If Gary Kasparov's recent defeat at the "hands" of cyber-juggernaut Deep Blue gave you a hankerin' to strike a blow for humanity, maybe you should ponder picking up the game of chess yourself. Well the 'Net's a great place to find out how; being the bastion of nerd-dom that it is, the Web's got chess sites galore. So before you go out and plunk down the $3.99 for a chess set, take a look around the Web; you'll be ready to take on those uppity computers in no time at all.

But first, of course, you'll need to learn how to play the game. (Don't worry, it's not that difficult.) Stop by Virtual Chess Coach and Chess is Fun for rules, lessons and advice for chess neophytes.

Once you've figured out what you're doing, it's time to familiarize yourself with the chess world. International publications like Chess Informant and Inside Chess Online are great places to start; they offer advice for experienced players, up-to-date contest news and case studies of great games past. The Internet Chess Library offers an astounding array of articles, targeted towards die-hard chess aficionados. And World Chess Champions features profiles and photographs of the top players in the country. (Don't worry, they'll be adding you soon.)

Now, it's time to practice your skills against other real-life opponents. The Web offers a number of chess servers, where you can play online against chess enthusiasts from around the globe; some of the best include The Internet Chess Club, Chessed!, and Caissa's Web. So log on and show 'em what you've got. But be careful; Kasparov's mad as hell right now, and you never know where he might be lurking.