Know the Chess Set Up and Rules of the Chess

While chess can be an intimidating concept, chess setup and rules are actually quite simple and easy to understand, if you only take time to really learn the basics. The first thing you should understand is that chess is a game played between two opposing sides, the black and the white side, each taking alternate turns, moving a piece at a time in order to capture the enemy’s king. The player on the white side moves first. This is one of the first and most important chess setup and rules you should remember as you learn to play the game.

Moving on to the chess pieces, you will notice that each side is given a total of 16 chess materials of different types, each of which moves in a particular way. A piece isn’t allowed to land on a chess square that is occupied by a friendly or same colored piece. If your piece lands on one that is taken by an enemy piece, the material is captured and removed from the board. Pieces are not permitted to jump over another, except for the knight, which is also the only piece that can move in different directions and not just in a straight line.

The bishops can move for any number of diagonal squares, while the rooks can move horizontally or vertically. The queen, which is considered the most powerful piece, can move in a straight line either diagonally, vertically, or horizontally.  Pawns can only move one square at a time, except during its first move, in which case it can move two squares forward. It can never move backward and can only capture pieces by moving diagonally toward the next square forward.

Chess setup and rules at the start of the game requires each player having a light-colored square in their bottom right-hand corner. Starting from the bottom left and the bottom right squares, put your rooks, continuing inward with your knights and bishops on either side. The queen should always go on the square of its own color (white on light, black on dark) and the king should stand on the remaining square between the queen and the bishop. The second row in front of the larger pieces is reserved for all your pawns.

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Points to Remember When Choosing a Chess Mentor for Your Chess Classes

Learning chess takes no more than understanding its basic rules and principles, learning its intricacies requires so much more than your dad telling you what each piece can do or how each piece is supposed to move around the chess board. When you want to get serious about a chess career, you need a chess mentor who can walk with you through your journey and teach you the ropes as you climb up your skill level. Perhaps you are finding no improvement despite hours spent in self-study or maybe you are in need of an experienced advisor who can help you understand more advanced concepts and develop a stronger repertoire of tactics and strategies. Here are some things you should remember when hiring a chess mentor:

• Experience is important. This said, experience doesn’t automatically make a grand master a good teacher. A successful chess master career doesn’t necessarily mean success in teaching. Choose a chess mentor who has an experience and a good track record in coaching other players. This means they are effective in imparting knowledge to their mentees. Teaching skills also improve with experience as they get to meet and work with aspirants of different skill sets and skill levels. 

• Find a chess mentor who brings attention on your needs. A good coach knows how to assess your skills and prescribe programs or trainings you could take to address your weaknesses and further enhance your strong points.

• Know your potential mentor’s expertise. Some coaches specialize in specific areas of the game. If you need to improve on a specific thing, such as openings or the middle game, you may also choose a mentor who has a good repertoire of strategies and tactics that you can learn to address your needs. 

• Is your potential coach an active chess player? Active chess players are also a great choice for a mentor as they are people who haven’t lost contact with their competitive side and is up-to-date with trends, novelties, tournaments, and other things of interest in the realm of chess.

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Learn Chess Openings in Several Ways

How to learn chess openings is a question many beginner players ask during their early career, and for good reason—chess openings dictate the tone of the game. Dominating the start of any chess match is always good as it provides you the advantage of strong positionings and enables you to be in a good place to start attacks on your opponent’s king. Learning chess openings can be equally challenging and rewarding and it often results in improved games and higher win ratings. 

A lot of people stick to one or two opening variations, making it difficult for them to switch to playing another tactic. This said, asking yourself how to learn chess openings time and again will help you expand your repertoire and give you a deeper understanding of valuable pawn structures as well as middle and end games. Here are ways to help you learn new chess openings:

• Develop a mental list of tactical themes and strategic ideas. Opening games revolve around tactical and strategic themes that follow certain sets of principles and structures. When you study new openings, make a mental mote of common pawn breaks, piece movements and maneuvers, as well as tactical shots. This way, you will be able to recognize similar patterns and ideas in your own games. This will also cause you to actively look for such patterns as you practice or as you go through actual games. Familiarizing yourself with tactical motifs and common strategies is a great way to learn new opening strategies.

• Play training games and actively learn from them. It’s been said that to improve in chess, you need to play as much as you can. This is also true when trying to learn new openings. Playing training games geared towards improving your opening strategy is also a smart way to hone your skills and way of thinking, as well as studying classical games played by grandmasters.

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Chess Opening Moves – Gaining the Advantages

Chess opening moves pretty much set the tone for how your game will unfold, which is why developing strong opening strategies is critical if you want to dominate the game of chess. The way you decide to place your chess pieces during the start of a game is important because any mistake you make during this time will be reflected in the way that the rest of the game is played. Poor decisions right at the beginning of your chess match can cost you not only the middle game but the entire game altogether. Just the same, a strong opening tactic will give you a leg up and ensure your victory.

With chess being over a thousand years in existence, many opening tactics have not only been extensively studied, but also named and played and developed by grand masters the world over. This said, simply memorizing chess opening moves will not really guarantee your victory. The key is understanding the principles behind each move and the way that they should affect your decisions throughout the rest of the game. Learning how these opening moves work to your advantage will help you use them well as you go through your matches. This will also help you improvise your own sets of tactics as you navigate your way around different challenges your opponents might bring.

Knowing the right kind of chess opening moves to play also has a lot to do with learning the kind of player you are and the kinds of strategies and tactics you like implementing as you go along your matches. Defensive players may have different preferences for strategic openings than offensive players and vice versa. Different chess openings are tailored for different kinds of game styles and learning where you stand when it comes to tactics and strategies will help you determine which kinds of moves will be most effective for you to use.

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Points That Should Be Remembered While Choosing a Chess Mentor for Your Chess Classes

Learning chess can be challenging without guidance from a knowledgeable person who knows the game. For this reason, it makes sense to find a seasoned chess mentor if you want to master it and become a better player. Also known as the ‘chess coach’, this person is responsible for teaching you the game in a better light. With their guidance, you should be able to analyze your moves, learn chess openings, and implement strategies like the ones used by professional players. Mentors will give you answers, problems, and feedback on every move, too, so that you may improve your skills as you go along. Selecting a mentor may be challenging, but you can consider remembering and following these points to make the process simpler and yield good results:

• Look up mentors online – Visit chess forums and online training websites where chess players converge to study and play chess. Ask for tips and recommendations. A good chess mentor must be able to teach you in your preferred language so you can learn in the best possible way.
  
  
• Get to know the mentor – Learn about the chess coach’s background and experience in both the game and mentoring. Consider someone who has been playing chess for decades. Some of the best instructors are international masters themselves who have helped fellow champions, too.
  
  
• Find a mentor that specializes in your skill level – Coaches may be specialized in certain skill levels, as they have the knowledge and experience in working with certain types of learners. So if you are a beginner, consider a chess mentor who has a good track record of working with beginners like yourself. The same goes if you are an intermediate or an advanced learner, but with focus on a challenging coach who can train you further and challenge you with harder games.
  
  
• Learn about the learning environment – Where will the classes be held? Consider a chess mentor who can hold classes online, so you do not have to worry about meeting in person, especially both of you live far apart.

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Essential Chess Improvement Tips That Will Help You Improve in Chess and Win the Game

Siegbert Tarrasch, one of the most influential chess mentors and strongest players in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, once said, “Many have become chess masters; no one has become the master.” Your goal in chess improvement should not be to be better than outs but to advance your own skills. Consider the following tips if you want to improve your chess:

• Remember that there are no shortcuts.
  
  
  The best way to improve at the game is to look for opportunities for continuous learning. This means finding and signing up for high-quality lessons, and working with reputable and seasoned mentors. You can find those at established online chess schools that are known for their superb curriculum.
  
  
• Find a good and trustworthy coach.
  
  
  You can improve your chess skills if you enjoy the game and the process of learning. It makes sense to find a reputable and friendly coach with whom you can get along. You want to be relaxed—not anxious—during lessons. A good coach can answer your questions and address your challenges and mistakes with their guidance and wisdom.
  
  
• Know the basics first.
  
  
  Learning and mastering the basics will create the framework where future knowledge can be integrated as you continue to improve your chess in the long run. Through your classes, you can master openings and ending principles, tactics, positional play, and mid-game strategies.
  
  
• Join matches and tournaments.
  
  
  The road to improving requires challenging yourself once in a while, and this means playing against those who might be your equal or greater than you. Consider joining tournaments and matches. You can learn from your opponents and be driven to improve further as you meet other players who are doing their best to win the game. Only by playing with others can you understand how strategies are applied and how certain moves can result in certain events.

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Things that Should Be Considered While Choosing Online Chess Trainer

An online chess trainer can add great value to your child’s learning life, allowing him or her to enhance skills and knowledge without the typical pressures of a traditional classroom learning environment. By allowing your child to receive instruction right in the comfort of your own home, you help them learn at a pace that will maximize their ability to improve and progress, but not without the help of the right online chess trainer. How do you make sure you are getting the best value for the money you are paying your online chess tutor? Here are things you should keep in mind as you seek out the best person to teach your child chess online:

• Your child’s skill and knowledge level – There are chess trainers that specialize in teaching complete beginners as well as those who might be more inclined to teach more experienced players. Gauge your child’s skill level so as to match him or her with the right online chess trainer. Just because a trainer is great in the game, doesn’t mean that he or she is skilled in passing on the knowledge to a complete novice.

• The trainer’s specialty – Some trainers may also specialize in certain areas of training. While others may focus on teaching young learners and beginners, others are trained to work with world championship contenders and title holders, and some trainers are skilled in working with children with special needs. Choosing the right online chess trainer can help your child achieve his or her goals.

• The program’s scope and schedule – Choose a chess program that can be tailored to the needs of your child, from the right lessons and topics to convenient scheduling. The best programs can be tailored to accommodate your unique schedule so as not to interfere with other activities your child might be involved in.

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