I used to play alot up until seventh grade. Now I mainly play with friends when there's not much else to do. (ie, when we had an earthquake here and the power was out for most of the day.)
To me rooks seem pretty slow, though I end up using them to checkmate more often when avaliable.
Bishops don't do me much good except for sneak attacks, since they can only work on one color.
Knights are fun because most people ignore them, and their range, so you can usually catch most new players off gaurd.
Pawns are just good for frustrating people trying to get an extra queen.
I've never played online before, though I'm willing to try.