Chess?

[RedCoatMonster]

Anyone play? I have just started playing the other day on chess.com .
Anyone got some pointers? I basically have no idea what a good first move is.

[fdeck]

Try e4. After you make that move, all you have to do is hang onto your advantage until the end of the game.

The people I know who consistently win at chess are those who study a lot of theory, and memorize openings.

I gave up because I consistently lose.

[Ziltoid]

I used to play a lot, like fdeck said if you want to perform you've got the learn openenings and appropriates answer, after that it's logic and risk calculation.

[dozicusmaximus]

I used to play for fun. I could beat the chess club kids in high school. I don't know the names of the blocks like queen 4 or whatever. I only know what the pieces are called and how they move.
I always like to get a bishop and a rook out pretty fast...

[SoonerMatt]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Try e4. After you make that move, all you have to do is hang onto your advantage until the end of the game.

The people I know who consistently win at chess are those who study a lot of theory, and memorize openings.

I gave up because I consistently lose.

Doesn't stop my roommate. He's batting 4:50 this month on Yahoo Chess

[RedCoatMonster]

Originally Posted by SoonerMatt

Doesn't stop my roommate. He's batting 4:50 this month on Yahoo Chess

Me neither, Im about 3:20 lol.

[jp58]

I played off and on in HS, especially when sports and forensics were out of season. I was never as good as the full-time chess club members, but I could hold my own with the other "just for fun" people.

[RedCoatMonster]

Anyone read any good beginners guides?

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by RedCoatMonster

Anyone play? I have just started playing the other day on chess.com .
Anyone got some pointers? I basically have no idea what a good first move is.

pawn king 4....knights,bishops,castle early....don't assume that a pawn can be sacrificed for no gain...

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Try e4. After you make that move, all you have to do is hang onto your advantage until the end of the game.

The people I know who consistently win at chess are those who study a lot of theory, and memorize openings.

I gave up because I consistently lose.

Pawn to e4 is either the best move in the game, or the worst.

On the other hand, it doesn't matter if you can memorize the Sicilian defense to twenty-six moves if the other player does something you don't expect.

Play it, and learn.

[TOOL460002]

Originally Posted by RedCoatMonster

Anyone read any good beginners guides?

i dont recall the specific authors nor the titles of them, but i read 1.5 books about beginner chess and general strategies. i read the first one (like 100 pages) and then started the second, but it was just so redundant that i put it down.

go to the library and pick up whatever looks cool. i really think a lot of standard strategies will be in every book on the subject. theres not a ton of different beginner techniques, and i can tell you that a book will up your game by an insane amount.

i thought i was pretty good, but after getting through the first book none of my friends could even touch me. i wasnt a grand master or anything, but there are so many simple strategies i wouldnt have thought of without the book. do it!

[bigblondeafro87]

Be aggresive, back up all your pieces ASAP, get your knights out early or advance you pawns so they can get out, and take up as much room as you can to prevent him from advancing into your territory

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

Play chessmaster on your comp. at home. You'll learn the fundamentals quickly, and it will name out your moves for you so you can learn terms. Playing that will give you enough basic skills to play normal opponents. You can only advance in skill from that point, so it makes a good learning tool.

[stratovani]

Castle early, and control the center of the board. And don't get caught up in battles of attrition. When I played chess those were usually "last man standing" battles, and I usually lost.

[hrodbert696]

One good rule of thumb is to try not to move any piece twice until you've moved every piece once. It's usually impossible but trying to do it will get you used to developing your position.

Also, make sure you develop your pawn line. You want a zig-zag pattern so that the pawns cover each other, and you want your first pawns coming out to be the ones that will enable your bishops and queens to deploy -- that means the pawns in front of the King and Queen and the knights.

In general, take any piece trades of equal value or that are at an advantage -- it is worthwhile to lose a bishop in order to capture a rook 99% of the time. Taking equal trades can help prevent your opponent from setting up a multiple piece attack. Don't be overprotective of your pieces.

That's what I remember from a few months' worth of coaching a bunch of middle schoolers. I'm not chess expert or grandmaster, but that can get you going on basic strategy.

I prefer to wait for the other player to castle and then castle in the other direction. Then I send my pawns on that side of the board - the side he castled to - charging forward. Usually they all get captured, but in the process, as long as they cover each other or are covered by other pieces during the attack, this will break up the screen of pawns protecting his king. Then the heavier pieces can move in for a checkmate.

[Obe]

I haven't played in a while but I have 2 books that I remember helped a bit. One was Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps. It has a bunch of games all opening with e4 e5, and shows how to avoid pitfalls and exploit your opponent's errors. The other is Weapons of Chess, an overview of the game. Both are by Bruce Pandolfini.
I did have the chance to take a course taught by a Russian International Master (I think that was his title). Very interesting.