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Get your Copy of United States Chess Federation’’s Official Rules of Chess, Fifth Edition NOW! Before it’s too late.

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Book Features:  Training Methods, Chess in Schools, Exercises, Top Coaches Explain, the Benefits of Learning Chess, Interviews, Tools, Reviews, etc.

In the last decade there has been a phenomenal growth of chess within the educational community.

The popularity of chess is no accident: in an era of compulsive zapping of TV channels, violent gaming and mobile chatter, learning chess means improving basic skills (like analysis, decision making, strategic thinking, stamina, and dealing with stress) while interacting meaningfully with other pupils. A great job for motivated teachers and coaches.

The Chess Instructor 2009 aims to give answers to all these questions, and more. Michael Basman explains how he puts 70,000 British schoolkids to play, every year, and Simen Agdestein tells about his work with super talent Magnus Carlsen.

This compendium is for chess training at all levels. With a multi-colored mosaic of articles, it aims to raise topics for discussion, and to get chess teachers at local schools to learn from top coaches, as well as the other way around. With ready-to-use teaching exercises for all levels.

Get your Copy of The Chess Instructor 2009: The New in Chess Compendium for Chess Teachers, Coaches and Parents NOW! Before it’s too late.

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An introduction to chess sets

There are almost as many different types and styles of chess sets as there are chess players. It may be hard to decide upon a particular set, but it’s relatively easy to narrow your choices down to a particular category. Here’s a look at the major categories that are available everywhere:

Theme Chess Sets

Travel Chess Sets

 Wood Chess Sets

Glass Chess Sets

No matter what material you choose, there is a chess set that’s right for your taste and budget. Instead of buying a set, consider buying the board, pieces and pawns separately. That way, instead of ending up with a chess set that’s another ‘me too’, you can design one that’s uniquely yours!

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 This will be done to some extent through experience, but relying on healthy, analytical thinking is always best. Most openings have a name, for example ‘Spanish Game’, ‘Sicilian Defence’ etc. One needs to know which moves characterize each opening in order to classify a game. Similar openings usually lead to positions with similar features. Furthermore, every opening has many possible variations, many of which do also have a name. A major classification depends on the first move. Accordingly, an opening may be Open, Semi-Open or Closed. An opening is Open if WHITE starts with 1.e4 and BLACK replies 1.e5. It is Semi-Open if WHITE starts with 1.e4 but BLACK does not reply 1.e5 and it is Closed if WHITE does not play 1.e4.

Below are some of the most common Open openings :

Spanish Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) : WHITE threatens the black pawn at e5 with 2.Nf3 and BLACK supports it with 2.Nc6. Now WHITE plays 3.Bb5 threatening the pawn again, since he may first capture on c6, then on e5.

Italian game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) : WHITE prepares to castle whilst maximizing his pieces’ mobility. The move 3.Bc4 controls the d5 square and thus inhibits the freeing move d7-d5. It also keeps an eye on f7, a slightly weak square in the opening and one immediately relevant to the Black King’s safety.

Scotch game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4) : WHITE plans to quickly open the lines for his pieces. The usual answer is 3.exd4 and now WHITE may either take his pawn back with 4.Nxd4 or play 4.c3, a variation known as the ‘Scotch Gambit’.

Four Knights Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6) : This opening is more stable for WHITE, but also not too demanding, since 3.Nc3 poses no immediate threats.

Phillidor’s Defence (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6) : This opening leads to closed positions, but tactics are still on.

Russian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6) : An interesting opening that is not used very much nowadays.

Bishop’s Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4) : This very old opening is seldom used nowadays.

King’s Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) : WHITE opts to capture the f-pawn later (after 2.exf4); BLACK will have to settle for some defence if he wants to keep the material advantage.

Below are some of the most common Semi-Open openings :

French Defence (1.e4 e6) : BLACK is preparing to play the freeing move d7-d5.

 Caro-Cann Defence (1.e4 c6) : BLACK is preparing to play d7-d5 here too; a major difference to the French Defence is that the Bc8 will develop more easily, since the e-pawn does not restrict him.

Scandinavian Game (1.e4 d5) : BLACK tries to have active play and opens the position himself.

Alechkin’s Defence (1.e4 Nf6) : BLACK does not care about moving the same piece again, in case WHITE plays 2.e5. If WHITE advances his central pawns, BLACK will undermine his centre with side-thrusts (d7-d6, c7-c5 etc).

Sicilian Defence (1.e4 c5) : This opening is the most widely used. It offers fair possibilities for both and usually leads to wild tactics. Below are some of the most common Closed Openings :

Queen’s Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4) : If BLACK captures on c4, WHITE will manage to capture on c4 later.

English Game (1.c4 e5) : Usually leads to closed positions.

King’s Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d6) : An opening rich in tactics and strategy; it has earned much popularity and is used at top-class games.

Dutch Defence (1.d4 f5) : This opening leads to closed strategic positions. 18.Slav Defence (1.c4 c6) : This opening leads to symmetrical, drawish positions, with strategic considerations playing the most important role. It is best for a player to get busy with only a handful of openings and improve his knowledge and experience on them. Every opening has a key idea, which, once perceived, will be easier to implement on the board.

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1. e4 Nf6

It is named after Alexander Alekhine, who introduced it in the 1921 Budapest tournament in games against Endre Steiner and Fritz Sämisch. Four years later, the editors of the Fourth Edition of Modern Chess Openings (MCO-4) wrote, “Nothing is more indicative of the iconoclastic conceptions of the ‘hypermodern school’ than the bizarre defence introduced by Alekhine … . Although opposing to all tenets of the classical school, Black allows his King’s Knight to be driven about the board in the early stages of the game, in the expectation of provoking a weakness in White’s centre pawns.” White’s imposing mass of pawns in the centre often includes pawns on c4, d4, e5, and f4. Grandmaster Nick de Firmian observes of Alekhine’s in MCO-15 (2008), “The game immediately loses any sense of symmetry or balance, which makes the opening a good choice for aggressive fighting players.”[4]

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All three phases of the game have special characteristics regarding the way the chess player is thinking. In the opening the major aim is to successfully develop one’s forces in order to be ready for the middlegame battle. To accomplish this, simple, yet important, guidelines have to be followed along with a common-sense analysis. These guidelines are the result of long-time experience, offered to the chess community by world class players. These general principles will be provided in a descending order of importance, along with some short explanations to make them easy to follow.

Development -  This is the most basic principle that applies in the opening. A piece is developed when it is moved from its initial position to another. As a result, its mobility is increased, as does the number of squares it now controls. It may threaten some enemy piece as well, which puts some pressure to the opponent. Before any plan can be put to work development has to be completed. Failure to complete the development will almost certainly lead to a passive position with bad prospects.

Control of the centre This is also very important, since most tactical battles take place in the centre.  A centralized piece is definitely very well placed for it controls many squares and can exert big pressure. Pawn moves usually help control the centre. This is why central pawn moves are preferred to side pawn moves. Control of the centre may also be assisted by normal piece development. For example, developing the Kg1 to f3 gives control to the central squares d4 and e5.

King safety - Castling should seldom be postponed. Castling increases the king’s safety and also helps the rook develop. There are rare cases in which one should consider to not castle at all. Short castling is normally mush safer. Failure to castle may give the opponent an opportunity to attack the king directly or indirectly; in each case defensive problems arise. 4.Plan. One should try to mentally formulate a simple plan, then also try to follow it. The plan should give a general idea of where the pieces are going to develop and what pawn moves are intended. Move order is also important and should be examined as well. Generally speaking, pawn moves are made first (to gain control of the centre), knight moves come next (because they have few possible squares to develop) and then bishop moves (because bishops can be developed on several possible squares one may be uncertain which one is best). Castling should be done early, if possible, and finally development of the heavy pieces can also be done.

Early queen moves are not recommended, for the opponent may take advantage by threatening the queen whilst developing his own pieces. Next comes an example of how one should think when playing the opening. Suppose WHITE is preparing his first move. There are eight pawns, each of which may advance one or two squares. The other pieces are currently immobilized, except for the two knights, which can move to two possible squares each. WHITE should recall the basic guidelines : development, control of the centre, king safety, a plan. He may well move a knight to start the development.

 The moves 1.Nf3 and 1.Nc3 are equally good, however, a knight on a3 or h3 is badly placed, for it is away from the centre. Usually pawn moves are made first, so 1.e4, controlling d5 and f5 is a very good choice. Equally good is 1.d4 and 1.c4. The move 1.f4 is acceptable, but it weakens the king somewhat. Moving the a, b, g or h pawns is not suggested, since they do not fight for the centre. Similarly, 1.e3 and 1.d3 are acceptable moves, but they are considered inferior for the same reason.

Suppose WHITE eventually decides to play 1.e4 and now BLACK replies with 1…e5, also fighting for the centre. Now WHITE has more choices, since his queen and his bishop at f1 can also move. WHITE should avoid playing the queen too early, as mentioned. He should rather try to develop his lightweight pieces. His selection list should now include at least the following moves, which are consistent to the basic principles : 2.d4, 2.Nf3, 2.Nc3, 2.Bc4. There are good moves too, but these are probably the best. WHITE should dislike for example 2.Bd3, because this move, though actually developing a piece, has two drawbacks : it does not increase the bishop’s mobility and it prevents the d pawn from advancing. The d pawn will need to advance sooner or later, or WHITE will have little freedom in his moves; so the move 2.Bd3 may be a lost tempo, if WHITE later needs to move the bishop again. This mini example demonstrates how one should use his own judgment along with the general opening principles. Note that the general principles by no means are of universal validity.

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The traditional chess clock has two time counters, one for each player. After a player makes his move, he pushes a button which stops his counter and starts the opponent’s one. This procedure continues until the end of the game. In analog clocks there is a flag that will fall if time is over for one player, while a digital clocks will beep to denote that. The Fischer-clock, proposed and named after former World Champion Grandmaster Robert Fischer (a totally enigmatic and admirable chess personality), is used in a similar way.

The difference is that a constant amount of time (say 5 or 10 seconds) is added after every move made. This helps prevent players from running into time-trouble. The negotiated time controls are in relevance with the chess clock used. Time controls may differ from game to game. Players need to take into account the time controls announced when a tournament is to take place. Typical examples are : ‘two hours for the whole game’, ‘one and half an hour for the first 40 moves and one hour for the rest’, ‘two hours for the first 40 moves and half an hour for every 20 moves thereafter’, ‘one hour and 15-seconds-added-per-move for the whole game (requires a Fischer-clock)’. Shorter time controls give chess games different names. A standard game usually has a time limit of two hours or more.

A rapid game falls in the range of 20-45 minutes and a blitz game in the range 5-15 minutes. There are even shorter time controls, for example 3 minutes per game or 1 minute per game (sometimes referred to as ‘lightning’ or ‘bullet’, can only be played online); one that is not very familiar with chess will find them exhausting. But what happens if a player fails to complete his moves in time? In general, he loses the game. There is an exception here : if the player who still has time does not have sufficient material to win, then the game is drawn. In addition, a player who would normally win the game, had he enough time, may call the arbiter and ask for a draw; the arbiter will check the position and make his decision. There are several issues regarding time controls but they are usually tournament-specific. For example, what happens if both players run out of time? This may actually happen some time, for a player may not notice his opponent’s flag fell until his own does too. Well, the game is drawn.

 In most tournaments players are responsible for checking their opponent’s time; in others the arbiter may indicate a flag fall as well. These details are indeed of minor importance and rules are reconsidered every now and then. What is really important is the way a player uses his time. One should try to avoid getting into time trouble; it is at least annoying and leads to bad results. One should also try not to play too quickly, or he takes the risk of blundering something.

 Use of time should be rational. If two hours are available for the whole game, this makes about 3 minutes per move (assuming a game is averaging about 40 moves). If one feels that the game is going to be rather lengthy, he may play a bit more fast. Early moves usually require little thought and some moves are more or less automatic. On the contrary, difficult situations will require more thinking and thus more time. In practical chess it is always good to have more time available than the opponent has, or at least about the same. And it is necessary to always to keep an eye on the clock.

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While that chess table won’t increase your skill level, it will make playing the game more comfortable and will certainly raise your ‘reputation’ among other players. As an added bonus, the better chess tables make a beautiful addition to the decor of any room.

Although you can find chess tables made from plastic and glass, there is nothing that says ‘class’ quite like those which are made from wood. You can find some beautiful and affordable tables that are made from oak, maple, mahogany, cherry and walnut. The price go up sharply when you start looking at models that are made from more rare and exotic woods like ebony, cocobolo, or teak.

Depending upon the style, the actual chess board is built right into the table top using either inlaid wood or other material including marble. Contrasting material colors are used to simulate the ‘black and white’ squares.

Chess tables usually come equipped with two felt-lined drawers, one on each side, so you can store the pieces and pawns. Top-of-the-line chess tables often times will have individual custom-fitted slots for each piece and pawn.

The lower and mid-range chess tables, regardless of the material they are made from, are usually mass produced in an assembly line environment. The more expensive ones are usually individually handmade. Prices range from under $100 for the off-the-shelf plastic, glass and low-grade wood models, to over $1500 and up for top-of-the-line and hand-made collector pieces. There are a great deal of selections available in the under $500 range as well.

Most chess tables come in a uniform height of 30? although custom and collector pieces may vary according to the manufacturer. On average, a chess table will be 30? wide and 30? deep although, again, that can vary greatly as well.

Of course, a chess table is of little use if you don’t have any chairs. Some chess tables include matching chairs, while others leave the chair selection process up to you. The key element in selecting chairs is to make sure that
they position your comfortably in relationship to the height of the chess table.

Keep in mind that many of the wood chess tables, especially those that are made out of the richer hardwoods, will require occasional cleaning and polishing/waxing. Most of them will also react unfavorably to the presence of moisture, so remember not to place any beverage containers or glasses on the table.

A good chess table is an investment that you can enjoy for years. But don’t worry if you can’t afford the best. Just get the most table that you can afford now and you can always trade up as time goes by.

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