Beginners' Rules

Bebe!!! Remember that chess is about forming habits. Good habits. These are best numbered "rules" you keep in your head to learn to play, and play better.

For Example: Rule #1 - Always bring the pawn out to guard against the horse.

    Rule#2 - Never line your Queen & King up on the same line.

I disagree. In chess there's no such thing as rules. Every situation is different, sometimes its very good lining up your Q and K, and sometimes it isn't necessary to take of the knight's spots. I refer to john watson's 'Secrets of modern chess strategy, advances since Nimzowitsch', who explains this subject superbly.

Rule #3 - Always face your opponent toward the sun.

I usually go with the weakest player insisting on the strictest guidelines.

Rule #4 - Never allow one of those scholar mate thingies.

 Bull. Grandmasters play Nf6 or Nc6 to guard against an opponent's Nc3 or Nf3.

I'm tending to go with this guy now.

Rule #5 - Always go with the guy who says "Bull."

These "rules" and comments are for my beginning son who's 8. I don't eat drink and breath chess, but It's obvious you folks do. I'm sure you would be good people to learn from, all the Nc3, grandmaster pubah stuff. At 46 I haven't played for quite a while.

Just remember, all hate is self-hate, so... I'll look for ya sometime and I bet you won't make any of the mistakes mentioned, but not as eloguent and specific as you. : )

                              Hi Charlie

Here is a few things that I teach beginning players, 6 year old to 80 year olds.

After they get better then they can make changes. I am assuming they know how to move the pieces.

                   FOR BEGINNERS

1. You touch a piece, you move that piece. So sit on your hands until you know what you are going to move.

2. You let go of the piece, you can't take it back.

3. Always open with the King or Queen pawns, two spaces.

4. Move the knight out first and the bishop out next  when playing white.

5. Then Castle on the 4th move king side.

6. Don't move the a, b, c or the f, g, h pawns during the opening.

7. You shake hands before the game and shake hands after the game.

8. Smile whether you win or lose. There will always be another game.

9. Learn the scholar's mate and don't get mated.

10. Learn to attack the weak squares. F7  and  F2.

          This are important for all beginners.

    Bye for now I hope this is what you wanted.

I completely disagree with number 6. 

Infact I would go the complete opposite of rule number 6, which is make sure your king can never be trapped on the back row, well before the move before checkmate occurs. 

Rules are for people who don't understand Principles. If you understand the principle you can break the rule. >:[

You did read all of Rule 6, didn't you? Making a hole "in case" is bad if all it does is leave a square defenceless against an enemy piece (Knight especially) and use up a move you could better invest elsewhere.

 I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Number 6 specifies not to move the pawns in front of a castled King unless to save mate.  So in the puzzle above, black should certainly have done this to prevent mate.  

I think number 6 makes good sense for a beginner.  I've been in plenty of circumstances where I moved a pawn when I didn't have to and ended up in trouble.  Of course you have to and maybe its best to do so given the position even when there is no mate threat.  But its a good rule to begin with.  Otherwise beginners will resort to pushing the pawns in front of the king whenever there is an enemy piece nearby and then might lose a pawn because of a pin.  Or they might end up getting mated when its a complicated combo that they didn't see.

I think a good rule is to do the following before you move every time:

Check all the attacks, checks and double attacks every time.  Get in the habit of looking at everything they can take and you can take, so that you don't leave a piece hanging or miss taking a piece that is hanging.  (Of course if the hanging piece is a trap, then thats different).  

I think at some point you don't have to do this consciously, but when I have forgotten to do this, I missed a mate in one or a combo. If you aren't in time trouble, its good to do one last quick check like this before you touch the piece.  

May I trip-trap over your bridge?

Many of the comments made to Charlie were silly. They weren't helpful as he was actually trying to get input.

Beginners are just that. If I were to ask a beginner to explain a principle of attack or defense, it would be a miracle if they knew what you are talking about.

A beginner doesn't even know a back row mate. A beginner is just starting to learn.  They are just happy that they can make a move.

This is not for you guys. It's for a eight year old. As he gets better those rules will change for him. This is just to get him started.

You guys haven't taught hundreds of beginners. The players new to the game do not know how to use pieces in combination.

The back row mate on black is a bad example. A beginner would not know how to promote two pawns and end up with four Rooks.

                           Oh Never mind.

                            Trick or Treat!

But what I would say is a back row mate is probably one of the most silly ways to lose a chess game. 

Therefore I would argue you are better off teaching a beginner how to avoid it, before teaching them how to use pieces with others. 

One thing I would say that hasn't being mentioned yet is teach him the end game, checkmates such as queen + rook, rook + rook, queen on its own, and rook on its own. 

Rule #42

If a guy named Doc wants to play you for money, DON"T DO IT!