Paying Homage to Chess.com

In one of my last posts I was praising the graces that ICC (Internet Chess Club @ www.chessclub.com) for all the study options and playing options they had to offer. Well, they're not the only one. www.chess.com has different playing formats to offer such as "Internet Postal" or "Correspondence/corr" (most players use of the playing option of 3 days per move, but usually go much faster) which is a great way to try out different openings and not feel the time crunch, if you're one of those people that like to bust out a chess set and look at all different options, anyhow. I use it like I would playing a regular game (I do not use a chess board, mainly because it takes something away from the learning experience of looking deeper into positions in your mind) and it helps me, at an accelerated rate to figure out what works and what doesn't. Since my transition to playing Kings pawn, I have been on a constant search for openings/lines that are comfortable and it hasn't been easy. There's a big difference, one that works towards my aggressive play, and one that works against my comfort level. But, the corr games on chess.com have given me a chance to try new ideas (new to me anyhow) and not feel too bummed when something doesn't work. Besides the corr games, they offer tactics training (much like ICC but timed at an accelerated rate) Live games and training videos (It all depends on what level you pay for on what type of access you'll receive for up to unlimited unlimited at their highest level. You can choose to pay by the month, so it only costs you a few dollars instead of paying a year fee. You will not get locked into any sort of contract, so you can stop payments at any time. Besides all this goodness, you can have it linked to www.facebook.com, which will be listed under your apps. Plus, it tells you when you have games ready to play (if you're playing corr) on facebook. The first option that appeals to most people is the "free" membership, which you can most certainly sign up for. With this membership option you are very limited access to a lot of chess.com. But, you can still play some corr games and live games. Try it out and let me know how you like it. I think it's a great tool for someone that is serious in evolving their chess game.