To my chess students and parents. A ‘Sunday sermon’.
I came across a summary of my often repeated message to chess students. It’s useful, too for parents wanting to encourage them.
Here is the advice from Marks Meadows a chess coach, which I hope is already familiar, and could have come from my ‘Sunday sermons’. The advice comes in two parts.
To get better, Mark says:
'Memorize the core opening principles: Develop pieces as fast as you can, only one or two pawn moves, don’t move a piece more than once if you can avoid it, castle early, develop knights then bishops then Queen, control the center, threaten something.
Concentrate HARD on what your opponent just did. He’s the meanest person in the room and is trying to steal your lunch and spit in your soda. Pay attention to his moves. No, he is not “fooled” by your plan. He is doing everything in his power to trash you and should never be left alone. Kick him…use your knight, it kicks harder. I’m totally amazed at the number of players who think they can ignore what the opponent just did.'
So that’s it.
My Sunday students are all showing progress at the first part, the basic principles.
The second part is taking longer. The most important step is to start practicing seeing what your opponent’s move might mean, what it changes. Does it threaten to take one of your pieces? You won’t get it right every time, at first. But you will get better and better.
So that’s it, the end of my Sunday sermon. Hope you remember it next time we meet over the chess board.
Why not play it to your 'chess students' before the next chess lesson?
