How to Become a Solid Tournament Chess Player - Part 3 of 5

In Part 2 of this series you learned how to carry out checkmates against the lone king, basic endings with King and Pawns, Rook and Pawns, and minor piece endings. You also learned some of the basic ideas regarding the opening. You have also developed your tactical abilities to the point where you can calculate combinations to checkmate the opposing king or win a decisive amount of material.

In Part 3 you will begin to practice your new skills. You will learn who and how to play to accelerate your chess development. Practicing the right way against real opponents will not only provide you with instant feedback on your skills, but it will also assist you in learning to play with discipline. Plus - it's fun! This step should take three to six months to complete.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Regulation chess set with 2 1/4" squares.
• Chess Score Pad
• Copy of "Modern Chess Openings," by Nick De Firmian.

1. 
    

   Go to the United States Chess Federation (USCF) website and look for a listing of chess clubs in your area. Also consider joining USCF immediately, as you will receive a monthly publication "Chess Life," which will give you plenty of annotated games to study as well as various puzzles you can try. This will also pay your annual membership fee required for rated tournament play.

2. 
    
   Marshall Chess Club in New York

   If you have found a chess club near you, visit it. Look for people who want to play skittles games (non-rated). Try to find someone who will give you plenty of time to think over your moves. Playing fast games at this point would only encourage sloppy play. Don't worry yet about playing with a chess clock. Look for opponents who are at least a little better than you. Research has shown that the best opponents for improving your game are those whom you are able to beat around 25 percent of the time.

3. Get in the habit of touching only the piece you intend to move. This is to train you for tournament chess, where if you touch a piece you will have to move it.

4. 
    

   When you feel a little more comfortable, begin writing down your moves. Most chess clubs have score sheets available, but I recommend purchasing a bound score pad (available through USCF and others) that will make it easier to save your games. Then find stronger players willing to help you analyze your games move by move.

5. 
    

   Purchase a copy of Modern Chess Openings (MCO) by Nick De Firmian, which provides a primer on the main lines and ideas for almost all openings.

6. 
    

   As white, start out playing 1 e4 against your opponents. This is because these lines tend to be more tactical. Tactics is still what you should be focusing on developing. With your copy of MCO, look for gambit lines for both sides. This will force you to play tactically to justify these gambits. Also look for books involving opening traps and look for anything sharp you can test out.

7. Keep in mind that you need to be focusing on not only your own tactics, but also those of your opponent. For most, this is more difficult. After each move ask yourself what you would do if you were in his/her position. Your plan for a five move combination will be meaningless if you overlook the fact that your opponent is about to take one of your pieces.

8. 
    

   Also consider playing human or computer opponents on line or purchasing a chess software program such as Chessmaster, which has many playing level settings. A favorite online site of tournament players is the Internet Chess Club (ICC) where you can choose both the length of time you want to spend on games (see link below). The MSN Games website allows you to play either humans or a computer for free.

Resources

• Internet Chess Club
• US Chess Federation
• MSN Games - Free Internet Chess