Chess puzzles to solve! (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter sallyinzaghi
- Start date
i am afraid that i will be the parma of the chessleague you guys are planning...
people just stopping by for an easy win.
people just stopping by for an easy win.
Chess is just a very complicated game, and there's really no shame in losing (unless you're constantly 'hanging' your pieces
). But losing after a great battle due to some inaccuracy you made that your opponent took advantage of, is not something that should leave your ego rekt. If you wanna get better, the best way is to play games and analyze them immediately afterwards, and commit to self-study (books, Youtube tutorials etc.)
As for Youtube, I really recommend the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
World class chess lectures, by titled players (GMs, FMs, IMs etc.), and what's fantastic is that they really know how to teach, as well. The top dogs over there being Yasser Seirawan (a very strong player, who almost became world champion back in the day), Ben Finegold (a very seasoned GM from the States who've won like a billion tournaments) and Varuzhan Akobian (8th best player in the US, behind the likes of Nakamura, Wesley So, Caruana etc.). The Ronen Har-Zvi lectures are also pretty good.
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Then again, I don't know how much of a beginner you are, but if you've barely ever touched a pawn or a piece before (pawns and pieces are not the same), then I will just give you 3 incredibly instructive principles that must be followed in every game, particularly if you're a beginner. If not you're gonna be crushed within the first 5-10 moves.
1. Fight for control of the centre (centralized pieces have more scope and range, and are thus more powerful in the centre. Control of the key centre squares of e4, d4, e5, d5, and even the surrounding centre squares, is of extreme imporance in any chess match. Giving the opponent the control of the centre 99 times out of 100 means 'lights out')
2. Develop pieces, not pawns (obviously, a couple of pawns must be pushed in the first opening moves, due to the important fight for control of the centre, but you really wanna push as few of them as possible and instead focus on developing heavier artillery; knights and bishops in particular. Don't bring your Queen out too early in the game. 'Knights before bishops' is also a rule of thumb, although in some positions it must obviously be the other way around. Rooks belong on open and half-open files) - The importance of "develop pieces, not pawns" is about something incredibly important in chess called tempo / tempi. Time really becomes an issue in this game, and it's important to not lag too much behind in development. If your opponent has developed 2 knights and one bishop, and all you have brought out is 1 knight, you are already losing.
3. King safety. Make it a priority to castle within the first 10 moves. If you can, even within the first 7 moves. Professional players may wait longer and some positions don't even require castling at all, but amateur players should castle as early as possible.
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Btw, these 3 are opening principles.
At some point in the middle game, and definitely in the endgame, you have to push more pawns.
