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Chapter 3

Put it on Paper

Many people say that Bobby Fischer is the greatest chess player of the last century. If you want to see how he plays, you don’t need a video, pictures or even diagrams of any kind.

Just open any of the books that discuss his games and you’ll see his every move right there in front of you.

That’s because somebody wrote them down.

A game of chess isn’t like a game of football or basketball, where fans only remember the final score and maybe a few good plays.

With chess, every single move can be recorded on paper, read and played again later with a simple notation system.

Records of the Battle

So how do you “write” or “read” a game of chess?

Don’t worry. It’s easier than learning the alphabet or memorizing multiplication tables; in fact, it’s no harder than simply learning how the pieces move.

Think of this: If you want to build a house, you first imagine it in your mind. Then you put it on paper, as a blueprint, and work from that.

After all, if you build a home based only from a mental image, you might forget something important – like the bathroom! Paper doesn’t forget.

So take the thoughts, memories and events out of your brain and write them down.

In the case of chess, this means recording your games so that they will be the blueprint for your future learning and improvement.

Why Chess Notation is Important

A Common Language – Whenever a chess game is discussed in writing – whether in books, newspapers or on the Internet – chess notation is used as a simple, universal way of telling the reader which moves the chess pieces are making.

This is very important, as the author must be able to communicate in a way that’s quick, easy to read and exact.

The rest of this book is full of chess strategies and tips, written in chess notation. So if you want to understand my words, you’re going to have to learn the language!