This is Part 3 of a multi-part series on self-learning the game of chess and the entire course overview is listed here.
Here are the videos to watch on the three main phases of a chess game.
Lesson Nine: The Opening
Lesson Ten: The Middlegame
Lesson Eleven: The Endgame
To summarize, there are way too many openings, middlegames and endgame positions for a beginner to watch. It will overwhelm you if you try to get into specifics, like if you were to try and memorize a dictionary. Just focus on getting a broad understanding of the overarching principles. The specifics will come in time.
The key now is to learn as you play. If you play online, you will eventually be paired with players who are above your skill level and this will help you to improve, as long as you take the time between games to figure out where you went wrong or which phase of the game cost you. Basically, learn from your defeats. As long as the game was not won or lost due to a blunder, there should be something worth learning. If you want to achieve chess mastery, don’t just play online mindlessly for hours.
All the best and have fun until the next instalment!
