Im new to this :-)

Hi im emma, Ive just joined this site as i'd like to get better at chess, I'm just wondering if anybody has any tips for me please. :-)

You have Diamond membership so take advantage of the tactics trainer and video lessons.  Both are good for all skill levels.

http://www.chess.com/tactics/

http://www.chess.com/videos

Have fun.

You made a great decision when you decided to sign up as a diamond member.  It allows you unlimited use of site resources.  If you feel a little like a kid in a candy store right now, then rest assured we have all been there.  Someone in a previous thread compared learning chess on this site to getting a drink from a fire hose.  Luckily it's all good, so wander around the site for awhile to get acclimated and then have a go at whatever interests you.   ChessMentor is a great tool for serious study and I recommend the many tactics courses as a good place to start.  The Tactics Trainer can be frustrating at first if you aren't used to the pressure of timed problems, so remember you can always do TT in unrated mode and take as long as you wish.   IM Danny Rensch's live video chess games are alone worth the admission price, so enjoy those as well.  It's a pretty friendly community as long as you don't take yourself too seriously, so enjoy the forums when you are tired of studying or playing.  Oh, don't forget to have fun.

Hi all thanks for your comments, Yeah I'm in the middle of a chess mentor course now, doing quite well to be honest, But just lost my first match :-( Not done the tactics trainer yet but will get on to that :-) Thank you i will definitely have fun on here. Really enjoying learning about chess.

could anybody recommend any good chess books that i can read?

welcome aboard

looked at a few of your games...and noticed you were dropping pieces.so my first tip to you is to don't leave your pieces on squares where they can be captured for free.always ask yourself "are my pieces safe" on every move.I know it'll be a bit hard at first but it'll become a habit as time goes on.that and tactics trainer are a good way to start off your chess journey.

so yeah....good luck and have fun

Thanks for the advice, yeah i'm still learning at the minute im going through chess master, and everything on here so im learning new things everyday. Yeah i will think that from now on.

Thanks again :-)

Don't forget to play real games against real people. That is important too.

Yeah i wont forget that i'm doing that now :-) Going to a chess club too