Are computers better at playing chess than us? It's a question on a lot of people's minds as Garry Kasparov continues to battle it out with the computer Deep Junior, which is capable of calculating three million moves per second.

If you've been inspired by the chess grandmaster's performance, you might fancy pitting your wits against one of the smaller computer opponents you can find on the web. The mecca of online chess is probably Chess Corner. There are quick links to a select range of chess software programs you can download, including ones for Mac users.

The site is designed to help beginners and more advanced players. So, depending on what level you are at, you can learn simple checkmate patterns online, master the arts of Sicilian defence or brush up on a Reti opening. At Shockwave's site, you can play against a computer without installing software.

But it can take a while to get used to this way of playing. Using your mouse, you start by moving a 3D chess piece across the virtual board. Then the anonymous computer responds and starts moving its pieces towards you. The computer flashes messages, letting you know when it is your turn and, more ominously, when it is watching you.

When I thought I was getting into my stride, the computer suddenly took charge. Its queen started to wreak havoc. I lost a rook and then, more fatally, a bishop. It was virtual carnage and the game was over in minutes.

If, like me, you prefer the idea of playing people at chess, you can do this via email at many sites, including the likes of Chess World. The chief advantage is that you have ample time to reflect on your moves. At Shockwave, for example, you move a pawn across a small virtual chessboard and then email it to a friend, attaching a message if you like. He sends his move back to you, and so on.

One of the more serious sites for playing chess in real time is the Internet Chess Club. When I first visited the club, there were 1,828 players online, including 11 grandmasters and 33 international masters. You download free Blitzin software, which gives you a board and pieces, and you can then chat online with other players and challenge them to games. Sites such as Yahooand the VOG offer different rooms linked to your abilities, and give you a variety of time limits.

At the Internet Gaming Zone, click on individual characters and you can watch games or join in. While playing people in real time, you can look up reference advice or access past games for tips.

If you want professional coaching, there are plenty of software tutor packages. And, unlike real-life chess tutors, these programs don't complain if you ask a daft question and you can always use them. Chess Mentor is a package with a good reputation. It offers a series of testing chess challenges, so you can refine your skills before taking up the next virtual duel.

Another way to improve your game is to carefully note the winning moves of famous masters, which can be looked up on sites such as Chess Corner and Chess Geeks. Or you can watch live webcasts of games - pawn by pawn coverage - provided by the likes of the British Chess Federation.

Chess is believed to have originated in India in the 4th or 5th century and is played in different ways around the world. If you want to learn more about the evolution of this famous game, sites such as Chess Variants explain how the Chinese and Japanese, for example, prefer to work the board.

Whatever country you're in, it is difficult to avoid the recent hype surrounding the Kasparov "man versus machine" contest. He is being paid a reported £300,000 to play six matches against Deep Junior in New York, and will add nearly £200,000 if he wins the series. But playing chess computers, as Kasparov knows, is tough. If you are feeling downcast after being continually outplayed by a sharp chess program, you might want to log on to Casemir Chocolates, where they are selling chocolate chess sets. You can buy 32 sculpted chess pieces, filled with cream praline, and 64 squares of plain chocolate which make up the board. It is probably the best way to raise your spirits after a heavy defeat at the hands of a ruthless online chess program.

· You can watch Kasparov v Deep Junior live on the web at www.X3dworld.com. The series ends tomorrow.