Common Questions by Beginning Players

1. What is a good age to start teaching my child to play chess? At five or six.

2. What are some tips on learning to play chess? for children? for teenagers? for adults? Get familiar with moving the pieces; then learn the basic mates in the endgame; then study tactics.

3. Can you recommend some helpful books for a beginner? by Jeremy Silman or Yasser Seirawan… there are lots of words in these books instead of variations

4. Which phase of the game should I study the most? All of it… what's the point of just studying the opening if you don't know how to play the middle or endgame?

5. What are some sound opening principles to follow?  Develop your pieces, control the center.

6. Do you recommend computer chess programs for learning chess? Why not?

7. What are the benefits of playing in tournaments? You get to play players stronger than you and you get to see what you have to do get stronger… most people will be the best player on the block at some point but you are really challenged when you have to play a seasoned tournament player… you might think you are good in your neighborhood and then have trouble beating 1500 rated player...also, during tournaments you can exchange ideas with other players.

8. Is there a particular etiquette for tournaments? When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

9. I'm tired of losing. What can I do to get better? Study your losses, get a tutor, and study grandmaster games.

10. How many moves should I think ahead? You must first know how to read a position.


Common Questions by Intermediate Players

1. How do I choose an opening repertoire? Pick openings that you are comfortable playing.

2. Is it a good practice to memorize openings? No, its horrible, understand the ideas.

3. How do I know which pieces to trade? When it gives you an advantage.

4. Which phase of the game should I study the most? (opening, middlegame, endgame) You have to learn to recognize the differences in the position, and then choose the moves that better your position.

5. What can I do to improve my tactical vision? Go over games by Tal, Kasparov, or Alekhine and study books on tactics.

6. Why study endgames if my games don't last that long? That's probably why they don't last long… every GM thinks about the endgame when making moves, even in the opening.

7. Can you recommend some helpful books for an intermediate player? The Amateur's Mind (by Jeremy Silman)

8. Should I play blitz chess? Internet chess? Why not? All chess is good. Blitz gives you the opportunity for you to get familiar with a lot of positions in a short amount of time.

9. Is it a good idea to use computer programs to analyze my games? Yes, but understand that computers are not God and there are other alternatives other than what the computer recommends. Computers are also naturally very tactical and might miss some subtle positional moves.

10. How can I avoid time pressure? Move faster!


Common Question by non-Master Players

What methods did you use to become a chess master? How long did it take?


Submitted: 22 December 2005