Anyone for chess? Although I never stay put anywhere long enough to send an all out live in-person real-chess-board challenge, I can sometimes be found online at some of my favourite chess sites.

If you'd like to play some chess on the Internet, I have a few suggestions for you. If you're into other games like Connect Four, Go-Moku, Othello or card games (Euchre, Bridge, etc) then check out the three web-based game sites listed below (PlaySite, Yahoo and It's your turn).

Real-time chess

All of the real-time chess options support (unofficial) chess ratings and player statistics. You start off with an average rating, and it goes up or down as you win or lose, accordingly. After many games, it's a good indicator of how well you play.
These sites support varying lengths of games, set by the initiator of the match. My current favourite is Yahoo Games.

Telnet / application based

On FICS (Free Internet Chess Server) you can play against anyone else who's logged into this absolutely free dedicated chess server.

If you're a chess guru, I suggest checking out FICS. It's got the best interface for issuing challenges to other players, and the best options and variations for games.

There are always lots of people online of many skill levels.

My ID on FICS is WonderDog.

Web based

PlaySite is a totally Java based gaming site. There's a bit of a load time when you first login while it loads the Java application, but after that, it's fairly quick. There are lots of games online, chess included.

A good thing about PlaySite is that it's fast and easy to get started. Login, let it load the Java application, and away you go. Your web browser handles all the graphical details. However, it's not nearly as versatile as FICS, and not as many players are available for play.

PlaySite has developed a freely available application that you run from your PC, and thereby don't have to reload the Java application everytime you connect to the web site.

My ID on PlaySite is Wunderhund (German for WonderDog).

      Yahoo is another Java based gaming site. Like PlaySite, it has many games available, including a monstrous backing for chess players! There are several chess lounges each holding up to approximately 100 players.
      The biggest problem with Yahoo Chess, is that there seem to be a high percentage of bad losers. When they realize that they're going to lose, they disconnect.
      My ID on Yahoo Games is Krinid.

Non-real-time chess

The play is slow, but that provides ample opportunity for thinking. You can play single games, or join tournaments, and even go crazy and join multiple games or tournaments at once. Some people (with too much time on their hands) play 100+ games concurrently.

Email chess

(Down?)

kNights Of the Square Table (NOST) organizes single and tournament chess via email. You will either have to have a really good mind for playing via algebraic chess notation, or acquire your own way of keeping track of the games.
NOST is not free, but 6 month free memberships are available to all.

Web-based

It's your turn is a non-Java non-real time gaming site that offers chess and a multitude of other games. It's totally web-based, which means that every time you click anything, it reloads the board. During peak hours, this can be time consuming if you're still using a dial-up ISP, but it usually operates at a decent speed.

My ID on It's your turn is Wonder Dog or Underwear Ninja (it changes from time to time), and my home town is Red Bag.