How Hard It Really Is To Play Chess

This strategy game is more difficult then it looks. It takes patience, determination, and enthusiasm to really get into the "groove of things."

thanks dude.. i couldn't agree.. i'm one of the worst players in my class... and it's a pickle.. and no it's not a Rick and Morty reference.. i'm sorry about that lololol

i know that.. xDDD

A simple game but needed experience!!

i couldn't agree more

Enthusiasm is a key things. There are several daily games I've won where I fell behind in material but became more aggressive because I realized that complicating and reaching a position where I had a local material superiority was my only chance.  I used that to motivate myself to keep playing to win.

There are a couple games where I've been amazed that my opponent resigned just because he was behind in material and didn't want to continue - probably because it was an emotional downer.

haha i'm very aggressive with my chess matches.. i will have a hissy fit if i don't win.. i will rage so bad that i will flip the board and leave the room xDDD

Playing chess is really easy. Learn the rules, scratch a chessboard into the dirt and find 32 rocks that look enough like chess pieces.

i know that xDD

If I wanted an easy game, I'd play Snakes and Ladders. torrubirubi may be onto something. Check out the "Lessons" here on Chess.com. They are interactive and help you learn. You can hit the "?" if you don't know an answer. Then you can go back and review the lessons later to see what you remember. I've found them helpful.

torrubirubi i'm 17 and i would love some chess lessons.. if you can do that i would very much appreciate it

Possibly of interest:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1949)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Chess Endgames for Kids by Karsten Müller (2015)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf
A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf
Seirawan stuff:
http://seagaard.dk/review/eng/bo_beginner/ev_winning_chess.asp?KATID=BO&ID=BO-Beginner
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092617/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review560.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm 

Anybody can play chess.  I could venture into the deepest jungle and bring back a child from a tribe that has never known electricity, teach him how to use a mouse and place him before chess.com's virtual board, and he will learn the moves eventually because the software WON'T LET HIM MAKE ILLEGAL MOVES!  The correct form of the question is "How hard it really is to play chess well enough to beat people?" 

At least for me, the first twenty words describe a part of the process that would be somewhat difficult.

thanks guys

I think the thing about chess, if you grow to love it as much as a lot of us do, is you never stop learning. I think that's why I like it so much. I wanted to challenge my brain now that I've turned 60, and this is a great way to do that and have fun. Don't lose site of the fact you should have fun. Examine your losses using the computer on this site and see them as learning opportunities.

Yeah i love it

thank you all

The rules are simple, which means the answer to your question, as stated, is "Chess is very easy to play". The answer you are probably looking for is "How hard is it to "Play good" at chess. Depending on on how you wish to define good, the rating system is what chess proficiency is all about. Since 1200 is considered average, I consider anything above average as good. Since the Top Player (Mr. Carlsen) has a rating around 2800, you have a 1600 point spread from average to best. If you divide that 1600 into 4 segments, you could call 1200 to 1600 good, 1600 to 2000 very good, 2000 to 1400 excellent and 2400 to the top Great. this is just something I dreamed up just now and the chess community has specific titles awarded to players of a certain caliber. The FIDE is universally considered the ultimate rating system, in which you have to be rated at least 2200 to receive a title. Based on how I learned chess 45 years ago, I would have to say the 3 most important qualities to becoming good (over 1200) is enthusiasm, persistence and patience. You have to enjoy playing or forget it. You have to suffer many losses before you learn and win (research helps too, which is far easier today with computer opponents). Finally, you have to have the patience to study the whole board and consider 3 or 4 moves in the future on anything you intend to, do as well as, any threats you can spot from your opponent. I lost patience many years ago, when I opted to play 1 minute chess. I recommend you stay away from it as a beginner. Title matches take hours per game and I admittedly don't have the patience for them and enjoy my short ones. However, with the advent of the Tactical Trainer, I have been honing my mid-game skills. Also, they are fun like daily puzzles. I recommend you use that as well. Good luck.