Introduction

Last year, I reworked the site some and came up with a theme for each month of the year. December became “Gaming is a Gift” and I wrote about the games that brought me joy throughout the year. I continue that tradition this year because why fix what isn’t broken? As a way to ease back into regular content onthe page, I bring you mobile gifts 2025.

Chess is a Gift

I signed up for the chess.com app a few years ago. Some of the students at the school where I teach asked me to start a chess club. I wanted to expand the idea into a tabletop games club, but it never got off the ground. As a result, I fell off using the app on a daily basis. I concentrated more on Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone.

Slowly this year, I started to play other mobile games. I started with Balatro (you can see a couple of videos on my YouTube page) and then graduated to Chess as my daily app. They provide you with a puzzle that teaches you different end game strategies. I started by simply solving the puzzles. Now, however, I see many of the strategies and figure out the puzzles that way.

I’m not brave enough to play any real players (or even the bots) yet, but my friend texted me about chess a couple of days ago. He played in some local tournament and wanted to bounce ideas off of me. That inspired me some to at least think about playing some actual games.

New York Times Games are a Gift

First, yes, I understand that they underwent a couple of collective actions. And, yes, I present myself as friendly to labor and hostile to the ruling class. However, I scabbed this time. I feel terrible about it, but we all lie with snakes in our lives. All we can do is work to help make things better. No idea if I actually accomplish that or not, but I try.

I play the games that allow for streaks. My gamer brain responds to those. Honestly, that’s why I open the chess app daily. So, I start with Wordle, then move to the Mini crossword. After, I finish Strands and then go on to Connections. Finally, when I get home from work, I open the app again and complete the main crossword.

Verdict

Both Chess and New York times were mobile gifts 2025. They provided me with a distraction from the daily grind. I used them to build routine and help develop my mental accumen. As I said in the video uploading to YouTube tomorrow, as you approach 50, the brain works less and less efficiently (I used the word well, see?) and we need all the help we can get. Hopefully, I pick up the chess app soon and play a game against the bot soon.