Best things to learn first as a beginner?
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RadgieGadgie
Feb 3, 2022
0
#1
Are openings and endings the best thing to get to grips with as a beginner?
Feb 3, 2022
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#2
Thanks for the advice. Yeh I'd definitely like to improve and get to 1000 rating over time. That'd be nice. What would you consider a slow time control?
Feb 3, 2022
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#5
Hi! My name is Lauren Goodkind and I’m a respected chess coach and chess YouTuber who helps beginners out :
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP5SPSG_sWSYPjqJYMNwL_Q
Here’s some ideas to help you get better.
-Be sure to control the center and develop your knights and bishops out toward the center.
-I’ll be happy to analyze one of your chess games for free for my YouTube channel, since I love to help beginners out. Share one of your games with me! This is a great way to get better!
-I recommend“Queen For A Day: The Girl’s Guide To Chess Mastery.” book, to learn basic winning chess strategy. This book are endorsed by chess masters!
-If you are serious about chess, I highly recommend you hiring a chess coach to help you.
-Also consider all checks and captures on your side and also your opponent’s side. Always as, “If I move here, where is my opponent going to move?”. Do this for every single move!
-Play with a slow time control, such as G/30 so you have plenty of time to think before every move.
I hope this helps!
Board Vision. Of all the things people mention usually, tactics, openings etc. No one stresses board vision enough as a beginner. You’ll see people on the beginner forums all the time saying stuff like “I do puzzles, read books, study openings and endgames, theory etc and I’m not getting any better, why why why...”
It’s because all of that is way down the road, and going over that stuff now is like studying calculus and differential equations before you even know order of operations. It’s a waste of time and is probably going to do more harm than good.
The number 1 thing to focus on as a true beginner (after the rules and how the pieces move) is board vision. You can study all that other stuff but if you’re skill at seeing the board is let’s say a 600 you’ll struggle to improve past that. It’s the lowest common denominator.
It’s because all of that is way down the road, and going over that stuff now is like studying calculus and differential equations before you even know order of operations. It’s a waste of time and is probably going to do more harm than good.
The number 1 thing to focus on as a true beginner (after the rules and how the pieces move) is board vision. You can study all that other stuff but if you’re skill at seeing the board is let’s say a 600 you’ll struggle to improve past that. It’s the lowest common denominator.
Feb 3, 2022
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#8
One of the best players in the late 1930s was Reuben Fine. He was also a great teacher and book author.
He put together 30 rules for chess which are at https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/reuben-fines-thirty-rules-of-chess.
These are still rules that were used to train future grandmasters like Sam Shankland.
Endgames first. There are GMs that don't know how to checkmate with a bishop and knight. If you click on insight, it will bring up players. Pick one and scroll down till you see mate in one and mate in two. If you click on them it will bring up the games in the position where it is mate in one or two. If you click on the move forward icon, it'll give you the answer.
Scanning the board. A GM just made a mistake at a recent tournament because he didn't know how knights moved and lost a rook. Maybe he didn't even see the knight. Bishops often fool GMs because they are hiding in the corners waiting to strike. Many beginners hang pieces because they don't scan the board.
very good!
#1
Are openings and endings the best thing to get to grips with as a beginner?
Openings certainly not.
Endgames yes, but to a limited extent.
The best thing is to take time to think and ti blunder check.
The next best thing is tactics: solving tactics puzzles, analysing lost games and study of annotated grandmaster games.
Feb 4, 2022
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#13
Learn opening principles. Develop sensibly, castle as soon as possible, don't move the same piece twice in the opening.
Feb 4, 2022
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#14
Play slow games. Take your time. Don't be embarrassed about mistakes; even grandmasters blunder pieces. Try to learn something from every game. Count the number of attackers and defenders of a square. And just play a whole bunch.
As a beginner, you should concentrate on two things:
1. If you can take a piece for free, take it.
2. If you make a move, make sure that your opponent can not take one of your pieces for free.
These are the important things that decide all low level games. Nothing else really matters.
Also, the advice of SmallerCircles above are very good.
Discover helpful, instructive resources for improving your chess...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell
1. g4 e5 2. f4 Qh4#
try it, wins every time 
Feb 4, 2022
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#18
nychess7 wrote:
1. g4 e5 2. f4 Qh4#
try it, wins every time
This gamits the king
Feb 4, 2022
0
#19
Gav_Wild wrote:
Are openings and endings the best thing to get to grips with as a beginner?
Learning basic checkmates (like Queen + King vs King) or basic theoretical endgames (like King + pawn vs King when winning or when a draw) are really useful and good confidence builders because then you'll have a better idea of what endgames you can aim for during the rest of the chess game.
As for openings, chess opening principles is enough "opening study" for 1000+ chess.com rating. https://www.chess.com/blog/KeSetoKaiba/opening-principles-again
What defines a "longer time control" is different for different people because some people naturally think faster than others (for better or worse). I'd experiment a little with a few time controls and see what you are fairly comfortable with, then maybe play that or slightly longer. The important thing is to not feel rushed during the game and giving yourself enough time mid-game to consider other moves, or what happens if you move here and opponent there etc.
For "longer games" I wouldn't recommend anything shorter than 10 minutes. Some people like 10 minute games (which could last up to 20 minutes as it is 10 min. per side), others like 15/10, others like 30 min. and so on. A friend of mine used to play 30 min games only and they said that switching to 1 hour games (60 minutes per side) was one of the "best things they did for their chess). However, that personally wouldn't have worked for me because extra time doesn't always increase quality - especially if you don't know what to look for.
You just have to experiment to find the balance between a game being too long and too short, but if completely unsure, try 10 min to 30 min range games to begin with I'd say. Some may disagree and believe a beginner needs longer than this, but it is just my own opinion and it is fine if some disagree; when I was starting out, 10 minutes was plenty of time for me as it takes a different type of focus and mindset to play longer games (as skill I didn't have when first starting out).