I'm new & seeking help

[Mia]

Hello,

I'm new to this site and not sure if anyone can help. I'm after general hints and tips on chess. Is this the correct forum? If not, can anyone please point me in the right direction.

I'm particularly interested in ways I can improve my playing and beat my man, who takes great pleasure in picking off my pieces one at a time! I always start off attacking but very quickly end up having to defend my position! I was taught how to play many years ago and have returned to playing again recently and am completely hooked!

Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Masa76]

Im not too good myself ,but I guess what helps most is the practise. Learning few openings well ,and counterplay vs your mans favourite openings. Join some tournaments and you will get to play different opponents / styles with fairly good level.

[Mia]

Thank you for your feedback - I have been playing as many different people as possible and this seems to have paid off as I'm delighted to announce I won my first game on Wednesday evening - although shortly before I got him in checkmate he wanted to retire as 'stalemate' but I could see a checkmate coming. My only hope is this wasn't a fluke and I will continue to seek a second win. I will certainly take your advice and join some tournaments and practise, practise, practise.

Thanks again.

[chawley]

"I'm new to this site and not sure if anyone can help. I'm after general hints and tips on chess. Is this the correct forum? If not, can anyone please point me in the right direction."

Play lots of standard chess with long time controls 30.0 20.0

Blitz Chess 5.0 is great for improving your pattern regognition but
play with people who are very good you'll lose but you'll learn
more than you would playing some guy who plays 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5
and always aim to win his game on time constantly

If you have only 1 Bishop put pawns around on it's opposite color

If your cramped free yourself by exchanging your material

If the other player is in that situation don't allow him to exchange material
to free his position! Exchanging only helps the defender!

When your playing your pieces all have to work together as a team
defense wise and offensive wise.

On every move look for a better one! and question yourself if you
have overlooked something very simple in the position?

Don't make pawn moves without a good reason because pawns move
can't be taken back so you have to be very careful with them.

Take your time when it's your move if you have 39 minutes on the
clock and the other guy is playing very quickly be on the look out
for his mistakes and blunders sometime big whoppers because he
is not focused on what he is doing! playing too quickly is dangerous.

A good idea to improve is to show your game score to higher rated players to get some feedback or comments on where you can improve
I'd suggest subscribing to:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess_Improvement/

Be sure to write down any questions you have about the game
what your own thoughts were in a position too.

Another way is to ask some higher rated members on chess.net to look at your game especially ones with a fide title who can help.

It's a good policy not to allow takebacks if your opponent makes a big big blunder he'll claim mousethen he'll counter it with a different move that
gets him out of a fix!


There are lots of chess books out there some suggestion:


John Nunn's understanding Chess move by Move

The game of Chess by Siegbert Tarrasch

John Watsons Modern Chess Strategy

How not to play Chess by Zonosko Borovosky

Judgement and Planning by Max Euwe

Bobby Fischer's my 60 Memoriable Games

Zurich 1953 International Tournament by David Bronstien

How to beat your Dad at Chess

Improve your Chess Now

Hope this helps