Chess Videos for Beginners

Chess.com staff,

Thank you for launching a series of videos for the beginning chess player, and for players of all levels. I'm less grumpy now, and will most likely go from Platinum to Diamond after the next paycheck or the following one. :)

Many teachers in California got huge paycuts this year, and I was one of the teachers who lost several hundred dollars per month. Yep. Hundreds of dollars per month! California is not a good state right now to seek employment. It's the worst I've ever seen.

Can you tell us a bit more about this video series for beginners, or would you rather keep it a surprise?  Either way, thanks for listening and I look forward to the next installment in this new series for the beginning chess player. Well done.

there are two new series that have been started:

one is "Amazing Games for Beginners" -- a selection of games that have incredible beauty, but are still accessible to a beginner in 15-25 minutes. they are also selected based on having 1 important instructive pattern/idea that you can take away from them.

the second is "Tactics do Grow on Strategies" -- each video will break down 1 (sometimes with a second related) tactical pattern. each tactic will be a tactic which comes into existence logically from strategic features of the position. of course the world is also full of random acts of tactics, but those won't be covered in this series.

both of these series have some useful points in them for improving, and should also provide good entertainment. however, what i really want to do is this essential curriculum, but i'm being a perfectionist about it, so it will be a longer time coming.

i'm recording another video in both above-mentioned series today.

best,

david

I had a bit of good luck with money before the end of the month and was able to upgrade back up to Diamond.

David,

Thanks for sharing a bit about the new videos for the beginning chess player.

Regarding your long term project "essential curriculum", I understand the need for time. I once wrote a beginning guitar curriculum and a general music curriculum that are both in use, and being the perfectionist that I am, I sweated over every detail.

I still remember those words of yours in my ears, to paraphrase - "Why do we want pawns in the center? To take away squares from our opponents." It's so true and it does work!

Putting these little nuggets of wisdom into practice are essential to playing a good game of chess.

I look forward to many more nuggets of wisdom when you release your "essential curriculum".  I also believe that most everyone can benefit from revisiting the fundamentals of chess now and then.

Regards,

Chet

P.S. You and Danny Rensch were highly entertaining in todays live broadcast, especially the back and forth about who has the better team. Good stuff.

:-)

thanks, Chet!

 What prompted you to get a diamond membership again?

That is a very good question, since I made such a major fuss about it in another thread. My answer in just two words.

David Pruess

In a nutshell, two things:

1. David and the chess.com staff made good on their promise to deliver more videos for the beginning chess player.

2. I stumbled onto a six part series on development by David Pruess produced back in May of 2009 and it is exactly the kind of instruction that I need right now.

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To give you a timeline

I became a Diamond member on September 9th, 2009. On my first day as a Diamond member, I went straight to any video that had the GM title, with the idea that I wanted the biggest bang for my buck. I always enjoyed listening to GM Roman Dzindzichashvili, but it took me a while to figure out that I was not ready for his teaching. I took a break for a few months and then tried again, listening to any new produced video, not going back into the archives. I still couldn't fully understand the teaching by the video authors.

During the short time that I was not a Diamond member, I listened to a demo of every beginning only level video. Presently, it's a short list. The beginning-advanced category does not work, for me. I found a six part series of videos produced back in May of 2009 on Development by David Pruess. Wow!!

Thinking as a teacher of private piano lessons, on the side, I get paid $20.00 per 30 minutes of instruction. That's $40.00 per hour - and I could charge more - but I don't want to exclude those families that are on tight budgets, especially during these tough economic times.

David's six part series alone, approx. 3+ hours of video instruction, with his level of education (International Master), is easily worth the extra money I paid to go from Platinum to Diamond. Any new videos during this second year as a Diamond member that come from David just make my Diamond membership that much more valuable.

I now consider IM David Pruess to be every bit as good as NM Dan Heisman with regards to the ability to teach chess concepts to the beginning chess player - listening to both Dan Heisman (ICC) and David Pruess on a regular basis.

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I do hope that none of my under 1000 live chess opponents are reading this post, because David's series on development will boost their rating by 100-200 points. I already clobber the majority of my opponents in the opening phase of the game, being several tempi ahead in development.

If these under 1000 blitz players watch David's videos on development, they will understand why it is important to develop before attacking - and many other subtle things as well. Bottom line, these sub 1000 players will be much harder to beat! Once I get my blitz tactics rating above 1000, I'll be a beast at the live chess board.

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Please, for those rated below 1000, ignore this plug for David's six part series on development.    However, please continue to:

1. Push tons of pawns in the opening, and don't develop any minor pieces, except your one favorite bishop that targets the weak f7 square.

2. As White, keep those early Qf3 and Qh5 moves coming!

3. Continue to NOT castle, since you see it as taking time away from your attack, anyway. Keep that king in the center!

4. Last, keep attacking before your army is fully assembled and ready to attack.

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O.K. I had a little fun there. But it's what I see most of the time, and I have logged 463 Live Chess blitz games.   I'm not seeing the Sicilian, Caro-Kann, Ruy Lopez, French Defense, Slav, Queen's Gambit, etc.


Drum roll please...

The David Pruess six part video series that all beginning chess players should watch before playing chess - and I mean playing chess anywhere and at any speed, from slow to fast.

For the Beginning Chess Player

Development Part 1: Counting

Development Part 2: Open vs. Closed Positions

Development Part 3: Fluid Positions

For the Intermediate Chess Player

Development Part 4: The Importance of Weaknesses

Development Part 5: Quality

Development Part 6: Getting Ahead

Approximate retail value - priceless.

I guess I'll check it out. I was thinking about dumping this account, and letting somebody who could better benefit have it, but I'll give it couple more weeks, to see how it goes, after I look at that stuff.

I would encourage you to view the first two videos in the development series by David Pruess. The big thing I got out of it - and I've heard it before - is the use of time in chess.

I've read books on the importance of time in chess, moving each piece only once in the opening, with a few exceptions, but the way David drives home how important time/tempo is in the game of chess, I can't imagine someone not having more success with development after watching only the first two videos.

One example comes to mind in one of my unrated training games with a USCF Class A strength player. I got only one tempo behind in the middle game and could never recover. When you get just one tempo behind against a much stronger player - you really feel the need to click on the resign button. Tempo is really that crucial.

But how does one make each move count, not wasting tempos? That is something I can't teach, but David can teach this concept to a beginning chess player in a way that makes sense where it can then be taken, and this is the best part, from understanding to application.

Like I said in my previous post, if all of the blitz players under 1000 at chess.com watch these two videos, I would no longer enjoy, a majority of the time, having a lead in development in the opening phase of the game.

Last - Tactics, tactics and more tactics training. Once you see my blitz tactics rating at this site go above 1000, I will quite simply dominate the other under 1000 rated blitz players on this site. Putting the two together, development and tactics - it's game over for my opponent.

I understand about the tempo thing making a HUGE difference because I've had it happen to me so many times. I would be thinking that if I could get one more move in, I would be much better off. My games usually start off alright till after the first move, then it's all down hill from there. LOL. Thanks for the info.

I think you are exaggerating just a bit. You must have played 1.e4 2.Nf3 at least one time as a chess player. If you moved your King's bishop to either c4, the Italian, or to b5, pinning Black's knight at c6, the Ruy Lopez - then you are kickin' butt.

I am not suggesting that 95 percent of study be relegated to opening theory. However, five to ten percent of one's study time invested in opening theory can make a big difference in the quality of the first 2-4 moves in the under 1000 Live Chess Blitz category. I almost never see, for example, the first 5 moves of any book line playing others of similar rating.

Now, if my opponent permits me to play 5 moves in the Danish Gambit with the White pieces (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2) , I am feeling extremely good about my position. I now have two developed bishops on a wide open board targeting f7 and g7, along with a center pawn on the e-file. My opponent has no pieces developed, and no pawns in play. My compensation for being down two pawns is a big lead in development with excellent winning chances. 

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Here's a little test.

You play 1.d4, I play 1...c5. Without peeking at the Game Explorer, what would be a strong second move for White?

You play 1.e4, I play 1...d5, you play 2. exd5, I don't play 2...Qxd5, but play 2...Nf6 instead. No peeking. What is a strong response for White on move three?

Now, this is only move three for White. So, I do believe that knowing a few lines 2-4 moves deep can really help, especially when the clock is ticking.

It's really not a lot to memorize. Something to think about.

I don't know any openings.

Musikamole, another video that I thought you might like is FM Galofre's video "Opening Principles Explained."  A nice lecture (I believe about 24 minutes in length), and fits into the criteria of a beginner's video.  I found it very educational (perhaps more basic in nature than the series you are talking about in your posts, but maybe others who read may find it useful?).  woodshover, I hope that the videos help!  The trick I am finding at this stage of my chess studies is trying to apply what I read/watch/learn! 

Cordially,

William

Excellent observation. I should have mentioned FM Charles Galofre's video, Opening Principles Explained. His pace of instruction is perfect for the beginning chess player.

I watched that video before watching the series on development by David Pruess.

If you don't know the basics on opening principles, or could use a refresher course, start with Charles Galofre's video first.

The most complete dvd instruction I have ever found on opening principles for the beginning chess player is found in the game Chessmaster - Grandmaster Edition by Ubisoft for Windows. The lessons and tutorials on opening principles by Josh Waitzkin are extremely visual and helpful. Josh also covers endgame and other aspects of chess in this game. The price of the computer chess game is only $11.49 at Amazon. 

http://www.amazon.com/Chessmaster-Grandmaster-Linux/dp/B000SL4ANE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286063034&sr=8-1

I watched the video, but couldn't hear it worth a crap, even though my computer sound is on high.

The Chessmaster video or the chess.com video? I get broadcast quality audio with my headphones for both Chessmaster and the videos produced by Charles and David.

Chess.com video.

I have a pretty good win/loss record with just a very few opening lines memorized. After 463 Blitz games, my record is 241 wins, 218 loses and 4 draws.

Here are a few openings to consider. 

When White plays 1.d4, Black plays -

The Indian Game

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6.

The Nimzo-Indian Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0.

When White plays 1.e4, Black plays -

The French Defense
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5.

1...e6 immediately guards the f7 square from quick checkmating attacks, i.e., Qh5/Qf3 and Bc4.

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With the White pieces, play -

The Queen's Gambit Accepted

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4.

The Queen's Gambit Declined

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6

The Queen's Gambit is not a true gambit, in that White, with good play, can always regain the pawn.

In general, there is a plus and a minus side to 1.d4. The plus side is that the pawn at d4 is immediately defended by the queen at d1. The minus side is that castling will take a few more tempos, depending on the opening.

One more plus side to 1.d4 is that you will already be familiar with that first move from playing The Indian or Nimzo-Indian with the Black pieces.

If Black does not push a center pawn on his first move after 1.d4, then play 2.c4 anyway. He may intend on playing The Nimzo-Indian.

Last, you will be able to Blitz out the first 3-5 moves with confidence. That's one of the big advantages of knowing a little opening theory.

Hmm...got to go to dinner. Check with support. The audio should be excellent.