Playing vs Computer

hey guys

I was wondering if using your phone or desktop when playing against the computer makes any difference? 

I play using the app on my iphone and level 2 just seems too advanced I can hardly win against and level 1 seems like playing with a fool who knows nothing about chess.

when i was your rating i found level two easy. post a game and i'll see ow 'complex' level two really is.

I'm new here and I'm not sure how to post a game

is it by copying the pgn?

yes in the box you type in the forms you see a grey bar with icons on it. click on the one that looks like a 4x4 chess board then you should be able to work the rest out from there. 

Here's a random game I played, if I played like this with level 1 I would win in no time.

I can beat level 8, but not consistently

although there are some mistakes in the opening i'll go over the main ones. 11. Nxh7 is not only an unsound sacrifice but there is a way better move of 11. exf6 where black loses a minor piece. 12. Bxg6 is also an unsound sacrifice as after 12... fxg6 which is what was played by black you can't follow up the attack with anything 13. Qg4 maybe but that's still futile. 13. Nb5 loses the knight to 13...axb5 14. Bxb4 14...Nxb4 but luckily for you black didn't play this and played 13... Bc5 where the best move is probably to retreat the knight after the blunder however 14. Nxc7 was played by you which is another unsound sacrifice. black could've done 14... Qxc7 immediately but black played something better which was bringing your king out with Bxf2+. there probably a way to defend against the mate but the game was lost anyway.

I play a lot against the computer here but it's not a good engine at all. Even on lower levels (< 6) the engine is thinking a few moves ahead as most people with such a level don't. So adjust to the level the engine is strewing weird mistakes a real player wouldn't do. Also it's possible to walk with your pawns to the very other side killing one pawn after another and sometimes also other pieces. Once I got a second queen. Such a mix of the mistakes strewed in plus the deep level of thinking at lower levels is anything but mapping real players behavior. Actually one shouldn't expect too much but in the end sometimes playing against the computer is just a farce.

Thank you for your detailed analysis but I still can't make it past level 2.

it just seems so hard for me and the difference between level 1 and 2 is puzzling because it's not gradual

I will continue to play and practice hopefully I will make it. 

The moves made by the computer are not always the same but often and then u know in advance what the computer would do. Also you can try using the disadvantages of that electronic opponent and this is trying to march with your pawns as far as possible, taking pieces as much as possible. If you are approuching the other pawns, its possible quite often, if the computer is approuching your pawns it's rather not possible, then he takes your pawn as this was part of the precalculated moves.

Many people recommend making the chess board as large as possible on your screen, which would suggest that playing on my 17" laptop gives me an edge over my 5" smartphone.  I think I do see the diagonals better when playing on a larger screen or with real pieces.

you'll easily be able to beat it if you take advantage of the one move tactical blunders the computer makes and make sure you don't make any one move tactical blunders.

Are you allergic to castling or something?

 are you allergic to playing. 

Allergic to playing on the internet, yes!

Actually my comment was directed at the OP, not at you - I thought he should have castled early in that game

 Me thrashing level 2

Didn't seem too good at all.

Making an engine strong is not too hard.  Making it weak so it plays at human levels is much harder.  The algorithms typically used tend to result in a mix of blunders and very strong moves.

this is my game against level two.

no

I didn't realize this till I read your comment.