Beginners Chess

On this beginners chess page you learn how to play a game properly right from the beginning. You have to think deeply about every single move. Try to understand what kind of thoughts are going through the mind of a good player to find a good move.

Please replay the test games below and follow the thought process that goes along in finding the right moves. This will help you to learn chess principles. Observe the bad moves that are made by Black and try to understand why they are bad. Keep in mind which principles are violated by Black and apply this knowledge in your own games.

What kind of mistakes do beginners make?

• They don't play in the center
• They waste time moving the same pieces around and soon run behind in development
• They move out the queen too early
• They ignore the opponents moves and just think about themselves and about their own plans
• They start an attack right away and believe that they can overrun the opponent anytime
• They castle too late
• They push pawns on the edge or elsewhere for no reason and weaken important center squares and then the opponent moves into and invades their position using these weak squares to place strong knights and bishops until the position is undefendable.
• They believe that they can attack anytime they want without understanding that some positions are not ready and simply don't allow it to start an attack.
• They impose their will upon the position and don't care what the position requires them to play. Let the position tell you what to play and not the other way round.