by: Dennis Steele

How to improve your chess is a question that many chess players ask. There are many ways to do this. The most difficult is to study chess books. This is a very time consuming process and a chess player really has to be very dedicated to read these types of books as it can be compared to reading a math book. Using a chess computer is another way to improve chess playing strength. Taking lessons can be a good way but it can be very costly. Another good way to improve is by recording all games played and analyze them at a later time. However, you must understand chess notation to do this. Many chess players today are turning to the Internet to improve their chess. Getting results, no matter what you do, will take time and commitment.

Most people, today, play chess online in some form. There are really two ways to play online chess. One way is to play live with another opponent who is online at the same time. The other is to play an opponent who is not online at the same time. There are many sites where you can play chess online live.

However, if you really want to improve your chess the best way is to play on hybrid chess sites that offer a unique solution. Hybrid sites allow players to leave a game and come back to it at a later time without losing the game. This type of chess playing site has many benefits for a chess player that has a very active and busy lifestyle. For example, if you have children it is sometimes difficult to play a full game of chess without being interrupted. If you are playing live chess you must resign your game or lose on time. If you play on a hybrid chess site, where your opponent may or may not be online at the same time, a chess player has more control over how they want to play. For example, a player logs on and has 5 active games. The main benefit is the ability to play many chess games at one time. The chess player makes a move in one game and then moves on to the next game. After making all of their moves they notice that one of their opponents is now online. This gives the chess player an option to continue making moves in that game. They can chat and agree to make a certain number of moves before logging off or agree to finish the game that same day. If a chess player were on a live chess site they would be limited to only playing one game at a time and would have to finish each game in a specified time limit usually between one to two hours. Also, most live sites do not store your past games and are deleted as soon as the game is over.

The hybrid sites like www.chessmaniac.com allow both live and longer time limit games to be played. On most sites like this a chess player's games are saved and can be downloaded for review at a later time. The chess player also has the option to review their games while online. Which can be great as they can review their past games while making moves in other games. Playing chess on a hybrid chess site also allows a chess player to study a game more in depth and to learn openings as they are not rushed by a clock. Chess combinations can also be improved by playing on a hybrid chess site. If you get into a position where you think there is a forced win you can log off and study the game for as long as you need providing you stay within your game time out setting.

There are many ways to improve in chess. Online chess playing offers an easy way to play, study and improve your chess. Hybrid chess sites, by far, allow a chess player the most flexibility to learn and grow their chess abilities.