# Chess? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess/55175 "2001-02-20T04:03:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LifeWillFall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@LifeWillFall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeWillFall)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess/55175/1 "2001-02-20T04:03:55Z")
How should I go about getting good at chess? Should I read a book or just practice a lot. Is playing online just as good practice as playing with a physical board. Do I have to be a natural or can I aquire the skill. I don’t wanna be a grandmaster or anything I just wanna be able to compete with a couple of friends who are well, way better than me. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess/55175/2 "2001-02-20T05:06:48Z")
I like Internet chess – there’s always someone out there looking for a game. But I don’t think that’s a substitute for folding open a board and playing against a real person sitting across from you. It’s easier for someone to show you why a move did or didn’t work by moving the pieces around the board than by typing the instructions to you. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chess/55175/3 "2001-02-20T05:32:35Z")
I agree with Snooooopy, having someone right there to help is great. There are a lot of “chess for beginners” type books out there, but I’ve never been able to read books about chess; learning by playing is the route that has worked best for me.