For those who like a good game of chess but lack someone to play with (that has been my problem with the game most of my life), there are excellent free programs available for download on the internet. I looked at a few but can recommend two, Arasan 9.5 and AlphaChess 3.

Arasan has been around for ages, as you can see from its version number, and I can remember playing it ten years ago on my old Windows 3.11 computer. As a result, it is tried and tested and has no bugs; it is a serious program and will beat you every time on its harder settings. Fortunately, you can dumb down the computer opponent by limiting the time it has to think about its next move.

You can alter the appearance of the board, selecting the colors and the size, and it will give you a hint on your best move, if you ask it nicely. But it’s the playing strength that makes Arasan a professional program - this one is for those who take chess seriously.

AlphaChess is more about fun, I think, although it is perfectly capable of giving you a hard game. It has three settings for strength of opponent and is easy to beat on the weakest level. Like Arasan, the colors and pieces can be altered to suit you but I found no way to enlarge the board. A nice touch is that it will make sounds as you move pieces; these can be turned off too if they irritate.

Either of these programs are well worth a try, although my preference is for Arasan as an old friend. There are others, too, and you can sample most by googling “free chess programs”.

It was when I looked for free checkers programs (or draughts, if you’re English) that I found myself defeated. There are plenty that claim to be free but invariably they are loaded down with intrusive advertising or limited to a ridiculous extent. My advice on checkers has to be that you should avoid “free” programs, therefore, bite the bullet and shell out a few dollars for a full program.

It’s a great pity that such a popular game should be so badly served by the programmers but that is the price of fame, I guess - they figured they could make money from the millions who would want to play checkers whereas chess, with its smaller fanbase, offers fewer prospects of getting rich.

We have all heard endless advice about keeping our minds active to stay young but rarely does anyone suggest how to go about this. One of the ways to keep the brain cells busy is through puzzles and these days there are many available completely free on the internet. Over the next few weeks we could have a look at what is out there but today I thought we could start by investigating crossword puzzles.

If you like words, I am sure you will have completed countless crossword puzzles over the years. Computers make it much easier to find puzzles and then fill them in, however, as many of them can be done onscreen through the keyboard. Never again will you have to hunt for a pencil or pen before you can begin!

I looked at just a few sites and tried their puzzles for ease of use, difficulty levels and clarity. My suggestions are below but you can find many more by searching for “free crossword puzzles” on Google. There are lots of sites that offer a daily puzzle but fewer that concentrate only on crosswords and offer hundreds or even thousands. I have included both types in my brief survey:

Think dot com - Daily Crossword - quite difficult but can be completed onscreen.

Crossword Puzzles Games dot com - Thousands of puzzles but must be printed out - difficult.

Best Crosswords dot com - Plenty of puzzles and you can select difficulty - can be completed onscreen. This one would be my choice.

Free Crossword Puzzles dot com - Two free puzzles daily - easy.

Using the computer could boost mental function and playing computer based games can improve cognition in Alzheimer’s patients. Researchers have found that internet accessible computer activities are even more successful than classic exercies of mental stimulation commonly used with dementia patients.

The findings of the study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Fundacio ACE, Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades in Barcelona, Spain, suggest that interactive multimedia internet based activities combined with standard pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer’s patients resulted in better cognitive function even in patients whose disease had progressed.

This study may relieve the fears of those who read about the Stanford University study that explored the possibility of internet addiction.

The findings of the study are published in the October issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

Read more about the study here:
Computer-based ‘games’ enhance mental function in patients with Alzheimer’s

Would you rather play Checkers or watch TV? According to researchers, just switching from a passive activity like television viewing to playing a board game can keep your brain exercised through mental challenges and activities. Mental activity is a way to keep your brain young and has been shown to reduce rates of dementia in people over 75.

In an article at the AARP website, Lawrence Katz, Ph.D., a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, has some suggestions on ways to keep your brain flexible and agile. His suggestions include:

* Think in new ways
* Change your routine
* Turn off the tube
* Surprise your senses

For more information on employing Dr. Katz’s suggestions in your daily life, read the article.

De-Age Your Brain.

You may also like to visit our sister sites on this subject : Brain Boomers and Arts and Mind.