In view of the coronavirus pandemic ravaging all parts of the world, many sporting events which require physical contact have been either cancelled or postponed. Chess is not an exception as most of its events worldwide have been put on hold. A notable example is the 2020 FIDE Candidates Tournament which was postponed after 8 rounds had been played and was to be resumed on a later date.
Despite this ugly situation, Chess seems to be thriving with the help of the internet. There are now lots of chess platforms on the internet where players are able to interact and play with each other with different time controls from any location in the world. Online chess is now receiving huge attention as more tournaments are being moved online. Recently, the world chess champion Magnus Carlsen emerged as the winner of the Magnus invitational, an online professional tournament in which eight(8) top grandmasters participated.
This shows a new trend which would most likely last for a very long time. Here are five(5) reasons why you should switch to online chess;
1. Wide Range of Players: You get to play different players ranging from beginners to grandmasters. This is definitely a great advantage of online chess as you get to play titled players easily which is difficult in OTB chess tournament if you are a lower rated player.
2. Praticing Speed chess: Online chess is a great avenue for improving your blitz, rapid chess skills and time management. There are lots of time controls online that accommodates speed chess.
3. Improvement of Playing Skills: You can easily learn and train online; you can practice your opening repertoire against different players, solve chess puzzles to improve tactical vision and analyze your games.
4. Watch Titled players( GMs, IMs, FMs, CMs) games online: Almost every professional chess player plays online so it is now easy to follow and watch their games live. This act improves pattern recognition and gives you a wider scope of the game.
5. Participate in lots of Tournaments: You can easily participate in tournaments some of which are prized. You can also create one yourself for you and your friends to play.
There are so many other reasons why you should now move your chess online, so many benefits and advantages involved. This article may not cover all the benefits involved but it’s time to give online chess a trial!
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