Since we're on the topic of chess

[ClaytonN]

I suck at chess. I have an IQ of about 130. I'm 18.

I don't want to be a chess freak, but I'd like to know what the hell I'm doing.

Can anyone recommend a good website or book for newbs?

[Kaz The Original]

Control the center, think 6 moves ahead, and play ALOT. Early game focus on getting all your main peices (bishops, knights) out one move a piece.

[ClaytonN]

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Control the center, think 6 moves ahead, and play ALOT.

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I can do the third part. I'd like a 2+2 for chess, though.

Don't expect me to get myself slaughtered in chess for 50 straight matches when I could be at the same level after 10 matches and some good reading material.

[mmbt0ne]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
think 6 moves ahead

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I think I speak for Clayton when I say, "How the hell am I supposed to think 6 moves ahead? I don't even know what moves I should think about making, let alone how my opponents will likely respond to them."

[ClaytonN]

I know I'm mentally capable of thinking 6 moves ahead when the time comes, but I don't even know the basics. What mmbtone said.

[curtains]

Clayton the first step is to download ICC (Internet Chess Club.) Go to www.chessclub.com , you should find lots of oppurtunities to learn there.

[Dynasty]

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...think 6 moves ahead.

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This is absolutely wrong. First, it's not possible for a hobby player to do it. A typical player can't even effectively analyze a position 3 moves in advance.

This is an interesting excerpt from Andrew Soltis' excellent book The Inner Game of Chess: How to Calculate and Win



The Myth of the Long Variation

A popular view among amateurs is that grandmasters are grandmasters because they routinely see 10 moves ahead. There are, of course, examples of this by GMs, by the are relatively rare.

Much more common is the kind of calculation that calls for seeing not more than two moves into the future. And most of the time these two-move variations lead only to minor improvements in the position. But these improvements can add up.

When Mikhail Botvinnik lots on first board during the 1955 Soviet-American match, the world champion explained the result simply: "It shows I need to perfect my play of two-move variations."

[Dynasty]

ClaytonN,

For any player below master level, the most important thing to do is practice tactics. An effective way to do this is to solve chess problems. A good book which is loaded with problems to solve is Combination Challenge! by Lou Hays and John Hall.

[MicroBob]

Combination Challenge rocks.


Also Reinfeld's 5001 checkmates and sacrifices (or whatever it's called). Very similar to Combo-Chal obviously.


ICC (chessclub.com) is easily the best. Great fun.


It's pretty easy for a patzer such as myself to agree with good players like Dynasty and Curtains...but their recommendations would be mine as well.

[ClaytonN]

Would someone care to explain (in basic terms, if possible) the intricacies of the chess rating system? How's it work?