Chess thread - discuss and play lichess here

Question: If you can do so without powerleveling, how did you all learn? For me, it was actually in elementary school. On days when it was raining and we couldn't have recess outside, some kids brought chess boards and we all taught each other - it wasn't a formal club or part of the school curriculum or anything. (This was back before Game Boys, much less smartphones.) Because of that I haven't really had any formal lessons or learned things like standard openings or whatever a "French defense" is, which is certainly to my detriment, but I remember being at least halfway decent against those kids in my school. I wonder if kids still play chess on rainy days at that school or if it was just a Tamagotchi-like fad.

My father taught me. Played very badly all my life, but 5 years ago, me and my friends discovered we all liked the game and started playing together. Nothing like spending the night talking, drinking and playing chess. Our playing level only got better and better since then.
To be honest, almost everyone I know knows how to play the game. Not everyone is a great player, but everyone knows the basics. In my country is commonplace to teach it in schools and public parks have chessboards.
We are not Russians or an ex soviet country, as a matter of fact, not even close, but that's how it rolls here.
 
Question: If you can do so without powerleveling, how did you all learn? For me, it was actually in elementary school.
I tried it a few times when I was young, but my family was more into Risk and card games in general. I started playing about five years ago in bars, then installed pychess on my laptop and just started playing timed casual games. I don't really study the game, per se, but I'm more or less happy with my level of skill. Being an 1800 or so would be cool but that would require more work than I'm willing to commit to a hobby.
 
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Very well done! Those knights where in a very good position

Edit: you missed the queen check in move 17. You could have destroyed your opponent. But anyways, you won. Good job!
 
you missed the queen check in move 17. You could have destroyed your opponent.
I think you mean 18? 17 is when I took his queen. I saw the queen check on move 18 but didn't like the look of it; analysis didn't consider my move (f2 - f4) to be a mistake either.

My thinking was that I'd already won his queen so I might as well try to open up the position and trade down while he was still reeling from that.
 
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I think it was because there were no legal moves available
That's exactly what it was. You should look up the Ladder Mate: you were chasing him with queens when you could have just forced them onto the back rank for the win.
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Right here, @Monika H. : you only had to move your f6 queen to f8 to mate. Instead you moved your g7 queen to g8 and he just moved back onto the 7th rank. It's a mate I've probably missed dozens of times myself.
 
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I think you mean 18? 17 is when I took his queen. I saw the queen check on move 18 but didn't like the look of it; analysis didn't consider my move (f2 - f4) to be a mistake either.

My thinking was that I'd already won his queen so I might as well try to open up the position and trade down while he was still reeling from that.

Yes, move 18, and yes, you didn't make a mistake. Didn't imply that! I simply liked the look of that check, your opponent didn't have a good response to that, and opening the position was a good decision.
 
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