Chess and AS

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It takes practice. Play a lot, doesn't matter if you win or lose. Actually better if you lose, play against some one better, watch them. Just not to far over your head or they'll be using openings that defy mental thought, unless you read the book too and know what they're using.

The set up is important. Some sets come with the pieces out of proportion to the board and it makes the game miserable and harder. All sorts of colors, but I prefer the standard set and my good ol walnut board. Find one that suits you and it's easy to make a nice set out of a cheap one.

I doubt if I could think much further than 3 or so moves a head anymore. But once you learn the basic openings, things have a way of falling in to place for the beginning game. Control the center, mostly. Middle game, can get a little more interesting and forcing or baiting your opponent to move where you want is a little harder to master, especially if they're doing the same to you. End game, well hopefully you cream them before that but that can be a pretty standard part as well. Don't try playing with a clock at least at first, that's another thing altogether.

I can cheat at chess. But that has to do with body language and the good players don't fall for it. Watch them, they are poker faced, almost rigid and if you think for a second that isn't a demanding mental and physical effort, think again. Actually there was a book out years ago called "how to cheat at chess", think that was the title, been a while. Funny book and some of it very true.

My English prof at Penn State was a grand master and I was failing English 101 he was teaching (couldn't write back then) and he told me to show up at the library and he'd lend a hand. I never did write the damn thing, he was coaching the team that evening and I couldn't help but to watch.

Did I say play a lot? I don't or wouldn't play for blood anymore, but would play to win. No one learns anything if you aren't playing for real and that goes for teaching kids. A satisfaction to win and the same for a game well played even if you loose. When I learned I couldn't understand the concept of check mate so I learned to kill the old man's queen and he was helpless or more so with that gone. Think I learned about 1959, chess wasn't very popular back then around here. The Russians taught it in school, manditory as I recall (cold war on back then). Did I say play a lot? I taught my Aspie cousin, I have no idea what he's ranked today, but he was creaming the s**t out of me by the time he learned what little I knew. I never did learn how to defeat the Dragon opening and had no urge to do so. Did I say play a lot?

To tell whether a timed IQ test has anything to do with chess, I would have to actually study the individual questions on the particular IQ test that was taken, as well as the answers given!

I'm not sure the timed IQ test means much of anything! You don't need a high IQ score to think outside of the box, view things from different perspectives, and see things that others don't. Those rare abilites far outweigh any memorization or computational ability. Many people who are human calculators, or have photographic memories, are grossly lacking in other mental skills, such that the often can't even function well enough to take care of themselves on a daily basis.

Curiousity, focus, self-motivation, confidence, etc... are far more important than a high IQ score on a timed test. Even at the level of PhD research! Many outside-the-box thinkers were not known to have any rare mental abilities that would have translated to the timed IQ test. But given 6 months of intense curiosity, thought, and focus, they can come up with ideas that others can't.

PS: I would not classify Fischer as an aspie, no more so than any other person. But that's a seperate topic....

I find chess difficult too, especially in the beginning, when there are so many choises to make. I'm really no good at that.

I feel ya!

I've been playing chess since a child. I have it on a gameboy and play it almost nightly.

My conclusion is that after all these years I can lose better.

I just cant keep all the possibilities in my head. And I have a big brain too and LOVE chess.

Good luck