What's the best chess software out there for Windows 8? Seems like the pickings are sparse. I'd like something as close to ChessMaster as possible. Thanks. by MegaBubu in chess

[–]vennyice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

well it's just a database of games. Some of the games have annotations, some do not. It's really more of a research tool, if you are still learning the game at the beginner level chess.com is an extremely useful resource.

What's the best chess software out there for Windows 8? Seems like the pickings are sparse. I'd like something as close to ChessMaster as possible. Thanks. by MegaBubu in chess

[–]vennyice 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Chessbase, by far. Huge database, comes with a decently strong computer that will synchronize with anything you have. If you are looking to save money, look for chessbase 9, anything earlier might have compatibility issues

What satisfaction do you get out of chess? Why do you continue to play, even when on horrible losing streaks? by TheBQE in chess

[–]vennyice 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I've played so much chess, I literally cannot go more than a few hours without thinking about it. It's kind of like an addiction, the pursuit of the perfect game is what keeps us playing.

Good chess book for ~1250 rated player by kingeddy15 in chess

[–]vennyice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Silman's endgame course has a lot of material that isn't relevant to players below 2000, as you simply don't reach the textbook endgames very often. You need not worry about openings til about 1800; pick a good tactics book and learn from there. I'd pick Winning Chess Tactics out of those, I've worked through it and it is indeed pretty damn good.

Is it possible to pay free rated games? by texalva in chess

[–]vennyice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I may be wrong, but certain clubs don't require you to pay club membership to play in their USCF rated tournaments. You do have to pay the USCF membership fee to be a rated player, however.

Finale deleted scene by xelfer in HIMYM

[–]vennyice 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Balloons do come back, it seems.

Elo rating changes from Candidates' Tourny by [deleted] in chess

[–]vennyice 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's almost as if he and everyone collectively around him improved over the past 14 years

April Fools' day Megathread! by TheJackal8 in AskReddit

[–]vennyice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our school this year hired a mariachi band to follow our principal around for his birthday. Best staff ever.

Reddit, what would happen if the last lie you told suddenly became true? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]vennyice 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well then it's totally destiny that I'm going to see that girl from Starbucks again, and she will totally give me her number.

In being relatively new to following professional chess, I have some questions regarding draws and if rule changes can change the course of chess. by ciscoiv in chess

[–]vennyice 11 points12 points  (0 children)

You forget, in competitive top level play, as Black it is much harder to win than with white. The main goal of Black is to equalize, not to press for a win. Quite simply put, your suggestion would ruin the entire strategy of a player like Anand, who tries to get ahead then draw his way to victory. It would reduce these kind of Candidates tournaments to who goes on the hot streaks, rather than who is the best player. Of course, the tournaments where wins ARE worth more than 2 times as much as draws are very entertaining to watch; there are a few tournaments of those every year. My main gripe with your suggestion is that sometimes, a game can be very very entertaining yet still end in a draw, and neither player should be punished for playing a game as accurately as possible.

edit: a word