The Easiest Way to Learn How to Play Chess
Chess is a board game that has been around since the 15th century. Whether you want to play chess for the pure fun of it or eventually acquire enough skills to compete in tournaments, chess offers something for everyone. Since not everyone's learning style is the same, the easiest way for one person to learn chess may not necessarily be the easiest way for the next person. Try out different methods to see which is easiest for you.
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Instructions
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Learning How to Play
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Setting up your chess board Begin by reading the rules of the game. Chess is played between two players and involves a chess board and 32 chess pieces. Chess pieces consist of two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a queen, a king, and eight pawns. Each team takes a turn moving one chess piece at a time. To win the game, you must capture the opposite team's king first. This is called "checkmate". In order to capture the king, you move your pieces to gain access through either capturing other pieces along your route or positioning your pieces in strategic squares.
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Practice by yourself Practice chess by playing against yourself. To begin the game, set up your board and pieces for each team. Since each chess piece moves differently, continue practicing until you feel confident of the mechanics of how to move each piece effectively. Mentally take note of which moves leave chess pieces vulnerable to capture. Sometimes sacrificing one of your pieces is the only way to position yourself to capture the opposing team's king. Play repeatedly until you feel comfortable to compete against another player.
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Learn from an imaginary friend on the computer A variation on playing by yourself is to play on the computer. Chess is often among the games included in the software bundled with a computer. Some versions have a "hint" option for every move. Sometimes you learn more when you don't follow a hint -- and immediately get into trouble! Such chess programs will often include an "undo" feature, so you can experiment with the effects of several moves at a single point in a game.
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Find a partner Search for a player whose skill level is the same as yours. Play against family members, friends or co-workers. Check out local chess clubs for other players. Since the technological age has added another dimension to chess; the ability to compete with other players through the Internet, utilize search engines to locate on line chess partners.
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Learn by competing Register to play in chess tournaments. Online opportunities are available for the computer literate, as well as tournaments held in recreation centers, senior centers and chess clubs for the socially minded.
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Decide if you want to spend any money to learn to play. Chess courses are available through on line schools, recreation centers, chess clubs or even local schools. If you have access to a computer but not the Internet, purchasing software can teach the same dynamics as an on line course. Some players even choose to hire a chess coach.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit chess image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com boy play a chess image by Stepanov from Fotolia.com Chess play image by Ilija Mitrevski from Fotolia.com chess image by Stepanov from Fotolia.com chess image by sasha from Fotolia.com chess pieces image by William Berry from Fotolia.com the king image by Matthew Antonino from Fotolia.com
