Answers.Body: <p>A bit of self-promotion, I put together <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150921172649/http://www.lathamcity.com/docs/pawnstructures.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this PDF</a>:</p>
  
  <p>A solid understanding of pawn structures and their corresponding plans will improve your game by leaps and bounds, because books rarely do a good job of explaining this powerful area of chess knowledge so it will probably be mostly new information.  Hope you find it useful!  :)</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-12-11T03:00:36.567Z
Answers.Text: Very nice,  I have Soltis's book, but haven't read it all the way through yet, since I keep putting it aside for other books that I think are more my level.  I think it's still a bit advanced for me.  When I do read it, your pdf will make a great companion/supplement.  Thank you.
Answers.UserDisplayName: EvilSpudBoy
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-14T23:12:07.117Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-08-05T17:10:46.410Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2019-08-05T17:10:46.410Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Andrew Latham
Answers.Body: <p>I notice (unless I missed it) that no one has mentioned Daniel King's youtube channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PowerPlayChess">Power Play Chess</a>.  You can subscribe for free.  I enjoy his "what happens next?" series, where he plays through a grandmaster game, stops at a crucial moment, and asks the viewer to pick the correct continuation from two possibilities.  The viewer then clicks one of two links to find out if they are correct.  </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-20T05:16:50.720Z
Answers.Text: didn't know about it. Seems like it is a great channel, thanks :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Mog
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-02T12:29:56.207Z
Answers.Text: Just to clarify after almost one year: DK's channel proved to be _amazing_ during this last year. I think I even prefer it to ChessNetwork (which is crazy considering how much I like ChessNetwork). The analysis is of really good quality and DK has a visible passion for the game that is very nice indeed (this last sentence was an hommage, it's an expression he uses a lot :D).
Answers.UserDisplayName: Mog
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-20T03:11:58.503Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-09-20T03:11:58.503Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Morgan Sherman
Answers.Body: <p>I've found Mark Weeks' <a href="http://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/" rel="nofollow">Chess for All Ages</a> to be an excellent, free resource. There is a lot of advice for beginners and intermediate players alike on topics such as</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Building an opening repertoire</li>
  <li>Tactics and positional ideas for the middlegame</li>
  <li>Explanations of basic endgames</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>There are also a dozen or so annotated "classic" games, where every move is explained in depth. I found this to be especially useful because I often missed the point of quiet moves.</p>
  
  <p>Some of the material is quite dated and a few of the links are dead, but don't let that put you off - the overall quality of the articles is excellent.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-12-13T09:25:36.100Z
Answers.Text: Please provide some explanation and context, see the message under the question.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-12-13T10:44:48.903Z
Answers.Text: @DagOskarMadsen Done :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ralph
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-12-13T08:59:00.387Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-12-13T10:44:07.493Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2013-12-13T10:44:07.493Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ralph
Answers.Body: <p>There is an absolutely PHENOMENAL book on tactics, oriented towards beginners, available for free on the web. It's called "Predator at the Chessboard", by Ward Farnsworth, and you can find it at <a href="http://www.chesstactics.org/" rel="nofollow">http://www.chesstactics.org/</a></p>
  
  <p>The depth of coverage is good for even intermediates. But he really takes time to explain the tactics in English, which makes it very understandable to beginners.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-03-15T19:30:01.747Z
Answers.Text: This has been a really useful book to me as a beginner. The book breaks down a bunch of ways that you can attack pieces and come out with an advantage.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Daniel Neel
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-12-11T00:04:10.163Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-12-11T19:45:11.030Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2013-12-11T19:45:11.030Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Charlie Flowers
Answers.Body: <p><a href="http://www.chessstrategyonline.com" rel="nofollow">Chess Strategy Online</a> - A new site with free tutorials for beginners and novices.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-05-14T19:33:29.303Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-05-14T19:33:29.303Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris W
Answers.Body: <p>I think the best of the Learning material is Chessgames.com . There you have a Tool called Guess the move . This allows you to make a move and then gives a Score to your move . Often it is best to be at par with GM thinking lines .</p>
  
  <p>link below </p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/guessthemove" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.chessgames.com/perl/guessthemove</a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-03-15T09:37:09.390Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-03-15T09:37:09.390Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Seth Projnabrata
Answers.Body: <p>one best game one can download through torrent
  that is "KASPAROV CHESSMATE"
  there are such many examples to solve with kit ta have many ideas.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-10T01:15:52.220Z
Answers.Text: I know you're talking about obtaining Kasparov Chessmate for free, but is that software actually *intended* to be free?
Answers.UserDisplayName: ETD
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-10T15:01:14.330Z
Answers.Text: It seems like there is a free version (limited) and that it's not even possible anymore to buy the full version, since its developper doesn't maintain the necessary infrastructure for that.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Mog
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-10T19:11:13.420Z
Answers.Text: @Mog, I see; thanks. Dhaiwat, could you give some more detail about the useful features of Kasparov Chessmate? That will make your answer more helpful to other users.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ETD
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-11T09:07:05.713Z
Answers.Text: yap.. definitely... you can have certain examples of master minds as Garry Kasparow, Vishvanath anand and many more. Except this you can play this this game through LAN on internet via cable. It also provides to save your game which can be played at locally and with your mate to have a look on that game future.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Dhaiwat budh
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T18:17:36.707Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-09-09T18:17:36.707Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Dhaiwat budh
Answers.Body: <p>Here are some sites that I have found to be of great value:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://chessopenings.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">chessopenings.com</a> - NM Dereque Kelley explains openings very well.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.thechesswebsite.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Chess Website</a> - Excellent videos.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://www.chessvideos.tv/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ChessVideos.tv</a> - An abundant resource of top notch videos.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/category/topic/coaching" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Exeter Chess Club coaching section</a> - Excellent articles</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190611/http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ChessCafe columns</a> (especially Dan Heisman's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190611/http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm#Novice%20Nook" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Novice Nook columns</a> and Mark Dvoretsky's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190611/http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm#The%20Instructor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Instructor columns</a>) - I can't recommend Dan Heisman enough,  his videos on ICC (not free) are excellent. Note: since the demise of the ChessCafe site these links point to the archive.org saved version.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.50chessgames.freeserve.co.uk/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">50 Chess Games for Beginners</a> - I stumbled upon this. Looks helpful, especially since the games are annotated.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.janmatthies.info/chess/cvt/cvt.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chess Visualization Training</a> - Improve your visualization.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-09-15T13:07:04.190Z
Answers.Text: @xaisoft: Great additions! 
  
  Unfortunately, ChessCafe is now fee-based. They will give you access to all of the PDF archives of articles, including Dan Heisman's Novice Nook, for a donation of $25 to their educational fund. As a result of the new member login requirement, the link you included no longer hits the right landing page; it generates a 404 Page Not Found error instead.
Answers.UserDisplayName: jaxter
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-17T04:22:24.177Z
Answers.Text: Exeter Chess Club's pages are a fun read, although some of the content is fairly 'old' and no longer withstand today's engine scrutiny.
Answers.UserDisplayName: prusswan
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-09-10T01:04:32.030Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-08-05T17:08:10.187Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2019-08-05T17:08:10.187Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: xaisoft
Body: <p>I'm aware of several excellent youtube channels that are free and provide some great insight into the game, such as:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ChessNetwork">Chess Network</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/OnlineChessLessons">Online Chess Lessons</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ChessFriendsDotCom">ChessFriends.com</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/kingscrusher">Kings Crusher</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MatoJelic">Mato Jelic</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/YMChessMaster">YM Chess Master (IM Andrew Martin)</a></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>What are a few other good resources (free only please!) that a new player can find and how can I use them effectively to improve?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T18:31:22.250Z
Comments.Text: Hi Mog, I closed this question because right now it's very subjective - it's more or less asking for a list of available free learning sites/resources.  For more information you can also check [the StackExchange blog](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/01/real-questions-have-answers/).
Comments.UserDisplayName: Andrew
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T18:32:31.457Z
Comments.Text: Well I totally agree with you, it's asking for a list of available free learning sites/resources. Though, I can't understand how that'd be subjective. Free is not subjective, and whether or not one can learn from a resource shouldn't be either.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Mog
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T18:37:16.863Z
Comments.Text: Mog, I do understand where you're coming from, but questions that are basically polls don't work as well with the Stack Exchange format.  If each answer is equally valid, or one line answers are valid, then the question isn't focused enough.  (http://chess.stackexchange.com/faq#dontask)  The question is subjective in that which answer is "correct" depends on the person and their own opinions.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Andrew
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T18:38:39.420Z
Comments.Text: Fair enough! Sad though, would have been interesting for lots of people.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Mog
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T18:41:01.180Z
Comments.Text: Yes, definitely.  The prevailing wisdom is that for things like this (on Stack Exchange), [chat] is the right place for this discussion.  Or perhaps a tag wiki (like the one for [tag:learning]: http://chess.stackexchange.com/tags/learning/info)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Andrew
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T19:22:50.690Z
Comments.Text: I reworded the question slightly in order to reopen it.  Questions that solicit just links are less good, so hopefully now answers will be lengthier.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Andrew
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-09T22:24:38.930Z
Comments.Text: Thanks a lot for taking the time to turn this into a nice question!
Comments.UserDisplayName: Mog
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-10T00:08:21.223Z
Comments.Text: I'm still a little confused. Do you want only video resources or any resources?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Justin C
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-09-10T00:16:41.130Z
Comments.Text: Nah I'm not limiting the type of resource. Feel free to propose anything :)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Mog
Tags: <learning>
Title: Free learning material
ThreadText: # Free learning material
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-09-09)
  
  I'm aware of several excellent youtube channels that are free and provide some great insight into the game, such as:
  
  * [Chess Network](http://www.youtube.com/user/ChessNetwork)
  * [Online Chess Lessons](http://www.youtube.com/user/OnlineChessLessons)
  * [ChessFriends.com](http://www.youtube.com/user/ChessFriendsDotCom)
  * [Kings Crusher](http://www.youtube.com/user/kingscrusher)
  * [Mato Jelic](http://www.youtube.com/user/MatoJelic)
  * [YM Chess Master (IM username_1 Martin)](http://www.youtube.com/user/YMChessMaster)
  
  What are a few other good resources (free only please!) that a new player can find and how can I use them effectively to improve?
  
  **Tags:** learning
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Hi Mog, I closed this question because right now it's very subjective - it's more or less asking for a list of available free learning sites/resources.  For more information you can also check [the StackExchange blog](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/01/real-questions-have-answers/).  
  > **username_0**: Well I totally agree with you, it's asking for a list of available free learning sites/resources. Though, I can't understand how that'd be subjective. Free is not subjective, and whether or not one can learn from a resource shouldn't be either.  
  > **username_1**: Mog, I do understand where you're coming from, but questions that are basically polls don't work as well with the Stack Exchange format.  If each answer is equally valid, or one line answers are valid, then the question isn't focused enough.  (http://chess.stackexchange.com/faq#dontask)  The question is subjective in that which answer is "correct" depends on the person and their own opinions.  
  > **username_0**: Fair enough! Sad though, would have been interesting for lots of people.  
  > **username_1**: Yes, definitely.  The prevailing wisdom is that for things like this (on Stack Exchange), [chat] is the right place for this discussion.  Or perhaps a tag wiki (like the one for [tag:learning]: http://chess.stackexchange.com/tags/learning/info)  
  > **username_1**: I reworded the question slightly in order to reopen it.  Questions that solicit just links are less good, so hopefully now answers will be lengthier.  
  > **username_0**: Thanks a lot for taking the time to turn this into a nice question!  
  > **username_2**: I'm still a little confused. Do you want only video resources or any resources?  
  > **username_0**: Nah I'm not limiting the type of resource. Feel free to propose anything :)  
  
  ---
  
  ## 8 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_14 on 2012-09-10. Score: 16 | Accepted answer
  
  Here are some sites that I have found to be of great value:
  
  [chessopenings.com](https://chessopenings.com) - NM Dereque Kelley explains openings very well.
  
  [The Chess Website](http://www.thechesswebsite.com) - Excellent videos.
  
  [ChessVideos.tv](https://www.chessvideos.tv/) - An abundant resource of top notch videos.
  
  [Exeter Chess Club coaching section](http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/category/topic/coaching) - Excellent articles
  
  [ChessCafe columns](https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190611/http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm) (especially Dan Heisman's [Novice Nook columns](https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190611/http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm#Novice%20Nook) and Mark Dvoretsky's [Instructor columns](https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190611/http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/archives.htm#The%20Instructor)) - I can't recommend Dan Heisman enough, his videos on ICC (not free) are excellent. Note: since the demise of the ChessCafe site these links point to the archive.org saved version.
  
  [50 Chess Games for Beginners](http://www.50chessgames.freeserve.co.uk/) - I stumbled upon this. Looks helpful, especially since the games are annotated.
  
  [Chess Visualization Training](http://www.janmatthies.info/chess/cvt/cvt.htm) - Improve your visualization.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_16**: Exeter Chess Club's pages are a fun read, although some of the content is fairly 'old' and no longer withstand today's engine scrutiny.  
  > **username_15**: @username_14: Great additions!   Unfortunately, ChessCafe is now fee-based. They will give you access to all of the PDF archives of articles, including Dan Heisman's Novice Nook, for a donation of $25 to their educational fund. As a result of the new member login requirement, the link you included no longer hits the right landing page; it generates a 404 Page Not Found error instead.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2012-09-14. Score: 12
  
  A bit of self-promotion, I put together [this PDF](https://web.archive.org/web/20150921172649/http://www.lathamcity.com/docs/pawnstructures.pdf):
  
  A solid understanding of pawn structures and their corresponding plans will improve your game by leaps and bounds, because books rarely do a good job of explaining this powerful area of chess knowledge so it will probably be mostly new information. Hope you find it useful! :)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: Very nice,  I have Soltis's book, but haven't read it all the way through yet, since I keep putting it aside for other books that I think are more my level.  I think it's still a bit advanced for me.  When I do read it, your pdf will make a great companion/supplement.  Thank you.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2012-09-20. Score: 10
  
  I notice (unless I missed it) that no one has mentioned username_9 King's youtube channel [Power Play Chess](http://www.youtube.com/user/PowerPlayChess). You can subscribe for free. I enjoy his "what happens next?" series, where he plays through a grandmaster game, stops at a crucial moment, and asks the viewer to pick the correct continuation from two possibilities. The viewer then clicks one of two links to find out if they are correct.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: didn't know about it. Seems like it is a great channel, thanks :)  
  > **username_0**: Just to clarify after almost one year: DK's channel proved to be _amazing_ during this last year. I think I even prefer it to ChessNetwork (which is crazy considering how much I like ChessNetwork). The analysis is of really good quality and DK has a visible passion for the game that is very nice indeed (this last sentence was an hommage, it's an expression he uses a lot :D).  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2013-12-11. Score: 5
  
  There is an absolutely PHENOMENAL book on tactics, oriented towards beginners, available for free on the web. It's called "Predator at the Chessboard", by Ward Farnsworth, and you can find it at <http://www.chesstactics.org/>
  
  The depth of coverage is good for even intermediates. But he really takes time to explain the tactics in English, which makes it very understandable to beginners.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_9**: This has been a really useful book to me as a beginner. The book breaks down a bunch of ways that you can attack pieces and come out with an advantage.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2013-12-13. Score: 4
  
  I've found Mark Weeks' [Chess for All Ages](http://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/) to be an excellent, free resource. There is a lot of advice for beginners and intermediate players alike on topics such as
  
  * Building an opening repertoire
  * Tactics and positional ideas for the middlegame
  * Explanations of basic endgames
  
  There are also a dozen or so annotated "classic" games, where every move is explained in depth. I found this to be especially useful because I often missed the point of quiet moves.
  
  Some of the material is quite dated and a few of the links are dead, but don't let that put you off - the overall quality of the articles is excellent.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_7**: Please provide some explanation and context, see the message under the question.  
  > **username_6**: @username_7 Done :)  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_10 on 2015-05-14. Score: 1
  
  [Chess Strategy Online](http://www.chessstrategyonline.com) - A new site with free tutorials for beginners and novices.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_11 on 2017-03-15. Score: 0
  
  I think the best of the Learning material is Chessgames.com . There you have a Tool called Guess the move . This allows you to make a move and then gives a Score to your move . Often it is best to be at par with GM thinking lines .
  
  link below
  
  <http://www.chessgames.com/perl/guessthemove>
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_12 on 2012-09-09. Score: 0
  
  one best game one can download through torrent
  that is "KASPAROV CHESSMATE"
  there are such many examples to solve with kit ta have many ideas.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_13**: I know you're talking about obtaining Kasparov Chessmate for free, but is that software actually *intended* to be free?  
  > **username_0**: It seems like there is a free version (limited) and that it's not even possible anymore to buy the full version, since its developper doesn't maintain the necessary infrastructure for that.  
  > **username_13**: @username_0, I see; thanks. username_12, could you give some more detail about the useful features of Kasparov Chessmate? That will make your answer more helpful to other users.  
  > **username_12**: yap.. definitely... you can have certain examples of master minds as Garry Kasparow, Vishvanath anand and many more. Except this you can play this this game through LAN on internet via cable. It also provides to save your game which can be played at locally and with your mate to have a look on that game future.  
  
  ---
  
  