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Your Chess Journey

Intro to Chess

Common Mistakes

Some people think you need a genius-level IQ to play chess. Or that you can’t play well as an adult.

Thankfully, neither of these is true. You can play chess well- even as an adult. This article will guide you through the basics so you understand:

• How to define chess

• The general gameplay

• The stages of chess

• How a game ends

Simple Chess Definition

Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8-square by 8-square board, where each player controls 16 pieces with the goal of checkmating their opponent's King.

Checkmate is a position where a King is threatened by an opponent piece (called “check”), but can’t escape the threat.

General Gameplay

Out of respect, every chess game begins and ends with a handshake. Players in chess tournaments have actually been disqualified for refusing to shake their opponent’s hand at the start of the game.

So who goes first?

Whoever is playing the white pieces always makes the first move. This is not a race thing, but keeps games consistent and organized. Whoever is playing the black pieces still has an equal opportunity to win.

Players alternate turns where they have the option of moving one of their pieces or capturing an opponent’s piece.

Stages of Chess

There are three stages of chess.

1️⃣ The Opening

The beginning of the game, consisting of about the first ten moves. The focus in the opening is getting your pieces out quickly.

2️⃣ The Middlegame

This stage follows the opening where there’s a focus on capturing opponent pieces and improving your position.

3️⃣ The Endgame

You guessed it. This stage follows the middle game- by this point, most of the captures have already happened. Because there are less pieces on the board, it’s safe enough to bring your King out to help in the battle.

How Chess Games End

Chess games can end in a few different ways. Here they are in a nutshell:

• A player wins by checkmate ⚔️

  One of the players successfully “checkmates” their opponent’s King, leaving them no options to escape.

• A player resigns 🏳️

  One of the players gives up because they don’t believe they can come back and win.

• A player runs out of time ⏱️

  If you’re playing a timed game, you lose if you run out of time. Managing your time well is an important skill.

• A tie occurs 🤝

  Ties (called “draws”) happen in a number of ways, including not having enough pieces to checkmate or by both players agreeing to one.

Action Step

✅ Make a free online chess account.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

- Lao Tzu

Why a chess account?

Having a chess account lets you practice and play with other people all over the world while seeing your progress in real-time.

There are two major platforms- both are free to sign up.

Lichess - This one sounds like “lee-chess” and is my personal favorite. No ads, completely free lessons, and a great app to play on.

Chess.com - The site with the largest user base. Free to sign up. Limited daily lessons. Lots of tools, games, and a solid app as well. Note: A chess.com rating is more highly regarded than a Lichess rating.

Wrap Up

That’s your chess intro! Not so hard right? Thank you for starting (or continuing) your chess journey with us.

Download the free guide below to learn how to move chess pieces. Make sure to complete the action step above so you’re able to see your growth over time.

Happy playing.