Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could help me. I recently started playing chess for fun, and I can't seem to win. When I do, it's my opponent's mistake, or they run out of time. I'm not really sure how to checkmate easily. Does anyone have tips?
Thanks!
It can't be reduced to a few tips.
There are courses for beginners which will get you off to a good start.
https://www.chess.com/lessons/courses/beginner
Start with basic tactics and endgames
Fork
Absolute pin
Relative pin
Skewer
Discovery
Remove the defender
Back rank mate
Basically all tactics are variations on these themes....solve these puzzles then use the same types of patterns to solve harder ones. Puzzles are a huge help for improving (from the bottom level to the top, all good chess players love to solve puzzles)
Basic endgames are also important....but I don't want to compose any more problems right now =P
A realistic perspective might help... looking quickly at your stats and some of your recent losses, most players were either rated higher, or had more experience than you. Chess is a game of ideas, and people with more experience are going to have better ideas - mostly because they've seen them before. The more you play - and especially study - the more your ideas will develop.
Forty games is not a lot on here, and it looks like you've won 1/3 of your games. Thats not bad for just starting.
Fast "time controls" like Blitz, but especially Bullet, are a ridiculous way to start learning chess. It's like trying to learn to play guitar by starting with an Eddie Van Halen solo. Try "Daily Chess" for a while, and think about each move.
Don't worry so much about winning and losing, we all lose. Make learning the goal - at least for now - not the results of your games.
Cheers
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-start-out-in-chess
https://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory
"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf
"... If it’s instruction, you look for an author that addresses players at your level (buying something that’s too advanced won’t help you at all). This means that a classic book that is revered by many people might not be useful for you. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2015)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever
Here are some reading possibilities that I often mention:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5856bd64ff7c50433c3803db/t/5895fc0ca5790af7895297e4/1486224396755/btbtactics2excerpt.pdf
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Studying Chess Made Easy by Andrew Soltis (2009)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090448/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review750.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf
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When your opponent castles kingside, go after the knight guarding the h-pawn. Then, bring the queen and knight down on the poor h-pawn. It is a win, that when executed from a distance, is hard to see.
When your opponent castles kingside, go after the knight guarding the h-pawn. Then, bring the queen and knight down on the poor h-pawn. It is a win, that when executed from a distance, is hard to see.
This is true, but IMO it's the wrong advice for a beginner. She should certainly learn to spot mate in 1 (and take it if she gets it!), but PLAYING for mate in 1 isn't really a method of improving at chess; it's just a method of winning a few easy games. Actual improvement comes from learning to see the game holistically: Openings place pieces, piece placement creates tactics, tactics create advantages, advantages win games. If you know how to mate on f7 but you have no idea where your pieces should go, you'll just be one of those dopes who goes 1.e4 2.Qh5 and then drops all their pieces when the opponent blocks the mate. It doesn't teach you ANYTHING.
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could help me. I recently started playing chess for fun, and I can't seem to win. When I do, it's my opponent's mistake, or they run out of time. I'm not really sure how to checkmate easily. Does anyone have tips?
Thanks!