How to become good at chess for beginner?

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Avatar of lombahan

Should I read a book on chess. Or Are there any sites where I can find simple puzzles to solve. I have been playing 10 minute matches online and can't seem to improve. This has been going over a year now and I am still stuck at beginner level. Please help.

Avatar of tygxc

@1

"Should I read a book on chess." ++ Yes: Chess Fundamentals - Capablanca

"Are there any sites where I can find simple puzzles to solve." ++ There are tactics puzzles here

"I have been playing 10 minute matches" ++ Play 15|10 instead

"can't seem to improve" ++ The key to improve is to analyse your lost games.

"I am still stuck at beginner level" ++ Most important: always check your intended move is no blunder before you play it. Hang no pieces, hang no pawns.

Avatar of laurengoodkindchess

Here’s more  ideas to help you get better.  

-I recommend two books for you: “50 Poison Pieces”   and “Queen For A Day: The Girl’s Guide To Chess Mastery.”  Both books are available on Amazon.com.  Both books are endorsed by chess masters!  

- Check out the 500 puzzles for beginners.  These puzzles are unique and cannot be found anywhere else: .  These puzzles 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. 

Avatar of MlYAGl

Hi!
You should have a coach who will always help you and will help to improve your play. If you are interested in training with me, feel free to write me a direct message.

Avatar of YellowVenom

Ignore everything that has already been said. Ask yourself this: are you prepared to sacrifice a huge proportion of your life, possibly even your future prospects, to try and become good at chess? If not, don't bother trying, cause it simply isn't worth it.

Avatar of Onlysane1

Learning as a beginner involve learning a few basic points:

  • Basic fundamentals (control the center, basic tactics, pawn structure, etc)
  • Basic openings; not memorizing lines, but understanding what makes opening moves good, and learning to recognize the most common openings for your level(usually a king's or queen's pawn opening) as well as early game traps (like the Englund Gambit).
  • Basic endgames; you can't win if you can't checkmate. Learn queen, two-rook, and one-rook checkmates at the very least, then learn checkmates involving knights and bishops (a little more difficult).

There are lots of youtube videos on these points; I recommend GothamChess and Chessbrah.

Avatar of thegreatwalle

Have you tried the lessons on Chess.com? There are lots of them and they aren't just about the rules of the game but also get deep into strategy and theory! Highly recommended.

Avatar of KeSetoKaiba
lombahan wrote:

Should I read a book on chess. Or Are there any sites where I can find simple puzzles to solve. I have been playing 10 minute matches online and can't seem to improve. This has been going over a year now and I am still stuck at beginner level. Please help.

I feel like 10 min games are okay, but slightly longer games might even be better if you feel a little rushed or want extra time to think mid-game at things like a pre-move-checklist or a blunder check before you play a move. 

The key isn't only in the games itself, but the analysis afterwards. What are you doing to prevent yourself from repeating the same mistakes over and over again? Books and resources can teach valuable new information, but one of the best ways to improve now is by going over your own games and seeing where you went wrong (and why) so that you can improve for next time. 

Chess books can be super helpful, but I wouldn't recommend a beginner to start with a chess book. I'm sure some will disagree with me, but chess books take a long time to read and chess books having notation can be confusing for newer players. Reading chess books is probably most beneficial to intermediate to advanced players who already read chess notation with ease and even then, online resources might be more efficient for learning. 

chess.com has puzzles and the daily puzzle is also free to all members; the routine of trying to solve it each day is helpful and the puzzles get progressively tougher through the work-week. Monday daily puzzle is the easiest and the weekends are the toughest to solve. Attempting all of these gives you a good variety and analyzing why the best moves were best can also be a good teaching moment.

If you don't analyze your own chess games at all (many people don't) or not enough, then here is a video I made (just under an hour long) where I go through a real chess game with an in-depth look at how I'd approach this game analysis as a beginning player:

Avatar of Ian_Rastall
tygxc wrote:

"Should I read a book on chess." ++ Yes: Chess Fundamentals - Capablanca

Just put that up in the library section right here:

https://www.chess.com/c/2XH97kw5Y

Avatar of blackrookcafe

You opened your account yesterday and played no games, why not post with your main account so people can see what you are playing.... It makes it much easier to give focused advice.

Avatar of RussBell

Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

Avatar of SEmbrey

You, or anyone else looking to improve their chess, will be hard-pressed to get free advice any better than that provided by RussBell above. He may be the most helpful poster on these forums. And he's a cool cat, as you can tell by his avatar!

Avatar of KeSetoKaiba

I might be one of several (although few) also will good free advice in the forums. It isn't a competition though; it is about everyone growing the chess community together - our community. @RussBell usually has great resources! They are certainly a cool cat though; the avatar is evidence of this grin.png

Avatar of rireye
to be honest just watch a few tutorials and see some teks lol
Avatar of RussBell
SEmbrey wrote:

You, or anyone else looking to improve their chess, will be hard-pressed to get free advice any better than that provided by RussBell above. He may be the most helpful poster on these forums. And he's a cool cat, as you can tell by his avatar!

Thanks for the props, @SEmbrey !

Avatar of lombahan
lombahan wrote:

Should I read a book on chess. Or Are there any sites where I can find simple puzzles to solve https://omegle.onl/. I have been playing 10 minute matches online and can't seem to improve. This has been going over a year now and I am still stuck at beginner level. Please help.

I got this,...