Chess Blog 1

 

Puzzle of the Day

Chess has always been a game that has drawn me into its layers ever since I was a wee lad. From playing with my grandparents to extended family, friends and even in jail, chess is a game that rears its head in the most unusual places when you least expect it.

Despite being an avid fan of the game, theres been little to no formal training. Especially openings. Solved portions of the game where memorization of the common starts is the game for the first 15 moves. Known positions, solved conditions, an empty set of moves drilled into your head over and over just to get to the meat and potatoes, the raw calculation and decision making. My least liked aspect of chess because it requires no skill beyond memory, a sequence of moves that needs no explanation because StockFish calculated all the auditions and decided before anyone even had a bright idea. 

Even regarding this known flaw in chess, I have always returned back to this historical board game, only playing against others seriously over the board once in a blue moon. So little, I remember every time I've sat down to play a match or two.

Regardless, when online, I've never played seriously nor have I been able to. Something about the lack of the tactile feeling, the scent of stain and wood, the tension of competition in a battle of wit. A moment thats weighted all too heavily to be contained on a phone app.

So, the alternative became just grinding chess puzzles. It wasn't until much later in my life I started getting more diligent regarding chess. It happened rather quickly, a group of friends of my younger brother had began working at the restaurant I was employed at. They were all chess fans. Their passion had spread to me like wildfire. I had already been a fan of watching GM/IM chess players on youtube and twitch for fun, I found their games and insightful commentary very entertaining, their biographies, competitive nature and backstories made me an invested viewer. Now with my new co-workers/friends, it sparked a reason to play rather than just watch.

I became enamored. Constantly working on puzzles. Every night, staring into a phone screen, problem solving, finding the solutions.

Even purchased a chess.com membership to just do puzzles.

It wasn't much longer before I discovered the free alternative, lichess.

It became another hobby in my backpocket. A minimal activity that's just enough to consume me for a brief moment.

Up until then, chess had existed, played on occasion, but otherwise was no different from other board games that ends up in a closet. But after that point, chess became pivotal. A go-to game with quick access, indepth calculations to delve, all while conveniently installed on a handheld.

A classic.