Chess Newbie

You can definitely post your games here. There is also a special section in this forum under the "Game Analysis" for games that you want people to comment on. It'd be better if you try to annotate it first before letting others voice out their opinions. Put down your thought processes in words, so that you can compare your thinking processes before and after being influenced by other people's opinions.

When people try to solve a problem (be it in chess or in real life), the solution they choose reflects their personality. Some are more cautious. Others are daring. Some pay attention to details, while others think more about the general ideas, etc. So different people may choose different solutions to the same problem. Going back to chess, this becomes chess personality. As you play more and more against different people, you will sense this difference in their playing styles. Over time, you too will start to find your own way of doing things and develop your own chess personality. 

As for chess computers, it is true that today's computers play chess better than the best human chess player. Computers can calculate so many millions of moves in a split of a second. This is the strength of a chess computer, which is impossible for human to replicate. It is for this same reason that it is not advisable for humans to try to immitate the computer's playing style. Computers may not hesitate to play highly complex positions because they can navigate them in breeze. The same may not be true for humans. So we need to find our own ways for doing things. Hopefully, one day we will once again reign as the kings in chess over the sillicon machines.

oh i did

Thanks Raja, very helpful and informative :)

If you have enough time at your hand during a game, try to word for yourself why you picked a move and why you think your opponent picked his move.

By forcing yourself to explain it, you will be much less likely to do "I don't know why I did this"-moves.

The toughest thing about that is to make it a habit and stick to it.

Thanks Xilmi, I have just started doing this when playing  online games. It's  a good habit to get into, and I'm sure that it is because I now slowing down and taking more time. 

VincentSm, I am the same age as you are, while I have played for many years my best improvement is when I recently started training with a chess coach, there are many here that advertise on Chess.com with resonable rates. Look up Aww-Rats  His lessons are $25 per hour.

I know that some think the cost is a lot, but its far cheaper in the long run to get a coach for few lessons then buying books you cant understand at all.

Good Luck

Been away for a few days, but thanks for everyones feedback and comments. Merry Christmas.

Get Chess Fundamentals by Capablanca, it's short and readable, filled with good tips,  not like some of the other books people recommend that are ponderous  monsters that end up collecting dust.  Botvinnik declared it to be the best chess book ever written for a beginner, high praise from a world champion. 

Thanks Dodger111, I will look out for that one. :)

Hi Guys. I've upgraded to a diamond account now, so all you guys that have beaten me, and helped lower my rating to a 1000 watch out, I promise I'll go easy on you now.Joking apart thanks for the games, and I hope your sides don't hurt too much from laughing at my astonishing playing style.  All the best for 2014  

Played a few games this morning and managed to lower my rating to below 1000. DOH! :)

Don't worry about your rating, worry about the games themselves.

Do you know why you lost? Do you know which move (or moves) did you in?

Congratulations on your upgrade to diamond.  Chess Mentor is a wonderful tool for self improvement.  I'm not a big fan of the whole sequential/adaptive dance that chess.com wants you to do though.  I think you're better off hitting the "view courses" selection and picking something tasty for yourself.  Lots of really good intro courses on the first and second pages (default listing is by newest course first).  Tactics, strategy, checkmate patterns, opening principles; they're all there and most of them have great explanations in case you choose a wrong answer.  Later on you might try some of the earlier courses on specific tactical motifs: pins, forks, skewers, double attacks, etc.  Best of luck and I'm jealous that you're starting at such a young age. 

I am also a newbie at the age of 51 however I have played the game off and on for years. Like the OP I know how the pieces move and the rules of the game but I never really tried to get into it in terms of game strategy until very recently. I agree that playing against people instead of computers is probably the best learning tool. Computers have there place as a practice tool but playing against another human is a better learning experience. I currently have 3 online chess games going here. I am not in any hurry to start winning games but more or less learn from my mistakes so I can become a more consistant player so I can understand why I win some games and why I lose some. As for ratings I don't even know what they mean...

I agree bluepawn, just having fun and enjoying the learning (and losing). At my level of ability it would be foolish to worry about my rating or how I'm losing all the time. Having fun and enjoying it. :)

Thanks Rsava, just about to start looking at how to analyze the games and work out how and where I went wrong. As the DOH! says, still making too many blunders and obvious mistakes. :)

Thanks for the pointers on learning baddongo, really enjoying chess.com and learning all the time. All the best.

Is it me or is chess rather addictive??

Yes, very addictive ...

 "Chess is a beautiful mistress to whom we keep coming back, no matter how many times she rejects us." – Bent Larsen