In short: Because I wanted to build this website with a game attached to it so, not only could beginners and new chess players view strategies from this 'site, but also then be able to immediately try them out...
Before I found out that my version of Windows Vista (Home Premium), rather brilliantly, has the game Chess Titans already installed, I was on the hunt for a chess game which could be played against a computer, rather than human opponent.
Why not play against a human online?
Because I'm competitive and I don't like to lose - I wanted a game I could:
- play against without being rushed into making a move
(what I call a "no pressure learning mode")
- replay mistakes and try something else
(in a game against a human, this is known as "cheating";
against a computer, it's a button marked "undo")
- practice and get a bit better first,
before testing against a human opponent.
At the time, I didn't want to buy any hardcore computer game simulator - although the outer third of my right eye was hovering over Fritz 12 ... and neither did I want to take part in online, human-vs-human games, for reasons already mentioned.
Preferably, while getting to grips with basic chess strategy, I wanted a free chess game, so it was off to Google with the words "Chess" "game" "free".
There were some - okay, a LOT - of rather run-of-the-mill games that could be either downloaded to a PC or played online.
When I first came across Spark Chess, it was known as Flash Chess III ... I wasn't totally certain it would fit the proverbial bill, as it had an ominous padlock symbol across most of the options (i.e. "buy the game, get the good stuff")...
Like most, I wanted to play Flash Chess III, but wasn't ready to pay for anything - just wanted test the game out.
However, credit to the makers, the free online version is great for beginners to practice with - you don't get the tutorials and training videos that come with Fritz, but it's more than enough of a companion for attempting and exploring the moves on Chess-Game-Strategies.com.
In Summary (of Spark Chess / Flash Chess III) ...
What's Good
- All a beginner needs to get started is Free - YES, play Spark Chess / Flash Chess III, for Free!
- Choose from Beginner, Casual, or Advanced difficulty modes
- Squares that your piece can legally move to glow green
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Not So Good
- The 3D mode partially blocks pieces at the lower end of the board - in particular, the pawns in front of the White King & Queen ... but that's part of their monetization strategy: buy the game, get the clearer, 2D mode
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New(ish) to Chess? Get better at Spark Chess / Flash Chess III with tips from our Beginners Chess Guide
