We like to try out new things here at Reliance Digital, and one of those new trends online isn’t so much to do with cutting-edge, next-generation gaming but something a little more sober. Chess, the popular 2-person, board game has a huge professional community around it. Well before computers were commonplace in homes, a chess board was a must. Schools had them, and still have groups of enthusiasts. If you haven’t played it yet, or if you have longed to play it again, there is now a place, a multiplayer chess service called Lichess.org.
Chess is great for several reasons. It teaches you to strategize, to be alert, it’s fun, there is a lot of study material around it and you get better the more you play it. Lichess could one of the reasons for the popularity of Chess once again, in this age of smartphones. Here are some reasons on how why should give it a go.
Lichess is entirely free and we mean, entirely. There are no signs of ads, popups or prompts to pay up, at any point. You could donate to them if you like. It’s entirely community driven, but it’s full of features. Signing up takes a few moments, and you can choose to play Chess on your PC or laptop, or you could install apps available for Android devices, iPhones, even iPads. The apps have practically all the features you find on the web version. Chess is great fun when you play it on a large tablet or a touchscreen laptop, especially if you play against another player on the same device.
Lichess comes into its essence when you play online though. You are started off at a 1500 experience level for different modes of Chess. Depending on how well or badly you play at first, you may slide back or forth on that experience scale. You are pitched against other players of your experience. Don’t be disheartened. You might drop in experience at first, but you’ll soon get better. The experience levels are separate for every game mode and there are several modes to choose from. The traditional, classic games have long time limits of 30 minutes or so. Quicker games are available too, for the veterans, ranging from 1 to 5 to 10 minutes, with small extensions.
The games are also assigned as casual and rated games. Casual games don’t have bearing on your rating and are a good way to practice and learn. The rated games help you move up the ranks, once you’re confident of your skill.
Lichess lets you add friends from people you already know, and those you may come by as you play more. You could add them and practice more games with them. There are also open lobbies too, that you can join. They are also marked as rated or classic, along with the chess mode. Make no mistake, you can still choose to play against the computer and hone your skills as you go.
Lichess is a sophisticated tool for analysing chess games too. The Analysis board lets you look at previous games and figure out what you could have done alternatively. There is an Opening Explorer feature that recommends good opening moves for chess players. The Board editor is another tool, that lets you move everything around, as you wish and you can continue playing from there or analyse it.
Lichess is also a good place to learn how to play. There is a Play section that teaches those who have never played chess before. It teaches the very basics of the game, and there are intermediate to expert moves and strategies in the advanced lessons. There are practice sessions where you are put in a situation and you need to learn how to get through it. Some of them are defensive, while others, offensive. Watching others play is another way of learning how to improve. Fortunately, Lichess has a Lichess TV feature that lets you watch others play. There are picked, high-ranked players who show up on the list. Although, you could simply watch any player playing in real time or replay their games. There is even a chat feature to talk with other spectators and discuss the happenings of the game as they go.
The interactions aren’t limited to just other spectators. Players can create teams on Lichess and coordinate games and play in tournaments. Lichess is also the venue for a lot of professional tournaments. There are practically some running, all the time. You can watch the games being played there or even participate, assuming your skill level is right up there.
If you’ve been trying to take on a new hobby or activity during this pandemic, chess might be one of those board games that works for everyone, your friends, even colleagues and family. It’s easy. Simply download the Lichess app on your smartphone, tablet or access Lichess.org and register an account there. You could very well be on your way in minutes. Also, don’t forget to check out training videos on YouTube and live analysis of games on Twitch, where a lot of Lichess players tend to stream. As always, if you’re looking for interesting, new things to do with your technology, continue visiting reliancedigital.in.
Lichess – Bringing back chess to everyone
