7/12/2020 7 Tips To Get Better At Chess - Chess.

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Are you looking to improve your chess skills? Make sure you are following the top-7 tips.

7 Tips To Get Better At Chess

CHESScom
Updated: Apr 20, 2018, 1:08 AM | c 43 | For Beginners M English <

No matter where you are in chess, you can always get better. And with the right habits and attitude,
getting better at chess can be both fun and simple. To get better at chess, you will need to learn the
rules, play a lot of games, review your play, practice puzzles, study the endgame, not waste time on
openings, and double-check your moves.

Top-7 Tips to Become a Better Chess Player:

Know the rules

Play lots of games
Learn from your games
Practice with chess puzzles
Study basic endgames
Don't waste time with openings
Double check your moves

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1. Make sure you know the rules

It doesn’t matter if you aren’t exactly sure of the rules, or if you think you already know the rules of
the game. Unless you are already a serious chess player, it’s a good idea to review the basic piece
movements and special rules of chess. You can find the rules and basic strategies here.

2. Play lots and lots of chess games

You can’t get better at anything without a lot of repetition, and chess is no different. Take every
opportunity you can to play a chess game - whether on the go, on your computer, or at home.

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3. Review and learn from your games

Playing without reviewing is usually pointless. Each game contains many mistakes and opportunities.
In order to improve, you need to learn from both. Automated Computer Analysis can help you
understand each game you play.

4. Do practice chess puzzles

Chess tactics are little bite-sized chess problems waiting to be solved. They represent real game
situations where you have a chance to win. It’s like playing chess, but skipping ahead to the good
part where you are already winning! Try some free puzzles.

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5. Study basic endgames

Surprisingly, most chess games don’t end quickly, but only after many, many moves and after most
of the pieces have been traded away. This will often leave just kings and a few pieces and/or pawns.
This is the “endgame”, where usually the goal is to promote one of your pawns to a queen. Learning
to navigate the endgame will help you win many games. You can practice some of the most
common endgame drills here.

6. Don’t waste time memorizing openings

Many chess players make the mistake of spending time tediously memorizing sequences of chess
moves (the “opening”). The problem is that most players don’t know very many openings, or even if
they do, the chances they play your specific lines are very small. Just learn good opening principles
from the start and don’t stress about memorizing.

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7. Always double-check your moves

One of the most important parts of playing better chess is avoiding making bad moves. Most games
are lost by blunders. So before you move one of your pieces, always do a double-check to make
sure that your king will be safe and that you are not giving away any pieces for free.

When you are ready to improve your chess game, sign up at Chess.com for free play and lessons!

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