I would say that some of the things that I used to help learn and develop chess knowledge are playing a ton of games and learning from my mistakes. I also really enjoyed reading the Encyclopedia of Chess Wisdom by Eric Schiller.
What tools do you use to become a better chess player?
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When I started learning to play chess in my early teens, I was pretty much limited to books, magazines, and learning from my mistakes during games. That was before the internet gave us access to so much information at the click of a button. The first book I purchased was a paperback copy of Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess. I learned a lot from that book. It started with the very basics and moved on to advanced tactics and strategy. I read other books and magazines when I had the opportunity, but many of them were difficult to follow, probably due to typos in chess notation or my inability to understand high level chess.
Time passes on and I was fortunate enough to use the Grandmaster Edition of Chessmaster. I really enjoyed the Josh Waitzkin tutorials. Even though I had been playing for years, I started the tutorials from the beginning and always managed to learn something new. It was great not having to deal with chess notation, being able to see the pieces move on the board, and being able to go back whenever I got confused.
Years later, I found thechesswebsite.com where I enjoyed Kevin's tutorials. They have hundreds of tutorials organized into playlists for easy access. I found them easy to follow and very informative. Now I mostly watch Levy Rozman on GothamChess. He is a great teacher and entertainer. I really enjoy watching his videos and can’t help but learn something in the process. I also highly recommend doing puzzles at chess.com or your favorite chess puzzle website. They really help me visualize several moves ahead in order to find the best move now.
Well, those are some of the things that have helped me become a better player over the years. I’m very interested in hearing from all of you. What do you find the most helpful, informative or entraining when trying to improve your skills at chess? We would love to hear from you.
Available at the Union County Library
Ajedrez Super Facil
by Xirau Palau, Juan
Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess
by Fischer, Bobby
Chess for Dummies
by Eade, James
Chess for Everyone
by Lawrence, Al
Chess Life
Magazine