by Nicholas Witmer

Created on: October 24, 2008   Last Updated: April 20, 2012

Chess Tips to improve your game:

Learn basic vocabulary. If you can understand the basics of chess language, you will better understand the books you read, as well as the rest of this article. It also allows you to converse more fully with other players, and helps you to learn from them.

Learn the ins and outs of the endgame. This may seem like a silly idea. after all, the game seldom gets to the endgame, at least not in normal play. That may be true, but the endgame is almost always reached by the worlds' top players. Learn to think like the masters and grandmasters, and you will soon find that your dad isn't that hard to beat. Also, it should be noted that when you study the endgame with respect to the rooks, or the bishops, or any other piece, you learn their strengths and weaknesses more fully, and are able to see how they act easier, because the board is devoid of clutter.

Next, study the middlegame. Wait, now we are still skipping the opening! Remember, though, that the opening is easy to master. Lines and positions can be adopted to memory if need be. But the middlegame is where you find the meat of many games. with respect to the middlegame, study tactics and positional games. Capablanca is a wonderful master to study for positional maneuvering, while Alekhine is one of the great tactical geniuses. look online. there are many master games out there, and an overwhelming number are free. find a master you like and study his games. You will find yourself making master-style moves over time.

Finally, look at the opening. the opening is last not because we go in reversed order, but because it is not critical to know hundreds of opening lines. Basic principles can get you through many openings, and a vigilant eye will help you to steer clear of traps. Don't memorize tens of traps and zaps. Instead, find three openings(one for white, two for black) and research them. know the basic pawn structure and theory. Commit a few of the main variations to memory, and most importantly, Play these openings exclusively. try not to switch openings, and don't be discouraged if you lose. Look for mistakes in your game, and hone your openings into sharp knives, so to speak. uch of the memorization that you would do in preparation for a tournament can be learned intuitively by failure, and I recommend it. Learning through defeat helps you understand why an opening line is bad, rather than just reading it out of a book.

Finally, pick up a basics book. This may seem odd, but it works well. by this step you should have a base knowledge of how each individual phase of the game works. A chess "basics" book ties all three areas together. Also, pick up other supplemental texts. the more you read, the more you will learn. Any book by Jeremy Silman is a good buy, he caters to budding players and more experienced players alike. relearning the basics will help cement the knowledge you already have together, forming a solid block of knowledge that will withstand the test of time.

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