Checkmate! The Tapology Chess Thread

Welcome to the official Tapology Chess Thread, the place to discuss all things related to chess! It doesn't matter if you're a Grandmaster or a novice, everyone's welcome!

I've also made the Tapology Chess Club on Chess.com that anyone can join as long as they confirm what their username on here is! There's not level requirements so anyone regardless of their rating can join! There might be tournaments and things in the group, although at the moment, it is still in the experimental stage and I'm still figuring it out as I go along but hopefully this thread should help organise it a bit more! Anyway, here's the link for anyone who wants to join:

https://www.chess.com/club/tapology-chess-club

For anyone new to chess or have never tried it, Chess.com have some great tutorials to learn from and I found this good WikiHow article that explains the basics of chess:

https://www.wikihow.com/Play-Chess-for-Beginners

Any questions at all, just ask! There's no such thing as a stupid question in this thread! 

Anyone for chess before I turn in? 

Alternatively, Texas Hold’Em?

* Edited at 06.30.2022, 9:05 PM ET *

He was a chess genius and is regarded as one of the best of all time and helped to increase the game's popularity but he was also a deeply troubled man who polarised people with his controversial comments and eccentric personality before spiralling into insanity. 

Funny thing I read his Wikipedia recently (around the time you started his thread). There's a part in there where he basically said America deserved 911, yikes.

@Cheeseball

Yeah, the video touches on those 9/11 comments as well. One thing's for sure, he was a fierce anti-Semite despite his mother being Jewish. A very controversial guy and tbh not too much to like about him besides his chess ability. It's likely he was suffering from a number of mental illnesses or disorders so I do have a bit of sympathy for him, though this doesn't excuse his comments or behaviour. 

From a psychological perspective, it is interesting to see how thin the line between genius and insanity can be.

Case and point Jon Jones.

@Cheeseball

TBF I don't like either the fighter or the person Jon Jones. The fighter spends more time fighting USADA than fighters and as for the person well, where to start?

@KyleH

Little update, my ELO rating went from 850 to 930. Maybe if I'll play little more, we can do a rematch

My last check mate in blitz game. I liked it so I decided to post it here

@Fremen

Nice! Checkmates are much harder to do in blitz games as well as they're shorter games. Well done mate! 

I’ve not played chess sense I went to county jail way back in my early 20’s/late teens. My cell mate this old man & I made up a board & pieces out of paper. I did win btw & he really got mad about it also. But life goes on.


Should I mention I learnt what to do when taking a deuce 3 feet away from another man - you keep pressing the flush button over & over I guess so it doesn’t smell up the cell.

Anywho, can play one of you without signing up?

@Hippie

I don't think there's a way of playing without signing up unfortunately. To sign up, all they wanted was an email address so you could just make a throwaway email and sign up and confirm your account using that and then just never use that email again so you don't get spammed with ****. 

Also, the thought of you beating this old guy at chess in a jail cell and him getting mad over it is such a random yet badass mental image lol!

Guess I’ll sign up to see if I can whoop you boys/girls.


Yeah right, it’s still a mental image in my head. You can’t sleep because all these dolts yelling all night beating on their doors. Guess I was lucky for getting the old man as a celly. I got lots of “random” stories I’d love to share. 😉 

@Hippie

I'm a skinny 112lb guy so I'd probably be dead within a matter of hours if I were ever in jail lol!

 Wrong my brother you’ll will be fine. I was 169 10 months ago, well now I’m 145 so it’s essentially not weight, it’s mental.  It’s always mental & attitude. 
Of course this is not always the case but guess what.. it’s been my case so it can be the same for others in a different situation. Life happens fast whether your ready or not.  
I’m 48 & omg..  I wish the best for everyone.
Sometimes I cry, sometimes I’m mean..   

Life is so fast, you never see it coming. 😊 

@Hippie

Thanks for advice! Hopfully I'll never end up in jail in the first place though lol! 

I am NOT your brother!!1!

Ditto u ****

Let’s play

🐓 🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓

After my opening, i took the Queen on C7 and MAT at the same time !