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Gaming Discussions

Sam_AMD
Community Manager

Chess! Is it a video game?

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned Chess to you! As some of you know, I’ve recently re-discovered the game and I’m hooked. When not playing Far Cry 5, or Assetto Corsa Competizione, I play one or two matches per week on Chess.com to get my fix.

I said “re-discovered” because I learned how to play it when I was in elementary school - I think. My mom had the patience, the mental strength, and the energy to teach me how to play it – but I didn’t appreciate the game as much as I do now. Back then it was just a board game, something to do with my mom when I had no other form of entertainment (climbing on walls, breaking stuff around the house, or getting dirty at the park)

I have a hard time determining whether it’s a “video game” or not. I play it online, it’s a 1v1, and the platform features points, badges, tutorials, lessons, a colorful community, all-you-can-eat tournaments, and ranks! So, one could say it’s a video game, but at the same time, I struggle with it because in the end Chess is a 500+-year-old game, played across the world, by millions on a board! Not to mention the cold-war era, how both the US and USSR took the “game” to the next level – if you know what I mean!?

Anyways, why am I hooked now? Simple, when you win, it feels great! When you lose, if you’re like me (I’m very competitive with a splash of OCD), I get mad…at myself, and it takes me an hour or two to shake it off.

Winning is very gratifying, to say the least. When you’re able to execute your strategy and pick the right tactics while making the opponent believe he/she’s winning, well, it’s just awesome. It’s like bluffing. There are other ways I’ve been able to “defeat” my opponent, by capturing key material (i.e. the Queen or Knights) early in the game, crippling his/her ability to proceed which results in just quitting (I sense the frustration through the digital universe), here is an example:

 

Sam_win_Chess.gif

 

Losing on the other hand hurts…a lot! You lose when you don’t pay attention to the opponent’s tactic(s), or sneaky move(s). You lose when you make a mistake, and the opponent quickly spots it and takes advantage of it in his/her next move. Yak! Most of all, you lose because you’re not focusing and evaluating the battlefield (the board) after every move, Sam!

 

Sam_lose_Chess.gif

 

I have to say, if I were to define Chess as a video game, then I can confidently say that there are no other games that take me on such an emotional ride (Winning = YEAH, Loosing = X%^&, S(*$!, D$#%! I wanna go home). I can see why some folks become obsessed with Chess, could it be an ego thing? I don’t know. Do you play chess?

 

PS. Yes, I've watched The Queen's Gambit

Sam
Your biggest fan!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
11 Replies
johnnyenglish
Grandmaster

I used to play chess at the elementary school too, where I attended had annual competition between students.
I started playing just because it did got me some extra points at school. 😁

Last time I played was to teach my GF and she liked a lot but, yeah.. I got tired 😋

It took like 5 games to see my early bishop move on Her tower.

The Englishman
lowteck
Miniboss

Sam losing...Sam losing...



Too Many CPUs & GPUs to list...
Vynski
Exemplar

I have always loved chess.  Can't even remember when or where I learned to play.  What is the least number of moves you have ever used to mate someone.  Mine has been under 10.


Famous last words of a RedNeck "Hey Ya'll, WATCH THIS"
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Sam_AMD
Community Manager

It's a great game! 4 moves! eh eh eh eh...

Sam
Your biggest fan!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
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SubtleIQ
Adept III

  Hehe totally laughing about winning and losing.   I learned how to move the pieces.   I played Battle Chess a long time ago just to watch the pieces fight each other.  I never finished my goal though...to watch every piece fight each other piece.  Though I did use each piece to fight king and queen.  Oh yeah even though I learned only how to move the pieces, my favorite is the Knight. 

**Spoiler Alert** For those that have never played FF7 (Final Fantasy VII) or the remake and plan to do so read no further...

 

Spoiler
As far as emotional ride.  Hmmm I clearly remember throwing my controller across the room and screaming "No !"" at the top of my lungs when Sephiroth killed Aerith in Final Fantasy VII on Sony Playstation One.   She was amazing party healer, basically the only dedicated healer.  I then proceeded to go back through every single save game I had to see if I could make different choices to save her. 

 

 

 

   

Michael Alan Horton
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I hear you. I've had to walk away from my desk a few times; before I get in "rage" mode...I can say that my anger-management skills have improved. LOL.

My favorite piece? Knights! These are very powerful when paired with a pawn...

Sam
Your biggest fan!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
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Key-J
Paragon

 

QuestionableParallelGoldeneye-size_restricted

This is pretty much how I play chest most days 😛

( I actually do know how to play )

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**Canadian Gamer & Father - www.twitch.tv/AFKidsGaming** - Live Wed & Fri at 8:00pm PST - Come join!
Sam_AMD
Community Manager

Victory! Another win from last night. I "bluffed" my opponent. I let him take the lead at the begging and middle of the match while plotting the battery in the center file (battery = two rooks or queen and a rook in the same column) while pinning his knight to his king. He made the mistake (blunder) of not taking my pawn, so...boom! Checkmate in two moves. Yay! 

 

Another_Major_Whipping_by_Warsam71.gif

Sam
Your biggest fan!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT

This is how I know you and I would be on a very different Chess level. You know the strategy, the moves, the names of the moves!

I know the general rules and objective... lol

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**Canadian Gamer & Father - www.twitch.tv/AFKidsGaming** - Live Wed & Fri at 8:00pm PST - Come join!
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Sam_AMD
Community Manager

"Come to the Chess-side...young Jedi!" 😎  My username is Warsam71 

Sam
Your biggest fan!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
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Sam_AMD
Community Manager

I'm not bragging! But here is another win! The opponent had me the entire game, but made two mistakes (blunders) that allowed me to win! (And, if you look closely, you'll notice I also made a few mistakes, missed opportunities to win free material)...

Awesome Comeback.gif

 

Sam
Your biggest fan!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800XT
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