Chess for Beginners

Chess for Beginners

Edited by Dan Collins & Jen Neal



The game of chess has been around for over 1,500 years, originating in India and eventually making its way across the world. Over time, the rules may have changed, but the objective remains the same: capture the king. In this book, we take you through the most basic rules all the way through to some of the more complicated strategies that will have you winning an impressive game of chess in no time. Learn the movement of each piece and how it can be utilised in pins and skewers, traps and decoys. There is more to chess than you could possibly imagine. Once you've learnt the basics, we take you through ways to further your game, by joining clubs or tournaments and even explore the world's famous chess players, including computer Deep Blue. Finally, in the reference section, all of your chess questions are answered and a glossary of terms will stop you from ever getting confused by the terminology ever again. Get ready for checkmate!



CONTENTS

- Setting up

About the chessboard - Get to know the 64-square board

The king - Understand how the weakest piece works during play

The queen - Find out about the strongest piece

The rook - Learn about the powerful castleshaped piece

The bishop - Get to know the diagonal-dynamo

The knight - Learn how to jump other pieces

The pawn - Master the most present piece

Algebraic chess notation - Take notes on how the masters log moves

10 things to remember - Quick tips you should always remember during play

- Playing the game

Openings - Make the all important first move

Capturing pieces - Start taking your opponents pieces

Check and checkmate - Learn about winning the game

Gambits - Throw your opponent off with risky play

Sacrifices - Take a gamble by sacrificing your pieces

Pawn structures - Be aware of its'strengths and weaknesses during play

Fianchetto - Move your bishop out early on

Castling - Add extra protection to your king

Forks - Get to grips with this effective attack

Pins - Trap your opponents pieces

Skewers - Learn how to play and avoid this move

Batteries - Turn a game around quickly

Decoys - Trick you opponent with a decoy piece during play

Traps - Create traps with your pieces

Pawn promotion - Swap your pawn for a queen by getting it across the board

Zugzwang - For those moments when you have to move

Draws - How to decide on a draw situation

Beginner tactics - Have somequick tips for good playing tactics

The final move matters - Follow this example game

- The next step

The best iOS and Android chess apps - Get playing chess on your mobile device

Play chess on a Mac - Challenge your friends to a game of chess

Play chess on a PC - Play against the computer on your PC

Play chess in a browser - Play chess anywhere

Correspondence chess - Play a game over email

Etiquette for beginners - Top tips for chess etiquette

Join a club - Test your skills against others

Join an online tournament - Explore the online chess scene

Chess variants - Try a different chess set up

- Reference

Inspirational chess games - Learn from these masters

Famous chess players - Notable chess players and their wins

Chess FAQs - All of your chess questions answered

Your chess glossary - Chess terminology explained

Openings & Defences - A list of notable ways to start a game



Surprisingly, this book has undergone 7 editions in 9 years! All editions are included here.