OK you dorks, fess up

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

I used to play chess when I was younger, but I lack the concentration necessary these days due to cognitive decline. That being said, chess is an amazing game. It's also a great way to keep your brain active. I imagine if I had stuck to it, my brain wouldn't be so holey like a Swiss cheese.

Four activities known to have good effects on mental development, in alphabetical order:
chess, foreign languages, math and music. Even just dabbling in each is very helpful. It's all about forming new synaptic connections in the brain.

[TominMO]

Recently started playing chess online against actual humans, on chess.com. Before I had only been playing bots, to sharpen up before tackling other carbon-based life forms. So far I have played seven games. Lost the first two, then won the next five.

Also sharpening me up are some books and YT channels. My three fave channels:
-- Chess Vibes: a 2200-rated National Master who is a really great teacher. In his playlist is a group of 18 videos for beginners.
-- GothamChess: a 2400-rated International Master who is far and away the largest chess YTer. Very entertaining and very good instructionals as well.
-- Remote Chess Academy: a Russian 2500-rated Grandmaster who is presenting very high-level instruction, especially in openings.

On the local front, I am running the chess program at my town liberry. Only once a month for now, due to demand for the only activities room. Started last month with one member, but four more have signed up for May. Ages 9 - 12 or so. This is gonna be both instructional and an opportunity for kids to play. Not what I had originally intended, but I am enjoying it, as it turns out. Even though I am not particularly a kid person, I am enjoying teaching. Also am teaching a female adult friend how to play.

Beginners need just a few things to start: knowledge of the rules of the game and practice in tactics. Grand strategy can come later. A lot later, as it turns out. They also need some minimal knowledge of openings, to get the game rolling without crashing and burning early on. Then they also need some basic endgame knowledge, including how to checkmate.

I've done a lot of research on the best books for the amateur levels, especially listening to experts on YT discuss this. Here is a decent list. Only the first book in each group is required at first.

Puzzle Books
1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners
1001 Chess exercises for Club Players
1001 Chess Exercises for Advanced Club Players
Tactics are the heart and soul of chess up to at least the 1500 level. You can win lots of games in the middlegame before ever getting to an endgame, which is why some amateur players are strong in tactics but weak in endgame knowledge.

Endgame Books
Silman's Complete Endgame Course
100 Endgames You Must Know (there is also a separate workbook for this book)
Endgames are by now well understood. No real innovation any more, i.e. it is a finite body of knowledge. A good grounding in endgames will let you beat equal or higher-rated players who are weaker in this area.

Opening Books
Chess Openings for Dummies
Fundamental Chess Openings
Most of my opening info I get from YTers like the three guys above, but it's also very good to have some reference books around. At the moment I am partial to the London and the King's Indian for White, and the Caro-Kann and King's Indian for Black. I try out new openings on bots before playing people.

General-Content Books
Chess for Dummies
The only book you need to get started. Very basic, but useful. Lots of libraries have it, and you will quickly outgrow it, so you might as well borrow it rather than buy.

Logical Chess Move by Move, by Irving Chernev
A classic and great guide to how to play. The ideas behind every move of 33 games played by great players is explained, and it is designed for beginner and intermediate players.

[TominMO]

Update: I am starting chess programs at two more local libraries, one next month and one in late August.

Personally, I am getting significantly better via online lessons I have purchased, mainly from the Gotham Chess YT channel. Right now I am working on his middle game course, and next I will do his course for intermediate players, designed to take them past 1600. I am probably a 1400 or so now. I won nine of my last ten games against people on chess.com. Then stopped playing a few weeks ago to focus on learning. In about three weeks I will take up playing again.