Account Created...Now What?

Hello everyone!

So I've been in search of a new hobby and decided to give Chess a shot! I know that it's played by many, is a brain booster and very challenging which I like. That being said, I know what each piece is and its basic movements but other than that, I'm a grade A-certified noob. 

How do I learn this game? What books do you recommend? Basic strategies? Is it too late for me? Thanks!

This is the internet, you can find a lot of basic info that will help you in the internet.

Just have in mind that chess is not for everyone, if you do not like it just leave the game and be happy.

There are many beginner books. I heard that "An idiot's guide to chess" or something like that is a good book for beginners.

This is the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Dummies-James-Eade/dp/111928001X/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Z5415XC49KCVB2T1W1P9

It's not too l8 for you...........get out.........don't indulge in chess..........it'll be the end.......... listen to me............i no............

   ItsAboutTheCones;    Don't listen to post #5---"no matter how silly".  He's a trouble maker.  Since you have a free account, your choices are limited, BUT, you can start with watching all the free you tube videos that Chess.com offers;  https://www.youtube.com/user/wwwChesscom

Post 5 is very informative. Please refer to it for help.

The basics of each phase of the game

Opening:

Follow the Opening principles:

1.      Control the center squares – d4-e4-d5-e5

2.      Develop your minor pieces toward the center – piece activity is the key

Ø  Complete your development before moving a piece twice or starting an attack.

Ø  Move pieces not pawns.

3.      Castle

4.      Connect your rooks

Ø    By move 12, you should have connected your Rooks, or be about to do so.

Middle game:

When you have completed the Opening Principles, you are now at the middle game.  Now you need to formulate a middle game plan.  The middle game is a very complicated part of a chess game.  A simple way to develop a middle game plan is to perform the following steps.

1.      Scan your opponents 5^th, and 6^th ranks (3^rd, and 4^th if your black)

2.      Look for weak pawns, and or weak squares.

Ø  Weak pawns and squares are Pawns, and squares that cannot be defended by another Pawn.

Ø  Knights are excellent pieces on weak squares.

Ø  When deciding on weak squares, and weak Pawns to attack, the closer to the center the better

End game:

Start with the basics:

1.      Learn basic mates – KQ vs. K, KR vs. K, KRR vs. K

2.      Learn Opposition, and Key Squares

3.      Learn basic King and Pawn endings

Pre Move Checklist

1. Make sure all your pieces are safe.

2. Look for forcing moves: Checks, captures, threats. You want to look at ALL forcing moves (even the bad ones) this will force you look at, and see the entire board.

3. If there are no forcing moves, you then want to remove any of your opponent’s pieces from your side of the board.

4. If your opponent doesn’t have any of his pieces on your side of the board, then you want to improve the position of your least active piece.

5. After each move by your opponent, ask yourself: "What is my opponent trying to do?"

welcome to the hobby.   feel free to a play a game or so and get your bearings.

Improving at chess is with everything else can be very rewarding and involved.

my advice is that your first task is to play enough chess to really love the game.    "Tactics" are moves made in critical positions that allow you to win; sometimes in extraordinary, startling ways.

so learning about them is a good idea as well

What do you mean - play chess ? I thought people made new accounts here to troll the forums ?

This is the reason chess.com forums are a shambles.  Apart from GodsPawn and humbleweed there's nothing but a load of fluff, encouraged by the site too.

Mr Humble..

so nice, so courteous, so humble. I agree with a tiny bit of your post.  playing is in fact the major idea...experience is a good teacher!

on the other hand, "freaks" "wierdos"....  really.   

https://www.chess.com/article/view/study-plan-directory - this has lots of useful tips.

Welcome to chess!  I hope you enjoy it!

A good list of legally free chess stuff is here:

http://bishopsbounty.blogspot.com/2009/01/free-online-chess-books.html

A bunch of outstanding free chess books are here including a page of beginners books - you might like some of them more than the stuff I list below:

http://www.chesszone.org/lib/beginners-chess-books.html

There is a free book you can download in pdf (Adobe Reader) form that goes through the rules and a little more here, plus some more advanced stuff, here:

http://www.freechessarea.com/free_chess_e-books.html

There is nice, basic, online beginner's course, in 28 steps, here:

http://www.chesscourse.com/beginner/1.php

There is a legally free version of an old (but in modern algebraic notation that the beginner's books/lessons teach), but constantly praised, 60 page book by early 20th Century World Champion Jose Capablanca called Chess Fundamentals  in pdf version that will bring you up to speed to play a basic competitive game here:

https://www.pdf-archive.com/2015/06/09/chess-ebook-capablanca-chess-fundamentals/

Here is all it covers:

Contents
Chapter 1
First Principles
1. Simple Mates 1
2. Pawn Promotion 3
3. Pawn Endings 4
4. Some Winning Positions in the Middlegame 6
5. Relative Value of the Pieces 8
6. General Strategy of the Opening 9
7. Control of the Centre 9
8. Traps 11
Chapter 2
Endgame Principles
9. A Cardinal Principle 12
10. A Classical Ending 12
11. Obtaining a Passed Pawn 13
12. How to find out Which Pawn will be First to Queen 14
13. The Opposition 14
14. The Relative Value of Knight and Bishop 16
15. How to Mate with a Knight and a Bishop 20
16. Queen against Rook 20
Chapter 3
Planning a Win in Middlegame Play
17. Attacking Without the Aid of Knights 22
18. Attacking with Knights as a Prominent Force 23
19. Winning by Indirect Attack 24
Chapter 4
General Theory
20. The Initiative 25
21. Direct Attacks en Masse 25
22. The Force of the Threatened Attack 26
23. Relinquishing the Initiative 27
24. Cutting Off Pieces from the Scene of Action 28
25. A Player's Motives Criticized in a Specimen
Game 30
Chapter 5
Endgame Strategy
26. The Sudden Attack from a Different Side 32
27. The Danger of a Safe Position 34
28. Endings with One Rook and Pawns 35
29. A Difficult Ending: Two Rooks and Pawns 36
30. Rook, Bishop and Pawns vs. Rook, Knight and Pawns 38
Chapter 6
Further Openings and Middlegames
31. Some Salient Points about Pawns 40
32. Some Possible Developments from a Ruy Lopez 41
33. The Influence of a "Hole" 42

Chapter 7
Illustrative Games
Game 1 Marshall, F – Capablanca, J 1-0 45
Game 2 Rubinstein, A - Capablanca, J 1-0 46
Game 3 Janowski, D - Capablanca, J 1-0 47
Game 4 Capablanca, J - Znosko Borovsky, E 0-1 48
Game 5 Lasker, E - Capablanca, J 1-0 49
Game 6 Chajes, O - Capablanca, J 1-0 51
Game 7 Capablanca, J - Burn, A 1-0 53
Game 8 Mieses, J - Capablanca , J 0-1 54
Game 9 Capablanca, J - Teichmann, R 1-0 55
Game 10 Capablanca, J – Marshall, F 1-0 56
Game 11 Capablanca, J - Janowski, D 1-0 57
Game 12 Capablanca, J – Chajes, O 1-0 58
Game 13 Morrison, J - Capablanca, J 0-1 59
Game 14 Marshall, F - Capablanca, J 0-1 60

Thanks, My Pleasure.

Wow, thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback and resources. Well on my way to 850 haha.