Things You'll Need

In order to to study and play chess, you'll need a few things. Thankfully, unlike video games that require hundreds of dollars for the gaming system, not to mention the games, chess is relatively expensive. Let's start with the board and pieces:

I recommend that you purchase a plastic tournament set and a vinyl playing mat. Tournament sets have a King that is roughly 3 3/4 inches in height. Typically they are of the Staunton Design which is the standard at all chess tournaments. They can be purchased from any game or chess shop and a full set will run you about $10.00. The vinyl board has 2 1/4 inch squares and, most importantly alphanumeric markers on the outer edges of the board. Why use a tournament set? Because its the standard at chess tournaments and getting used to it now makes life easier later on (like when you play your first tournament). The pieces are also large enough to easily distinguish one piece from another. Those tiny travel sets can be difficult to use because the beginner will have a hard time telling a Bishop from a pawn! The vinyl mat is great because it's washable (in case you spill your coffee or teas on it which happens when chess players become exciting) and it rolls up for convinient storage. The vinyl board will cost you roughly the same price as the pieces.

Next you'll need a notebook and plenty of sharpened pencils. I'm going to teach you a form of shorthand for chess players called algebraic notation. This shorthand allows the chess player to record their games with a minimum of writing. I'll give you an entire lesson on algebraic notation shortly so don't panic if you've never heard of this form of symbolic writing! The notebook allows you to take notes on each lesson and record the games you've played. It is absolutely critical to record every game you play. In chess, as in life, we often learn more from our losses than our wins. If you have an accurate record of a lost game, you can go back and study that game and determine why you lost. Use pencils rather than pens because of the eraser. It goes without saying that you'll be added to and subtracting from your notes. A pencil with a good eraser makes this job easier. At the start, you don't need a chess clock, just a tournament board and pieces.

Study and play in a well lit area while seating in a comfortable chair. I suggest the kitchen table with the kitchen chair padded with a good pillow. With that said, brew a good cup of coffee or tea and let's get started!