The Blue Agave Forum: The Blue Agave Forum -> The Mumpsimus Blog

I probably wasted my money, but I just ordered a copy of Fritz 12, the latest version of the best chess-playing software available for a personal computer.

Frankly given my lack of practice these days, I could probably be beaten by my dog or by a talking smoke alarm. Still, I persist in wanting to play.

Certainly all of the existing chess programs I already have - including Fritz 10, Chessmaster 10 and several free chess programs - can beat me at a rather embarrassing level. So F12 is easily overkill if I'm looking for an e-opponent.

But I live in hope. I was once a much stronger player and I sometimes fool myself into thinking that, with a little practice against my digital opponent, I could revive those skills. Probably true if I was in my mid-20s. In my late 50s, my brain is probably so ossified that any hope of significant improvement is self-delusion. In the 70s and 80s, I played chess daily, often staying up all night playing chess with friends. Nowadays I'm happy when I can play monthly. And more often as not, that's against the computer, which beats me without gusto or verve, merely mechanical skill.

I don't have a lot of opportunity to play chess these days, outside the computer. My best opponent is an old friend who lives...