Chessable: A Great Learning Resource for Chess
When I started to become a bit more serious about learning chess, I thought that I could buy some books to give me at least a rudimentary knowledge of the fundamental principles in chess. So I bought my first book on tactics and I skimmed through it. The diagrams were clear enough and the explanations were concise but whenever I was trying to play through the variations given in the chapters, I found it hard to grasp the concept being discussed while playing through the moves because I had to simultaneously read the text and make the moves on the board. I found it tedious along the way so I wasn't able to go through the whole book and I lost interest for a while. Mind you, the book was only trying to explain how to become good at spotting tactics and to become a tactician. The next few books that I would get, except for one puzzle book by GM Simon Williams, would have endless variations and sub-variations that were confusing and hard to follow.
So I quit trying to learn chess by reading about it because it was laborious for me mentally and physically, which makes it difficult to absorb what the chapters are trying to teach me. Now, I think it was just last year when John Bartholomew announced on his channel that he and a friend would be launching a chess online resource for people to learn and train themselves called Chessable. So I signed up for it but didn't pay much notice to it during the first few months of the launch. I have only started using the site a few weeks ago but the amount of knowledge and skills that took a lot of effort from me to learn through books, I was able to learn in a few minutes.
The site is interactive and the visuals are kept simple so that the user could easily follow the variations being played. Also, unlike chess books, the site doesn't bombard you with walls of text trying to explain an end game technique or a certain opening variation but instead, it demonstrates it and allows you to repeat the moves until you get it. There is also some text on the side that explains certain moves especially the nuances of variations and what is the rationale behind the moves.
Just being able to see the moves played through allowed me to familiarize myself with the concepts. I know different people have different ways of learning and probably this fits me perfectly because I like being guided through while having the details explained throughout. Maybe some people find it easier to grasp concepts just by reading them but it really depends on one's preferences and which learning methods work best for them. I just wanted to share this because Chessable has been a great help in improving my chess knowledge and skills like being aware of certain ideas in a position or even knowing the nuances of an opening so that you would know what your plan is in the middle game and your opponent's plan as well so that you might be able to counteract it.
Other features of the site are a streak counter, a leader board that shows how many points you earned compared to others, virtual currency, a collection of materials (called books) about openings, end games, tactics, and strategy, and so much more. They also have a resident chess master whom you can ask questions about what to move in a certain position and why, and all other chess-related inquiries. Very soon, they plan to invite more IMs and GMs as well so that we can understand what goes on in their minds as they face a certain position. I hope you'll find this resource very helpful as I have and you can share it with others who are also eager to learn more about chess but may not have the time or the resources to get deeper into the game.
So I quit trying to learn chess by reading about it because it was laborious for me mentally and physically, which makes it difficult to absorb what the chapters are trying to teach me. Now, I think it was just last year when John Bartholomew announced on his channel that he and a friend would be launching a chess online resource for people to learn and train themselves called Chessable. So I signed up for it but didn't pay much notice to it during the first few months of the launch. I have only started using the site a few weeks ago but the amount of knowledge and skills that took a lot of effort from me to learn through books, I was able to learn in a few minutes.
The site is interactive and the visuals are kept simple so that the user could easily follow the variations being played. Also, unlike chess books, the site doesn't bombard you with walls of text trying to explain an end game technique or a certain opening variation but instead, it demonstrates it and allows you to repeat the moves until you get it. There is also some text on the side that explains certain moves especially the nuances of variations and what is the rationale behind the moves.
Just being able to see the moves played through allowed me to familiarize myself with the concepts. I know different people have different ways of learning and probably this fits me perfectly because I like being guided through while having the details explained throughout. Maybe some people find it easier to grasp concepts just by reading them but it really depends on one's preferences and which learning methods work best for them. I just wanted to share this because Chessable has been a great help in improving my chess knowledge and skills like being aware of certain ideas in a position or even knowing the nuances of an opening so that you would know what your plan is in the middle game and your opponent's plan as well so that you might be able to counteract it.
Other features of the site are a streak counter, a leader board that shows how many points you earned compared to others, virtual currency, a collection of materials (called books) about openings, end games, tactics, and strategy, and so much more. They also have a resident chess master whom you can ask questions about what to move in a certain position and why, and all other chess-related inquiries. Very soon, they plan to invite more IMs and GMs as well so that we can understand what goes on in their minds as they face a certain position. I hope you'll find this resource very helpful as I have and you can share it with others who are also eager to learn more about chess but may not have the time or the resources to get deeper into the game.
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