Three check chess is hard

I suck at it. I am past 1600 in every type of game except 3-check.

Im fine at KOTH and 960.

960 is my favorite variation.

But 3 check is so difficult for me!

People often say 1min bullet or 0+1 is "not real chess".

IMO 3-check is not chess.

Obviously it is, but I just suck at it so I like to think it's not legit.

:P

Well, that's not surprising, since it is definitely the least like regular chess.

Chess960 is exactly like regular chess, just with slightly different castling rules to account for the varying initial positions.

KotH beyond a very minimal level of skill is also very much like regular chess up until the late middlegame, as rushing straight to the middle against a decent opponent just ends up losing material or getting mated.

So, in KotH, you still end up getting to play a lot of normal-looking chess until you approach an endgame.

In 3 checks, though, it is MUCH easier to lose quickly against weird play aimed at acquiring quick checks. In KotH, aiming to run to the middle with your king straight from the beginning just doesn't work, but in 3 checks giving up material early for checks can just win.

So yeah, it's not surprising for 3 checks to be the variant that lags the farthest behind. It requires learning a lot more 3 checks-specific tactics and strategy than the other variants.

Just my $.02 :)

Yes, I just don't know how to play the game.

I often play pawn e3 or e6 to prevent bishop checks, but I still suck at the game.

I am not truly interested in learning how to play it, either. IMO you're right, it's the least like regular chess. Therefore, it's "not really chess" in the same way as standard chess (with any time on clock), chess 960, and koth.

I enjoy 3-check because it helps me sharpen my tactics on the attacking side and forces me to think a couple moves or checks ahead since material is not as valuable.

#4, it kind of depends on how you define 'chess'. It's still very much in the chess family, much like, say, xiangqi or shogi. But I agree, it's a far cry from international standard chess (i.e. the chess everyone knows and loves). I find it a very interesting and fun variant.

Personally, I like to castle as soon as the opponent's bishop is no longer able to give an easy check on the side I castle on. In general, I don't develop my pawns very much at all before I castle. It seems to work well, though keep in mind I've played it almost exclusively casual/anonymous.

I also notice it's NEVER a good idea to develop pawns on the side you castle on until threatened with a check.

LOL. Kasparov loved this game)))
It's like solving tactical puzzle. After playing this game you improve your skills in Classical Variation.

So did Karpov.

So what?

You Russians can have this stupid game, I'll stick to Fischer Random, thanks.