8 by 8 Battlefield

I learned to play chess when I was eleven years old. The friend that taught me explained how the pieces moved, a few basic rules, and then proceeded to beat me over and over and over and over, until I figured out how to counter his strategies and set up my own. It took a few months (we didn’t play every day, understand), and he must have been super bored by the “challenge,” but frustration is a good prompt for learning, so I did. I was so excited when I finally beat him that I knocked over the board.

When I get together with friends, we cook good food and play games. We might start out with cards or backgammon, maybe Yahtzee or dominoes, but we always come back to chess. We’ve even played games through texting or during phone calls when we couldn’t visit in person.

September 1 is Chess Day, so if you’re a fan of the game of kings, check out our chess mugs!

1. Metaphor

Showing people playing chess is a visual shortcut used in movies to quickly establish that characters are opposed, strategic, or both. The most common lesson is “think ahead.”

2. Set ‘em Up Again

It’s hard to walk away from a good match. Especially if you lost the last game.

3. Charge!

It’s the second-most popular opening move, and sets up a strong center position. Black’s response determines the nature of that game.

4. Euphemism

It all depends on your opening moves. For either meaning.

5. Nothing but Time

I can think of worse ways to spend copious amounts of free time.

This is just a sample of the fun chess mugs we stock. Is another game your favorite? You can search for it from our home page. And if you need several mugs for your game nights, remember that U.S. orders of two or more mugs get free shipping. That saves you enough for some new dice or a deck of cards!