What kind of chess material do you want?

[funny]

Hi friends

As a chess enthusiast and active chess player for about 20 years, I am happy to start running a chess-related web site shortly.
If you would like to help me out with this, I would appreciate your opinion about chess material that is not available yet. It could be specific books (or e-books), chess magazines, software tools, interactive chess puzzles, video material, or something I have not thought of at all. For example, I have spotted the lack of a software tool that plays or teaches in a positional manner, rather than clearly tactical.
I will read all recommendations carefully. Thank you for your help !

[Dame]

Hi funny, welcome to the forum Being a total computer illiterate I'm afraid I cannot help you out there, but I'm sure and have witnessed this before here, that some of our members can supply you with good advise

Good luck with your site.

[csmullen]

Sounds fun lol.

I dont know what use i am at software but i can do various strategies if need be.

[lunarcheck]

Good luck with that. I don`t think many chess sites are very helpful for learning so it would be great if you could find an effective way of showing players how to improve. If you break chess down into skills or elements or phases (and I`m just kind of brainstorming - there must be lots I haven`t thought of) you could say: openings (as white and black); middle game and endgame, then strategy and planning, tactics, combinations and sacrifices, pawn play, attack, defence... And how can you teach them...? Also if your site concentrated on one aspect well, at least at first, it might be more likely to succeed (so for example get known as THE site for learning endings or whatever rather than just another chess site - I`m sure that site would be popular - we all need help with learning endings!). Personally I like a practical approach. So interactive problems are good for me (but from real games, not made up theoretical problems - and rather than mate in 2: what is white`s best move, or what should black`s plan be...?).

[ChessTeacher]

On Chess Teaching a lot of chess lessons can be found, but to mention one thing that is missing is a possibility to practice the learned things in an interactive way. There are interactive exercises, but not e.g. complete endings.

Maybe you are able to add this kind of software to your new site.

[antistatic]

You know, one thing I keep seeing is specialist training. And while there are obvious advantages to this strategy I would like to see more integrated approaches. As an example, I often find tactics books that organize tactics by theme. This of course works great for those trying to see a tactical theme in various positions arising from disparate openings. But chess ameteurs are suggested to pick one opening and keep playing it until they master it. So why not have a designated opening, say the Sicilian Dragon, with strategic themes explained for both sides and THEN to offer interactive tactical puzzles found only in this type of opening? I think this integrated approach of teaching strategy and tactics by opening might yield a better result then just the positionally random tactical puzzles found in books today. Now this is not exclusionary. There are obvious benefits of a "think outside the box" order that are found by seeing the same tactical theme in diverse positions. And maybe this will take all the thinking out of the game and let people "book up" their opening preparation in a hollow fashion. But it seems to me that if you were to tackle chess openings as an academic subject that you would want to merge strategic themes and tactical ideas found only in that opening. :side:

To put in more practical terms, how about a portion of the web site devoted to each opening with the standard historical introduction, themes, example games and latest advances in theory. And then there could be a tactics section that would show only those combinations found in the positions that arise from this opening. Well that's my suggestion anyway. Good luck with your project!

[Ironwagon]

Darn good Idea,that last part anyway.

[Ironwagon]

Write a book like that,I'll buy one.

[BOBMITCHnz09]

Hi, You could begin by taking a look at a printed book - the one I have in mind is Chess by Edward Lasker (Batsford 1973 ISBN 0 7134 0374 8. This book takes a beginner through a process of choice making with a good mix of tactical and strategic themes. The reader is required to analyse a diagram and select one of three answers. If the answer selected is incorrect a further explanation is provided and the reader is referred back to the initial position. Successful answers are praised and further explained and the next problem is set. By the end of the book the reader has traversed pretty much all the material needed to play a good standard of chess. Turning this sort of process into a chess program should not be too difficult for a competent programmer.