These tips are in no particular order.

Create an online identity you can LOSE with!

By this I mean that you go to Yahoo! or someplace similar and create a user acccount that you can practice freely with.

Make this account your non-competitive account, one you don't mind losing with. Make up a fake name if you like, what do I care? The point is that you don't have to worry about your rating with a "throw-away" account, and therefore you can experiment, truly play for fun, or just goof off a little to shake off the rust.

If you have a great game, that's wonderful, but if you have a bunch of lousy games it won't break your heart. You can also learn about the collection of jerks who play chess on the internet and the sly ways they utilize in order to win. (Important here is to play your game, with a time limit that suits you. My favorite tactic is when the opponent takes plenty of time to make a move, then when he's finished immediately text messages you with: "Your move, hurry up!" I mean, who are you trying to fool? I suggest turning off any message features when you play.) You can also try different time limits with no anxiety, and thereby discover which time limit is really best for your style of play. (I stink, normally, under seven minutes with no increment. I lost something like six in a row the other night trying to play faster.)

Use the free resources of the internet and practice in peace. KEEP IN MIND that there are cheaters out there, who will be using chess computers or chess software while playing you. They will even accuse you of cheating with a computer if you happen to beat them! You will encounter some very bad sports and some downright violent people, for whom I suspect internet chess is just an opportunity to abuse someone.

One valuable thing I learned from using such an account is how many games it takes me to "warm up." I will make horrid blunders in my first five or so games (time limits of 3 to 10 minutes with small increments), so it takes me almost an hour of chess to get into playing form.

TO BE CONTINUED