The best thing about playing chess is that there’s always room for improvement. If you recently started playing chess, you might be slightly lost and wondering how to improve. So, how to get better at chess for beginners?
You can master chess by studying the rules, playing chess puzzles, practicing a lot, analyzing previous games, and learning openings and endgames.
Chess is a game of intelligence, but it still needs a lot of consistency and practice to improve. Now, let’s discuss how to do that in detail.
1. Study the Rules
Adequate knowledge of chess rules is the first step toward a successful game. As a beginner, you’ll need to revise them occasionally. Down below is a summary of how the pieces move.
The Queen
The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard. It merges the power of rooks and bishops, which is the ability to move diagonally and in a straight line (vertically or horizontally). Unless blocked by another piece, the queen can move any number of squares on the chess board.
Rooks
Rooks (sometimes called castles) are secondary to the queen in terms of power. There are two rooks for each player. They move up, down or sideways any number of squares in a straight line. In other words, rooks can land as far as you’d like them to, as long as they’re not blocked by another piece.
Bishops
Players start the game with two bishops, one on the light square and the other on the dark square. They move diagonally, and their movements are restricted to their specific square color; they can’t cross to the opposite one.
Much like rooks, bishops can move as far as their movement range allows as long as there’s no piece in the way.
Knights
Knights (sometimes called horses) move in an L-shaped direction. They move two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular to that.
Knights can also jump over other pieces on the chess board, which is a strategy that is unique to them. Knights capture by moving to the square occupied by the opposing piece.
Pawns
Pawns are considered the weakest pieces in chess. Yet, there are many of them, as each player has eight pawns. A pawn is only allowed to move one square forward, and it can’t move backward. Apart from this, there are several special moves a pawn can make in chess.
For example, it can move two squares forward instead of one, but only on its first move. Pawns can only move forward, but they capture diagonally. When a pawn makes a capture, it moves one square diagonally forward to the left or right, taking the opponent’s piece that is located on the destination square.
For more information on the special moves of pawns, see article: Special Pawn Moves In Chess
The King
Even though the king is a relatively weak piece as you can move it one square up and down, diagonally, and sideways. Still, it’s still the most important piece on the board.
The obective of the game is to checkmate the opposing king. You can achieve this by attacking the enemy king such that there are no legal moves left for your opponent to defend against the attack.
However, you shouldn’t fall into the trap of the “stalemate,” which happens when your opponent is out of moves as there are no legal moves to be made over the chess board (but the king is not under attack).
2. Solve Chess Puzzles
It’s a good idea to practice chess puzzles if you’re a beginner. Instead of playing against an opponent, chess puzzles pose a chess problem that simulates a tough scenario that could happen in a real game.
Chess puzzles can be very helpful for improving your chess skills. Chess puzzles are exercises that challenge you to solve a specific chess problem, such as finding a checkmate in a certain number of moves or identifying the best move in a given position.
Solving chess puzzles can help you improve your chess vision, calculation, and pattern recognition. Puzzles can also help you develop your tactical and strategic abilities, as they often require you to find combinations and plan your moves carefully.
In addition to improving your chess skills, solving puzzles can also be a fun and engaging way to study the game. There are many websites and books available that offer puzzles at different levels of difficulty, so you can find puzzles that are appropriate for your skill level.
Overall, chess puzzles can be a valuable tool for anyone looking to improve their chess skills and deepen their understanding of the game.
Chess puzzles are designed to be difficult and to stimulate the mind to develop a successful strategy with a limited number of moves. Such a challenge reinforces competitiveness and critical thinking, improving a player’s skills.
3. Practice a Lot
Learning new strategies without executing them during games won’t get you anywhere. Just like musical instruments and languages, you have to practice chess to get better at it.
You can practice by playing against an opponent or a computer, whichever suits you better. The important thing is to dedicate time to it.
Practicing chess against a computer is a great way to test your strength and skills. Here are some ways in which playing against a computer can be beneficial:
- Challenge at any time: You can play against a computer opponent at any time, which means you can practice whenever you have spare time, without having to wait for a partner or an opponent.
- Difficulty levels: Most chess programs allow you to adjust the difficulty level, so you can play against a computer opponent that matches your skill level. This can help you to gradually improve your skills as you progress to more difficult levels.
- Analyzing games: Many chess programs also offer analysis tools, which can help you to review your games and identify your mistakes. This can help you to learn from your mistakes and improve your future play.
- Practicing specific scenarios: You can use a chess program to practice specific scenarios, such as openings or endgames, which can help you to improve your skills in those areas.
- Increased focus: Playing against a computer opponent can help you to focus on the game without the distractions that can come with playing against a human opponent.
While playing against a computer opponent has its benefits, it’s also important to play against human opponents to develop your social and competitive skills and to experience a wider range of playing styles and strategies.
4. Ponder Your Moves
Don’t be impulsive; always ask yourself multiple questions before making a move. You need to envision where your next move will direct the game, and whether or not it’s in your favor.
Before you act, try to predict what your opponent’s response to a certain move would be. You can avoid lots of mistakes by pondering your moves, especially the mistakes you realize after it’s too late.
Here are some tips on how to think before making a move in chess:
- Analyze the position: Take a look at the current position on the board and try to assess the strengths and weaknesses of both your pieces and your opponent’s pieces.
- Identify threats: Look for any potential threats to your pieces or your king and try to anticipate your opponent’s next move.
- Consider your options: Think about all the possible moves you could make, and evaluate the pros and cons of each move.
- Visualize the outcome: Before making a move, try to visualize the outcome of that move and how it will affect the position on the board.
- Plan ahead: Try to think a few moves ahead and consider how your opponent might respond to your move.
It’s important to note that taking too much time to think can also be a problem, as it can lead to time pressure and cause you to make mistakes later in the game. It’s important to find a balance between taking enough time to think and not taking too much time.
5. Analyze Previous Games
After playing a game, it can be helpful to analyze the game to understand what went well and what could be improved. You can do this on your own or with the help of a coach or more experienced player. Analyzing games can help you to identify patterns and mistakes in your play and to develop a plan for improvement.
Doing a thorough analysis after each game can go a long way in boosting your skills. If you’re self-analyzing, write down your rationale behind each critical move and each mistake on a note. Again, It’s helpful to analyze these notes with a coach or another chess player.
Online chess platforms now have built-in engines that can analyze your games for you. During the analysis, the engine will tell you what you did wrong and show you the better move that you could have executed in that scenario.
6. Learn Chess Openings
As a beginner, you’re probably playing openings by randomly moving pieces around. It might be convenient initially, but if you’d like to advance and improve at chess, consider studying chess openings.
Memorizing openings is one of the most exciting aspects of playing chess, and it’s how most chess players excel at opening strategies.
In the beginning, though, you won’t need to overwhelm yourself with learning a multitude of openings. Instead, try to learn a few simple ones, such as The Italian Game and The Sicilian Defense.
Here are the advantages of learning different chess openings:
- Familiarity with common positions: Chess openings are a set of initial moves that players use to establish their pieces and control the center of the board. By learning the main lines and ideas in common openings, you can become more familiar with the types of positions that can arise from these openings. This can help you to make better decisions in the opening and to understand the ideas behind the moves.
- Better understanding of pawn structures: Chess openings often lead to specific pawn structures that can have an impact on the rest of the game. By studying openings, you can become more familiar with different pawn structures and the strategies that are associated with them. This can help you to make better decisions later in the game when you are trying to maneuver your pieces.
- Improved tactical skills: Chess openings often involve a lot of tactical ideas, such as sacrifices and traps. By studying openings, you can become more familiar with these ideas and learn how to recognize and exploit them.
- Better preparation for opponents: By learning common openings, you can better prepare for your opponents and anticipate their moves. This can help you to make more informed decisions in the opening and to gain an advantage early in the game.
- Increased confidence: Knowing openings well can help you feel more confident and in control of the game. It can also help you to make more efficient use of your time, as you will be able to make moves more quickly and confidently in the opening.
7. Study Endgames
Studying endgames is the most overlooked aspect of a beginner’s learning journey. Like chess openings, endgames are also fun to learn.
To pick up endgames, you have to start reading endgame theories. After gaining a solid understanding of the principles, you’ll then have to practice them against bots or online players.
The endgame is an important phase of the chess game. In fact, some chess players and coaches believe that the endgame is the most important phase of the game, as it is where games are often won or lost.
There are several reasons why the endgame is important in chess:
- Endgames often involve fewer pieces on the board, which can make it easier to calculate and evaluate positions accurately.
- In the endgame, small advantages can often be converted into a win, as there are fewer pieces to defend against attacks and fewer opportunities to create counterplay.
- Endgames require precise decision-making skills, as even a small mistake can result in a loss. This can help you to improve your overall strategic and tactical abilities.
- Endgames often involve complex tactical and strategic ideas, such as pawn promotion, king and pawn opposition, and zugzwang. By studying endgames, you can become more familiar with these ideas and learn how to recognize and exploit them.
In summary, the endgame is an important phase of the game in chess, and learning endgame techniques and strategies can be beneficial for your overall game.
Wrap Up
To conclude, learning the basic rules is the first thing you want to accomplish. After that, you’ll need to practice everything you’ve learned either by playing chess puzzles or against opponents.
Moreover, learning chess openings and endgames is crucial to becoming a better player. But, remember that reading theory with little practice is useless, so make sure you’re balancing between studying and practicing.
Also, don’t forget to analyze your games after you finish them, as it’s one of the best ways to enhance your skills and avoid making the same mistake twice.
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