Chess was once thought to be the kind of game that would teach princes, nobles and knights the intricacies of warfare. Aimed at honing the nobles’ ability to anticipate battle moves, the game of chess simulated on its chess board the rise and fall of two armies that begin the game by facing one another; kings, queens, bishops, knights and rooks seek to strategically capture the other side, and the pawns are always the expandable pieces that are the first to be sacrificed. Later on the game of chess moved to the tables of the coffee rooms and taverns, and soon it became obvious that the best and brightest were drawn to this game that held little by way of chance, but was instead the kind of device that challenged a person’s ability to reason, anticipate the moves of the opponent, and seek to disable the other’s person’s game pieces and strategies by cleverly positioning one’s own pieces. Over time, chess turned into a tournament sport and it got so popular that the final showdown took place between a man – the then reigning world champion of chess – and a machine named Deep Blue.

With the advent of the Internet, chess has found its way online. Chess may now be found in the form of free online chess that may be played on a large number of websites. Additionally, listings of free chess games that showcase proven strategies are posted so that the savvy chess player will be able to practice the various strategies that make this game great. Chess games are available either against the computer of against a real life player located anywhere in the world. Sometimes these players will play chess online real time while other times they will email one another the next moves which the players may then translate into a real life move on a chessboard, only to then reciprocate by emailing their next move to the opponent.

To play chess online you may either log on to a site that operates a Java applet or you may initiate a free chess download which will provide you with a free chess game that you can play without being connected to the Internet. Some of these downloaded games are better than others, depending on the level of difficulty the computer offers you. It is generally advisable to begin at the lowest setting and then work upwards so that you will not get bored.