Chess is a great game that has many benefits in your everyday life, because it teaches you how to concentrate, plan, focus and think ahead. And the fact that it gives you the opportunity for some friendly competition in a way that doesn't require any more than a board, pieces and your ability to think is wonderful too. That's probably why you see such a large selection of chess training books online and in stores. It's been a popular game for people who think for generations.

But it takes more than just learning chess strategy to play the game effectively. People new to the game are often surprised to discover that when they first go to a chess club or tournament. One of the more important of these aspects is definite etiquette that should be adhered to so your opponents will respect you. It's amazing how many chess players who should know better breech these basic etiquette rules. Information about these rules should have been relayed to them by the people who helped them learn about winning chess, but that doesn't happen for many who play the game.

Here are some important chess etiquette tips:

* Mobile phones and beepers
Beepers and cell phones aren't allowed during tournament play, even if they're set to only vibrate. It's also considered good manners to turn them off when playing at a chess club, whether or not you're playing in a tournament.

* Talking during a chess game
When it comes to talking while playing chess, think of the Golden Rule: Do onto others as you would have them do onto you. If you don't want someone talking during your chess game, then don't do it to others.

* Moving the chess pieces
If you touch a chess piece, you have to move it. If you pick up a piece, place it on a square and your fingers are still on it, though, you can return it to its original square. You??re still required to move it, but you??re free to choose another square. Once you take your hand off it, however, it??s considered a move.

* Draws
The correct way to offer a draw is to make your move and offer the draw before you stop your clock. Once you have offered the draw, you can stop the clock. Don't offer a draw while time is running on your opponent's clock.

* The chess clock
You must use the same hand to activate the clock that you use to move the pieces. Also, once you press the clock, you??re not allowed to keep your hand on or over it. If you're playing in a tournament, you should stop the clock if there??s ever a need to speak to the tournament director about the game.

These are just a sampling of the many etiquette rules that should be honored when you play chess. If you play the royal game, it's important that you learn all of them.