attempts to explain chess moves in layperson’s language. is a brilliant resource for watching top tournaments. , and are great sites for playing and learning. Once you have established the basics, start using computers and online resources to play and to help you analyse games. Find a good teacher – your own Mr Shaibel, but without the communication issues. Understand the potential of each piece – the way a pair of bishops can dominate the board, how the rooks can sweep up pawns in an endgame, why the queen and a knight can work together so harmoniously. Start with the pawns, and then add the pieces. If you are a beginner, don’t feel the need to set out all the pieces at once. Play people who are better than you, and be prepared to lose. Eventually you will start winning, but there will be a lot of losses on the way. Garry Kasparov, another former world champion, likes to say you learn far more from your defeats than your victories. Every game should be an education and teach us something. Be willing to embrace the complexity enjoy the adventure. You need to be endlessly fascinated by it and see its infinite potential. “You can only get good at chess if you love the game,” Fischer said.
