At the risk of sounding like a complete loser...how does one actually get GOOD at chess?

Yeah, I know probably a ridiculous question for anyone who actually plays chess out there, but I'm at a bit of a loss.



See, I'm fascinated by chess, I love the concept and I love playing it...but I never win. Absolutely everyone I've played has been better than me, assumedly because they're able to think the right way and plan strategies. Now I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person - I've always excelled at maths and problem solving, but I figure your brain needs to work a somewhat "different" way to play a chessboard effectively. Most people who play the game seem to be able "see" a dozen or so moves ahead, which quite frankly boggles my mind.



I guess what I'm really asking is, what is the best way to actually train your brain to play chess better? I know the easy answer is "practice", but I'm thinking of something more specific - I've played plenty of games before, and I never seem to improve. Does playing against a computer actually help? Are there any programs that offer you hints and tips as you're playing? How about books? Do they offer any valuable insight, and if so are there any recommendations?



Thanks for reading and answering.

At the risk of sounding like a complete loser...how does one actually get GOOD at chess?
Either read me prattle on or use a site that shows you, instead of tells you.

http://www.chesscorner.com/tutorial/lear鈥?/a>
Practice............

There is no other way.At the risk of sounding like a complete loser...how does one actually get GOOD at chess?
Practise and awareness and strategy of the game and more practise.
Books are always helpful. Probably more helpful than I will be.

But I'll give it a try anyways (Keep in mind, I'm not spectacular either, but I do play a lot, and I would consider myself 'average')



The most important thing is to set up a good defense from the beginning. Try to come up with something that will allow your peices relative freedom of motion, but will require some sacrifice from the other player to get through it.



Also, before you make any move, make sure you analyze every possible move that your peices can make, and every move your opponent could conceivably make (including the ones that may seem downright suicidal).



Try to force the other players to sacrifice good pieces, while you lose ones of less value. A common example of this is called the 'fork' where one of your peices has two of the opponent's in danger, and he can only possibly save one of them.



Finally, remember this: your King is an offensive piece too! Many players will simply leave their king way at the back of their lines, but it can still be used to capture other pieces, and, when it is out in the open, there are that many more ways to protect it!



Anyways,

I hope this helps.At the risk of sounding like a complete loser...how does one actually get GOOD at chess?
just think ahead

before u mover any piece on the board think.......

if i move this pond will there knight kill me

basically just think of all the possibility's of ur move before u move

hope it helps
I could help you out a lot. I use to be JUST like you. I played and played and played, but never got any better, and I just plateaued at a certain level of suck.



It's not that you aren't smart enough or anything like that, or can't see far enough ahead. I only look about 3 or so moves a head. I use to only do 2, but that will get you in a lot of tactical trouble, especially against computers! Your problem is that you are not actually looking at the game as you are suppose to.



You are a general commanding your Troops! you don't look at a battle and think "If i shoot him then he shoots him and then i can shoot..." no. You think "IF i move these guys over here, then I can surround these guys, but he may circumvent my tactics with this and that, but it will be to an advantage if I were to achieve this position."



You have to look at the board and decide What you want to do before you begin to look at tactics. Should you put the rook on the C file, because you are planning on opening it up in the future? well can you open it up? or as soon as you try will he lock it in and make your move a waste of time? Maybe you want him to lock it in because you have two knights and he has two bishops, and your pair will be stronger. These are positional thoughts that go hand in hand with tactical decisions. Don't perform a tactic if it puts you in a poor position. And an extremely common error that I know you most likely suffer from too is trying to defend everything the opponent does. Ignore them if their moves don't lead to anything, you have to Investigate any significant attacks by them and determine if you should even Bother stopping it, maybe you can continue with YOUR plan instead, as soon as you become his puppet you start to lose.
My father is an extraordinary chess player, and he always told me to get the back pieces out or a way to get out first. Something I always found helpful was not to plan a strategy 12 steps ahead, instead plan up to 5 steps ahead and change accordingly.
For a few games, don't plan ahead and randomly move, and closely watch what your opponent does. Use it if you think they're good. After, ask your opponent to anaylze your game with you.
Study tactics.



You know, solving chess puzzles (problems).
my teacher all ways says to:

Attack and when you don't know sit and do nothing

Learn many openings

learn end game

Stay calm

learn from the masters

improve your position little by little

learn postional chess this is the key to the next level

I listened and i am rated 1408

also fritz is a good computer






I practice using this site...



http://www.playingchess.net