Logical Online Chess for the Beginner

Here's some advice for beginners. Get a chessboard set up the pieces, make sure the light corner square is on the right side, then visualize the center squares. The center squares are d4 d5 e4 and e5, they are the most important squares on the board, and if you control them you keep the opponent from launching an early attack on you. The first way to control the center is in the opening. This opening is the Giuoco Piano, sometimes called the Italian Game, attributed to Gioacchino Greco 1600-1634, who did the first analysis of this move order.
Always move a pawn to the center 2 squares to either e4 or d4, as the first opening move for white. I recommend e4 for beginners, by moving e4, your light squared Bishop, the one to the right of the King, has an open diagonal to develop.

Now here's a logical opening analysis move by move. White moves, 1.e4 Move the black pawn to e5, this stops the advance of white's e pawn 1... e5. On your next move place the Knight on f3, 2.Nf3, By doing this you protect your pawn when it advances to d4 in the future and it develops your Knight which attacks black's pawn on e5.Next move the black Knight to c6, 2...Nc6 which protects the pawn at e5.Now move white's light squared Bishop to c4, 3.Bc4, this attacks f7, which is a weak pawn, for it is only protected by the King. Now move the black Bishop to c5 3...Bc5 ,which in turn attacks your weak pawn at f2.Now move White's pawn to c3, 4.c3 ,which prepares for the advance of your d pawn to d4,occupying the center with your pawns is good strategy for beginners. Now move the black Knight to f6 4...Nf6 ,this attacks white's pawn at e4.Now move your pawn to d4, 5.d4 , this continues your plan of controlling d4 which attacks the black Bishop and stops its attack on f2.Now black moves 5... exd4. White's next move of course is 6. cxd4 .Now move the black Bishop to 6...Bc4+ attacking the King. Now move white's dark squared Bishop to d2, 7.Bd2 then Black moves Bishop Takes Bishop 7...Bxd2+. Now the Knight on b1 takes the Bishop, 8.Nbxd2 now the Knight protects e4, it also protects the Bishop on c4, and the Knight on f3,when Knights work in tandem like this they are very powerful. Now move the black pawn to d5 8...d5, attacking the Bishop and the pawn and stopping the advance of White's pawn to d5.Now 9. exd5 a logical move, attacking the black Knight on c6.Now Black's Knight takes d5 9...Nxd5 .Now white moves, 10. Qb3! setting up a Queen and Bishop battery, attacking the Knight and the pawn at f7 behind the Knight. Now black moves the Knight on c6 to e7, 10...Nce7, the only logical move protecting his other Knight again both Knights are working in tandem. Now that white has developed his Bishops and Knights its time to castle, 11. 0-0, by doing so the King is safer near the corner and the Rooks are ready for action, when the Knights Bishops and Queen are off the back rank and attacking the center towards the opponents King, the Rooks are said to be cleared, for they are protecting each other and the King, and are ready to control an open file, one that has no pawns blocking it, in this case the e-file. Now black castles to 11... 0-0 .Now white moves 12. Rfe1, controlling the e-file. Now black moves 12... c6,

Protecting the N on d5 and opening a diagonal for the Queen. Now white moves 13. Ne5, now the N is out posted on the opponent's side of the board, note it is protected by the pawn, and attacks f7, now three of White's pieces are attacking f7, very deadly indeed. Now Black moves 13... h6 ,to protect g5 for white wants to move the Knight on d2 to f3 backing the other N on e5,and then white wants to move the Knight to g5.White moves 14.Ndf3 .Now black moves 14...Qb6,attacking the white's Queen. 15. Qa3 is the best try for white, why trade Queens? Keep it for the endgame.15...Nf5 Now white's d4 pawn is being attacked by the Queen and Knight. Now the move is 16.Rad1 protecting the d-pawn, after 16...Re8 the Rook helps control the open e-file, and the position is equal. 17. Nxh7!? Rxe1+ 18.Rxe1 Kxf7 19.g4 Qc7 20.Ne5+ Kg8 21.gxf5 Bxf5 22.Qc5 Rd8 23.Qxa7 Kh7 24.Qa3 Nf4 25.Qe3 Qa5 += offers white some intriguing possibilities, but only for those who are willing to take risks. In conclusion the Giuoco Piano is a great start for the beginning chess player, teaching the dynamics of controlling the center and attacking the weak f-pawn.

View example game Kasparov vs. Gabdrahmanov 1977.

Article written by Timothy Glenn Forney for www.chessmaniac.com a great place to play free online chess.