Hello I'm Just Starting Out
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the_patzerr
May 29, 2017
0
#1
I have not been playing very long. I read an article on Chess.com last night that was written for beginners like me by Jeremy Silman. He wrote that before a beginner concerns himself with learning tactics and strategy he should first learn to not leave any of his pieces undefended. Does that mean that during a game my first priority must be to look check to see if my opponent has any pieces hanging and to make sure I don't have any pieces hanging before I start looking for the best move I can find?
Checking to see what pieces are hanging is part of finding the best move.
May 29, 2017
0
#3
the_patzerr wrote:
I have not been playing very long. I read an article on Chess.com last night that was written for beginners like me by Jeremy Silman. He wrote that before a beginner concerns himself with learning tactics and strategy he should first learn to not leave any of his pieces undefended. Does that mean that during a game my first priority must be to look check to see if my opponent has any pieces hanging and to make sure I don't have any pieces hanging before I start looking for the best move I can find?
Without question, if you can avoid dropping pieces you'll win a lot of games.
I was struck by the beginning of the intro to Dan Heisman's The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book:
"Well, Dan," Howard Stern's familiar bass voice intoned, "now that I am up to 1000, that's about it. I can't seem to beat those 1100's.
"But Howard," I protested, "you're just giving them free pieces and they are taking some of them. They are giving you free pieces and you aren't taking as many of them. If you just stop giving them free pieces and take all of theirs, you will beat them every game...basically, it's as easy as that.
Four years later Howard was rated 1700 ICC (Internet)."
May 29, 2017
0
#4
Thank you for the kind advice Mick and Twain. I have played a 5/0 game just now and I was making sure if there were any undefended pieces on the board I would spot them. But I can see that playing a 5/0 game does not allow me enough time to think about my moves so I will start playing 15/10 games instead.
