ChessNut's Novice Level Classroom Please contact Brian Thompson for corrections and updates. A Note to the Student | A Note to the Coach

Training Goals - Novice

The Novice Level Classroom is for the player who has already learned how to read and write chess notation, and has begun learning the basics of chess Tactics. The Novice level player consistently does well against a Beginner, but seems to have trouble against a player who has already joined a chess club or played in chess tournaments.

1. Learn how to read & write descriptive chess notation. ('Winning Chess', Chernev; 'Great Short Games of the Chess Masters', Reinfeld) - Why: There are some outstanding 'classic' chess books that have never been updated to algebraic notation.



2. Continue to study tactics in order to calculate three to four moves ahead. ('Winning Chess', Chernev; 'Great Short Games of the Chess Masters', Reinfeld; 'Simple Checkmates', Gilliam) - Why: Most chess games are decided by tactics, and all games are influenced by them. The better you become at tactics and the further ahead you can visualize, the stronger player you will become.



3. Begin studying chess games that were played by Masters and explained by great teachers. ('Great Short Games of the Chess Masters', Reinfeld; 'From Beginner to Expert in 40 Lessons', Kostyev) - Why: As you are learning chess it is important to play through entire games in order to understand how the game will change from the beginning to the middle and then to the ending. If you want to play chess well, then you should study well played games.



4. Begin learning basic endings. ('From Beginner to Expert in 40 Lessons', Kostyev) - Why: The more you know about how to play a game with just a few pieces, the more likely you are to make good decisions when you still have a lot of pieces.

Recommended Tools

1. USCF's Keeping Score : Describes how to read and write chess notation.



2. Visit the Chessimo web site and download the Chessimo program. This excellent training tool has a free trial period and is absolutely the best way to develop true skill at the tactics you've been reading about!



3. Visit the Chess.com web site and sign up for a free basic membership. You'll be able to play your friends on-line at any time, making it easier to get in your practice games.

Projects

Study:

1. Study the procedure of how to record your moves in descriptive notation.



2. Run Chessimo at least three times per week, studying the Tactics Module 01. (Four or five times would be even better!) Each session should last at least 30 minutes. Don't worry if you can't find the answers right away... Chessimo will show you the answers and let you try again. After just a few sessions, you will learn a lot of chess tactics and improve your chess vision! Continue these sessions until you complete Tactics Module 01, units 01 - 05. You've read about the mechanics of chess tactics on the Predator at the Chessboard web site in the Beginner's Classroom. Now use the Chessimo chess trainer to make tactics a part of your "Chess Vision".



3. At least twice per week, play through a Master level chess game like those in 'Great Short Games of the Chess Masters' by Reinfeld or 'From Beginner to Expert in 40 Lessons' by Kostyev. Make sure that the games you choose have lots of notes explaining why some moves were good, and why some were mistakes. Continue playing through Master games until you have studied 25 games. Ask your chess coach or mentor to explain any of the notes that you didn't understand. Look for examples of the chess Tactics you studied in the Beginner level!



4. If you only read one book from this section, make it 'Winning Chess', by Chernev. At this level there is nothing more important to study than Tactics.



5. If you skipped ahead to this Classroom, go back to the previous Classroom and check out the books, tools, and projects that you missed. Some of this material MAY be review, but in order to build a solid foundation it is important to set the building blocks of chess skills in the correct sequence. You will use the material in this and the previous Classroom in order to progress more quickly in the next levels.

Practice:

1. While you are completing your Study Projects, continue to play games with your friends and record the moves on a Chess Score Sheet. Each week you should be able to record 5-10 games. If you can't meet them in person, then arrange to play your practice games on-line at Chess.com with a free basic memebership.

Review:

1. Select 2 of your own games every week to review with your chess coach or mentor.

Once you have completed Study Projects 1-4, you will be ready to join the Club Level. (Expected completion time: 10-12 weeks)
 

Recommended Books

I own a copy of each of the following books, and recommend them for this specific training level because their content and presentation is consistent with this level's Training Goals.

           

Hover your mouse over any of the pictured books to get a Power Preview from Amazon.com, or click on any book image to go to Amazon.com for descriptions and reviews.

 

This project is a work in progress. As I find more useful material, I'll pass it along. If you know of a CHESS book or tool that might interest other ChessNuts, please contact The ChessNut.