Don't question the legitimacy of cheap chess sets. Some people think that you have to spend a lot of money on a set in order to get the most out of the game. Purists know better. They realize that all you really need is a simple board, some pieces and a formidable opponent to have the best game of your life. A little imagination doesn't hurt either. I sometimes imagine the field of battle stretched out before me, soldiers marching, knights riding in. The are all that stands between me and the enemy king on the other side of the field.
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I have been a fan of this game ever since an early age when my best friend at school introduced me to it. He taught me how the pieces moved on cheap chess sets, showing me the straight lines of the rook, the power of the queen, and the strange forward diagonal motion of the knight. Then, as soon as I got that all down, he proceeded to mercilessly smash my armies into the ground. I fell in love with the game on that day and vowed revenge for such indignities. Not necessarily in that order.
Years later, when I finally achieved my revenge, it was on cheap chess sets. I had played more games with him by then, and played computer opponents too. The computers helped me more than anything else, I think. Just paying attention to how they would move the pieces, then mimicing that and carrying over to games on cheap chess sets.
I started playing with other people. It's not really that hard to find games if you're interested. That was an eye-opening experience. Every one of them had their own style. Some were aggressive and some were defensive. I had a whole new set of rules to learn on cheap chess sets. I had to know how to counter everything. But I tried and tried some more. I've lost a few and won a few, like any other player, but with each game, no matter what the outcome, I would like to think that I have always gotten just a little bit better.
Now I look back on the best games that I have played, and most of them weren't on anything fancy. Not that there's anything wrong with a hand sculpted set if that's what you want. I have a few myself these days. Some of those are just fun. But my point is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with starting out on something less extravagant. Or even playing your entire life on a simple board. The real adventure lies in the minds and the battle philosophy of the players involved.
I'm still a young man, and I have many more games left in me. I may play a good deal of them on boards with some fun gimmick to them or other. But I know that I will still have many excellent games on cheap chess sets. I still talk to my friend form school every now and then. I think he may need another dose of payback real soon.