98percent begginer.

Hello,

I apologise in advance as I'm sure there are threads related to this, but via the search I simply cannot locate them.

The only time i've played chess is with family and friends for a bit of fun, only recently have I taken an intrest in studying it, this site seems to have a large amount of information and as such will help me learn how to play at a great level then I currently am. However I'm having trouble finding where exactly to start, I made the mistake of presumming Openings would be where to start, then middle and end game from there, I now know this to be incorrect, but now instinctively play those of which I have read, but with little success.

So would anyone please be kind enough as to point my in the direction to start studying, or perhaps a study guide?

I thank you in advance,

Gavin.

P.S. I'm playing as much as possible already, online and OTB.

Tactics

Greatly appreciated, Thank You.

You're not going to get anywhere just by learning tactics. You'll end up being able to spot complex mates but not actually gettng to the positions where they are possible. There's no fun in just waiting for an opponents to make tactical errors, since they probably won't.

You need to add basic strategy in as well. Pawn structure, how to make your pieces active, Bishop V Knight. That way you'll have something to play for while waiting for tactics.

The Chess Mentor on this site is vastly underappreciated.  If you can, give it a try.  You're guaranteed to pick up something useful.

While studying openings is frowned upon by experts, there's nothing "wrong" with it, and it helps to learn the "language".  What you can do is learn about 6 common openings, and practice using them all the time.  I picked 3 favorites for when I'm playing black, 3 for when I'm white, and 1 "general purpose" opening that works well for both sides.

Since there's no way to know what your opponent will play on their 2nd move, you can get a lot of variety out of 6 openings.  The idea is to survive long enough to develop your pieces and avoid quick-mating traps.  But don't spend a lot of time with openings, which is what everyone seems to be saying.

The next step towards surviving into the endgame is to learn the basic rules for development.  i.e., Good pawn structure, Rooks on open files, King Safety, Control of the center, etc.  There are a lot of nice books on this subject, and some good software too.  I have My System by Aron Nimzowitsch, but other players could probably recommend a title ot two that's easier to understand.  But yeah, your game will be much easier if you have a decent plan for the middle.

Now these are things I would strictly recommend for the beginner.  Everyone says you study tactics, but tactics won't make a lot of sense to you if you don't understand how games are won and lost on a bigger scale.  Only after you have a very basic groundwork in place (and I do mean basic), should you attempt tactics.  But once you do, tactics will become the most important thing for you, sometimes to the point of forgetting everything else.  I think this is why tactics is cited so much as where to start.

Good luck!

If you play OTB, a great idea is to play in a long time-control tournament, write down your games, and analyze them with your opponents, then by yourself, then with stronger players. It should help tremendously.

Using Tactics Trainer and Chess Mentor should help you a lot too - Tactics trainer on a regular basis (every day is best), reviewing combinations that you missed and Chess Mentor when you have time, but trying never to sacrifice quality (learning something) to quantity !

dont worry I know how you feel, I started the same way you did about a year and a half ago. What I did to get stronger is study tactics, chess principals, and Grand Master games. I think studying grandmaster games helped me a lot! The way I studied them was to try and find out exactly why they played each move, it gets easier as you go along. may I recomment Mikhail Tal's games, they wont make you bored lol.

I didn't study openings at all, in fact I still dont know openings very well :( Im just starting to get into them because its starting to hurt my chess

Tactics.

Learning how to checkmate, win material and create threats are vital.

As a beginner, spotting these threats from your opponent and preventing them will make you a stronger player and seperate you from those players who remain at beginner level.  Many novice games end before move 25, and this is the result of either material gain or checkmate (both tactics).

In the absence of tactics for either side you need to learn some basic positional play and how to plan (AKA strategy).

Don't worry about trying to analyse too many moves ahead.  Say it's your move.

Just look for your best move, your opponent's best reply & your best response.

I wouldn't spend too much time on openings, just try to find some that you like the look of by googling them to get some of the most basic ideas.

You should learn about the basic endgames though.

G,

my suggestions would be

play as much otb as your enthusiasm permits including tournaments

engage an expert player from your local club for mentor purposes who can pass on their experience

books for me are a good study guide, advertised as available from the chess.com store is 'catastrophe in the opening' I had the version before the Plaskett edit hopefully this one is as good. Says ...'Helps sharpen the killer instinct Highlights the do's and don'ts of the opening Ideal for improving players'

>:)

A very succesful coach of really young players teaches his students the following:

IF YOUR OPPONENT ALLOWS IT, put your pieces on these squares.

1. Endgame theory  2. tactics/middlegame   3. Openings/ opening theory

Oh, and by all means, have a look at Dan Heisman's column, as it gives good advice for players with limited tournament experience.

ive seen people and even many famous authors suggest the endgame first when learning... but what good will that do someone who cant get to an even endgame because they dont understand the midgame... or how to get to a good midgame without opening understanding...i say understand the "language" of chess first-basic notation, check, en passant, skewer (tactics), pins (tactics), fork (tactics) etc; then opening IDEAS not reams of variations; positional concepts like outposts, color complexes,  pawn structure ect; then endgame.  so lingo, tactics, opening ideas, positional theory then endgame is how i would go about learning if i had to start over. pattern recognition is vital in chess so the more positions you see the faster your brain will spot the right moves too.  play play play

Can't argue with that ^^^

Learning some endgame theory often gives one a better grasp of what to do in the midgame. Having an idea of what to do in a midgame suggests what you might strive for in an opening. Just pushing the pieces and hoping an opportunity will present itself is a pretty sorry proposition.

I advocate some study of ALL aspects of the game. At the very least, basic endgames. How to mate quickly with king and rook vs. king should become almost instinctive. Study king and one pawn vs. king, and know what will draw and what will win -- and how to draw if you're on the short end! Learn the principle of "opposition."

Don't neglect tactical study, it's important in all phases of the game.

Do a little opening study. By this, I do not mean memorize hundreds of variations, but rather, look over some standard openings and see how they make use of the general ideas of development, and what sorts of games they often lead to. If one or two seem to make some sense to you, and look like they might help against your typical opponent (especially if you have a regular opponent or two), then maybe learn a bit about that system. As someone said, pattern recognition is important.  Many openings lead to patterns. It can be helpful getting through the first four or five moves and winding up on familiar ground rather than always having to wing it from move 2.

 I believe already my game has improved, this was a game after doing 100 tactic puzzles, advice greatly appreciated. Thank You.

Good game and very nice finish ! Only concern is you're still leaving some material en prise (pawn a2 after 12...Nb4, the Bb4 at the 18th move).

The question is why ? Is it because you dind't see the threat (if so, you should always check for direct threaths after your opponent moves), or because you thought you had a powerful counterattack ? (if this is the case, then by all means, read Heisman's articles about counting).

nice mate :)