Chess Sets

Chess is a board game played by two players on a chessboard with 64 squares in an eight by eight square configuration. Each player has 16 chess pieces made up of 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, and 8 pawns. Placement of the pieces on the board is: In the front row rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook. In the second row 8 pawns. The game is won when an opponents king is in check whereby it can not be moved from the attack position and is declared checkmate.

The game of chess is considered to be one of the most popular board games in the world played by millions of people worldwide in various clubs, on the internet, by means of correspondence, and tournaments.

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Chess is a board game of tactics and strategy that is thousands of years old. Many people enjoy chess for challenge of the game as well as the beauty of the chess sets. There are various materials used to construct chess sets and all have their unique beauty. Chess pieces are made of ivory, marble, pewter, wood, or glass. are Many beautiful antique chess sets still exist today made of these materials, and many more new chess sets are manufactured using modern methods that are also beautiful.

A very popular material that has been used since the games inception to create stunning game pieces as well as boards is wood. The type of wood used to make chess sets vary and all have a unique look and style. Wooden chess sets are usually very durable and require very little maintenance which makes them a excellent choice for players who want a functional yet beautiful chess set.

Glass is another material used to make sets and has also been used for many centuries. Glass chess sets vary widely in style and durability. Some glass chess games are made of hand blown glass which is hollow and very fragile. Others are made of solid glass which is more durable. These sets come in a variety of colors depending on the type of glass used and many come with a glass or mirrored board which makes the set exceptionally beautiful.

Marble chess sets are beautiful and marble is one of the most durable materials you can find for this board game. Many sets made to be used outdoors are made of marble as this material is impervious to the elements. Marble pieces often resemble small statues and can be crafted in any shape or form desired.

Many collectors like chess sets made of pewter, and this material adds a distinct type of style and beauty to the pieces crafted from it. Pewter is often used when making themed chess sets and is often embellished with crystals, gems, and even gold or silver. Pewter is a durable material although it requires periodic maintenance and cleaning. No matter what material your chess set, you are sure to find something that is beautiful as well as functional.

The collection of chess sets design available is very broad, from tiny cosmetic changes to highly exaggerated representations to themed sets such as Civil War, Fantasy, Medieval chess sets or from sets the Renaissance period. Themed designs are often intended for display as much as actual play and can enhance home decor.

Chess pieces used in this board are usually pieces that are taller than they are wide. Case in point, a set of chessmen designed for a board with 2 inch (57 mm) squares will generally have a king that is 3 inches (95 mm) tall. There are numerous designs, with the most well-known Staunton design which is named after Howard Staunton (a 19th century English chess player), which was designed by Nathaniel Cook.

Wooden chessmen are usually made of the light wood boxwood or perhaps maple. Black wooden chess pieces are made of a dark wood such as rosewood, ebony, red sandalwood, or walnut; or made of boxwood and stained or painted black, brown, or red. Plastic or resin white chess pieces are made of white or off-white plastic and black pieces are made of black or red plastic. Other materials used, are bone, ivory, or a composite material.

The Staunton chess sets are considered the standard for play. The height of the king should be between 85 mm and 105 mm (3.35 to 4.13 inches). USCF rules recommend a king height between 3 and 4 inches tall (86 to 114 mm). A height of approximately 95 to 102 mm (3 to 4 inches) is preferred by most players. The diameter of the king should be 40 to 50 percent of its height. The size of the other chessmen should be in proportion to the king in the set. The chess pieces should be well balanced. The size of the squares of the chessboard should be approximately 1.25 to 1.3 times the diameter of the base of the king, or 50 to 65 mm (2 to 21/2 inches). Squares of size of approximately 57 mm (2 inches) normally are well-suited for pieces with the kings in the preferred size range.

Chess is enjoyed by some 605 million players worldwide, by means of clubs, online, and via e-mail, various tournaments and the day to day one on one. Since the game's inception strategies, and various tactics, have been debated and improved upon by some of the top players of the game. There has been software developed to foil players, and the challenge will always bring out the very best in players. But one important element can never be tooled with regardless of the rules of the game and that is the fun factor. Sometimes the idea of domination is not the goal, but rather the pleasure of the game; regardless the end goal is the same... that finalizing word CHECKMATE.

3 Components of the Chess Game

Opening

Recognized sequences of opening moves are commonly called openings and are often named after the individual who may have created the strategy.

There are a variety of opening moves from jockeying for position to extremely aggressive play.

Some forms strategy of opening moves but certainly not all may be:

Placing chess pieces on useful squares where they will have the greater strategic outcome in the game.

Gaining control of the center of the chess board squares blocking potential moves by an opponent.

Providing optimum safety for the king, one strategy may be by using the perfect time for castling.

Guarding against having a weak pawn structure and forcing those weaknesses on the opponent's pawns.

Middlegame

The actual time of the middlegame is hard to pinpoint but for the most part it is when most chess pieces have been developed. It is at this point that most combinations take place; these are a series of moves designed for a desired outcome and not random.

There is also the consideration of reducing the amount of chess pieces on the board as a strategy to simplify the game. This is often done with great thought and strategy, the idea of removing chess pieces to make the chess board less complicated could end in total disaster if not well thought out!

Endgame

The endgame is at the point when there are few chess pieces left on the board. There are three major strategic differences when referring to the earlier stages of the chess game and endgame:

During the endgame, pawns become far more important; endgames often involve trying to promote a pawn by advancing it to the 8th rank.

Great Chess Resources

• 64squar.es - Simple AJAX chess with a great looking interface.
• Chess.net - Play with anyone - from a beginner to champion Anatoly Karpov for $30/year (or just play for free on Fridays).
• Chess Any Time - Gaming zone with hundreds of players, powered by Java.
• ChessHere.com - Rated games with time limits.
• Chesspark - Beautiful online client with a monthly fee. True Ventures agrees, since they just funded them with $1,000,000.
• Free Internet Chess Server - With over 300,000 users and a powerful Java interface, its no wonder FICS is one of the most popular sites in the world.
• Instant Chess - Play against players from anywhere in the world. No registration required.
• Internet Chess Club - Play in tournaments, take chess lessons, and much more from one of the most popular chess clubs on the Net.
• Morfik Chess - Single or multiplayer AJAX style chess.
• MSN Chess - If you don't mind using IE 6 or higher, you can play real-time chess with anyone with a Windows Live ID.
• Yahoo Chess - You'll have to bypass an annoying ad and open a ton of windows, but Yahoo Chess is one of the biggest chess servers on the web for beginners, intermediates, or masters.
• Ajaxplay - Email notification, ratings, and more are built into this powerful AJAX app.
• Chess.com - Huge site with a social network, email, coaches, videos, forums, and much more(see coverage here).
• ChessHere.com - Forums, tournaments, championships, teams, and much more are available with this powerful game server.
• Chess on the Web - Powerful correspondence server.
• Chessworld.net - Extremely popular chess site with many customizable features.
• Free Internet Correspondence Games Server - Win tournaments, rated games, and even play games for money with FICGS.
• GE Chess - Ever played chess in Google Earth? Me neither, until I found GE Chess. You can even play online without Google Earth, if you choose to do so.
• Instant Chess - Play chess, Fischer chess, or checkers via email.
• International Correspondence Chess Federation - Play hundreds of rated international users on the ICCF.
• Playchess.de - With tournaments, PGN format support, and much more, Playchess.de is a must-have for any chess user.
• Queen Alice - Community of international players with ratings, tournaments, and much more.
• Red Hot Pawn - With over 100,000 users, clans, notebooks, messaging, and more, Red Hot Pawn is a winner in any chess book.
• SchemingMind.com - Popular correspondence site with multiple varieties of chess.