News & Updates
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
A continuation of Jason’s reviews of online chess sites. Be sure to check out Jason’s ICC review, ficgs.com review, and Yahoo Chess and PlayChess.com review.
Chesscube.com is a real-time chess server based in South Africa. It features a sharp and intuitive flash-based interface with fairly smooth gameplay. Chess 960, otherwise known as Fischer Random Chess, can be played there as well. This is the only chess variant they currently offer.
Chesscube.com utilizes a unique system of levels ranging from 1 through 20 that rewards you based on how much you play, referred to as XP (short for experience, not for the Windows operating system). The more you play the higher the level you achieve and the more features and functionality you ‘unlock’. New accounts start off at level 1, but even here, you are able to chat in public chat rooms (pending email verification), play in tournaments, post games to Facebook, set rating range for seeks, copy your games as PGN, etc. At level 2 you are able to Read more �
Click to see and purchase today’s Thursday Chess Deals!
Premier Chess Pieces
Save $24 on Premier Chess Pieces (Ivory/Black)
These stunning pieces come in over 4 inches tall, triple weighted, with extra queens included.
Black Chess Keychains
Save $9 on 2 Sets of Chess Keychains
These fun keychain chess pieces will be a hit with your young chess club players
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This Review was written by chess player Cub Noble for Wholesale Chess.
10 Inch Magnetic Travel Wood Chess Set with Fitted Insert
Travel Chess Set
This is my favorite travel chess set of all time. This chess set feels like it is meant for the GM tournaments (meaning of solid wood and extremely durable) only condensed to the mini scale used for personal use. I carry this chess set everywhere I go. This is what I use for basic club use all the way up to my lessons with a Master. He really likes the set as well. The chess board is large enough to distinguish the chess pieces due to the immense detail and its depth to the pieces so you can also tell the height differences between the pieces also you will not knock over half of the board trying to move a piece. But it is still small enough to carry around in your pocket to play whenever there is down time it also does not require very much time to set up.
Travel Chess Set: Under the Board
The magnets hold a lot better than all of the other travel chess sets that I currently own. Also the wooden panels are made extremely well. Nothing is loose in all the times that I have played it. Underneath the board there is a very convenient storage place for all of the pieces. I also enjoy this product because it is double hinged so you won’t lose any pieces in case they aren’t fit perfectly. I know I have used it more times than I can count and it still looks new. I highly, highly recommend the 10 Inch Magnetic Travel Wood Chess Set with Fitted Insert. It is definitely worth the price. (Wholesale Chess Item # SR0610)
My name is Cub Noble. I live in Ankeny Iowa and I really enjoy chess!
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of Wholesale Chess. We welcome open discussion on all aspects of chess on the Wholesale Chess Blog. If you would like to be a guest author on our blog, please contact us at marketing@wholesalechess.com.
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
A continuation of Jason’s reviews of online chess sites. Be sure to check out Jason’s review of ICC and Yahoo Chess and PlayChess.com review
In the days before the public internet, correspondence chess referred to a game which involved a person setting up a position on a chess board, thinking about that position for sometimes days, or even weeks, then writing down their move(s) on a piece of paper, putting that piece of paper into a stamped envelope, and mailing it off to their opponent, who might be on a different continent. Not only did the moves sometimes take a long time to make, but on top of this there was the time it took to mail the letter. In an era of modern technology, with instant emails, voice, and video communication from any two places on the planet, this might seem like a ridiculous waste of time and money (spent on postage), but it did offer a unique chess experience which can no longer be replicated.
It was a form of the game in which two players had the opportunity to play to the best of their ability and without any restrictions on time or travel obligations. There was a profound Read more �
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
In some ways I feel fortunate to have commenced my foray into tournament chess just before the arrival of the popular internet and all the chess software and access to theory that hitherto was not available. At that time, studying chess meant looking at a real board with real chess pieces and attempting to work out complex positions using your own mind. Sometimes you used an opening manual or other chess books as a reference, but Rybka 4 was not around to do the thinking for you. You were forced to learn how to plan, attack, defend, and work out all the tactics in a particular position or else suffer defeat against an opponent who did. For those who embraced the challenge of learning how to play the game using only their wits, this resulted in the development of skill. Sure you would often miss an important combination, or completely be on the wrong track in your understanding of a particular position, but you were fully immersed in the learning process and, as a result, would adapt and Read more �
5-in-1 Wood Chess Game Set
Save $50 on a 5-in-1 Rosewood & Maple Game Chess Set
This 14 x 14 inch chess board also includes everything for Checkers, Backgammon, Cribbage & Dominoes.
Carbonless Copy Chess Score Sheets
Save $8 on 100 Carbonless Copy Chess Score Sheets
These Carbonless Copy Chess Score Sheets (100 Pack) are ideal for submitting a game copy at tournaments.
Read more �
From time to time Wholesale Chess customers have questions about how to operate the timing modes on their chess clock. In an effort to help everyone better understand how to get the most from their chess clocks, we’ve put together this list of popular chess clock timing modes and which chess clocks have these timing modes available. We have another article if you’re looking for more general instructions on how to use your chess clock. Please feel free to comment and add your thoughts and suggestions!
Popular Timing Modes
Sudden death – players must make a predetermined number of moves in a certain amount of time or forfeit immediately. A particularly popular variant in informal play is blitz chess, in which each player is given five minutes on the chess clock for the entire game. The players may take more or less time over any individual move. The opening moves in chess are often played quickly due to their familiarity, which leaves the players more time to consider more complex and unfamiliar positions later.
Simple delay – when it becomes a player’s turn to move, the clock waits for the delay period before starting to subtract from the player’s remaining time. For example, Read more �
Written by guest author Greg Delaney for Wholesale Chess.
Let’s take a closer look at the process of change and how it plays out in the improvement of a chess player. There’s an old saying about change that goes like this: “the only person who likes change is a wet baby.” Most people find uncomfortable the experience of making a change or being subjected to one. Once we have established a “routine” and have become comfortable with it, our tendency is to remain in this “normal” (for us) pattern of thinking, feeling, or behaving. This being said, it’s clear that the only way to improve at chess is to somehow change our current method of playing the game.
The first “stage” of a change process, ironically, is Read more �
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