Questions in red were unanswered.

Common Questions by Beginning Players

1. What is a good age to start teaching my child to play chess?

2. What are some tips on learning to play chess? for children? for teenagers? for adults?

3. Can you recommend some helpful books for a beginner?

4. Which phase of the game should I study the most?

5. What are some sound opening principles to follow?

6. Do you recommend computer chess programs for learning chess?

7. What are the benefits of playing in tournaments?

8. Is there a particular etiquette for tournaments?

9. I'm tired of losing. What can I do to get better?

10. How many moves should I think ahead?


Common Questions by Intermediate Players

1. How do I choose an opening repertoire?

2. Is it a good practice to memorize openings? It depends on what openings you play and the level of your competition. For razor sharp openings, and against opponents who are likely to know the theory, knowing the exact move order is crucial, even if, as often happens, you don't exactly know why the move is made. For most other situations, memorization is not as important as knowing why the moves are being played; that way, when the opponent strays from the "book", you will have a better idea of the possibilities in the position.

3. How do I know which pieces to trade?

4. Which phase of the game should I study the most? (opening, middlegame, endgame)

5. What can I do to improve my tactical vision?

6. Why study endgames if my games don't last that long? As you improve, and start to play more games with players of greater strength, the likelihood of playing in endings will increase. Also, the knowledge that certain endgame positions are advantageous or not helps to guide your middlegame choices.

7. Can you recommend some helpful books for an intermediate player?

8. Should I play blitz chess? Internet chess?

9. Is it a good idea to use computer programs to analyze my games?

10. How can I avoid time pressure?


Common Question by non-Master Players

What methods did you use to become a chess master? How long did it take? I was fortunate to be in a situation where there were many Master and Candidate Master level players around me. I played quite a few games with them, absorbing ideas from them along the way. This I supplemented by going over games of favourite players. I settled on a narrow opening repertoire, which allowed me to become comfortable with the resulting middlegame positions. But what I think earned me the most points, probably due to my playing style, was my time spent learning how to play the endgame. The ascent upwards was gradual: it took me about 4 yrs to go from the equivalent of USCF B-player to strong Expert, and another year or two before I got to a Master rating. Not a meteoric rise by any standard!

Submitted: 27 March 2004