About Chess
64 squares make up a checkered black and white board which chess is played on. It's a cunning game of cat and mouse tactics where the most skilled of players will be thinking ten steps ahead of their opponent. Having the ability to suss out your opponent's strategy and way of thinking is crucial to achieving victory.
Each player starts out with 16 pieces each, a player's piece selection comprises of:
- 1 x King
- 1 x Queen
- 2 x Rooks
- 2 x Knights
- 2 x Bishops
- 8 x Pawns
The main objective of chess is to checkmate the opponent's King, whereby their king has defense against an immediate attack and your opponent cannot remove the King from harm within the next move.
Chess is actually a form of an old indian game known as Shatranj. We will be covering Shatranj shortly so please check back for more information of this authentic game of strategy.
In modern times computers have been created to develop chess strategies and theories as well as to play against the best players in the world. You can find some very good free chess games at out site to practice your chess skill on, all of which require no special software to run except adobe flash.
We recommend you check out our free downloadable chess game by Brain Teaser, it's well worth a try as the game offers an excellent chess experience offline and can be played without the need of an internet connection. Enjoy free chess games at Stroud Chess!
Online Free Chess and Checkers Games
Playing chess and checkers online has become extremely popular since the games have been developed. Many players are not aware that one of the first games to be programmed to the computer way back in the 1950's was the game of checkers. On Stroud Chess we have a variety of games available to play and download for chess and checkers fanatics.
Free Stroud Chess game
The free Stroud Chess game does exactly what it says on the tin. Players can take part in a game of 3D chess without any complications. You are given the option to play one of four difficulty levels; beginner, casual, advanced and guru, which you can progress through as your play advances. The game is also available to download and play offline with 'additional' features including 2D view and a help feature which will assist you with your moves which will help your play progress.
Flash Chess Game
For those chess players that just want to play a 'straightforward' game of chess, the flash chess game is without a doubt one of the simplest chess games online. There are no gimmicks whatsoever; you just play against the computer until there is a conclusion. The only other 'feature' on offer is a list of both yours and the computers previous moves.
Brain Games Chess
For those gamers that enjoy being able to alter the specifications of their game down to the finest point, brain games chess will be the game for you. Players can choose to play a game of chess where they can alter the specifications of the pieces, board and various other features. Alternatively, players can learn the ins and outs of the game from the comfort of their own home with various in game learning features.
The game is programmed so well that after you have played a couple of games it evaluates your style of play and your ability against the computers and suggests one of the 12 levels of players that you should be playing against. These 12 different difficulties all have different playing styles and will really help you improve parts of your game for the better.
If you want to watch some of the best games in the world, then you can select from over 3000 matches featuring the world's best players. This game offers everything a chess game can offer, therefore, is perfect for people new to chess, but also great for the expert gamer who wants to put their talents to the test.
Crazy Chess
For chess players that want to try something different, Crazy Chess may be the answer. Crazy chess offers gamers the chance to play a strategy board game that uses some of the basic elements of chess to create an interesting board game.
Your character is a knight and you have to control your knight to capture black pawns that move in sequence to try and reach the other side of the board. If they do reach the other side of the board 8 times then you lose a life, alternatively, if you are in a 'capturing' space then they can take your knight, which also counts as a lost life. Crazy Chess needs a quick thinking brain paired with basic chess knowledge; and if you have both of these then Crazy Chess will be the right game for you.
Free Checkers Game
The free checkers game offered on Stroud Chess is definitely one of the best online checkers games on the market. Not only does the game offer four different difficulty levels including; hard, good, normal and easy, but it also offers three different types of checkers games. The three games on offer are:
- Standard - The standard game is just a simple game of 4x4 checkers.
- Giveaway - Giveaway is a variation of checkers whereby your goal is to lose all of your pieces by forcing your opponent into taking your pieces. The last person with any of their pieces left is the loser.
- Extreme - Extreme is a variation of checkers that is rarely played. The goal of extreme checkers is to play as quickly as you can against a pre-set level of computer, which will play at increasingly difficult speeds.
The Free checkers game is a terrific game for different types of checkers players. The four levels on offer allow gamers of different abilities to play three variations of the game, and for these reasons this game is one of the best available.
Free Draughts Game
The free draughts game offers simple drafts gaming for those experts that have nothing else to learn about the game. The layout of the game is simple, and puts you against the computer player that has three difficulty settings; easy, medium and hard. You can either play against the computer or against another human player depending on the settings you choose. Apart from the above, you can just play a game of drafts without any distractions.
Stroud Chess offers gamers the chance to enjoy either free chess games or checkers and the ability to play such games without any additional hassle, and this is why Stroud Chess should be your first website choice when looking to play either chess or checkers.
If your looking for a challenging game of a puzzling nature beyond chess, then we'd recommend checking out these puzzles with bubbles games. They aren't quite as challenging as the game of chess but they do offer a lighter challenge for the casual gamer who maybe tired of all the thinking that happens with any game of chess against a decent opponent.