Hi,

I am very much a beginner

I have been playing against friends and family for years, but very basic and not serious in any way.

I have recently joined this site and play chess elsewhere, online as well. I have tried to take in as much info as I can from playing/chess tips sites and here.

My problem is , I usually try to get either the king/queen pawn out and try to set up my bishops/knights in the middle of the board and try to castle early(as most beginner guides say, and usually that is the easy part).  I seem to get to a point where I have to either make an attacking move and lose a lot of my pieces or  start backtracking and get stuck.

Should I persevere  with what I am doing and learn some more before trying something else?. should I start attacking earlier and not worry so much about getting set in the opening stages?

Any help would be much apreciated

Cheers

 

 

It seems like you have the basics down. My advice would be to play through some master games, and buy a book of games by one particular grandmaster and adopt them as your hero. Jeremy Silman book selection will improve your game while for the time being i would steer clear of opening books but it would be beneficial to learn some of the main lines of popular openings.

 

edit: on hints and tips, these will only go so far with learning, i think you need specific study of certain positions. 

Personally, I wait to see what my opponent is doing first. I leave my options open and I castle on the side where the pawns are still there or the opponent's pieces are pointing at the other side. Also, I try to get my pieces in useful positions (potential threats, protecting key squares) and maybe plan a strategy to attack the opposition king.

Thanks Graw81,

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by "master games"?

I think I will just keep on trying with what I am doing and perhaps look into getting a book, if budget allows.

My main prob is getting my pieces out and the finding I have to backtrack to save them. Perhaps i need to find a ballance there somehow...

Cheers 

 

How about posting one of your games here? If we have a concrete example we can perhaps make suggestions as to where you are going wrong.

 "Master games" refers games played by masters. 

Enantiomer wrote: Personally, I wait to see what my opponent is doing first. I leave my options open and I castle on the side where the pawns are still there or the opponent's pieces are pointing at the other side. Also, I try to get my pieces in useful positions (potential threats, protecting key squares) and maybe plan a strategy to attack the opposition king.

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 Yeah I think I need to look more closely at where I am putting my pieces rather than trying to get them out so I can castle (I am still unsure on how to work out which side to castle)

Cheers

 

I am not sure how to post a game?  do i just view one of my last games and post the link on the FEN string thing?

Enantiomer wrote: Personally, I wait to see what my opponent is doing first. I leave my options open and I castle on the side where the pawns are still there or the opponent's pieces are pointing at the other side. Also, I try to get my pieces in useful positions (potential threats, protecting key squares) and maybe plan a strategy to attack the opposition king.

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 Ok perhaps I need to learn more about that.... I did say I was a beginner

Hi MOC , posting a game is easy . You need a pgn file or you can enter the game manually . Just click on "Insert game or position" ( image with a mini chessboard ) and then follow instructions . Also check out chessgames.com for loads of gm games . I suggest looking up older masters like morphy and studying from their games . Good luck :)

Thanks TalFan:

Here is another:

 

You can probably gather that I got frustrated and resigned in both games...

But I thought I had a good start in each, although it all went pear shaped.

I have many games like this... 

I'm not sure about 5. Na3. Especially after , ...a6 it leaves it quite hemmed in? But I think the real problem was not protecting your e pawn after 9...Qd7. Would it have been better to have exchanged bishops or brought your knight back into play before launching an attack with your pawns?

But I make no claim to be an expert by any stretch...

 

At this point, don't worry about details. You are doing a fine job of getting your pieces out and trying to use all of them. In each of your games there are just a few spots where you make big mistakes and let your opponent simply take one of your pieces. If you practice keeping a sharp eye on every capture you and your opponent can make, you should be able to hang on to your pieces better.

I agree withg Loomis, hold on to your pieces and you will progress. The best way yo do that is to slow down. If you were playing over the board, I would tell you to play "left-handed", a ruse to get you to be more careful. Further, get your mind conditioned to think not only about you are doing but what your opponent is doing. What are his strengths, what are his threats, what is guarded, what isn't. Condition your mind to think this way.

As to master games, the best master to learn from for beginners is Capablanca.

Go to chessgames.com and search for games played by Capablanca. Simple, eligant, forceful and outstanding endgames. Good luck.

There is nothing wrong with the way you developed your pieces!  Your problem is in missing captures and basic tactics by your opponent.  You will just pick this up by playing games.  Or look at tactics examples like the daily puzzles.  Good luck.

I agree with mxdplay4. I also think the analysis board can be especially helpful when you are playing games on chess.com. It can help you look at the board from the other player's perspective and get you to think a few moves in advance.

Get a tactics book, your opening is quite a good one, not a thing wrong with it.  The problem is that you are missing captures and making tactical errors.  Study tactics, and you will be fine.