Chess is the one game I play more than the rest. I’ll typically start my day with at least 2 games before work, and another 3 later during the day.
Playing Chess frequently without analysis and study might be fun, but your rating won’t improve very much.
If you don’t even have a rating then perhaps it is time you sign up for FICS (Free Internet Chess Server) . It won’t cost you anything and you’ll be playing real people.
I’m not a fan of playing against computers. I just don’t do it. Technology is however great at offering post game analysis.
I think often we get so caught up in studying rules and positional analysis that at least in my game, I’ve overlooked short term tactics.
This is until I picked up http://www.chesstempo.com – once again another free service, check out the tactics training section.
This will drop you in various positions from real games, unlike those unnatural chess puzzles you might find in newspapers. To solve these positions might seem simple, but the conditions are just to make the best move, this means you’re not always looking for mate or a quick win yet these scenarios are included.
You get dropped into these truly juicy positions that if you don’t rush to solve will eventually help you learn short term strategy. Eventually you’ll get quicker at solving these, so don’t rush.
Michael's Techbox 