Chess - The Nerd Game

January 29, 2021

Chess - The Nerd Game

Okay, before I start things off, I need to give a DISCLAIMER:

1) This are only my views and you're not entitled to rant at me about it.

2) This post isn't written to diss anyone off.

3)The title is sarcastic. I'm a chess lover too and am not in any way about to badmouth it.

Let's start now.

Intro:

Chess is a bodacious board game which involves a board(obviously?) having 64 alternating, bicolor, symmetrical squares and involves 32 pieces(16 for each side), further divided to pawns, minor pieces and major pieces. Each piece has its own unique movement and the game in its own way is a minor battlefield.

(I won't explain any further as to not bore the non fans of the topic, but I hope you realize the game's beauty and further discover about it after reading this Blog.)

History:

(Again I'll try to keep it short so as to bore the non interested minority.{I hope the haters are less in number XD })

Quoting Wikipedia,

The history of chess can be traced back nearly 1500 years, although the earliest origins are uncertain. The earliest predecessor of the game probably originated in India, before the 6th century AD. From India, the game spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently spread to Southern Europe. In Europe, chess evolved into roughly its current form in the 15th century.

(I'll leave the link at the bottom for those who are interested or you may just google History of chess and it's literally the first link that comes up.)

~As it'll be unfair for the fans if I just be partial towards the not interested folk, the following section will be dedicated to them, rest of you can go forward and continue reading from Modernization of Chess.~

About the Game:

It's mainly divided into 3 phases,

1) The Opening.

2) Middle Game.

3) End Game.

The Opening:

It's the beginning part of the game which lasts anywhere around 2nd and 30th move. It's one of the most important, overlooked part of the game(Literally!).

I can't stress out how important it is to have an opening repertoire while playing chess. Yes, you can play without one either, but don't expect to have much fun on win much games without one and yes, this is from my own personal experience.

To be honest until a few months ago from writing this post, I was standing right before it and still didn't realize Mt. Tai( Yes I was a frog the well ;-;). But surely, I did realize how important openings were, especially for beginners till a rating of around 2000(or maybe more I maybe am just being ignorant). If you're like the past me, I recommend you to learn at least a few and use it. You can refer books or various Youtubers like GM Hikaru Nakamura(YT- GM Hikaru), IM Levy Rozman(YT- GothamChess), IM Eric Rosen(YT- Eric Rosen), WFM Alexandra Botez or the Botez sisters(Twitch- Botez Plays?), etc. who have videos about openings in their channel.

Knowing and playing an opening will surely give you at least a 200 elo boost in your rating. I assure you you'll love the gambits(Not the Botez gambit which I play sometimes, no. ;-;) and traps in them.

Middle game:

The stage between the opening and endgame. It has no clear line to distinguish it.

The EndGame:

(Not the Avengers one, bear with me xD )

The stage where there are only a few pieces left, where pawns gain tremendous importance in deciding whether the game will be won by someone or drawn.

Modernization of chess:

(If you skipped the last part I'd like to welcome you back.)

With the passage of time, chess has evolved itself into various types like Classical, Rapid, Blitz, Bullet, etc. Especially with the rise of popular chess apps and websites like Chess.com, Lichess.com, etc., there have been more variants further modernizing the game like King of the hill, Atomic, Chess 960, etc. Thanks to websites and apps similar to these, famous titled player cum streamers and famous online tournaments like PogChamps, chess is climbing to a never seen before glory, even gaining attention from not only professional ESports Teams like TSM and 9Cloud, but also streaming platforms like NetFlix(Thanks to netflix for the Queens' gambit btw. You should check it out if you haven't) and it can be said that in the near foreseeable future, it will turn around into a grandly celebrated sport throughout the world.

And now onto the reason I'm writing this:

Why You Should Learn to Play Chess and Why you should play it frequently in your free time:

1) To the young ones out starting to learn and to play chess at a young age, it increases memory, concentration, attention span and most importantly, it's lotta fun!(Being good at a sport is a good thing anyways right?) If you want your kids to learn it there are multiple ways including a website called chesskid.com which also has a variety of tools to aid them in the process.

2) Addressing to the youths, it is a game which can help you battle depression, can teach you how to maneuver around difficulties and can teach you the most important lesson, to never give up(There will always be people whom you can manipulate to stalemate you in game :P)

3) To the old and the elderly, it helps you to keep your minds fresh and sharp throughout your old age, helping you pass your leisure time!

Okay, time to conclude things...

Conclusion:

Chess is a game suitable for all ages, that anyone can master and if you do, will never cause any regret in doing so.

Credits and Thanks:

1) Wikipedia and the person who wrote that article in it(Link down below)

2) GM Vishwanathan Anand, my inspiration towards the game.

3) Mom, for introducing me to this wonderful game.

4) GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman for teaching me so much about the game.

5) You wonderful people, for bearing with me and reading this article.

Links:

1)Wikipedia