Best way to learn

Hello Everyone:

I started playing chess this past week. I bought some books recommended on this website and I play the chess mentor and computer a lot. I started reading the books and got and I'm really fascinated with them; however, it seems to me that one needs to devote considerable time to study these books. So, what is the best way to learn in the "most effective manner"? Playing Chess or reading theory? This is from someone who works 60h/week, 6 days/week.

Thanks!

Mike

"No book or teacher can automatically show you how to play" Capablanca.

"Solve studies, giving preference to positions w/c were close to practical play" Smyslov

It has taken me twelve years, over ten thousand games, and a five year relationship with someone who was really good at chess to get to the point of still losing against players rated 1100. Good luck!

Honey,youre in a relationship then so why play chess. Get the point?

Trysts:

Wow. It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't hard though!

No, I don't get the point?

As a complete beginner, you really do need to play a lot.  As a diamond member you have access to both Chess Mentor and the Tactics Trainer and I'd hit both hard before making an investment in books.  Improving your board vision through the study of tactics is probably the very quickest way to improve.  Go through all the tactics courses on Chess Mentor and then test yourself with the tactics trainer.  There are some great beginner videos by IM's Rensch and Pruess that go over the principles of opening the game.  Take a look at the study plans onsite for some specific recommendations.  Good luck and welcome to the game.

Oh my....Never mind.

Very true! It does make me proud of the effort

You're not going to tell me "the point"?

My guess is that it has to do with "mating"...

lol

Ok, i got it =)

naturalproduct: You need to work less, play more, read some, and have a relationship with a WGM (WIM might also do)

trysts: You just need to play with higher rated players, problem solved! (no losing to 1100s anymore ;)

 Have Fun and enjoy the game.

Bad news dept: There is no "most effective manner" to learn chess or anything else that works for all the people all the time, and even if there was you can bet your last dollar there would be a dozen or more candidates for the "most effective manner" of learning presented to you here.

Without having a clue as to your experience or rating I'd suggest just doing whatever you like doing to study chess with for now, or else give us some more info about yourself. As a Diamond member you can check out Tactics Trainer, Chess Mentor, videos etc and start doing one or more of these activities on a regular basis (if possible)

What books are you reading BTW?

I believe solitaire chess is a good way to train. I have found a free chess gui--"Lucas Chess"--that contains a feature  "Play Like A Grandmaster." This is a version of solitaire chess and I find it fun to play and very instructive. I have been using the games of Paul Morphy that are provided, also free, because Morphy's games are exciting sacrificial games  and they are "open" games that do not require a lot of theory to understand.  This is something you may not have considered.

Getting better at chess--especially for an adult beginner--is a matter of having fun with the game and keeping it a part of your DAILY life. As others have said, practice a lot of tactics. Take advantage of the many courses and lessons offered here. Watch videos of great games and tactics and tricky endings. Above all, play the game--preferably at no time control faster than 10 minutes. Anything faster will cause you to overlook easy tactics you would have seen with more time.

But remember, it's a LOOOONNGG journey, with no guarantees at the end. You'll certainly get good enough to beat your friends, and you're going to have a lot of fun along the way (the whole point), but how GOOD you're going to get is a mystery. Natural talent, capacity for hard work, dedication to the game over months and even years--these are all variables that you cannot know about at this early stage.

Don't worry, though. Improvement will come. And you're going to love this game.

naturalproduct wrote:

Hello Everyone:

I started playing chess this past week. I bought some books recommended on this website and I play the chess mentor and computer a lot. I started reading the books and got and I'm really fascinated with them; however, it seems to me that one needs to devote considerable time to study these books. So, what is the best way to learn in the "most effective manner"? Playing Chess or reading theory? This is from someone who works 60h/week, 6 days/week.

Thanks!

Mike

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Every mind is a universe. The best way "for you" to learn is to find your unique perspective of the game. That is the super highway from your mind to chess, and from chess to your mind.

In order to find that super highway, you need to ask yourself some questions:

1. What is it about chess that interests me the most?

a. Do I like watching a game in progress and analyzing the position?

b. Do I like analyzing tactical positions to find the correct answer?

c. Do I like analyzing endgame positions?

d. Do I like playing chess games and letting my mind find moves as I go?

In other words, what is the perspective of chess that you use. By answering the questions above we can determine which activity you naturally spend the most time concentrating on, and thereby find the super highway of chess to your brain.

Amen on the work less part. Im on a six day vacation so I'm living it up. My wife is getting P.O. because Im sitting at the computer all day and not giving her her due attention. lol.

Hi NimzoRoy:

I have'nt even played a human being yet. Im on this website all the time for the past 4 days or so? I always wanted to play chess because I have a very analytical mind with good 3-D spacial understanding (I am an Organic Chemist ca. 1 y. away from a PhD.). I downloaded this app on my iPad and that taught me the moves. THis was a week ago. Then I found this website, and so far, I have played these mentor games at the bottom . My rating is 1513, but someone told me that dosent mean alot. I don't even know what a rating means (how its calculated, whats good, medium a bad rating, etc.).

Books I got:

Learn Chess (THis seemed pretty easy for me to grasp)

Silman's Complete Endgame Course (Awesome...not easy)

Fundamental Chess Openings by Sterren (Excellent so far....very detailed)

So, there is where I stand!