Chess against the computer

Strolls across the board. Whatever piece her paw lands on, she moves.

Doris is the house cat. She never learned to play chess, but she likes the board, because it's warm under the lamp. She moves whichever piece her paw happens to land on, and she looks just as pleased every time. Perfect for your very first game.

“Meow?”

Grabs every piece he sees, like a shrimp sandwich off a plate on the pier.

Gus lives on the pier below the cottage and has never met a shrimp sandwich he didn't want. Pieces are no different: he snaps up any piece he can, guarded or not, and never thinks a move ahead. Learn to set traps, because he'll fall into every single one.

“Kee-ow! Is that food?”

We had Gus play 40 games against Doris the Cat in November 2026: 34 wins, 6 draws and no losses.

Six years old and knows all the moves. The queen goes out first, because she's the prettiest.

Alva has just learned how all the pieces move, and the queen is her favorite, because she has the prettiest crown. So out she goes, right away, ideally on an adventure among your pieces. Sometimes Alva forgets that the queen can be captured. Then she gets cross, for a little while.

“Hi! I know all the moves. Almost all.”

We had Alva play 40 games against Gus the Gull in November 2026: 21 wins, 13 draws and 6 losses.

Loves his pawns. Plows forward across the whole board and forgets his back rank.

Ben has a farm with cows, potatoes and a chessboard on the kitchen table. On the board he loves his pawns best, because a pawn knows what hard work is. He marches them forward side by side and tends to forget to keep an eye on his own back rank.

“Hello there. Shall we plant a few pawns?”

We had Ben play 40 games against Little Alva in November 2026: 23 wins, 11 draws and 6 losses.

Ten years old and gives check as soon as he can. Out loud.

Will is ten and has exactly one plan: check! He gives check the moment he gets the chance, preferably several times in a row, and shouts it so the whole house can hear. Sometimes he forgets that a check doesn't always lead anywhere. But it's fun every single time.

“Hey! I'm gonna put you in check!”

We had Will play 40 games against Farmer Ben in November 2026: 20 wins, 6 draws and 14 losses.

Kind and careful. Castles early, praises you, and sometimes misses a threat.

Auntie Maggie always has a tin of cookies and a chessboard out on the table. She plays neatly and carefully: she develops her pieces, castles early and never takes a risk she doesn't need to. But she doesn't always see the threat coming from the other side of the board. She is truly delighted when you play a good move.

“Well, hello there! Sit down. Would you like a cookie?”

We had Maggie play 40 games against Wild Will in November 2026: 19 wins, 11 draws and 10 losses.

Loves a trade. Fewer pieces on the board, fewer dishes in the sink.

Bridget runs the bakery on the square and gets up at four every morning. At the board she likes to keep things simple: she trades piece for piece until the board is nearly empty, because fewer pieces mean fewer worries. But an endgame is trickier than a tray of buns, and that's usually where it goes wrong.

“Good morning! Or is it evening? I've been up since four.”

We had Bridget play 40 games against Auntie Maggie in November 2026: 25 wins, 3 draws and 12 losses.

Fifteen, plays on the bus. The first move that looks good, right away.

Sam plays on his phone on the way to school, a whole game between two stops. He spots a move that looks good and plays it on the spot, because who has time to think? Often it's a really good move. Sometimes it isn't.

“Hey. Quick game?”

We had Sam play 40 games against Baker Bridget in November 2026: 23 wins, 3 draws and 14 losses.

The class teacher. Develops, takes the center and castles. Just like it says in the book.

Miss Lind has taught three generations of children to read, and played chess with them on Fridays. She plays the way she teaches: first you develop your pieces, then you take the center, then you castle. She rarely does anything foolish, but nothing unexpected either.

“Welcome. Sit up straight, now.”

We had Miss Lind play 40 games against Speedy Sam in November 2026: 21 wins, 6 draws and 13 losses.

Patient. Sets out traps and waits for you to bite.

Frank has fished among the islands for forty years and knows that most of fishing is waiting. At the board he sets little traps: a piece that looks free for the taking, bait that's hard to resist. Then he sits quietly and waits for you to bite.

“Sit yourself down. There's plenty of time.”

We had Frank play 40 games against Miss Lind in November 2026: 25 wins, 1 draw and 14 losses.

A pinch of chili in every game. Sacrifices a piece for the flavor.

Carlos runs the restaurant on the corner and believes chess, like food, should have some flavor. He'll gladly sacrifice a piece to get the attack going, sometimes because it's right and sometimes because it looks like fun. A dull game is worse than a lost one.

“¡Hola! Today we cook something spicy.”

We had Carlos play 40 games against Frank the Fisherman in November 2026: 24 wins, 4 draws and 12 losses.

A soccer coach. Attacks the king like it's the last minute of the match.

Tina coaches the girls' soccer team on weekends and keeps her whistle around her neck even at the board. She knows only one way to play: forward. Every piece joins the attack on the king, and defense is something you talk about at halftime.

“Okay, team! Let's go!”

We had Tina play 40 games against Chef Carlos in November 2026: 24 wins, 1 draw and 15 losses.

Calm and thorough. Improves one piece at a time and is never in a hurry.

Doctor Lund works at the local health center and plays chess the way she examines her patients: calmly, thoroughly and without rushing. She diagnoses the position, finds the piece that is feeling worst and moves it to a better square. It doesn't look dangerous, right up until it is.

“Welcome. And how are we feeling today?”

We had Doctor Lund play 40 games against Coach Tina in November 2026: 24 wins, 3 draws and 13 losses.

Sees everything. Whatever trap you set, she's already spotted it.

Dina is a police detective and notices everything: a piece that has stood still too long, a move that is just a little too tempting. Her own pieces are always protected. If you try to fool her, she has usually already figured out why.

“Hello. I have a few questions. About your first move.”

We had Dina play 40 games against Doctor Lund in November 2026: 34 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses.

Tries openings nobody has seen before. Loves his knights.

Isaac has a workshop full of half-finished inventions and a chessboard in the middle of it all. He finds ordinary openings boring and would rather try something of his own, preferably with the knights first. Most of what he comes up with works. What doesn't, he calls an experiment.

“Hi! Want to see something I built? It's an opening.”

We had Isaac play 40 games against Detective Dina in November 2026: 27 wins, 2 draws and 11 losses.

An airline captain. Makes a long plan and holds her course.

Elin flies long-haul and knows that a good journey starts with a good plan. At the board she decides early where she's headed, a weak square or an open file, and gets there calmly and methodically. Turbulence doesn't rattle her.

“Hello, and welcome aboard.”

We had Elin play 40 games against Isaac the Inventor in November 2026: 33 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses.

Precise as clockwork. Never wastes a tempo, and loves endgames.

Anton has repaired clocks and watches in the same little shop for forty years. He knows that a tempo is a tempo: a move that never comes back. He likes to trade down into an endgame, where every move counts and where he has the patience to count them all.

“Good day. Right on time: it's chess o'clock.”

We had Anton play 40 games against Captain Elin in November 2026: 30 wins, 4 draws and 6 losses.

Sees further than you. Calculates lines the way others count stars.

Amir works at the observatory by night and plays chess by day. He's used to looking far, and at the board he calculates lines many moves ahead. Combinations you don't even suspect, he has already followed to the end.

“Hello. Clear skies today, good for chess.”

We had Amir play 40 games against Anton the Watchmaker in November 2026: 31 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses.

The club's blitz queen. Sharp traps at a furious pace.

Bea wins the blitz tournament at the club almost every Friday. She plays fast and leaves little traps everywhere, because in blitz there isn't always time to spot them. She doesn't think for long, but she rarely misses. Give her a chance to trick you, and she will.

“Hi! Fast or super fast?”

We had Bea play 40 games against Amir the Astronomer in November 2026: 28 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses.

Lets nothing in. Hard to beat, and happy with a draw.

Matt was the home team's goalie for fifteen years and doesn't give anything away for free. At the board he defends the way he used to save penalties: calmly, at the last moment, with a little nod afterward. Beating him takes patience. To lose to him, you nearly have to make a mistake.

“Hey. Try and score.”

We had Matt play 40 games against Blitz Bea in November 2026: 25 wins, 7 draws and 8 losses.

The club champion. Strong in the opening, the middlegame and the endgame.

Clara won the club championship again this year and coaches the juniors on Tuesdays. She has no special trick. She's simply good at everything: she knows her openings, sees the tactics and wins endgames others would have called a draw. Beating her is a real achievement.

“Hi! Good luck.”

We had Clara play 40 games against Matt the Keeper in November 2026: 31 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses.

Eighty years old, seventy of them at the board. Nobody wins an endgame against him.

Arvid learned chess from his grandfather and has played every week for seventy years. He moves slowly and talks even more slowly, but he sees everything. He likes to trade down into an endgame, because there he knows exactly what he's doing, and few know it better.

“Well, well. Have a seat, young one.”

We had Arvid play 40 games against Club Champion Clara in November 2026: 21 wins, 13 draws and 6 losses.

A grandmaster. Almost never makes a mistake, and sees through your plans.

Agnes is a grandmaster and has played tournaments all over the world. She is kind and calm, doesn't say much during the game and notices every little mistake you make. Getting a draw against her is an achievement. Winning is something you'll remember.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

We had Agnes play 40 games against Old Arvid in November 2026: 26 wins, 14 draws and no losses.

Has played chess in every capital. Deep strategy, never a word too many.

Edward has been a diplomat for thirty years and has played chess against ministers, cooks and chauffeurs in every capital he has lived in. He thinks long-term, never gives anything away without reason, and wins his games the way he wins negotiations: calmly, politely and relentlessly.

“Good day. It is an honor.”

We had Edward play 40 games against Grandmaster Agnes in November 2026: 16 wins, 19 draws and 5 losses.

The lion, the strongest player in the house. He plays as hard as he can. Almost impossible to beat.

Lavi is a lion, and his name means just that, lion, in Hebrew. Nobody in the house plays stronger. He is the heart of the house, the one every player here counts on, and against you he plays as hard as he can. He is calm, proud and kind, and he almost never makes a mistake. Holding him to a draw is an achievement. Winning is almost impossible.

“Welcome. I have been waiting for you.”

We had Lavi play 40 games against Ambassador Edward in November 2026: 20 wins, 17 draws and 3 losses. In those games Lavi had about a third of a second per move. Against you he thinks for up to two and a half seconds.