KidBlitzer says:
Maurice, do you play in the Internet Chess Club?

GM Ashley says:
I don't, I think it's a fabulous club because you get to play so many people around the world. But unfortunately it's been my experience that it's hard to find top notch international players on it on a regular basis for me to want to play. (Editor's note: Of course this has changed as the ICC has increased in popularity.)

sss says:
Is there a certain personality that takes to chess better than others?

GM Ashley says:
Not really. Maybe the best thing for being good is just being a competitor in general. I play almost no games just for fun. I play for the challenge of doing the best I can do, and hopefully winning, but that's not the whole thing. The whole thing is to stretch myself to the max.

GM Ashley says:
So as a competitor you excel. I find chess players excel at anything, not just chess, because they give it their all. I imagine it's like any athlete, striving to do their best and not just randomly for the fun of it.

marnster says:
Q: How can you tell whether your kid is a prodigy, or just a good chess player?

GM Ashley says:
Prodigies are extremely hard to come by and usually a prodigy is found out in tournament competitions. If a kid is just beating members of the family, that's admirable, but if you want to learn they have to play in tournaments.

BOSTONairbear says:
Dear guest do you advocate opening with a queens gambit, or do you prefer a more conservative approach?

GM Ashley says:
Openings are personal. It really doesn't matter how you play the opening I think, but personally I'm very aggressive. I'm about going after my opponent as quickly as possible and trying to take their head off. But I can play either way and I don't think it really matters so much how you start a game.

febes says:
Question is there a book available so my child can teach me?

GM Ashley says:
There are books available that would be good for both parent and child. A very famous author, featured in the movie, "Searching for Bobby Fischer" is Bruce Pandolfini, and he has a number of basic books you can choose from.

GM Ashley says:
Also, another author I really enjoy, I think is perfect for everyone is Yasser Seirawan and he has a series called "Play Winning Chess", 3 or 4 books.

MaleMan says:
My kids and I enjoyed Pandolfini's "Square One:A Chess Drill Book for Children and their Parents."

BOSTONairbear says:
Dear guest can you beat Big Blue?

GM Ashley says:
Big Blue I can beat, Deep Blue I don't know about. :)

GM Ashley says:
Deep Blue is extremely strong, and is vulnerable to losing to a number of Grand Masters, I think Kasparov shot himself in the foot. He really hurt himself. But I think it's very powerful obviously, but it can be beaten. I can beat it, maybe I need a little time.

FlabbyBaIdLoser says:
Question: Do you think children who like chess will be branded as "geeks" by their peers?

GM Ashley says:
Depends on who their peers are! It also depends on the kid. I try to make sure that my students are very well rounded. I mentioned that I'm a sports addict, I'm also often a participant. I think it's natural for kids to be called geeks anytime they pursue intellectual endeavors not just chat.

GM Ashley says:
You find that in school, the kid who gets straight A's gets branded an egghead. So what? It's up the parent to keep their child well rounded.

BOSTONairbear says:
Dear guest are men better chess players than women?