Chess for Beginners

Category: Announcements

  • Chessbase Light 2007

    Download your free copy of Chessbase Light 2007!
    UPDATE: Please see the update and expanded chess database post including a download link to the latest version of chessbase light.

  • Entering My First Tournament

    Anyone have any advice on how to go about training for a tournament? This would be my first tournament and it would be great to get tips on how to go about preparing for it. The tournament is 1 month away and this would be my first experience in tournament play.

    A couple of questions I have are:

    • As an unrated player should I enter the Open or U1400 class? (I estimate my playing strength to be approx. 1500 ELO)?
    • What should I focus on during my preparation?

    Any advice would be appreciated.

  • My Chess Education

    Chess Improvement for Beginners

    Time and cost can sometimes make it impossible for an enthusiastic student of chess to hire a chess coach. I have, through trial and error, began devising a training curriculum to be used by me and others. This plan is in no way meant to take the place of a competent chess coach, but hopefully it will aid those who are unable to hire one.

    In the next series of posts I will describe how the curriculum has come to be as well as my experience in using the plan. In creating this chess improvement plan, I have researched book and online content focusing on chess improvement and education. I have also made it as generic as possible so that it may be used not just by me but by others including children. I have much to learn both about chess and learning about chess, but the exercise of writing about it will not only assist me in mastering both of these elements, but will allow me to share my experiences with others so that they might benefit as well.

    (more…)

  • Chess Tactics Server

    Hone your tactical skills using the online Chess Tactics Server. It is a race against the clock when solving over 28,803 chess problems with various degrees of difficulty. Not only do you improve your tactical skills, but you also get rated for solving the puzzles.