Need advice on learning to play chess

[sasquatch]

I've been learning to play chess online recently and although I get my ass kick constantly. I love it! Now to help me learn I bought the complete idiots guide to playing chess. I haven't read all that much of the book yet because I think I can learn more by getting my ass kicked up and down the chessboard online. Should I read the book then play or should I just keep playing and learn by trial and error?

[HEyHEY]

1. get your dad to teach you

When Iwas young, he made me learn..now I hate the game.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. I voted for

keep playing, but of course you should keep reading the book too... do you play at ICC? I'm hooked on chess, too. I'm not very good though...

[sasquatch]

5. I play at Yahoo! games

I'll keep playing you can bet on that.

[Emboldened Chimp]

3. Play with people who are better

you can't help but learn from the experience. But make sure that person is willing to actually teach the game rather that use you as a punching bag, so to speak.

Books can be helpful, too. Get one that has various opening moves (Queen's gambit, Kings Gambit, Giuoco Piano, etc), as well as mates. Bobby Fischer has a great one that concentrates on mating moves. He actually doesn't talk about openings at all.

[BBradley]

4. Play and Read

There are some things you'll never learn from mistakes, but that you'll have to learn from analyzing problems. You'll never learn openings from your mistakes, and you'll never be able to play an efficient end game from learning from your mistakes. Read the book, play chess, read more books, play more chess, play more chess, read more books, enter a tournament if you're interested, read more books, play more chess. :hug: Welcome to the club, chess is a great game.

[Davis_X_Machina]

6. Best single book -- maybe...

...the only one you'll ever need: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, by Patrick Wolff. Covers everything and is widely available.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

7. My favorite chess book

The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Modern Chess Strategy
by Irving Chernev

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0571101291/qid=1067716988/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/104-9315404-5591954?v=glance&n=507846

[SOteric]

8. Keep play, but also

read the book, and- this is odd but good advice, trust me...

get one of those computerised chess boards.

I know a fellow who taught himself a formidable game of chess just by beating his computerised board and reading the chess move diagrams in the newspaper.