[wjossey]

Add me to the list of folks likely to respond to this thread about getting back into it later in life. I have a toddler (and soon baby number 2) and I find it a really enjoyable brain exercise when I have brief gaps.

For those of you with just basic experience, or looking to learn, I really recommend the “Chessbrah Building Habits” series on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8N8j2e7RpPnpqbISqi1SJ9_w...

GM Aman is a really pleasant dude, solid teacher, and takes the most methodical approach to coaching beginners to intermediates how to build habits at each elo range to keep growing.

For those new to time controls, 15 minute rapid games are a good place to start. I felt a lot more comfortable after a couple of months jumping to 3 or 5 minute blitz based on my schedule, once I felt like I could get out of the opening without being totally lost :)

Other great content creators are GothamChess (be aware his YouTube and twitch styles are different but equally awesome), Hikaru, Eric Rosen, Nemo, St Louis Chess Club, and so many more.

The chess community is really great. I hope y’all come and join the fun.

[oldstrangers]

Would be a shame not to mention Naroditsky. Watch him play through lower rated players and give you great insight to both his and his opponents thought process.

https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielNaroditskyGM/

[Tenoke]

I watch all of his videos but if you are starting, 'Building habits' is definitely much better, Aman will often keep making the simple moves he preaches even when more complex ones are available just to drill it into you. Naroditsky, while a great teacher and highly educational can't help himself from playing overly complicated lines that people at those levels wouldn't see. Hikaru is even worse in that respect (tho he doesn't attempt to be particularly educational in the first place anyway).

Other than that, I'd also recommend John Bartholomew who also explains his moves thoroughly in his series where he plays lower rated players.

[trey-jones]

Guy is also doing a very ambitious series on endgame concepts. I'm bad at chess, but learning a lot.

[wjossey]

You're 100% right. Thanks for adding Danya.

[mingusrude]

I too came back to chess. The weird thing is that now at age 48 I'm obsessed with it while when I was young (I played from very young until approx 15) I never really liked it. It was something that you were just supposed to do. I played in a club and played regional and national tournaments with varying results but it was never enjoyable. Had i known the word then, I would've said it was a grind.

I taught the kids as soon as they were old enough (age 4-5) but they never liked it back then either, it was something I think they did because I wanted to do it and I only wanted to do it because it was something my dad and grand fathers did with me.

And then, booom! When my son was approx. 15 a couple of years ago he met a few friends at school and chess became something highly competitive and I was drawn into it again and suddenly, it was so much fun and I was completely engulfed by it. And my kids were also drawn into it (I have a daughter too).

I used to study openings as a kid but hated it and now, it's the best way to spend an evening. Now I play almost daily with the kids (one daughter that is also playing) and after my son moved off to uni it's how we keep in touch (but he's effing killing me with the London System).

Youtube channels? No day is complete with out a game from agadmator's channel.

[innocentoldguy]

I had the opposite experience. I was really into chess when I was a teenager, but after getting back into it in my 50s, I find it a bit "samey." I also picked up Go and Shogi. I like both of those games better than chess because they both seem to have more variety between games. The Duck Chess article from HN yesterday did pique my curiosity though, so I'll have to give that a try.

[vikingerik]

Have you heard of or tried Chess960? That's one popular solution to the sameyness of chess, randomizing the starting positions of the pieces on the back rank.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960

[innocentoldguy]

I had not heard of Chess960. Thanks for the link.

[icambron]

So timely. This (and the replies) are just what I needed. I am 40 and getting back to chess. I was never really good to begin with (I think I was in the 1400s in high school) and I’m quite awful at chess now. But my 7yo has become obsessed with chess. I would like to not only get better myself but also get better at teaching him.

[Flankk]

Thank you for sharing that series. I've been looking for something like this and chess books put me to sleep. Check out BotezLive, Maurice Ashley, and Hanging Pawns on YouTube. xQc also has a series on how not to play.