theme, but it is largely ancillary to the fo...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/just-for-fun3Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:04:45 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/just-for-fun3"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." - Mathew 13: 45-46 Somehow I had taken a wrong turn. Instead of my beloved Cl...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/home-againFri, 12 Mar 2010 16:38:29 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/home-againIn the grim darkness of the far future, there is only...Chess! Okay, maybe not Chess, but certainly a Chess variant entitled Regicide - or so I am led to believe by this passage from James Swallow's The Flight of the Eisenstein: "Do you really th...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/regicideTue, 26 Jan 2010 18:40:46 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/regicideIn the world of computerized Chess analysis, I have found Chessbase's champ, Fritz, to be the terrifying mentor of would-be GMs everywhere. You see, while your typical Chess program approaches the user with the air of a well-meaning tutor, one eag...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/pleasing-the-schoolmasterTue, 05 Jan 2010 19:04:13 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/pleasing-the-schoolmasterThe following is an editorial I wrote for a GameSquad.com.  It explores how Tim Rice's Chess in Concert is a good example of how to incorporate a popular game into big screen entertainment. I had a nice surprise the other day.  In an effort to ...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/donrsquot-cry-for-me-master-chiefhellipSat, 14 Nov 2009 19:07:54 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/donrsquot-cry-for-me-master-chiefhellipEmanuel Lasker was a dogged Chessplayer; a man who would never concede defeat no matter how bad the situation appeared to be over the Chessboard. Once, a man approached the famed Chessmaster and enquired as to why he was so reticent about resignin...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/i-keep-on-fightinghellipSun, 08 Nov 2009 18:38:25 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/i-keep-on-fightinghellipThe act of playing chess is an act of creative cooperation. Even though you're trying to defeat your opponent, you're still creating something in partnership with him, a brand new game. Whether that creation is ultimately beautiful or ugly makes n...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/the-creative-act-of-chessThu, 03 Sep 2009 19:13:50 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/the-creative-act-of-chessAs I worked my way through my 4X campaigns in Sins of a Solar Empire and Sword of the Stars, something really started to stick in my craw. As I played each fleet intensive game, I realized that it truly didn't capture the high stakes nature of fle...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/fleet-warfare-done-rightWed, 12 Aug 2009 21:25:40 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/fleet-warfare-done-rightChess fascinates me because it is not only the greatest medieval game ever (by "medieval game" I mean a game that stylistically incorporates medieval elements such as "knights" and castle-like "Rooks"), but is also a game that existed in that g...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/templar-knights-played-chessWed, 29 Apr 2009 18:56:28 -0700http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/templar-knights-played-chessAs I write this, a fierce Nor'easter is blowing outside. Is there a better time to selfishly indulge oneself in his favorite hobby? Of course not. Chess is my 'go to' game. However, that does not mean my first inclination is to sit down and actual...http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/the-pleasure-of-pgnWed, 25 Feb 2009 19:07:07 -0800http://blog.chess.com/RooksBailey/the-pleasure-of-pgn