Are you able to play chess?

[confettipig]

I think it’s great to pass the time, we’ve even got a magnetic travel set to take on the plane.

Had some entertaining comments from flight staff about it but was surprised to learn lots of people have never played. I just assumed it was one of those things everyone plays at some point!

I know the basic moves. My ex taught my boys to play it, and my youngest went to chess club for a while (till covid stopped it and it didn't start up again) so he's quite good.

Chess is quite straight. Shuffle a deck of standard playing cards, deal all cards face down between two players.
Players then take it turns to quickly flip the top
card in their draw pile and place it face up in the middle of the table. It is important that the player does not look at the card before it is placed face up.

If the card drawn matches either colour, suit or number (players decide this before playing) then you must shout "SNAP!" the player who says "SNAP!" first, takes the face up pile of cards and adds them face down to the bottom of their draw pile.

(Players may choose to add the requirement of placing their non-drawing hand on top of the cards ,in order to solve any ambiguity if who was quickest.)

The game ends when one player has all the cards in their draw pile,.and that person is the victor.

My brain is not wired for chess, had to play at primary school and dreaded the lesson as I couldn't retain the moves or think logically, just doesn't happen. I can draw though!

@00100001 😂

I used to play chess at county level & games would take up to 4 hrs. Now I can’t play at all as the board & pieces make me dizzy due to a car accident. I’ve taught 2 of my 3 dc how to play but they never caught the bug like I did as their schools never had chess clubs.

That's a shame about the accident Badger 💐 Hopefully your kids will pick it up again at a later date. Mine weren't that interested at junior school but really caught the bug at late senior/6th form. Obsessed some might call it 😆

Not a clue, but want to learn

My dad and I learnt to play together when I was about 10. He bought us this book

I know how to play it but I can’t. My brain just doesn’t work that way. My Backgammon is similarly shite.

I’ll fucking rinse you at Cluedo or Trivial
Pursuit though. Mad skills for those.

Absolutely, @confettipig! Chess is indeed a fantastic way to pass the time, whether on a plane or anywhere else. It's interesting how it can spark conversations with flight staff and fellow passengers. It's true that not everyone has played chess, but it's such a timeless game with endless possibilities.
If you're looking to improve your skills or learn more about chess, you might want to check out chess-bot.com. They offer resources and tips that can help you take your chess game to the next level. Keep enjoying your games, and who knows, you might inspire others to start playing too!

I know the rules - learnt at primary school - but I've no idea about strategy. I taught both dcs, who can both now beat me.

No... can't retain moves or rules and have no interest in winning. Not keen on board games in general... shock/ horror. Like a quiz though...

Dh used to do competitions in it and it’s started becoming a thing with the kids. I am at the level of my youngest and he’ll soon pass me out but literally when it starts getting to the thick of it I panic and start making stupid mistakes!!

I taught myself aged 9 from a book in my local library. I learnt the moves and was okay with most of them, but I restricted the rooks and bishops to 3 squares, as I thought that was plenty. Obviously, once I started playing with others, I came round to the official move lengths.

Yeah my grandfather taught me and we always used to switch between draughts and chess on holidays in their caravan.
I used to play with my dad but havent done in a few years.
I enjoy it but think im unlikely to play again as nobody around me has any interest.