Starting in India and Persia and evolving in the 15^th century into the game we know today, chess is, without a doubt, one of the most mind-bending, all-consuming, one-on-one games of pure will and determination known to man. The strategic and tactical nature of the game makes its required skill level rise above and beyond any of the trite findings of your everyday online casinos. But with an easy-to-learn format, many of today’s online gamers are logging onto chess-specific sites to match their grit and will to win against a plethora of opponents.

The reemergence of chess’s popularity is surprising to many who have witnessed the rise of the Internet’s dominating presence. While on the web, the world is literally at your fingertips. Would you like to check out the latest FPS or role-playing game? Just type it into your favorite search engine and watch the millions of results come back instantly. Maybe you enjoy shopping, writing, photo editing, etc; well, the internet makes it easy for you. But who would guess that so many millions would be willing to invest time – especially in this age of lightning-fast convenience – into chess?

The largest reason for the new wave of chess players has to do with the Internet itself: It’s infinitely easier to find a game online than it is offline. Even though there are many chess clubs around the world, offering tournaments with cash prizes and even global recognition, the ‘Net still provides a place where a player can find a game any time, day or night.

Whether it’s for practice against a chess-bot or a head-to-head matchup against a worthy opponent, the chess player only has to log on to his or her favorite chess site, open a favorite program, or invite a friend in via Yahoo! to play. It’s easy to access but mastering chess is another story entirely.

One of the biggest reasons for our ongoing love affair with chess has to do with the premise of the game. Similar in ways to other strategy based games like backgammon, only a proper strategy will result in a victory. There’s no luck involved in the game of chess. You’re attempting to outmaneuver your opponent on a move-by-move basis. And instead of pouncing early and often to dominate, the game is drawn out, requiring an opponent’s King be captured. It’s this war-like setup that hooks the average player.

The game is as fun to practice as it is to play against a live opponent. There’s always a large amount of pride at stake when playing. Through calculating moves, traps, strategies, and more, chess players slowly move to dominate their opponents. The combination of strategy and convenience makes chess an ever-popular game.