If you are looking for a place to play chess online then you have an abundance of options. Below is a short list of sites that I've personally frequented along with comments based off my own personal experience. Included on the list are several free sites and pay sites for your review. Its extremely easy to register as a guest or under a handle for all of the listed sites. Even the paysites all have a grace period were you can experience the VIP treatment of being a paying member while you determine if it is worth the investment.

First on my list is the World Chess Network . The truth is that through out my six years of playing chess I've tried almost every online chess resource I could find, but I always come back to WCN. The graphic interface is simply the best that I've seen so far in any site. Other features they have are daily banter games were Grand Masters play standard games and explain their thought process during the game. They also have lectures, live broadcasts, lessons, forums, daily tournaments (Crown & Sportsman Tourney's on the weekends are outstanding) and master challenges were you get to test your skill against the some of the best player in the world. My deterrent to joining the site is that the site doesn't have the volume of players that some of the other sites have. With the benefits WCN has to offer I'm sure this will only be a temporary problem.

Next on my list is Free Chess.org. This is the first site I ever played chess on. The site offers a wide varietly of options and is as good as any paysite you will find online. They have learning tools such as a mentoring program and daily lectures that are automated and very informative. The site also offers tournaments, live broadcasts, computers programs to play and a wide variety of options to help you improve your game. My personal opinion after playing at several sites is that rating for rating FIC has the strongest players, a 1700 rated player on FIC would be comparible to a 1900 rated player on one of the other sites. The only drawbacks are that it seems that FIC's enrollment is declining and it is not always easy to find a match against a human player, and the graphic interface is not that user friendly. Although I've recently visited the site and Baba chess a new interface seems to be much easier to use.

Serious chess. Serious fun!
Internet Chess Club, the biggest, badest and arguably the best online chess site ever created. One thing is for sure if you are looking for action then this site has more players and better players then anywhere else on the net. Games, tournaments and lectures continue around the clock 24 hours a day. The site has the best live broadcast coverage of major chess tournaments around the world. And the site offers lectures, forums, lessons, programs that quiz you on chess positions, examine games, store your game history and an endless amount of other benefits that I wouldn't do justice by explaining here. Regardless of where you decide to play its an absolute must to at least use the trial offer at this site.

Gameknot.com, is a correspondence chess site. It's popularity is growing fast. Unlike other sites were the games are a sprint, the games here are slow and allow for deep thought and understanding. I reccomend that anyone who loves playing chess give Gameknot a try. The site offers several gaming features including individual, team, tournament and league play. Gameknot.com has free membership options so check this site out for yourself.

Click here to learn Chess Notations!
© 2005 Play Chess Game | Online Chess Review