How to Play Chess for Beginners

"The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the Universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature and the player on the other side is hidden from us" ~ Thomas Huxley.

People say chess is a game that require wits. Unlike all the indoor games chess requires concentration, patience and a lot of thinking. In addition with patience and learning, different chess strategies also play an important in helping the player win.

Chess Instructions for Beginners

The history of chess is more than 1000 years old, and today it has become one of the most popular games in the world. Playing chess is often compared to an art and many great thinkers often call chess a paradox. It is easy to learn, but can take an entire life to master. Chess is always a two person game, which showcases a battle of two opposing armies. Each player has a set of 16 pieces which are

• 8 Pawns (Pawns are the most standard piece in the game that can only move forward by one or two pieces. They can attack other chess pieces diagonally and they cannot move backwards.)
• 2 Bishops (The bishop only moves diagonally, but it can be moved unlimited number of spaces, in order to move or attack a chess piece.)
• 2 Rooks or Castles (A rook can move any number of spaces vertically or horizontally and can attack a piece which comes in its way.)
• 2 Knights (They have the most complicated move, they move in "L" shape that consists of two spaces horizontally and one space vertically or two spaces vertically and one space horizontally in any direction. The knight is the only chess piece that can jump and it attacks the chess pieces that come in its settling space.)
• 1 Queen (The most powerful piece in chess, it can move horizontally, vertically or diagonally in any direction and any number of spaces.) and
• 1 King (The king only moves one space in any direction. The king holds the game together. If you lose the king, you lose the game.)

The white player gets the first chance followed by the black. The players keep attacking each other with pieces until the game ends. A turn in chess means performing an act of moving or capturing. A player can capture an opponent's piece and not his own. You cannot have multiple captures in a single move. The game is played on a chessboard, which is also known as the battlefield of the game. It is evenly distributed, so that each player has a white square to his or her right side. The queen is always placed on the square of her own color.

Chess Strategies for Beginners

Many people are scared, when it comes to playing a game of chess. They feel only learned and brainy people play chess. But that's all wrong. Don't get intimated by the black and white chess pieces you see on the chessboard. You just need to know some good chess winning moves to complete a game.

• Beginners should always play slowly and enjoy every moment. Most players are often in a hurry to play and finish the game. Remember, this is a game where your hard work and brain works, not luck, so be relaxed and enjoy your every move.
• Chess strategies for beginners say that you should always plan your next attack by three moves. Doing so ensures that you get enough opportunities and time in the long run. By applying such winning chess moves you can anticipate your opponent's game plan and this can also make you victorious.
• Do not attack your opponent without a reason or a plan. Doing so, you are bound to lose your valuable chess pieces that you may require at a later stage. Think before you act. See all the pros and cons before making a move. By avoiding such hasty decisions, time and power would be on your side and you are sure to win.
• Never sacrifice a higher piece more than once. Beginners in their opening chess moves sacrifice higher pieces, which is not beneficial under any circumstances.
• Another good strategy to win this game is by always castling your king. Castling is a special chess defense move in which two pieces are moved at one time. When you castle your king, it moves two steps towards the rook it intends to change its place with and the rook also moves two piece towards the king. Castle can only occur, if there are no pieces standing between the king and rook and both of them have not changed their original position. The basic rules of chess say that you can castle the king only once in the entire game.

The above mentioned strategies will undoubtedly prove to be quite beneficial. I hope this article must have cleared all your doubts on how to play chess? For beginners, it's necessary that they play their initial matches and take chess lessons under supervision of experienced players or they can also enroll themselves in chess training classes.