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[Scruga]

wait... checkers is not the same as chess?

[Osmosis Jones]

One more person here for Go. I personally find chess a bit... stilted I guess? It's limited in the moves you can make at any given time. By contrast, Go has an incredible degree of freedom. That, and the tension that builds in large ko and counting battles can be insane.

[darkrider2]

Chess. Is. Awesome.

@ OP: You probably just need more practice. And you already know how they all move and capture... now its time to start thinking about complex ways to use all those various maneuvers in a way that will crush your opponent.

[HebaruSan]

find PEOPLE (preferably real life) to play against. Playing chess vs the computer is one of the least satisfying ways possible to spend your time, cause unless you're damn good you'll never beat it with any consistency.

Seconded. I have had a lot of fun playing chess against people, but never against computers. With the computer, the inevitability of defeat is too discouraging; in that sense I can relate to the OP. As you watch your opponent's piece move, you know that it's the strongest move on the board, because they've already considered every possible move that you and they can make from then till the end of the game. Who would want to spend time that way? It's hard even to learn anything from it, since you'll rarely get positive feedback for gradually improving your moves or strategy (i.e., you will still lose, quickly).

With a human opponent, on the other hand, it's possible that they've missed something several moves ahead, or even one or two moves ahead. If they missed it because you planned it that way, because you carefully laid and sprung a subtle trap, that can be incredibly satisfying, but that will never happen against a computer. Likewise if you manage to notice and foil one of their traps. That's when you'll start feeling like a chess player.

[Ultimuh]

I like chess, against another player ofcourse.
But I always manage to lose most of the time to my younger brother.
I do think ahead sometimes but most of the time I'll just do something random.

And while we are talking about chess.. I once thought of the idea of combining chess, monopoly and risk (possibly settlers of catan too).
But the idea never became anything.

[Ilmoran]

I like chess, against another player ofcourse.
But I always manage to lose most of the time to my younger brother.
I do think ahead sometimes but most of the time I'll just do something random.

And while we are talking about chess.. I once thought of the idea of combining chess, monopoly and risk (possibly settlers of catan too).
But the idea never became anything.

I dont know how you'd combine all of those, but now I'm envisioning Risk with armies that can only move chess-knight style. 

[SanDiego]

Ah, chess, the game of kings... Only existing game, where luck has no impact on game.

[Ultimuh]

Ah, chess, the game of kings... Only existing game, where luck has no impact on game.

Well you could be lucky if you won the game because the other player overlooked a vital/fatal move.

[Slitherrr]

Ah, chess, the game of kings... Only existing game, where luck has no impact on game.

And Go is exactly the same way. Both are completely deterministic, insofar as the players' intentions can be divined. As a matter of fact, A Game of Thrones, Diplomacy, and a whole host of other games are exactly the same way. So, please, put some thought into your unqualified statements before you make them.

[BigD145]

Ah, chess, the game of kings... Only existing game, where luck has no impact on game.

And Go is exactly the same way. Both are completely deterministic, insofar as the players' intentions can be divined. As a matter of fact, A Game of Thrones, Diplomacy, and a whole host of other games are exactly the same way. So, please, put some thought into your unqualified statements before you make them.

Quarto, Blokus, 3D Blokus, Cityscape, Twixt, Quoridor, Mancala, Master Labyrinth, ... I could go on and fill the page if I had the time. There are hundreds of nonluck-based games.

[Asehujiko]

In my opinion chess is overrated.

Awesome.  So... what are your feelings on the sculptures of Rodin, quantum theory and the Iliad?

The Iliad was good but the sequel tried to cram every piece of mythology they had in it. "Here's everybody's favourite character from the previous book(scroll?), this time outwitting and/or sleeping with everything that had at least one immortal parent!"

That said, there are worse pieces of universally worshiped classic literature, like Dante Alighieri's self insertion fanfic of the bible...

[Cardinal]

That said, there are worse pieces of universally worshiped classic literature, like Dante Alighieri's self insertion fanfic of the bible...

Right, hold on, I'm writing this down...  Chess, overrated.  Dante writes fan fiction...  I suppose Milton would fall under that category, as well?

I suppose Laozi was a lazy know-it-all and anyone could have painted the roof of the Sistine Chapel?

Maybe I'm too conservative, but I'm gonna hold off on deriding works that have been acclaimed by so many smart folks.  Something tells me when I stand askance from a bunch of smart guys, the chances are real good that I'm not at a higher plateau.

[haywire]

Machiavelli just wrote glorified self-help books.  :\

[Ilmoran]

That said, there are worse pieces of universally worshiped classic literature, like Dante Alighieri's self insertion fanfic of the bible...

Right, hold on, I'm writing this down...  Chess, overrated.  Dante writes fan fiction...  I suppose Milton would fall under that category, as well?

I suppose Laozi was a lazy know-it-all and anyone could have painted the roof of the Sistine Chapel?

Maybe I'm too conservative, but I'm gonna hold off on deriding works that have been acclaimed by so many smart folks.  Something tells me when I stand askance from a bunch of smart guys, the chances are real good that I'm not at a higher plateau.

You should find your own reason to appreciate something, not because "a bunch of smart guys do".  You should also get over the presumption that when someone dislikes something, it's because they think it's beneath them.

[monk12]

Guys!  I think there's more here than meets the eye!

What if the original poster meant his complaint against a game he did not understand as an ironic analogy of people who complain against Dwarf Fortress?


Also, if you have become bored with chess, have you tried Chess v. Checkers?  It's like playing two different games, and you can have quite the argument over who has the advantage...

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