Chess: A Beginner's Guide to the Game of Chess

By Gregory Galaev

Introducing "Chess: A Beginner's Guide to the Game of Chess"

Embark on an exciting journey to master the timeless art of chess with our comprehensive guide specially designed for beginners. This all-inclusive book will provide you with everything you need to know to start playing, improving, and ultimately conquering the ga

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rivercat Books LLC
• Release date: Apr 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960748102

Book preview

Introduction

So, you want to learn how to play chess? That’s great! Chess is a popular strategy game that is great for both sharpening your mind as well as being a fun way to occupy your time. The best players compete to be in the top rankings, however it can take a person years of practice and playing to achieve that goal, so do not make this your primary motivation for learning chess.

Chess is an extremely old game that’s been around for centuries. It has long been played by people from all walks of life, from the nobility of old to the retired elderly gentlemen that you likely see playing it in the park. Chess can also be found practically anywhere nowadays, in the park, on TV, and of course, on the internet.

This has led to a surge of information regarding chess and its strategies, from books to instructional videos on the numerous web platforms available. If you have picked out this book, it is likely because you are either interested in being able to play this fascinating game and are a beginner or because you are an advanced player looking to brush up on your skills. Despite this book being aimed at beginners, players at any and all levels can benefit from reading this book.

Throughout this book, we will be going over a variety of topics related to chess, beginning with the long history of this intellectual game. Then we will move onto the game’s rules, which will include setting up the chessboard, how to move the pieces, discovering the special rules that make chess more interesting, how the first move is determined, how someone goes about winning, the different variants of chess, how to play in tournaments, and the in-depth information required to understand the rankings and titles that you can earn as you play along.

We will then move onto how to write down your notations, which is essentially how you write down your moves. Then you will be given advice on how to improve your gameplay. Further on will be a guide on the psychology of chess, which is an aspect that is more important than you might think. We will end this book with some guidelines and strategies for beginners to take advantage of.

Let’s begin now with the history of this fascinating game!

Chapter 1: The History of Chess

When it comes to the history of chess, it is admittedly as complicated as it is long. In truth, there is no pinpoint of beginning for the game itself. The working theory is that it originated around the fifth century in the Indus Valley, which is located between India and Persia. However, no singular person has been attributed to its creation. What can be verified is that the game itself eventually began to make its way across the world, evolving and taking on the different characteristics of the cultures that played it. The rules of chess became universal around four centuries ago. However, it took until the nineteenth century for the clocks and the pieces used to become standardized.

It was also during the late nineteenth century that the official world champion title came into existence, which was a short time after the first big tournaments were held and multiple styles of play were fully developed. The year 1843 was when the first book on chess openings was published, but the theories that we know and use today didn’t really evolve until the mid-to late-twentieth century, which also saw the introduction of computer engines and databases.

The common thought is that before it became chess, it was a game played in India called chaturanga. This game eventually spread throughout Asia and Europe over the centuries before it evolved into the chess we know today. One of the first known masters of chess was a Spanish priest named Ruy Lopez, who has an opening named after him, and although he didn’t invent it, he had analyzed it in a book that he published in 1561. With chess theory in its infancy at the time, Lopez had