>>>>>Whatever. It doesn't come free with XP and I was wondering why there's NEVER any American oponents. I do understand that Go is good though, but I've never tried it.
>>>>
>>>>Do try it - it is really interesting. Despite the simple rules, it takes a while to learn it, though. I don't mean to claim that I learned it well, BTW.
>>>
>>>A while??? It's one of the most strategically complex games around.
>>>
>>>Have you ever played Shogi? It's Japanese chess and has a really interesting twist. If you've played, you know what I'm talking about, but if not, the idea is that all the pieces on the board are the same colour. They are flattish and sort of an elongated pentagon. You know which are your pieces by the direction in which they point. The reason they are all the same colour is that when you capture a piece, it is not actually dead as it is in 'Western' Chess. Rather than being dead, it is now yours. It is truly captured (and 'turned'), not killed. You may, at any point in the game you deem advantageous, and within certain strict rules, drop the piece onto the board whereever you like. It is now one of yours. That means that strategically, you need to watch, not just the pieces on the board, but also the pieces off the board.
>>>
>>>Another hard game to master.
>>
>>Seems interesting but I don't need that added complexity. To me "Normal" chess is complex enough <g>.
>
>Well then you'll be happy to know that in general, the pieces in Shogi are a bit more restricted in their movements than western chess pieces. Some are similar, but overall, there seems to be a bit less power ranging the board.
>
>Chinese Chess is also an interesting game, but unfortunately I've never managed to learn exactly how to pronounce it. And again, in general, there is less overall power ranging the board.

Hmm then it could be worth a look.