How to Learn the Game of Chess

"As a chess teacher, my new students ask me how they can get great at chess with a minimum amount of effort? My answer consists of two words, "hard work!" During the first few months of my beginner's classes, I had been asked this question with alarming frequency. So I decided to research the idea of "rapid chess improvement." After all, I was new to the realm of chess instruction (at the time) and thought it prudent to explore the idea of rapid improvement. Some of what I found horrified me.

As a professional musician, having played in number of bands including KGB, No Alternative, The Swinging Possums and The Watchmen (to name a few), I knew that you could only get better through dedication and practice. While there were plenty of books for budding guitarists promising lightening fast results, there is no substitute for hard work and determination. You cannot simply pick up a guitar and play like Jimmy Page with a single strum of the strings. The same holds true for chess.

As I did my research on "rapid chess improvement," I was startled by the number of websites promising that their improvement system would increase your ratings points quickly. If you're unfamiliar with ratings points fret not (no musical pun intended), we'll discuss that later on. I found a world of software and books that all but guaranteed that the user/reader would see a dramatic increase in their playing skills in the shortest amount of time. The old saying, "if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is" comes to mind! I took my research one step further and decided to put these programs and books to the test. Interestingly enough, I discovered a few program and book titles that aided one's ability to improve their game, but not as rapidly as promised. However, the rapid road to chess mastery was filled with potholes not advertised in the sales literature. Here are a few examples:

One book stated that a reader had improved their game by 200 ratings points in six months by simply putting an hour a day into it's study program. Again, for those not familiar with ratings points, we'll examine the topic in detail later on. For now, you can think of ratings points as a measure of one's skills. Making a 200 point jump in your rating is akin to cut a piece of cheese in half one day and being able to do minor surgical procedures two weeks later. It just isn't realistic. On the flip side of this argument, intermediate players could benefit from the material and exercises in the book and definitely improve their game. But these are players who already have an understanding of basic tactics and planning, aka Strategy. However, for the beginner it would take longer than six months, even if you put six hours a day into your studies. Compounding this problem is the simple fact that the book was written for more experienced chess players (even though it was marketed as a "great" choice for the novice player).

The horror stories could continue but I think we should spend our time realistically improving your game! In short, chess requires hard work and practice. Having read through the lion's share of books designed to improve the beginners game, I have come up with a way to improve your game that is simple (if you're willing to put time into your study of this fascinating game). It's so simple:

What I've done is this: I've taken the best lessons and wisdom from the numerous beginner's books I've read and put them into my teaching program. There is no cutting edge method here but I can save you a great deal of time. Now you have to step up to the plate (as they say in baseball) and do the work. Your journey starts now!

The first thing to do is to decide how much time you can put into your studies. This is entirely up to you. However, the more time you put into your studies, the greater the rewards. Let's say, like most people, you go to work every day (or school) and can only put an hour a day into improving your game. No worries! I have a plan for you. Let's say you're an absolute beginner. Again, no worries.

The first thing to is to divide your hour into two parts, a half hour for theory and a half hour for practice. I use the word theory to describe the reading you'll have to do. I'm going to present you the text to read and suggestions for further reading. You'll use the first 30 minutes to study the material. During the next 30 minutes, you'll be taking what you just learned and applying it a game of chess . You can use a computer program (set at a low level) as an opponent or your can play with a friend or family member.

I suggest using your free time to read more and play more. If you're an absolute beginner, you'll start your journey by reading the the section on piece movement and rules. If you know how the pieces move and understand the rules, you can skip the beginner's section. I suggest playing against as many human opponents as possible. Why not just play the nifty chess program that came with your computer or the chess software you went out and purchased? Because humans and computers play chess very differently. It's better to get used to play OTB (Over The Board) or face to face since you'll want to dazzle your friends and family with you newly acquired chess skills.

They say the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. You just taken your first step. Now it's time to continue walking along the road to chess improvement.