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Title Page

Chess - THE AMATEUR TO INTERMEDIATE

By Dario Mengozzi
By Dario Mengozzi
1. The hardest easiest part is starting (learn your
openings!)
Chess openings are the initial moves that are made during the beginning of a
chess game. If you want to truly improve in chess, it is absolutely advisable to
learn openings at some point. Some are more advanced than others, and some are
more solid than others, but you will easily find openings that will fit your current
chess level. Understanding the concept of openings requires one to have a certain
level of theoretical knowledge.

But what are openings really? Every opening has a set of main lines which are
associated with it. These main lines consist of a sequence of moves, sometimes it
can exceed 20 moves! (These long openings are not so advisable for beginners!).
It is essential to note that just because a move is not a part of the main line does
not necessarily mean that it cannot be used extremely effectively, although game
plans might change completely.

As you might have understood now, the process of learning these lines entails a
lot of memorisation, which can be challenging, or simply boring if chess is
something that you are trying to do for fun!
1.
 The hardest easiest part is starting (learn your
openings!)

So, if they are boring to learn, and require you to play like a book, why would
you ever want to learn an opening instead of fashionably free-styling your way
into the middle game? Here is the main appeal of openings: you get to play the
position flawlessly, and you get to capitalise over the imperfections of your
opponent. Because all of your moves would be either tried and tested, perhaps
engine- approved, or both (if it’s neither, you might as well change opening),
openings allow you to take a sequence of moves that are guaranteed to perform,
and apply immediately at the very start of the match. If you then see your
opponent straying away from these sequences of moves, perhaps he has a better
line, or, what is more exciting is that he just played a suboptimal

Oh, if it wasn’t already clear, you are not expected to invent your own opening!
You can just learn what millions of other people play, from the local chess hustler,
to the greatest players of all time! Learning opening lines is important for both
white and black! If you're a beginner, it's advisable to start with the Queen's
Gambit opening for white since it's easier to learn, and it can also help prepare
you for more complex openings in the future, such as the Catalan. For the E4
opening for black, the Caro Kann is an excellent choice. It's a relatively easy
opening to learn once you understand the basics, and it's incredibly solid. The
Queen's Gambit Declined is another useful opening to learn for the D4 opening.
Although you may not face the D4 opening as often as the E4, it's still essential to
have a dedicated opening for both. The Queen's Gambit Declined is a widely used
opening that is favoured by both amateurs and grandmasters alike because it's
solid and reliable.
1.
 Experience is key... but it

takes time
Everyone makes mistakes in chess - even the greatest players of all time have
blundered their queens left and right. Yes, it can be extremely frustrating to make
mistakes, perhaps you blunder a winning position, or you miss a brilliant move,
or you walked right into the opponents trap. But always take it at face value. At
the end of the day, it’s just a game that people play for fun, not much more than
that. It's natural to make mistakes, and it doesn't mean that you're not talented or
should give up the game altogether. After a mistake, it's always a good idea to
analyse the game. Retrospect is a hell of an advantage, but you can then use that
acquired wisdom in your games. I always recommend using a chess engine, or
other dedicated program, hence why I am such a fan of LiChess since both
features are free. By shifting your mindset towards acceptance, grace, and
constant improvement, you can see why you made the mistake and how you can
improve next time.

Grand Masters are able to play flawlessly because they've dedicated thousands of
hours into the game - practicing moves, learning theory, and making mistakes.
They've honed their god-given memory and cognitive abilities through sheer
practice and experience. In fact, a lot of chess just comes down to experience -
blundering, losing, learning, and applying. With enough dedication and practice,
you'll start making fewer and fewer mistakes over time.

So, the next time you make a mistake, just relax, smile, and learn from it!
Remember, nobody is infallible in this game, and mistakes are just a natural part
of the learning process.
1.
The End is near - be prepared!
Just like in other sports, the end can make or break your chances of victory, and
late game blunders are probably the most painful mistake one can commit on the
chess board. You don’t want to be in that position many times! Even if you are
just a beginner, it is crucial that you get familiar with the basics of endgames. Just
to name a few examples:

-You need to learn patience, but also understand and adapt to time

constraints

-You need to learn how to checkmate with just a rook and your king
-You need to learn how to coordinate your pieces to protect and advance pawns to
create queens
-You need to develop great awareness to visualise any possible checks and the
ramifications
-You need to learn how to leverage a pawn majority over the opponent
There is honestly way too much theory to cover in just a paragraph, and I am
certainly not the right guy to learn everything about endgames from, but
YouTubers like Hikaru and GothamChess have done a fantastic job of covering
all the basics already. I would particularly recommend for you to learn pawn
endgames, and rook endgames, since those are the positions that I have found
myself in most often. The endgame is one of the most fun parts of chess, and it
can get quite hectic, however, once you have mastered the basics, you should be
more than capable to handle most end-game positions at the lower levels, where,
let’s be honest, most people do not invest nearly as much time as they should
learning endgames
1.
 Get All the help you need!
There is a wealth of knowledge about chess readily available online for anyone
with a device and a WiFi connection - which I'm assuming you have, since you're
reading this. As a beginner, I highly recommend turning to YouTube channels for
learning. They are usually engaging, modern, and informative. While professional
chess players often rely on books, they can be quite dry for many of us.

There are many streamers on YouTube who deserve recognition, and here are
some of my personal favourites:

-Hikaru, one of the best players in the world;

-GothamChess, whose New York-style of entertainment pairs well with his
typical content formats;
-Eric Rosen, a soft-spoken and calm player who provides useful tutorials;
-Hanging Pawns, whose in-depth videos are incredible tutorials for openings,
although they may be overkill for most casual players.

But what if you don't like YouTube? Don't worry - you can find chess-related
pages on other social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and many more.