How do I get any good at chess? (10 points)?

Dear Mike, You asked this question only 48 minutes ago (at the time of my typing this), and already I see many suggestions! It's a challenge for me to answer your question because I have literally no idea of how you learned the game, or if you have any fundamental misconceptions. First of all, I suggest you look over the official rules of chess as provided by the United States Chess Federation (known as the USCF; they are our national chess organization). Looking over these rules might clear up any gaps or misconceptions you have about game play. If you don't understand some or all of the following: castling, en passant, draw by agreement, threefold repetition, and/or draw by the fifty move rule, then I strongly recommend that you look at the official rules first. Link to the official rules of chess: http://main.uschess.org/content/view/7324 (If the link isn't hyperlinked, then you may copy/paste the link into your address bar.) Once you are sure you have the rules down, I'd start on basic chess strategy. I'll try to give a quick crash course with sources you can look at at later: In the opening, your goal will typically be to control the center, develop your pieces, and castle. A good chess player will usually occupy central squares on the chessboard with pawns and develop the minor pieces to squares where they have central control. Somewhere in the first couple of moves, a player should generally castle. In the middle game, as well as the endgame, a player will usually have to take multiple factors into consideration. King safety, material balance, piece quality, and timing are all very important factors. Tactics are commonly used in the middle game to improve these points. Pins, definition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_(chess) ; forks, definition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(chess) ; and discoveries, or moves that uncover the power of a piece (or pieces), are common examples of tactics. In the late endgame, an average player should know some basic wins. This includes how to checkmate with a king and queen vs. king as well as a king and rook vs. king. I would also suggest that you learn how and when you can mate with a king and pawn vs. king. How to mate with a king and queen vs. king can be found at: http://chess.about.com/od/tipsforbeginners/ss/KQvsK.htm How to mate with a king and rook vs. king can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate#King_and_rook Learning about the king and pawn vs. king endgame can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_and_pawn_versus_king_endgame Now come more sources! I use Chessmaster 9000 computer software for much of my chess study, and I think it could be of great help to you. It has various tutorials and exercises for chess players of all levels. Click the following link to buy on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chessmaster-9000-Pc/dp/B00006663Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1278462567&sr=8-1 Fritz is another popular software, but I'm not sure as to how beginner friendly it is. Click the following link to buy on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fritz-Playing-Software-Program-PC-DVD/dp/B002P7EXZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1278464938&sr=1-1 Standard Chess Openings by Eric Schiller is a great book of openings! Although I've barely cracked it open myself, I wish I had read some of it sooner! If you want online sources, well... Wikipedia is a great place to learn different aspects of the game: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess You can of course search google for many more options, but that's all the time I have right now! Good luck and happy learning. Edited several times (7/6/10) for spelling, fluency, and a comment. Whoops! Three of my links were accidently inoperative (the ones describing forks, pins, and the king and pawn vs. king endgame). I apologize for this; it's been fixed (7/8/10).

4 games?...its not as easy as it looks? luckily there is a good solution, you have to understand WHY things work....and why things DON'T work author : irving chernev title : winning chess, how to see three moves ahead its a used book & out of print, expect to pay $50

join the uscf and play in rated tournaments, you will get better, their website is www.uschess.org click on the new to chess button lots of information

The trick to chess is practice. I'd read some books on chess strategy if you really want to gain any ability. Learn maneuvers like the Fried Liver Attack (yes that's a real strategy). Also, examine all of your opponents' chess pieces. Know which squares they threaten. Try to position as many chess pieces as you can so that they can land on the center 4 squares of the board in one turn. Also learn how to "Castle." That's when you switch places with the king and the nearest rook. Note that the king and the rook CANNOT HAVE MOVED beforehand; otherwise, it's an illegal move. But above all else, practice.

You need to be good at reading ahead. When you see your opponent move, you need to know how he can form an offense from that and what threat it poses. If he moves a pawn, you need to see possible routes for the pieces behind it that have opened up. You also need to think like that... you move a piece up to support your next move and move after. The further you can read ahead the better you'll do.

Move your rooks, knights, bishops & queen piece back & forth after you move all your pawns to the point that you have enough room to manuever those pieces around. Play conservatively with these very pieces, otherwise you will suffer a checkmate early on. I've played Chess, I know how it is. I hope this piece of advice helps you a lot! Read books on Chess as well. It's refreshing knowledge will make you virtually unstoppable!

you can try a couple of books, that explain certain moves. Or perhaps a computer game, my daughter has chess master (it's what her chess club instructor suggested) Try playing against people that know and understand strategy, ask questions.

There are plenty of online forums you can find if you google. Read and play online as much as you can. If you really want to get crazy, there are books available at your local library discussing chess strategy and plays.

Be an old man and sit in the park playing it all day. that will give u ultimate perfection