by Jack
Are you a chess player, or do you want to be? Maybe you’re looking for a little tune-up? Well, thanks to the ol’ internet there’s a great free site where you can accomplish what you want. It’s located at https://www.chess.com/login. I was told about this place by a friend who is currently the President of the United States Chess Federation, Ruth Haring. Ruth is a fairly new Chicoan, a transplant from Silicon Valley, and her husband Tom is the current president of the Chico Tea Party.
Looking for a quick game or two?
Chess.com has thousands of players online 24/7 from around the world waiting to play. The computer matches you with players of a similar ability, but it’s up to you to decide what kind of game you want, a 5 minute game, 10 minute or 30 minute? I’ve played against people from Russia, Egypt, Syria, Lybia, Denmark, Canada, UK, Spain, etc.
Soaps, is a regular commenter here and he’s the past United States Postal Chess Champion. If you are reading this Soaps, I’m wondering if you’ve tried the site and what your rating is?
No, Jack. I looked at the site but I did not go through with the sign-up because of security concerns. It appears to connect to Facebook, which is the number one hunting ground for identity thieves, and it uses JavaScript, which often contains viruses and opens secret doors to your computer. I have that blocked on my browser. If I wanted exposure of my personal information, I can sign up for Obamacare or call the NSA.
I still play computer chess often, using the Fritz program, set to a strong playing strength and the fastest possible time control. It provides a good workout, but I miss the human element. I cannot find any skilled players anymore.
Regarding security, recent news says the NSA were intercepting news computers and installing spyware (keystroke loggers) on them, then carefully repacking them and sending them on to stores and customers. It seems hard to believe, but so far there’s been no denial and sources seems credible.
I think Chess.com is probably as safe as any other site. If you have a good firewall and good virus protection you’re probably as safe as you can reasonably expect. Now having said that, no doubt the Chinese have been inside your computer many times already, so what the heck…might was well enjoy the chess site and not worry about it.
You know you can use an assumed name on chess.com and you can register using a gmail account too?