1.

[Welcome to the Chess Master Academy. I'm Josh Waitzkin. I fell in love with chess when I was six years old, and I've spent much of my life in the sway of this beautiful, riveting art form. Over the years I've won and lost countless National and World Championship games around the globe and I've emerged from my experience with an appreciation for the journey and a passion for learning. An amazing thing about chess is you can study if for a lifetime and still discover new mysteries everyday; and yet you can also feel the essential beauty of the game in your first lessons. If you have not yet touched the mystery of chess, you're in for a treat.

  In this Academy I'll lay the foundation for your exploration of what I call the Black and White Jungle. In Part One of the course, we'll learn the rules of chess. I'll teach you the powers and values of the pieces; and once you've internalized these basics, we'll be ready to enter the heart and the soul of the game. In Part Two of the course, I'll teach you the fundamentals of chess tactics; and you'll possess the building blocks to the arsenal that propelled me to the top of the scholastic chess world. Then, in Part Three, we'll delve into some more subtle, strategical ideas that will be powerful both on and off the chess board.

{B:rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/32/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR}{S:e2e4}{D:2000}{S:d7d5}{A:Cd5e4}{D:2000}{R}{S:e4d5}{D:2000}{S:d8d5}{D:2000}{S:b1c3}{A:Cc3d5}{D:2000}{R}{S:d5a5}{D:2000}{S:d2d4}{A:Ca5c3}{A:Dc3e1}{D:2000}{S:c7c6}{D:1000}{S:g1f3}{D:1000}{S:c8f5}{D:1000}{S:f1c4}{D:1000}{S:g8f6}{D:1000}{S:c1d2}{R}{D:2000}{S:e7e6}{D:1000}{S:f3h4}{A:Ch4f5}{A:Ch4g6}{H:f5g6}{D:2000}{S:f5g6}{D:1000}{C}{R}{S:h4g6}{D:1000}{S:h7g6}{D:1000}{S:d1f3}{D:1000}{S:a5f5}{A:Cf5f3}{A:Cf5c2}{D:2000}{R:f5f3}{S:f3e2}{D:2000}{R}{S:f5c2}{D:2000}{S:c4d3}{A:Cd3c2}{D:2000}{R}{S:c2b2}{D:2000}{S:a1b1}{A:Db1b7}{H:b2}{D:2000}{C}{R}{A:Cb1b7}{S:b2a3}{D:2000}{S:d4d5}{A:Cd5c6}{A:Cd5e6}{A:Ce2e6}{A:De6e8}{D:2000}{C}{R}{S:f6d5}{D:4000}{B:rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/32/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR}{S:d2d4}{D:2000}{S:d7d5}{D:2000}{S:c2c4}{D:2000}{S:e7e6}{D:2000}{S:b1c3}{D:2000}{S:g8f6}{D:2000}{S:c1g5}{D:2000}{S:b8d7}{D:2000}{S:e2e3}{W:j11a1}{W:sil1000}{W:j11a2}

]

2.

[I have come to believe that the best way to approach chess is in a manner that teaches us about ourselves and about learning in general. I recommend that you keep your eyes open for the parallels between life and chess. They're out there waiting to be discovered. Over time, you'll internalize the lessons of this academy and the principles will become part of your intuition. Then the chess board will become a thrilling arena for you to express yourself with creativity and freedom.

  Before we begin, I'd like to make a few suggestions. As you progress through this Academy and beyond, please remember: growth comes at the point of resistance. This course will gradually stretch the mind. So don't get frustruated if you're stumped or forget something. I can't tell you how many chess problems have confused me until the answer dawned like a revelation. I may sometimes ask a question which feels a bit tricky. In general, the more effort you put into these challenges, the more you'll get out of the experience. The idea is not to get everything right, but to do the best you can with the knowledge you have so far, and then to soak in my explanations. If I've learned anything over the years, it's that the road to mastery is about growth, not perfection. So with that spirit, let's dive in. Welcome to the Black and White Jungle.

{B:rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/32/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR}{D:2000}{S:e2e4}{D:2000}{S:e7e6}{D:2000}{S:d2d4}{D:2000}{S:d7d5}{A:Cd5e4}{D:2000}{S:b1c3}{A:Gc3e4}{A:Cc3d5}{D:2000}{R}{S:d5e4}{D:2000}{S:c3e4}{D:2000}{S:b8d7}{D:2000}{S:g1f3}{D:2000}{S:c7c5}{A:Cc5d4}{D:2000}{R}{S:d4c5}{D:2000}{S:d7c5}{A:Cc5e4}{A:Cd8d1}{D:2000}{R}{S:d1d8}{A:Cd8e8}{H:e8}{D:2000}{C}{R}{S:e8d8}{D:2000}{B:rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/32/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR}{D:2000}{S:e2e4}{D:2000}{S:e7e5}{D:2000}{S:g1f3}{A:Cf3e5}{D:2000}{S:b8c6}{A:Gc6e5}{D:2000}{S:f1b5}{A:Cb5c6}{D:2000}{S:a7a6}{A:Ca6b5}{D:2000}{R:a6b5}{R:b5c6}{S:b5a4}{A:Ca4c6}{D:2000}{S:d7d6}{A:Gd6e5}{A:Dc6e8}{D:2000}{S:c2c3}{D:2000}{S:f7f5}{A:Cf5e4}{D:2000}{S:d2d4}{A:Cd4e5}{D:2000}{S:f5e4}{R:f5e4}{R}{A:Ca4c6}{A:Dc6e8}{A:Ce4f3}{D:2000}{R}{A:Ca4c6}{A:Dc6e8}{S:f3g5}{A:Cg5e4}{D:2000}{S:e5d4}{D:2000}{R:g5e4}{S:g5e4}{D:2000}{S:g8f6}{A:Cf6e4}{D:2000}{S:c1g5}{R:f6e4}{A:Cg5f6}{A:Df6d8}{D:2000}{S:f8e7}{R:f6d8}{R:g5f6}{D:2000}{S:d1d4}{A:Cd4f6}{A:Ce4f6}{D:2000}{S:b7b5}{R}{C}{W:j11a3}{W:sil500}{W:j11a4}{W:sil1000}{W:sil1000}

]

