Chess.com!!!

Are you interested in playing chess? Or do you have a child that is?

Well I just joined Chess.com and I must say that it is an unbelievable resource - AND IT'S FREE.

It has a daily chess puzzle and (free) members get an additional 3 *tactics training* exercises per day.

Only recently, in the course of educating my children *outside the system* did my personal interest in chess really kindle.

Locally, there's a well-organized competitive league nearby that plays Monday nights but quite frankly I haven't the time.

Anyways Chess.com members can get a game anytime they want - speed games, slower correspondence games, etc. And THE best part of it is that the computer ranks you after each game and thus lines you up against players around your caliber. As someone who's trying to get better and who's pretty competitive in general, I find this quantification to be an absolutely terrific feature. After all, the only way to improve is to play people slightly better than you, right?

So far my son loves the website too. We do the daily puzzles together but he can probably solve them on his own already. And he wants us to pay-up for the next level of membership so he can get more online instruction.

Why would I spend $60-$100 an hour for a private instructor when there are terrific deals like this online???

It seems that every week I find something new and fantastic on the web that completely blows my mind...

See also - DIY Chess Versus Outsourced Chess.