Questions tagged [beginner]
Questions of interest to or relating to new players.
113
questions
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Mosquito Gambit?
[FEN ""]
[startply "5"]
1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Qh4 3. Nf3
I reached this position after following the line for the Englund Gambit. Lichess says that this is known as the Mosquito Gambit. Is it a joke ...
2
votes
2answers
48 views
What programs (preferably open source) offer play against a computer with fine-grained difficulty-related adjustments?
My last serious attempt to get into chess ran into a basic difficulty with the program: with a bit of work, I got to a point where I could beat difficulty 1 or 2 on a scale of 10, but got consistently ...
32
votes
12answers
10k views
What should I do when I have no ideas and no strategies?
I'm really a beginner in chess, and I just know the rules. So many times in the game I have no idea what should I do. None of my pieces are in danger and I don't have any strategies.
What should I do ...
5
votes
5answers
143 views
What are good Android apps to learn chess from scratch?
Knowing nothing but the rules of chess, I'd like to start learning a bit more. Some kind of tutorial app for my Android smartphone would be perfect as I can use it anywhere. The app should give ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Beginner Tactics - Why Isn't This Mate?
I was playing on chesstempo and came across the following setup:
[FEN "k1r4r/p6p/5p2/3Q4/1R5P/PPqn4/3N1P2/1K1R4 b - - 1 1"]
With black to move. I was unable to solve this tactic - it seemed to me ...
5
votes
4answers
215 views
Where should I start?
So, I am returning to chess after not playing for about 10 years. I learned the basic rules when I was in elementary school and then didn't play for a while. I am starting to get back into chess and ...
20
votes
3answers
3k views
Did Bobby Fischer actually write “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess”?
Did Bobby Fischer actually write his bestseller primer “Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess” (1966, 978-0553130539), or was it written by a ghost writer?
I often ask myself this question because it seems ...
2
votes
3answers
299 views
An aggressive counter for white vs Scandinavian Defense
My chess rating is somewhere between 400 and 500 and I have a lot of trouble countering the Scandinavian Defense. My first move is usually e4 but when my opponent uses the Scandinavian Defense (d5), I ...
3
votes
2answers
286 views
What is the right path to be followed on Chess.com for learning Chess?
I am a beginner in Chess. I know the basics but I have very very little practice as of now and I've shortlisted Chess.com to learn and improve my game.
I am yet to buy a premium subscription there ...
0
votes
1answer
109 views
Which chess courses should I start with? [closed]
I know the rules and played with my friends but without any knowledge of opening tactics etc. And all material I could find online was not in an ordered manner . So can you suggest some courses I can ...
1
vote
0answers
43 views
What's a good way to learn openings when coming back to chess as a former 1400-1600 player? [duplicate]
my question can be seen in the title. I used to play chess competitively in my teenager-years and would like to come back to it now. The important stuff is still in my head and I am not doing too bad ...
10
votes
3answers
4k views
Is the English opening the most suitable for beginners?
Here are my understandings of the English opening:
The English opening is as good as 1.d4.
Since it is less common than 1.e4 and 1.d4; it is more likely that an average amateur player is less ...
16
votes
3answers
1k views
En passant for beginners
When I started playing chess, I learned many of the rules of chess on my own.
I was playing chess online, and then I realised that pawns can capture in such a fashion. At first, it was weird to me. ...
4
votes
2answers
557 views
What did I blunder at move 23?
I played a game recently on chess.com, where the most detailed analysis identified a single blunder in the game -- 23. d6 The analysis given by the computer suggested that 23 Qd1 was better, with the ...
0
votes
1answer
136 views
Any suggested check list for beginners? [closed]
is there a simple / basic / quick checklist that beginners can use when in super easy games? I am not worried about questions like pawn structure, applying pressure, maintaining momentum, I am talking ...
2
votes
2answers
169 views
What's next after first 5 months and 700 points? [closed]
I started playing chess in July. I was at a 600 rating on Chess.com for a month. I started playing seriously in August and have played regularly (at least a few blitz and rapid games everyday). ...
-1
votes
2answers
75 views
Recommended master games for teaching chess
I am teaching chess to beginners and am looking for recommended games to be discussed/analyzed together.
So the games should be relatively simple, short and ideally focus on one main theme (e.g. ...
4
votes
4answers
172 views
How should a beginner improve gameplay speed?
I am a fairly low skill player and am wanting to improve my game, but I feel as though I need to gain at least a bit more speed in my decision making to make better progress. I am a fairly analytical ...
2
votes
1answer
217 views
Why was this move in a puzzle?
I was on the chess.com app this morning doing the daily puzzle and it wanted me to play Re2. This is questionable to me, because it just delays the mate, but I figured I might have missed something. ...
5
votes
3answers
294 views
Kings gambit for white
I'm just a beginner at chess and am just starting to get into the king's gambit but there seems not to be much information on this line probably because I'm not very good and the same with my ...
43
votes
14answers
19k views
How to make a 6 year old think more?
I have been teaching my 6 year old daughter chess for past 2 years. She plays reasonably well. She often defeats level 25 in Chess Lv 100 app and sometimes Level 6 in Chess.com app. So I am guessing ...
9
votes
3answers
349 views
Chess engine with danger (mate) warnings for beginners?
I am new to the site and would appreciate help in this area.
At my current stage (beginner) I have started to draw or sometimes even beat the computer at low levels (ex. chess.com level1,2,3, lichess....
1
vote
3answers
404 views
How is this stalemate?
My friend played this game as white and wants to know how this is a stalemate. I do not know much about chess and both of us would like to know more about this rule.
k7/2Q5/8/P2P4/1R6/8/2P3PP/6K1 w -...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Examples of harmony?
Recently my chess tutor used a word which in hindsight is very interesting: harmony. He mentioned I should not just develop my pieces in the opening, but develop them harmoniously. Since then, I've ...
3
votes
4answers
312 views
Tools specifically for training at finding loose pieces?
There are of course lots of tactical trainers out there, but I'm wonder if there are any that focus solely on the basic skill of spotting loose or hanging pieces. It is of course a trivial exercise ...
2
votes
2answers
267 views
How Do Top Engines' Achieve Large Search Depth
Im new to programming chess engines. I have implemented a transposition table, search tree, and alpha-beta pruning, an can analyze ~80000 boards per second. However, even with alpha-beta search, when ...
2
votes
6answers
326 views
Best practical chances after g5 forking knight and bishop
I am a beginner playing white and it's my turn to move. What is the best possible move in response to this fork?
[title "Game position after fork:"]
[fen "r1bqr1k1/ppp2p2/2n1pn1p/3p2p1/1b1P1N1B/...
3
votes
2answers
400 views
How to analyse an endgame quickly?
I am a relatively new player (less than 1 year, ungraded) but I feel I have made good progress so far. I am playing competitively with players in the 1300-1500 region and would like to continue my ...
4
votes
5answers
670 views
How do I respond to an arrogant beginner? [closed]
I played a skittles game (no clocks, arbiter etc.) against a beginner who did a lot of trash talking, which I didn't rise to. Here is an example of the conversation:
Beginner: I'm going to beat you ...
5
votes
8answers
650 views
Opening as a Beginner: Mainlines or Offbeaten path?
I am approximately 1500 OTB (Lichess Classical 1750, chess.com 1540, internal rating in my club ~1500), and of course I would like to improve. Work and family are demanding, so naturally I would like ...
3
votes
4answers
348 views
Why is pawn to d3 the best move here?
Total beginner at chess. I am analyzing a game I played.
The computer says the blue line here is the best:
r1bqr1k1/pp5p/2nb1p2/2p5/Q1Pp2pN/1P4B1/P3BPPP/4RRK1 b - - 0 1
1... d3
(1... Kg7 2. Bxd6 ...
2
votes
2answers
194 views
How should I analyse my game to get better?
I've been playing chess for a while, but very casually. I just joined a chess club and played my first tournament game. Not having used a chess clock before, or ever having had to record my moves ...
2
votes
5answers
681 views
What should a beginner focus on to improve his level?
I've learnt chess only about 1 month ago. Of course, my first game was terrible. But with reading some tips I've proceeded a little. Learning basics of few openings (like Spanish, Vienna and Urusov) ...
0
votes
2answers
632 views
Simple Openings for Beginners? [duplicate]
I'm a beginner and I don't know any openings - what are the best openings for beginners?
8
votes
4answers
16k views
Is there any good app for learning openings
My great fail is that I cannot learn opening or initial play.
Normally I only play when I can connect to my mobile app (Chess Free on iOS), and play at a very low level (adjusted as a single bar), ...
3
votes
4answers
631 views
The London System
I'm rated on Chess.com in 1400 right now (elo). But sometimes my rating fluctuates between 1200 to 1500. As I searched on internet, I'm a beginner that is going to the intermediate level. Should I, as ...
0
votes
5answers
260 views
What is the best opening for a beginner who wants few pieces on the board?
I am a beginner and someone who likes less pieces on board. I don't like complexity and have weak point for knights. My rating is 950 rn and has touched 1010 at best.
So far I have used the Stone ...
4
votes
3answers
347 views
Attack Opening For White
I'm kinda new to chess and I'm trying to learn new openings that are aggressive.
I've used the Fried Liver attack many times. Are there any other opening(s) which are close to the Fried Liver attack ...
2
votes
5answers
661 views
What is a good flexible opening for beginner with white?
After I learned the Sicilian, I started to love to play as black, while before it my win rate with white was bigger than black (as expected due to white first move advantage). When I learned Sicilian ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
What is a chess database used for?
I frequently see advice about how to learn chess that include links to databases, or how to set them up, or a question here about Analysis where the accepted answer says to just add some stuff to your ...
6
votes
3answers
487 views
Intention of two moves of Topalov vs Anand
What was the intention for the moves 23. ... Bb6 and 24. ... Bd7 ?
[FEN ""]
[White "Anand"]
[Black "Topalov"]
[StartPly "45"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6. Ne5 c5 7. Na3 ...
6
votes
2answers
691 views
Resignation methodology [duplicate]
Is there a method to determine whether or not a player should continue playing, or resign?
I would currently consider myself a beginner at chess. So when for example I make a bad decision and lose a ...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
How are the scores decided in Chess?
Consider the following pictures:
I would like to understand the following:
My understanding is that it depends on the opponent's move against our move. Am I right?
What is the minimum and maximum ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Strategic implications in this puzzle by S. Polgar/P. Truong
Usually chess puzzles at my level (beginner) have just one or two forced variations and a clear achievement, like a substantial material gain or checkmate. Once in a while, though, a puzzle leaves me ...
3
votes
6answers
270 views
Which elements of chess are best to focus on for extended “crash course” learning?
I want to spend between 1-2 hours/week practicing chess. I know that my skill will be severely limited by the time constraint. However, within this time constraint, where would my time be best spent? ...
4
votes
6answers
6k views
Is the Scandinavian Defense a good opening for beginners?
Is the Scandinavian Defense a good opening for beginners?
I'm wondering this because I'm a beginner and I mainly try to do this opening.
26
votes
14answers
9k views
How to learn chess if you're still a 3-digit rating after a few years
I know how all the pieces move and I've learned about castling and en passant. But all I do is play online against other people and get wrecked because I don't know how to "play." I make moves like ...
5
votes
8answers
2k views
A first book for a chess beginner
I am thinking about getting my first chess book. After making a bit of research, people recommend to not worry about opening and endings and start with a primer on general strategy. That description ...
6
votes
5answers
903 views
How to deal with unorthodox players?
I am new to chess and know only a bit of opening theory and understand some general ideas like developing my pieces, threatening and controlling the center of the board, etc. but I struggle against ...
2
votes
2answers
170 views
Should a beginner try to learn 1 specific opening in depth or is not the best use of time?
Or will it be better to learn 5 different openings at a lower detail level?
And what 1 or 5 openings would you then suggest?
