A structured introduction to chess for the casual player, covering notation, the phases of a game, opening principles, tactics, strategy, pawn play, and the endgame.

This guide is written for the casual player who has learned the rules and wants a structured introduction to the ideas behind the game. The how to play chess series covers the board, the pieces, and the special moves. The chapters that follow assume that material and build upon it.

The chapters are arranged in the order in which most players encounter these topics in play: notation for recording moves, the phases of a game, opening principles, tactics, positional play, pawn structure, mating patterns, and the endgame. Each chapter is short and self-contained. They may be read in sequence or consulted individually.

Supporting reference material is kept in the rest of the study center: the chess terms glossary for definitions, the checkmate patterns directory for illustrated mating positions, the opening directory for named variations, and the chess variants directory for non-standard forms of the game.