First Blog on 'Chess.com'

Hello from Boise, Idaho.

I tried to cut & paste my 'about me' section from my profile page to my blog page & for whatever reason it won't let me.  So, let's see if I can thumbnail sketch it here.

For starters, I'm just an ordinary on-again/off-again English major (currently off), who pays the bills as a custodian.  If pinned to a label, I suppose I prefer the label 'English major,' even though the custodial work pays better.

I have recently 'rediscovered' chess. There was an ordinary chess program on my computer that I started to play, but after awhile I thought: you know, I bet Facebook has an online chess app that will let me play chess with folks from all over the world, & lo & behold I found one.  The first one I found was not 'chess.com' & it was okay.  But in order to play, a bet with fake poker chips or something like that had to be placed.  During play, no matter who the opponent was, he/she would keep trying raise the bet, which I didn't care for.  When it comes to chess I guess you could say I'm a bit of a purist.  Chess ought to be played for the love of the game, not in order to gamble (fake chips or not).

Anyhow... about this time a friend of mine informed me of 'chess.com' & sent me the link. I applied it to my Facebook page, got rid of the other chess app & have been hooked ever since.  In my view, this is what online chess should look like.  Play w friends, or strangers from all over the world, with all gambling aspects removed; play a fast game or play one & take a day or two to make a move, just have fun playing & appreciating the game of chess. 

Of course, what I have found with 'chess.com' far exceeded my expectations. With all of the resources that are available & provided even on a free 'basic' membership level...  as time goes on I am becoming more & more addicted to this site & the game of chess.

One of the things that truly fascinates me about chess is the seemingly endless variety of play. Every game I play is unlike the last, & I know that for every game I start, I am guaranteed a game that will look different from the last one.  As one looks at a chessboard and examines its apparent simplicity, he/she will discover--or at least I did--layers of complexity. This multi-layered complexity, in addition to its mysterious & ancient origins, make chess a very exciting, & for me, addicting game.

After my rediscovery of chess, I happened upon an old essay written by Benjamin Franklin called, 'The Morals of Chess.' When I read it I thought, if I could go back in time, it would be awesome to go back to the 18th century & challenge Mr. Franklin to a game.  I suspect he would easily wallop me, but it would be cool to chat with him about, among other things, our love for chess & talk about how it challenges the mind & also causes one to think of the many ways chess symbolizes the choices we make everyday.

So, I hope this was a good primer on my basic view of chess...  If you are up for a friendly game, then by all means challenge me to a game.  By friendly, I don't mean you aren't welcome to clean my clock...  most do!  What I mean is, be willing to stop and chat for awhile.  If you are wanting to play REAL flesh & blood opponents, then it seems to me you ought to be willing to get to know who you are playing a little bit; even if it's just telling each other something about where you live.  If all you want to do is play chess & move on to the next opponent, you may as well play the computer.  I mean why bother playing an actual person?

Anyhow, there is my first 'chess.com' blog.  So you know, sometimes I can access my chess games on my Blackberry & sometimes I can't.

Until next time...   God bless!  We'll see you on the checkerboard.