I want to try chess but I don’t know where to start.I want to try chess but I don’t know where to start.

This is a guide for those who are curious about chess but are intimidated / don’t know where to start. The great news is that chess has never been more accessible or easy to get into. The game is a really tough grind to get good, but in terms of starting to play and enjoy the learning process, you could be up and going within the next 15 mins, by following this guide.

Step 1: Getting an online accountStep 1: Getting an online account

There are two major platforms: chess.com and lichess.org. I would recommend Lichess as it is FOSS and has everything you need to get up and going.

https://lichess.org/signup

Step 2: Learning the rules / very basicsStep 2: Learning the rules / very basics

Lichess has a learning section: https://lichess.org/learn

Go through these lessons until you feel comfortable with how the pieces move and how to checkmate. There is a section https://lichess.org/practice which builds on the basics and teaches you simple tactics. If you enjoy the online learning format, feel free to continue. If you prefer something easier / more entertaining, it’s time for step 3!

Step 3: Check out Chessbrah Aman Hambleton’s “Building Habits” series on YouTubeStep 3: Check out Chessbrah Aman Hambleton’s “Building Habits” series on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUjxDD7HNNThwCNW3f36RZcMxPwQIjYae

You can begin watching from the point you know how the pieces move. The series assumes no other prior knowledge than that (no, really).

Aman goes from a beginner to advanced level player over a series of 16 videos. What is unique about the series is that Aman teaches a set of habits / fundamental principles and limits his moves to those principles. So it’s not a speedrun account where he dunks on noobs. He doesn’t even win every game. The point is that he teaches high-percentage moves. That is, moves that will be good most of the time. Will we win every game? No. But we will develop a set of building blocks that can be the foundation of anyone rising the ranks to become a semi-decent chess player.

You can watch passively and get benefit. Aman is a great teacher: he repeats important principles again and again and again but does it in a way that is entertaining and never feels repetitive. He assumes no prior knowledge or skill other than that you know how the pieces move and basic ideas like checkmate. He builds incrementally over 4 levels of “rules” which take you from a complete noob to an advanced player if you are determined enough to stick at it.

Step 4: Play!Step 4: Play!

Many people waste their time worrying that they aren’t good enough to play humans so they study without playing or they only play bots. Bots mainly suck for playing (they have their use to drill / spar certain positions but that is for another guide). Lichess and Chess.com have a rating system called Elo that is designed to go up as you win and down as you lose and therefore help match you to similarly skilled players. So, it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are at chess, once your Elo stabilizes (i.e. you’ve played enough games to be at your true rating) you will win and lose 50% of your games. All the study in the world won’t increase your win percentage—it will just mean that you are matched against stronger players.

So, there is nothing to be afraid of to just jump in the “pool” and start playing after watching your first Habits video.

To play you simply sign up to Lichess / Chess.com and select a time control. Aman uses 5 min (Blitz) in the Habits series, but you can play at a slower time control if you prefer. Many people recommend 15 min with a 10 second increment for new players (Rapid). This will give you time to think before making your moves. But, if you prefer something more fast-paced then equally 3 min Blitz or even 1 min Bullet is equally an option! Just go with whatever you are comfortable with.

Step 5: Review your gamesStep 5: Review your games

One advantage of Lichess over Chess.com is free computer reviews of your games. This is a feature that once you’ve completed your game will use Stockfish (a computer engine) to analyze your game, and show you when you were “winning” / “losing” (the evaluation) and what the best moves would have been in a given position.

A key for improvement is reviewing your games. You don’t need to spend so long doing it. Just get comfortable stepping through a game with the engine and trying to understand moments where the evaluation swung for or against you, and why that was. The evaluation is given as a bar which is white / black on the side of the board. A plus score means White is “winning” and a negative score means that Black is. A score of +/- 3 or more is a pretty significant advantage for one side, so try to focus on when the evaluation went from drawn to more than 3. It might be because you “hung” a piece (left something undefended that could be captured by an opponent), or that you missed a tactic. Missing tactics is normal when you start out, but that is where the next step comes in!

Step 6: Practice tacticsStep 6: Practice tactics

Another advantage of Lichess is that you get free access to unlimited “puzzles”. Puzzles are positions whereby you must find a winning move on the board, usually a tactical sequence, but sometimes as simple as a mate in one, or a hanging piece to capture.

Puzzles are a great way to “warm up” before you play. Or a way to kill time and cut down on doom-scrolling. The key to getting the most out of the puzzles is to try to think and solve before you make the move. It will be difficult at first, but you need to try and move the pieces in your head (“visualization”). You try moving pieces in your head, and evaluate whether the resulting position is winning for you or not. Try to think about ways an opponent has to counter your move. It’s kind of like the scientific method, whereby a good chess player tries to refute their own bad hypothesis. If you can’t see a reason why your idea is bad, then, and only then, do you make your move.

If you get the puzzle wrong, be sure to spend a little time with engine analysis in order to understand what you missed. This is where the improvement lies!

If you follow this guide, you can be up and running as a “chess player” within a few hours, today. You might not be a good one, but you will be a chess player. And what you will learn in your first few hours will be enough to make you better at chess than 95% of the general population.

The game is endlessly complex and is a deep, deep rabbit hole. Chess will burn up as much of your time as you will give it. It will reward and madden you in equal measure. There is no end to how complex and fascinating the game is. But to just get playing? Easy. There is no barrier, no special criteria, no minimum IQ requirements, no prerequisite skills or qualifications. You can get going today. Have fun!