Need help with chess?

Question

I play chess for fun at school and I need serious help. I am really bad at it. Maybe I'm just being too negative but here's what's happened: I never won a game, only ends before we can finish or I lose to a check mate. My problem is I don't know where to move my pieces.. I know how pieces move and the object of the game is to get the other King in checkmate but I simply do not know how to move and where. When I see other people playing with determination and knowing what they're doing makes me feel embarrassed..

Answer 1

Emmanual Lasker had a marvelous tutorial, I fear it is out of print now.  Your public library probably has a selection of self-help chess books.

The basic principle in openings is to gain control of the center of the board, where pieces tend to have maximum range and effect.   From the center you can launch strong attacks on your opponent's position.

There are many books and much analysis devoted to opening theory.  Unless you plan to compete you need not read them all.  Find a few opening lines that you are comfortable with, and stick with them.

Answer 2

The person who usually wins the game, is the one who has control over the four central sqaures of the board, and it is highly important that you should begin to stake your cliaim to these squares in the opening. I am going to give you some examples of how to do this, you may want to have a board ready so you can play the moves out.

FOUR KNIGHTS GAME (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6)

First white moves the king's pawn 2 spaces forward. .

Black moves their king's pawn 2 spaces forward also

White moves their king's knight to attack the black pawn.

Black moves the queen's knight to defend the pawn which is under attack.

White moves the queen's knight to defend the pawn in the center of the board

Black moves the kings knight to attack the white pawn in the center.

For your fourth move, you have 2 main options.. You can either position the Bishop to pin black's knight on the king's side of the board, or move it into a position to attack the pawn which is being blocked by the knight on the queen's side of the board. Either alternative is commonly responded to with black continuing the symmetry, but black does have the more aggressive option of moving the queenside knight again, and placing it next to the white pawn.

QUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED (1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 )

White moves the Queen's pawn 2 spaces forward,

Black responds by moving the queen's pawn 2 spaces forward also.

White moves the Queen's bishop's pawn 2 spaces forward to attack the black pawn.

Black captures the white pawn just moved unblocking the white's queen's pawn.

This isn't a true gambit by black is giving up the posibility of capturing the king's pawn, after it has been moved. From here white can move the king's pawn 2 spaces forward, and prepare the bishop to capture the isolated black pawn, evening out the material.

REVERSE SICILIAN ( 1 c4 e5 )

As opposed to placing a pawn in the center of the board, white flank attack's a central square by pushing the queen's bishop pawn 2 spaces forward.

Black responds by moving the king's pawn 2 spaces forward.

This opening involves both players using different stratergies. White is aiming to control the queen's side of the board whilst black is attempting to control the kingside.

For both the Queen's Gambit and the Reverse Sicilian you will still need to abide by the opening principle of developing the Knights before bishops, as explained in the 4 Knights Game. However you will need to adjust the moves. so for the QGA and RS develop the queen's knight to prevent the black from advancing it's king and queen's pawn's down the board.

As well as controlling the center you will need to also be aware of material values, whilst never static, there are generally considered to be the following.

Pawn - 1

Knight - 3

Bishop - 3

Rook - 5

Queen - 9

When trading pieces, you should sacrifice pieces of an equal or lesser value than what you are capturing from your opponent.

Novices will also have to keep an eye out for traps, as many players prefer to play the quickest game possible, one such tactic is the bishop's fool, and it is fairly easy to block.

PARHAM ATTACK / BISHOPS OPENING

First both white and black move their king's pawn 2 spaces forward.

Secondly white will position it's queen into the same file as black's king's rook, pinning the king's bishop pawn, and attacking the black pawn in the center. Black should respond to this by moving the queen's knight to protect their pawn.

White will respond by moving the king's bishop so it attacks the same pawn which the queen has pinned. Now black should attack the queen by moving the pawn above the knight which is still in starting position.

This should force the white queen back up the board, but relocated to attack the same pawn as before but vertically. Respond to this by moving the king's night over the pawn which is being attacked by both of whites pieces.

Another thing I will suggest is that you begin playing online either through a live applet which is provided through yahoo games, or through e-mail based chess servers such as http://www.schemingmind.com. The latter does provide you with an oppourtunity to test your moves out through the analysis function, and will help you to think 2, 3 ,4 moves ahead in each of your games.

Answer 3

I recommend Yasser Seirawan's three books; Play winning chess, Winning chess Tactics and Winning chess Strategies.  Yasser Seirawan is an international Grandmaster (highest title awarded to any player.)  And has beaten Garry Kasparov (Best player ever.) in tournament play.  Good luck, I can give you more specific tips if you want about stratagies and tactics, feel free to email me just put in the subject 'chess stuff' or something along those lines so I don't delete it.  Good luck ; )

Answer 4

go to www.uschess.org and click on new to chess, lots of info

Answer 5

wow, i think you should go to wikipidea and type in chess

Answer 6

Hi, I'm not a master at chess, but I am pretty darn good and here is a link that can teach anyone to play chess well.  It comes from Princeton University: http://www.princeton.edu/~jedwards/cif/i...

My advice is to read and practice at the same time, get out a chess board and do the moves on the board as you are reading them on the screen to help you practice like you are actually playing a game.

Good Luck!!

Answer 7

read a book about playing chess.  It is an easy game to learn but very hard to master.  After reading a book you'll know enough not to be embarrassed

Answer 8

This online tutorial

http://www.chesscorner.com/tutorial/lear...

is not horrible.