Learning chess at any age is a great idea. This simple skill can help people to learn how to plan ahead, strategize, and develop their logic skills. Even so, starting to practice chess can be a bit intimidating for newcomers, especially if they're trying to learn on their own. If you're interested in learning chess, here's why doing so with a computer program is ideal.
Avoids Accidental Mistakes
When you're first learning the rules of chess, it's important to not stray away from them, even by accident. If you repeatedly make a mistake unknowingly, it can become a habit. You could end up doing it while playing against another person, embarrassing yourself in the process.
Chess computer programs require you to play by the rules. If you try to make a move that isn't legal, it will let you know. You'll automatically be able to recognize and correct your mistake, preventing repetition.
Adjustable Difficulty
Playing chess can be hard at first, especially if the person you're up against has played it many times before. Practicing with a computer program first is a great idea because you can easily adjust the difficulty of the computer competitor you'll be up against.
With adjustable difficulty, you can use the strategies you know and practice the basics without immediately getting shot down by an expert. Once you've learned all the basic information, you can start turning up the difficulty.
Learning Advanced Strategy
Most chess programs are designed to teach you new techniques and strategies. They do this by not only demonstrating how the strategy is utilized, but by pitting you against competitor bots that use it. This helps you to learn how to use the strategy for yourself as well as knowing how to defend against it.
Other Players
Most computer chess programs are designed to let you play against other real people once you're ready. These matches are typically against random people online, and you can filter who you're put up against based on the opponent's skill level. This means that you can essentially adjust the difficulty even when you're playing against a real person.
While having a nice chess board match in real life is great, starting out with chess software such as Chess King on your computer is the best way to go. If you've been intimidated by the idea of trying to learn chess all by yourself before, start with your computer and graduate to real-life matches from there.