Chess Basics

Pawn Structure
Pawn structure is often the backbone upon which the strategy in a game rests. There are several things that need to be looked at when evaluating the pawn structure of a game. These include whether the game is open or closed, open files, open diagonals...

Playing software
For beginners playing often (as in daily) is the best way of improving. Willing and able opponents are usually not readily available in any household and the computer (as an opponent) could be a reasonable substitute. For a number of years now some excellent...

Visual Instruction
There is a wide range of electronic aids available to the chess coach and the chess learner. The coach/parent/teachers and players will benefit provided the CDs, DVDs or playing programs are used for the purpose it was designed.
Players (especially the lazy ones) will look for “quick fixes” to help him to “win” a tournament or make the team. It is doubtful that such a “magic wand” exists – if chess was that easy why does it have such an extensive literature? To try and find...