Studying Chess

I love studying chess, but I don't know what I should study first. There's so much to learn.

very true

It depends on what you already know, but people have many opinions on what to study first or most often. My general guideline would go something like this order:

- learn the rules of chess (how pieces move etc.)

- study common checkmate patterns and theoretical endgames (patterns like backrank mate, or endgames like King + Queen vs King checkmate, or King + pawn vs King endgame)

- solve lots of chess puzzles/tactics (which helps you gain "pattern recognition")

- learn chess "opening principles" https://www.chess.com/blog/KeSetoKaiba/opening-principles-again (I also included MANY links to other resources at the bottom of this blog post)

- learn how to analyze your games with an engine, so that you can learn from your own games

- play chess... a lot. Analyze every game you can win, loss or draw. Repeat a ton. Now you are a chess player

Hi there,

I am rated over 2400 online (https://www.chess.com/member/ppandachess). I created a free course that will teach you a training plan to improve. Feel free to check it out: https://www.panda-chess.com/daily-improvement-plan

Learn and apply the most important principles of chess. - (core of my teaching)
Always blunder-check your moves.
Solve tactics in the right way.
Analyze your games.
Study games of strong players.
Learn how to be more psychologically resilient.
Work on your time management skills.
Get a coach if you can.

Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

I suggest you to learn tactics first, such as

-finding forks

-finding skewers

-finding tempos

-finding good sacrifices

-finding good checks

Can anyone teach me how to play?