Sweet! Just create an account on Chess.com and add me as a friend (jevans70). Then we can get a correspondence game going on. Warning, I'm super not great, but I'll try to put up a good fight. I'm still trying to get a feel for openings, which largely comes down to something like 'Queens gambit looks nice, but I hear Fisher loved the Ruy Lopez, but I have no idea why one is better then the other.'

Alekhine's Defense? I am intrigued.

Ooops, gifted you my knight... Concentrated too much on the check and pawn (I'm so rusty).

You've loaded up your left side.

!! First, before you go out and buy a bunch of books, I recommend trying to find some at your local libraries. There are an overwhelming number of books on chess, some good, some almost chessic-canon, some awful or outdated. If you find a particular book you like and would like to own it, and then purchase it, or ask other players for recommendations and their reviews on them before you buy blind. Books are not cheap. Also make sure you learn chess notation and how to record games. These days it is all algebraic notation, but you might encounter older books using the descriptive system (“Bishop to Queen’s Rook three”). I have been out of the loop in terms of chess and chess literature for several years now, and thus I am unaware of any good publications since then.

In assuming that you are still relatively a beginner player of chess, study tactics first and tactical games. (You have gone over the classic Paul Morphy vs. Duke of Brunswick & Count Isouard by now, yes?) There are various books on tactics; J. Silman has a few that should suffice. Positional play is a bit subtle for the beginning player, but you should at least try to have a basic understanding and ability to discern open/closed positions, pawn structure/chains, dark/light squares with bishops weak squares, and the like. Practice counting how many pieces control/attack a square i.e. if pawn takes pawn, then knight takes pawn, then bishop takes knight, and so on.

For the opening, learn the basic principles and motives behind various openings. Try to stick to classical openings (e.g.1. e4 e5 or 1. d4 d5) for most of your early games, with the idea of controlling the center and developing pieces in time. You can then move on to hypermodern openings (the idea of attacking the center rather than occupying it) or more complex ideas like the Sicilian Defense for black. I recommend N. McDonald’s book, Chess: The Art of Logical Thinking. (Too many times I have seen beginning players plainly memorize openings and once they reach the end of book or when I purposely go out of book, they crumble because they do not understand the particular motives for that particular opening.)

Try to come up with some sort of plan, while examining your opponent’s threats and your weaknesses such that you reduce your weaknesses while strengthening your position (“If I had my knight there then it attacks the light squares around his kingside, but first I need to get that bishop out of line with my king. To move my knight it will take two moves, how do I develop and go about my plan?”). It is not always about winning a piece, but rather orchestrating your pieces to your objectives in concert.

One thing that usually helps tremendously, but is a huge time-sink is to take a fully annotated game, play through the first 8 or 10 moves to get past the opening and without looking at the next set of moves, try to figure out how white and black play their next two moves respectively. Write down your variations and any notes. Compare with what was actually played and the commentary. Repeat and repeat.

For now, make sure you know how to do basic endgame mates (King and Queen, King and Rook, etc.), the concept of “opposition, counting the number of King moves and the like. You can learn the other various endgame “positions” in time and more about minor piece endgames and various pawn + minor piece endgames. Endgames are extremely complicated and most people only have a very limited exposure to it. The argument is that if you cannot survive from the opening to the middlegame, you essentially do not go into the endgame (as your are checkmated or resign in the midgame stage). Even though it is difficult, long work, persevere. You will appreciate how in having a clear sense of the endgame you will have a far greater vision during midgame play (that is you have more options of playing toward a favorable endgame, rather than trying to end it in the midgame or just creating material advantages). I believe Silman also has a book for this. There are also some classical texts by John Nunn and Reuben Fine.

Silman (I seem to be mentioning him a lot) also has his book, Reassess Your Chess, which I thought was fine, but not exactly a beginners' book. Pandolfini is more friendly with his, Ultimate Guide to Chess, but I disliked its conversational style (it is written as a dialogue of lessons between a chess coach and a pupil). Various game books like the classic, The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played, by Chernev should be looked over. You can also find game books on specific players that you like such as Mikhail Tal.

Once you feel that you are getting a handle on things and are more of an intermediate, I suggest reading over (slowly) The Inner Game of Chess, by Andrew Soltis. I believe it has been long out of print (try libraries or used copies) and there are some criticisms of the book, but I found it helped make some chessic processes that I had been doing or observing explicit and defined. Feel free to glance over it now or read sections of interest now, but it may be difficult to relate to it such an early stage.

There are so many other books, but these should be more than enough for a while. Try to play games with slow time controls, 30 minutes, 1 hour, even 2 hours if you have a chunk of time (and some other crazy person to spent that much time playing chess with you--computers don't mind). Good luck! Also an old saying goes something along the lines of:

The beginner sees many possibilities; the master a few.

He has things to say.

About chess.

You don't need intelligence to play chess, just be autistic about pattern recognition. The point was proven when IBM's Deep Blue beat chess grandmaster Kasparov.

Hope you like 3 day timers... 0.o

My first game with kaazu is still going :D

Just did, are playing the live games?

And accepted. Also Codger, if you want to resign and start a new game, I'm ok with that.

Damn you, this site is so addictive.

Too the death!

You actually did the best move you could instead of keep running away, it actually messed me up a little.

Also, your turn.

Edit: Good game Kaazu

Sorry, but you kind of put it out there for free. You had me on the defensive (which I'm not used to) ever since I took your Queen.

Shit just lost my other bishop >.<

Apparently I do better in these long games since I always lose on time on the 15 min games.

@Codger: In the milbat game move your knight into position and you either take his queen or it's chekmate for him if he doesn't (yes, I'm that bored).

I saw that one too but I don't get why he did that unless he didn't see the bishop.

BUT SHE'S SO GOOD.

Yeah you trapped my queen good!

Have been away and couldn't get on the forums... >.<

Yes, gg indeed :)

I'll get better before I'd challenge you again. But rest assured my defeats shall be avenged!

You're killing me kaazu.

He let his game time out and he had it on a 3 day timer.