Getting started
We expect young people at our events to know how to play chess. If you want to get started, try here:
Andrew Martin's Newcomers' Booklet: https://issuu.com/stcatherinesbramley/docs/chess_booklet_1_-__newcomers
CSC Worksheets, videos and quizzes: https://www.chessinschools.co.uk/chess-at-home
Improving
I think, if you want to improve, you should be:
- Playing often
- That's the most important thing. Once you are doing that, then try:
- Doing a bit of study of (a) openings, (b) tactics, and (c) endgames.
- I seem to remember there are some fine books about these things for juniors.
- Study can be reading books or doing puzzles or watching videos.
- Once you are studying as well as playing, then start:
- Writing down all your slow-play games (and others if you can), and then:
- Going over your games, (a) by yourself, (b) with another player, and/or (c) with a computer
- Checking your opening moves against a book or database - who made the last 'book' move
If you aren't doing any or all of those things, you won't improve as fast as you could.
We also have some advice about:
- Opening advice
- Daily Chess Puzzles
- Middlegame Tactics
- Middlegame Strategy
- Endgame advice
- Get your eye in
We have some things to look at from training events (see below).
And we have some advice each year for the Devon U14 County Chess Team.
Andrew Martin's Improvers' Booklet: https://issuu.com/stcatherinesbramley/docs/chess_booklet_2_-__improvers