Learning How To Play Chess

Chess can be extremely daunting to the beginner. Different pieces move in different ways, and it can take some time just remembering which piece is allowed to move where. It may also seem strange that a single game can last from a few minutes to several hours.

There are several ways you can learn how to play chess, and this kind of knowledge comes in two stages.

Stage One – The Basic Rules

All good sets will come with instructions on how to play chess. It’s a good idea to keep these at hand when you first start to play, as you will need to refer to them often until you get the hang of it.

Ideally you should find yourself an opponent who knows how to play chess, so they can teach you the basics. If you go online and search for information on how to play chess, you should find a number of sites that not only tell you the basics, but show you in interactive mode how the individual moves are made.

Stage Two – Expanding Your Knowledge

Once you have learned the basic rules there is really only one way to apply them, and that is to play regularly so you gain experience. Find a local club to join if you can. These tend to attract players of varying abilities, so you can try and match yourself up with another beginner if possible.

Learning how to play well is very different from learning the basic rules. Anyone can learn how to play – being able to apply what you have learned is what separates the average player from the excellent one.

Good players tend to have an analytical mind. They enjoy problem solving and have the ability to see several moves ahead in order to anticipate what the other player is likely to do.

This is a skill that comes with practice. You can often learn far more from losing to the same player ten times in a row than you can from winning against a lesser player. How do you know when to sacrifice a piece to the opposition? Why should you look and think before capturing an opponent’s piece? Are they leading you into a trap?

It can take years to learn enough about to be a great player. You will never know all there is to know, because the number of different moves and combinations of pieces you could come up against is virtually limitless.

But then that’s what makes so exciting.