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This thread is for you to introduce yourself, meet the players in the group and get that warm welcome to the family. :) Some Ideas in your post: Name Age Location How long have you played chess Is Chess a hobby, club level, tournament level, or professional level. Favorite opening :) Me: My name is Wally Reichard. I am 16 and live in Smyrna Tennessee U.S.A. I have know how to play chess since as long as I can remember, but just picked it up and began my pursuit of the game two months ago. After just 3 weeks I played the chess club teacher and won 4 times in a row, he suggested me to go to the State Regionals Tournament. I got 8th place out of many who showed up and am now one of the invited to go to the State Tounrament out of 32 people. So I am craming all I can with chess now to hopefully get at least 16th place. My Favorite opening is the D4 Pawn. I don't have openings made by others, I have 3 variations from the D4 pawn that I use which can create either a queen side game, king side game, or a very closed game.

A short article I wrote to delve into the sterotypical out look on Chess and how anyone can get good at this game. :) The Psychology of Chess By Wally Reichard ----I Can't Learn Chess!---- Many people make the unfair assumption that chess is for those of a higher IQ and therefore, shy away from learning and pursuing the game. Well in this small article I hope to prove them all wrong and show that chess is for players of all levels, IQ, ages, etc. When someone plays chess in there first attempts to learn it, they grow a disposition to the game based on making several errors and not fully understanding the movement of the pieces. Chess is not a simple game, but learning it is a very realistic goal for anyone who puts forth the time. Learning the first parts of Chess and the rules of it is most likely the hardest step in becoming a Chess player. Explaining the game to someone who has the mindset that Chess is like Checkers will almost always fail. Checkers involves each piece on the board to move in the same patterns. with very few amounts of stratagey. When a "Checkers mindset" attempts to learn Chess, they become blown away that each piece plays a very specific role, and has it's own movements and importance. When you explain the basic rules of Chess to someone, take care to spend a lot of time on pawns! With rules such as being able to make a two move advance on the first turn, the way a pawn can only capture to imediate diagonals, pawn promoting, and En Passent, Pawns ARE by far the toughest piece on the board. Ergo, the game is easiest taught to someone who is willing to dedicate some time, and approach the game with an open mind. The average time for a player to learn the basic rules of the game is somewhere between an hour and 3 hours. ------After a player has been taught the rules------ When a player learns the moves of Chess, and the basic rules to the game, they still face an up hill battle to not giving up on the game. If a player imediately plays matchs on Live Chess for example, they are bound to lose their first several matches in lue to the fact that most people on Chess.com know what they are doing and have a basic grasp of the game. This can create a terrible disposition to the game and bring about giving up so early. The best way to avoid this is to play a close friend, relative, or teacher several times and get familiar with the game. There are also the type of people who get such a thirst for Chess after learning how to play, they imediatly look up Opening Books, Stratagems, and matches played by Grandmasters. At a first look, this would not seem to be a bad idea, but in fact it is the worst thing to do. As soon as you learn how to play, you are still unfamiliar with the pieces and have a hard time playing the game correctly. To look at advanced ideas in Chess would simply blow over the newcomer's head and give them the set opinion that they are not smart enough for Chess, which once again, I am here to proove wrong. After a player learns Chess, it is prudent that they stick with playing games with people they know to maintain a friendly atmosphere and allow conversations of the errors to occur. The person a player plays with in person should have an understanding of Chess however. If both players are quite new to Chess, it's like telling two cavemen to make a lightbulb. It simply won't work. -----How Someone Becomes Good at Chess----- The only way to start off stratageys in Chess is to learn "Preset Moves and Combos". An Amature player learns basic moves such as: The Four Move Mate, The Knight to C7 forking the king and rook, and basic pins. This is the only way someone can start off their thinking in Chess. Now how does someone get better from here? The above moves are only "Preset Moves" which if used on a more advanced player, is more likely to fail. If an amature uses a "Preset Move" and fails, then they are forced to think about the game. The move they used so mechanically has failed and now they need to make a new move. This is what sparks the conversion from "Preset Move" thinking to "Chess Thinking" A few good ways to gain this basic "Chess Thinking" is to do things such as Puzzles. Puzzles such as "White to move, Mate in 2" and spending at least 5 minutes on the puzzle before getting the solution. The Chess.com Tactics Trainer and Chess Mentor can also provide strong ways so get an understanding for the game. -----"Chess Thinking"----- "Chess Thinking" is nothing more then a figure head name I give for basic thinking involved in the game of chess. Anyone can acquire it. All that "Chess Thinking" is, simply put, is an Advanced Understanding of Cause and Effect Visualization. Example 1: In this diagram shown to the left, you can see that white's knight has been placed in danger by the pawn which has advanced. Now White must use "Chess Thinking" to create the best possible move. By not doing anything with the knight, white will lose a 3 point piece next turn. So white must visualize the places his knight can move and determine the best possible choice. First White visualizes his knight to move to F6 (Kf6). This will put the king in check. This move is the "Cause". Black's Reaction to the move is the "Effect". White must look further into the move and see that Black's Knight on G8 will be able to respond by taking White's Knight. Second, White visualizes the move to B4 (Kb4). This would make for a good move as White will gain a 3 point piece, save his knight, and black will have no counter moves. Without any counter moves, Black has no defense for the 3 point piece and it is up for grabs. However, there are still 6 other moves the knight can make and all of which need to be exhausted and looked at. Finally, White sees the move to C7 (Kc7), which gains a pawn (1 point), puts the king in check (Ruins Castling) and will inevitiably gain a rook for 5 more points. This devastating play will seal blacks defeat by getting a gain for 6 points and cutting off blacks castle retreat. ---Conclusion--- The only thing that seperates a "Preset Player" and a "Chess Thinker" is that if the preset goes wrong, the "Chess Thinker" will be able to visualize an alternate move and determine the reprocussions of his actions. Where as, a "Preset Player" will be placed into a mental state of chaos in an attempt to make the "Preset Move" still work. Chess is not only for "Smart People" to play and master, but for anyone who has basic common sense and cause and effect reasoning. I may not be a Grandmaster or be near the best in Chess, but this is merely my understanding of the game placed into words to dispute the stereotypical out look on the great game of Chess. Wally Reichard

Interested qualified Knights here are invited to also join the White Knights of the King's Indian Attack.

Which would you prefer to be? I prefer White because It goes first but there are reasons why I like black. See If I'm black I get to see what the opponent is up to. Therefor I get to prevent it. I know You can't see what they are doing on the first move but since your always after White then eventually you will get it and counter.

This is a black opening that I think you would like. The trick is to put one knight out and the other in your defense. One is protecting the other. Knights don't work well together so it's like a bribe to kill it then get revenge. The other knight you keep and if hidden in defense behind to pawns. Then use put the bishop on the highway by moving g6 and bg7. Then put your king into the defense position by castling kingside. Then move h6. So altogether it is e6 n37 d6 nc6 g6 bg7 0-0 h6. That's it and it should look like this:

This thread is for the discussion of the great openings for the Black side of the board. Post here your favorite openings, questions, suggestions and innovative ideas to start the game.

This thread is for the discussion of the great openings for the White side of the board. Post here your favorite openings, questions, suggestions and innovative ideas to start the game.

Camelot From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the mythical castle. For other uses, see Camelot (disambiguation). Camelot Gustave Doré’s illustration of Camelot from “Idylls of the King”, 1868. Arthurian legend Notable people King Arthur, Uther Pendragon,Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, Igraine,Merlin Camelot is the most famous castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the fabulous Arthurian world. The stories locate it somewhere in Britain and sometimes associate it with real cities, though more usually its precise location is not revealed. Most scholars regard it as being entirely fictional, its geography being perfect for romance writers; Arthurian scholar Norris J. Lacy commented that "Camelot, located no where in particular, can be anywhere".[1] Nevertheless arguments about the location of the "real Camelot" have occurred since the 15th century and continue to rage today in popular works and for tourism purposes. The castle is mentioned for the first time in Chrétien de Troyes' poem Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, dating to the 1170s, though it is not mentioned in all the manuscripts.[1][2] It is mentioned in passing, and is not described:[edit]Early appearances A un jor d'une Acenssion / Fu venuz de vers Carlion / Li rois Artus et tenu ot / Cort molt riche a Camaalot / Si riche com au jor estut. [3]Upon a certain Ascension Day King Arthur had come from Caerleon, and had held a very magnificent court at Camelot as was fitting on such a day.[4]Nothing in Chrétien's poem suggests the level of importance Camelot would have in later romances. For Chrétien, Arthur's chief court was inCaerleon in Wales; this was the king's primary base in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and subsequent literature.[1] Chrétien depicts Arthur, like a typical medieval monarch, holding court at a number of cities and castles. It is not until the 13th-century French prose romances, including the Lancelot-Grail and the Post-Vulgate Cycle, that Camelot began to supersede Caerleon, and even then, many descriptive details applied to Camelot derive from Geoffrey's earlier grand depiction of the Welsh town.[1] Most Arthurian romances of this period produced in English or Welsh did not follow this trend; Camelot was referred to infrequently, and usually in translations from French. One exception is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which locates Arthur's court at "Camelot";[5] however, in Britain Arthur's court was generally located at Caerleon, or at Carlisle, which is usually identified with the "Carduel" of the French romances.[6] It was not until the late 15th century that Thomas Malory created the image of Camelot most familiar to English speakers today in his Le Morte d'Arthur, a work based mostly on the French romances. He firmly identifies Camelot with Winchester, an identification that remained popular over the centuries, though it was rejected by Malory's own editor, William Caxton, who preferred a Welsh location.[7] [edit]Etymology The name's derivation is also unknown. Some have suggested it is similar enough to other Iron Age and Romano-British place names such asCamulodunum to suggest some historicity; that particular locale was the first capital of Roman Britain and would have significance in Romano-British culture. Indeed John Morris, the English historian who specialized in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history ofSub-Roman Britain, suggested in his book The Age of Arthur that as the descendants of Romanized Britons looked back to a golden age of peace and prosperity under Rome, the name "Camelot" of Arthurian legend may have referred to the capital of Britannia (Camulodunum - modern Colchester) in Roman times. If historical the first part of it, Cam, could also reflect the Celtic word meaning "crooked" which is commonly used in place names as seen in Camlann. Given Chrétien's known tendency to create new stories and characters, being the first to mention the hero Lancelot and his love affair with Queen Guinevere for example, the name might also be entirely invented. [1] [edit]Description in the romances The romances depict the city of Camelot as standing along a river, downstream from Astolat. It is surrounded by plains and forests, and its magnificent cathedral, St. Stephen's, is the religious centre for Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. There Arthur and Guinevere are married and there are the tombs of many kings and knights. In a mighty castle stands the Round Table; it is here that Galahad conquers the Siege Perilous, and where the knights see a vision of the Holy Grail and swear to find it. Jousts are held in a meadow outside the city. In the Palamedes and other works, the castle is eventually destroyed by King Mark of Cornwall after the loss of Arthur at the Battle of Camlann.[1] However maddening to later scholars searching for Camelot's location, its imprecise geography serves the romances well, as Camelot becomes less a literal place than a powerful symbol of Arthur's court and universe.[1] The romancers' versions of Camelot drew on earlier descriptions of Arthur's fabulous court. From Geoffrey's grand description of Caerleon, Camelot gains its impressive architecture, its many churches and the chivalry and courtesy of its inhabitants.[1] Geoffrey's description in turn drew on an already established tradition in Welsh oral tradition of the grandeur of Arthur's court. The tale Culhwch and Olwen, associated with the Mabinogion and perhaps written in the 11th century, draws a dramatic picture of Arthur's hall and his many powerful warriors who go from there on great adventures, placing it in Celliwig, an uncertain locale in Cornwall. Although the court at Celliwig is the most prominent in remaining early Welsh manuscripts, the various versions of the Welsh Triads agree in giving Arthur multiple courts, one in each of the areas inhabited by the Britons: Cornwall, Wales and the Old North. This perhaps reflects the influence of widespread oral traditions common by 800 which are recorded in various place names and features such as Arthur's Seat indicating Arthur was a hero known and associated with many locations across Brittonic areas of Britain as well as Brittany. Even at this stage Arthur could not be tied to one location.[8] Many other places are listed as a location where Arthur holds court in the later romances, Carlisle and London perhaps being the most prominent. [edit]Identifications The romancers' versions of Camelot draw on earlier traditions of Arthur's fabulous court. The Celliwig of Culhwch and Olwen appears in theWelsh Triads as well; interestingly, this early Welsh material places Wales' greatest leader outside its national boundaries. Geoffrey's description of Caerleon is probably based on his personal familiarity with the town and its impressive Roman ruins; it is less clear that Caerleon was associated with Arthur before Geoffrey. The later French romances make much of "Carduel," a northern city based on the real Carlisle. Malory's identification of Camelot as Winchester was probably partially inspired by the latter city's history. It had been the capital of Wessexunder Alfred the Great, and boasted the Winchester Round Table, an artifact constructed in the 13th century but widely believed to be the original by Malory's time. Malory's editor Caxton rejects the association, saying Camelot was in Wales and that its ruins could still be seen; this is a likely reference to the Roman ruins at Caerwent.[7] Malory associated other Arthurian locations with modern places, for instance locating Astolat at Guildford. In 1542 John Leland reported the locals around Cadbury Castle in Somerset considered it to be the original Camelot. This theory, which was repeated by later antiquaries, is bolstered, or may have derived from, Cadbury's proximity to the River Cam and towns Queen Camel and West Camel, and remained popular enough to help inspire a large-scale archaeological dig in the 20th century.[8] These excavations, led by archaeologist Leslie Alcock from 1966-70, were titled "Cadbury-Camelot," and won much media attention, even being mentioned in the film of the musical Camelot.[8] The dig revealed by far the largest known fortification of the period, with Mediterranean artifacts (representing extensive trade) and Saxon artifacts.[8] The use of the name Camelot and the support of Geoffrey Ashe helped ensure much publicity for the finds, but Alcock himself later grew embarrassed by the supposed Arthurian connection to the site. Following the arguments of David Dumville, Alcock felt the site was too late and too uncertain to be a tenable Camelot. Modern archaeologists follow him in rejecting the name, calling it instead Cadbury Castle hill fort.[9] Despite this, Cadbury remains widely associated with Camelot. The fact there were two towns in Roman Britain named Camulodunum, Colchester in Essex, and Slack in West Yorkshire, deriving from the Celtic god Camulos has led to the suggestion they originated the name. However, the Essex Camulodunum was located well within territory usually thought to have been conquered early in the 5th century by Saxons, so it is unlikely to have been the location of any "true" Camelot. The town was definitely known as Colchester as early as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 917.[10] Even Colchester Museum argues strongly regarding the historical Arthur: "It would be impossible and inconceivable to link him to the Colchester area, or to Essex more generally", pointing out that the connection between the name Camuloduum and Colchester was unknown till the 18th century.[11] Other places in Britain with names related to "Camel" have also been suggested, such as Camelford in Cornwall, located down the River Camel from where Geoffrey places Camlann, the scene of Arthur's final battle. The area's connections with Camelot and Camlann are merely speculative. [edit]

Post your favorite piece and why please don't say queen because everybody love their queen Mine is the knight because it can jump over pieces and is good for forking. but it sucks at pinning. In fact it can't pin at all.

for some reason I keep running into this kind of thing and I don't know what to do

I am writing about chess basics like strategies and notation. I will post it on this chain when I'm done you can even help me make improvements. I don't think you're going to learn anything but it's worth a shot

Can you imagine being at one of these FIDE candidates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candidates%27_Tournament s? take 1952-1954 for examble, Kotov, Taimanov, Petrosian, Geller, Averbakh, Gligoric, Euwe, Reshecsky, Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Boleslavsky, Najdorf have to duke it out to get to Botvinnik.... or this 1923 Carlsbad tournament http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad_1923_chess_tournament in which Alekhine wins over a field giants that include Bogo, Maroczy, Reti, Grunfeld, Nimzo, Yates, Teichman, Tartakower, Tarrasch, Rubinstein, Samisch, and Spielmann. anbody else got any fantasy tournies?

Hi everyone here is 20 lessons i have learned along my path in chess... 1.) I learned to look before i leap! before i decide to make any real moves and again just before making it because sometimes i found i got so absorbed in the variations i forgot to check again and have lost pieces and pawns.... 2.)To not play the first move that comes to mind all the time because often there are better moves if we take the time to look.... 3.) To not just play whatever move thinking it doesn't make any difference because it really does i have lost games because i played the right moves in the wrong order and that can be a painful lesson believe me.... 4.)That development was more important then attacking straight away unless u have got a real chance of winning then attack like crazy till they fall apart normally i only got that chance when they played a very bad opening idea .... 5.)That i shouldn't just play the opening because it looks good because sometimes u lose because u don't take the time to play the game not just play moves i have won and lost because of this.... 6.)That the endgame really is important as important as the opening or even more so its worth the study again learned the hard way... 7.)Castle when needed not always because it looks good sometimes holding off is better.... 8.)A bad plan is a lot better then no plan at all.with out a plan ur lost before u started..... 10.)A knight on the rim is indeed dim 90% of the time they are much better on the 5th and 6th rank in the middle where they control 8 squares instead of 4 and are like thorns in opponents sides and they are great close quarter defenders and attackers but not so good from distance much better in closed positions then open ones... 11.)Rooks work best on the open files or at least semi open and when doubled especially on the 7th ranks and bishops work best when positions are open at a distance especially when put together 2 bishops on and open game are far better then 2 knights.... 12.)learned that when in trouble keep active always and make things complex when your down sometimes the fact that u didn't fall apart gets to them and they make a mistake and your back in the game, simplify when your up but not at the expense of your position.... 13.)Always study the whole board not just apart of it or your side of it believe me u can forget .... 14.)Don't play Queen out to early and try silly attacks with her because she is worth so much and can be attacked in a big way against someone who knows what to do, think of the risk of losing her if u fail to break through.... 15.)well coordinated pieces are very effective so don't play opening moves that inhibit that to much.... 16.) Don't be intimidated by much higher rated players every one can lose even masters so play your best chess always no matter who it is.But do respect players get to cocky and u will lose even against players much lower then you... 17.)Study your games well as they are good teachers especialy the losses and its worth the time to do so...... 18.)Quality over Quantity is much better i found if i played more then 20 games at a time i had trouble keeping track of them and lost to much.... 19.)i learned not to panic if someone plays and opening novelty or strange move idea but just stay calm and try to work out what they could be doing and just play standard chess don't try and be to fancy with it and lose the focus on what really matters... 20.)winning isn't every thing sometimes this is a hard one to remember because i like winning i always play to win except if I'm teaching sometimes and that u learn from it get better not bitter and not to be a sore loser or sore winner either gloating is such and ugly thing and players will mock u back when u lose be graceful in victory as u r in defeat....

Here is a link to another old post that some of u might not have seen i wanted to share with u a game where Kasparov proved y he became one the most incredible world chess champions ever.... http://blog.chess.com/view/young-kasparovs-game

I have so many question cuz I'm new to chess.com Wat is the point in groups wat do we do Can I make my own group and how? just tell me all about groups please

This is a link to some beginning advice i once wrote months ago i thought u might enjoy looking at. I wrote others too if u want to check it out... http://www.chess.com/article/view/why-do-u-have-to-learn-all-these-principles-in-chess

This thread is going to be dedicated to any and all suggestions for the group. It's a broad topic so I can't get too far into detail on it or it will prevent creative thinking. Just any ideas, post it here :) Wally Reichard