Things You'll Need
Instructions
Learning How to Play
Begin by reading the rules of the game. Chess is played between two players and involves a chess board and 32 chess pieces. Chess pieces consist of two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a queen, a king, and eight pawns. Each team takes a turn moving one chess piece at a time. To win the game, you must capture the opposite team's king first. This is called "checkmate". In order to capture the king, you move your pieces to gain access through either capturing other pieces along your route or positioning your pieces in strategic squares.
Practice chess by playing against yourself. To begin the game, set up your board and pieces for each team. Since each chess piece moves differently, continue practicing until you feel confident of the mechanics of how to move each piece effectively. Mentally take note of which moves leave chess pieces vulnerable to capture. Sometimes sacrificing one of your pieces is the only way to position yourself to capture the opposing team's king. Play repeatedly until you feel comfortable to compete against another player.
A variation on playing by yourself is to play on the computer. Chess is often among the games included in the software bundled with a computer. Some versions have a "hint" option for every move. Sometimes you learn more when you don't follow a hint -- and immediately get into trouble! Such chess programs will often include an "undo" feature, so you can experiment with the effects of several moves at a single point in a game.
Search for a player whose skill level is the same as yours. Play against family members, friends or co-workers. Check out local chess clubs for other players. Since the technological age has added another dimension to chess; the ability to compete with other players through the Internet, utilize search engines to locate on line chess partners.
Register to play in chess tournaments. Online opportunities are available for the computer literate, as well as tournaments held in recreation centers, senior centers and chess clubs for the socially minded.
Decide if you want to spend any money to learn to play. Chess courses are available through on line schools, recreation centers, chess clubs or even local schools. If you have access to a computer but not the Internet, purchasing software can teach the same dynamics as an on line course. Some players even choose to hire a chess coach.