The game of chess has come a long way with computers and software programs getting an upper hand over amateur players and even experienced grandmasters. It was a dream of some chess enthusiasts to have a machine play this game which represented pure thinking in action. It seemed like only a human could play meaningful chess and win.

The advances in software and computer hardware have made chess playing machines commonplace, so much so that now one can play the game on small handheld devices as well.

Another aspect of chess playing software is the use of Internet for playing the game. The Internet has made the world a close-knit community, with real time chatting and emails widely used everyday by millions of people around the world.

It is now possible to play the game of chess sitting at home or your office with people located anywhere in the world with an internet connection. This is a marvelous thing that has happened to the game of chess, and gaming in general. For before the internet, one could hardly imagine anything like this happening in the future.

What is it like to play chess online? Simply find out the website that allows you to play the game, and register with a username. Download some files and log in. Locate a player and start the game. Invite the player with some introduction.

The game software allows choosing time and colors, and takes care of most of the rules of the game. You may offer draws or resign at any point. The way to move pieces may differ from site to site, but the usual way is to drag and drop the pieces, or simply click the piece and the desired location in sequence. The rest is taken care of by the software.

Some sites like the gaming zone at msn also conduct tournaments. They also have a rating system to rate your performance and awards points just like grandmasters have their ratings.