Playing Bots On Chess.com — Chess Journal

I have recently begun learning chess. I have played a handful of times in the past (almost literally a handful, perhaps a dozen matches over my almost-33-years of life so far) but have recently begun to start learning how to play chess. Hence, this first instalment of my Chess Journal.

My Reasons For Beginning

I started playing chess because I got into mobile games over the past month. I found a solitaire app, Microsoft Solitaire on my computer, as well as an Android FPS game (which I liked). I like the stimulation of the FPS games, and the reaction time, dexterity and reflexes it requires. Honestly, it is an excellent break from my intellectual and creative work because it is extremely engaging.

(I can’t wait until I can get a VR headset and games so that I can play in a more physical, realistic, practical environment which would be even more beneficial for maintain and developing certain weapons skills, sword movements and such. That is why I like the idea of VR games — and I have played very, very few video games over the course of my life.)

You could say that my reasons for beginning a journey into games is due to a study I read about how surgeons who play video games have better dexterity — and that is a reason — but I have wanted to play for dexterity purposes, physical skills, and reflexes long before I heard of that study. Especially once I saw some VR games and setups, which got me really excited (and that is one of my interests as a learning engineer and computer scientist).

However, it doesn’t apply to chess.

My reason for beginning puzzle and strategy games like chess and solitaire (to some degree) is because of the thinking involved — problem solving, calculations, strategy, thinking ahead, reading and analysing positions, etc. I have found these all within chess, which is a step-up in complexity from Poker and Rubik’s Cube, which are the only other games I have really learned. ( Which I still love, by the way.)

It was the thinking, the puzzle that got me interested.

My Approach So Far

My approach so far is very intuitive. I study so much formally, technically, theoretically, that I have no desire to do that with chess. Not at this stage at least. I would rather just learn by doing, by playing match after match, and gain and intuitive understanding of the game through experience before I try to approach any technical understanding. I don’t have the time to study chess at this moment anyways, and not for the foreseeable future.

My approach is to play bots on the Chess.com android app. I don’t want to ruin my ranking as I learn, which is one reason why I am starting with bots. But also because I can choose the skill level of my opponent, and their style.

At this moment, after a week or so of training, I have played a level 1000 (female) bot named Maria a number of times, the first level of intermediate bot. I probably have won 25%-33% of the games against her — not a winning record. She is very aggressive and is constantly attacking in what appears to be a wild manner.

However, I have played most against Sven, a positional and defensive-minded both at level 1100. I have lots 100% of my games against him. Probably in excess of 30 matches. (F*$K Sven!) But while I have lost every single game I am learning so much. The way Sven coordinates his attacks, defends beautifully with position, and forces me to make moves where no matter what I am on the losing end, with my defence breaking gradually is as infuriating as it is beautiful.

I think I like Sven’s style more. He is far more challenging to me, because I think I am more of an aggressive player by nature, but the strategic, positional, defensive style is what I want to learn. And maybe move in that direction as a player — or at least learn that style so I can be more calculated in a wild, aggressive approach.

Challenging Bots Far Superior To Me

For the foreseeable future, I am going to challenge bots better and better. I will lose 100% of the time, until I can lose less badly, and eventually, one day, hold my own against those bots.

Personally, I learn more from losses. Seeing Sven’s coordinated attacks and positional defence has been illuminating, and has started me thinking into how better to move my own pieces in coordinated attacks, and consider how to use position better to both defend and attack.

Like I said, I have no intention of learning theory now. I am in this for the strategy and puzzle, so I enjoy theorizing for myself about these subjects — knowing full well that I almost certainly won’t discover anything new that isn’t already in the rich lore and extensive theory of the game. Honestly, I don’t care, because I want to solve problems, especially within the context of a competition.

It was actually my awareness of the extensive theory on openings and early game play (thanks to Josh Waitzkin’s book The Art of Learning) which is why I have been so resistant to learning chess for the last 10 years since reading Josh’s book. I have not had the time for such a research-based endeavour with all of my other research.

But I finally realized that my desire to learn the game was great — and that I didn’t need that theory to learn and play. (I don’t even take the lessons on Chess.com, but I have started doing a couple puzzles.)

Let’s see how my journey towards mastery unfolds, from this starting position

Until next time.