Chess: a stimulating activity for the brain

Why a game of chess occupies the mind so completely — and how to take it up again without spending years on it.

What the game actually asks of you

In chess, no information is hidden: both players see exactly the same position. There is no die, no card, no draw. Everything that happens on the board follows from the moves played.

That is what makes the game so absorbing: you can never put a defeat down to bad luck. On every move you have to hold three things together — what you want to do, what your opponent is preparing, and what the position actually allows.

Three ideas that bring quick progress

The centre first. Pieces placed in the centre control more squares than those stuck to the edges. That is why almost every opening begins by pushing a pawn there.

Develop your pieces before attacking. An attack led by two pieces while the others are still asleep on their starting squares almost always fails.

Before you play, look at your opponent's last move. The question is not “what can I do?” but “what has that move just threatened?”. It is the habit that most clearly separates a beginner from a club player.

Coming back to chess as an adult

Many people learned the rules as children, then stopped. Coming back does not mean relearning everything: the rules return within one game. What is missing is the habit of looking at the whole board — and that comes back by playing, not by reading.

A chess set left out on a coffee table plays a very concrete part here: you come back to it out of curiosity, a few minutes at a time, far more often than if you have to open a cupboard.

Frequently asked questions

Browse our selection of wooden chess sets, or our guide how to choose a wooden chess set.