Keep your mind sharp during the lockdown with online chess

It is an understatement to say the impending lockdown poses many logistical, societal and economic challenges. For the eternal optimists looking for the silver lining, the three-week forced isolation offers an opportunity to learn a new skill or sharpen an existing one.

Should one be tactically and strategically inclined, the age-old art of chess is a mind-sharpening way of killing the hours. Whether an aspiring grandmaster or humble beginner, there are two sites that offer a comprehensive chess experience. Both lichess.org and chess.com offer basic chess training, puzzles and practice exercises to help users build confidence in their mental arithmetic.

Chess.com has over 30 million members of varying skill levels, and hosts over four million games a day. The site tracks rankings, offers in-depth analysis and has a multitude of mini-games, should standard combat get tiresome. Over at lichess.org, chess fanatics can indulge in a video archive of streamers, broadcasters and video analytics.

Both sites offer comprehensive training and complex puzzles that have been complied by the best chess minds on the planet. To avoid the doom and gloom, one can immerse oneself in a world of patient craft and cunning deception. The days could get long in the coming weeks so why not spend that time on self-improvement.