Exeter Chess Club: General Chess Handouts

Basic advice

To use this site you need to be able to read chess notation
and sometimes to understand chess symbols. The first port of call for any chess player ought to be the rec.games.chess.* FAQs.
A course of study using some of these handouts
for players of different levels (guide to levels/ratings)
* Posters for a Junior Club {D}
A selection of posters we have had up at Exeter.
* Essential checkmates {D} (60k)
The basic mating patterns for beginners, and a few special ones from Vukovic.
An ABC of chess {D}
The basic mental toolkit of chessplayers.
General advice on the three phases of the game:
* General Opening advice {D} {all?}
* General Middlegame advice {D} {all?}
* General Endgame advice {D} {all?}
Perhaps, if you don't play much, these three will be difficult to make full use of, but you might want to refer back to them from time to time.
[says] A Chess Glossary {all}
For reference rather than study: comments and examples are particularly invited. There is another glossary from SmartChess and one from London Chess Centre, one from Steve Lopez of ChessBase USA, and there's even an encyclopedia at MECCA.
[cool_blue_cat] Top 10 tips for Juniors {D} {C}
A long press release, including notes on the Giuoco Pianissimo
[EXERCISE] Mini Chess Games {D}
for beginning chess players to use as training exercises
[cool_blue_cat] Cool Tips {all}
A trawl of advice from masters and others.
Strategy and Tactics {D/C}
Which should you study first or foremost? To be read alongside:
Steinitz' theory {all} 9 Jun 98
David Hooper's scholarly account, with some sketchy notes by yours truly.
Play Chess with Attitude {all}
Experienced NW Coach Phil Adams explains how to approach a game.

Attacking play

* General rules for the attack {D}
From Steinitz and Vukovic
* Attacking the castled King {D}
Examples of basic attacking themes and tactics
* The Very Slow King's-side attack {C}
Examples of "clockwork" attacks with a closed centre.
* The Queen's-side attack {C}
Attacking without a King as a target
* Contempt for Pawns {all}
- We need more of it, says CJS Purdy
Capablanca: the ultimate attacking player {B/A}
Surprised? Not as much as his opponents, says Peter Lane

Chess Praxis: annotated games by club players

Assess Your Chess {all}
Some things to look for in your own games.
How to lose at chess {all}
Peter Lane explains all
Books with annotated amateur games
from the "Difference" handout
Lessons from a Simul. (1995) {all}
We has a centenary Simul. recently by IM Gary Lane: challengers had grades of BCF 70-160+ (1000-1900 ELO). Differences at a Simul, 1996.
What makes a difference? {all} How 120-grade players beat 100s. (84k)
The master games found in the books (and in the Canon) are often clear but always deep. What actually makes a difference among club players? Differences at a Simul. See also Alex's E-zine.
Meat and potatoes: three phases of a tough game {B}
A good club game annotated by one of the players AND one of the spectators!
Swindle your way to success {all}
An introduction to the ignoble art.
Club games {all}
An annotated selection from Exeter players
Bob Martin was kind enough to send me Five Sicilians from Club Play with notes describing his assessment and thinking during play.
The Art of Analysis {all}
An opportunity to exercise yourself and compare notes with other players.
Assess Your Chess {all}
Some things to look for in your own games.
Simple Chess {C}
The route from minor to major isn't all that hard, says Mark Blackmore.
Towards Simpler Chess {B}
...or, Walk before you run!
Clock control
...the 33rd piece! [N.B. Large inline GIFs]

Chess and chess players

Problems and Studies
A brief introduction for the curious.
Lessons from Paul Morphy {D}
The model for attackers of all ages, Morphy shows us how it's done.
Lessons from Rubinstein {B/all} and
Lessons from Lasker {B/all} and
Lessons from Capablanca {C/all}
...each through the medium of Peter Lane, who also offers his own thoughts about studying chess through master games. See also Capablanca: the ultimate attacking player
Lessons from Tal {B/all}
Some surprisingly classical lessons are found among Tal's flights of fancy.
Lessons from Bobby Fischer {C}
Brisk and incisive, Fischer's play inspired my generation to play chess.
The Development of Chess Style
A potted history of the champions of chess, and the history of chess ideas.
"We perceive after a careful consideration of the evolution of the chess mind that such evolution has gone on, in general, in a way quite similar to that in which it goes on with the individual chess player, only with the latter more rapidly."
-- Richard RETI
How do chessplayers think? and Chess and psychology {all}
Two related documents: I'm still writing the latter, but offer it half-baked because I would like comments on it as early as I can have them.
[says] Chess Quotes {all}
I had to create a separate section for Stories, for Excuses for Losing and another one for David Bronstein. Does chess involve luck?
[says]Trawled from the 'net {all}
I regularly read the rec.games.chess newsgroups, and saved for my later enjoyment a number of documents. I also keep a cache of my old r.g.c. posts
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[cool blue cat]
Dr. Dave
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This document (general.html) was last modified on 13 Aug 2005 by [cool blue cat]

Dr. Dave