To learn a game requires resources and effort. Resources are equipment, books, software, and people. Effort is time, energy, and money spent on the game.
Equipment is necessary to play the game. You would need the actual game to be played. Also important are a travel edition, a handheld electronic version, a computer software to play against, an Internet site to play against other people online, and a membership to the national organization of the game to play in tournaments or in officially rated games.
Books needed are ones to study to learn the basics of the game, and theory to study. There are puzzle books, software, and websites to help you train.
Software comes in three types: playing, analysis, database, and training. Playing software you play against and should be at your level of skill. Analysis software analyzes your games and should be at the highest level possible. Unfortunately analysis software won’t explain why moves are better or worse. Database software collects your recorded games and games of others, so you can replay and analyze them. Training software is made to teach and train you to increase your playing level. It is best to have all four kinds of software. Getting the best software of each kind is ideal.
People are essential in your training to get better. You can learn bad habits by playing only computer opponents. People can be your teacher, be your same skill-level opponent, talk with you about the game in general, and be your opponents in tournaments.
Effort is key in studying and becoming good at a game. Without time and energy to place into studying, you cannot become better because you will only stay at the same skill level without it. Money, unfortunately, is necessary to spend for quality books, software, and teaching. Technically you can learn by yourself, but it can take ten to a hundred times longer or more. Books can tell you something in fifteen minutes something you might not realize in a year.
Hopefully, you have come to a better understanding of how to learn board and card games in general. These guidelines work for many games including chess, backgammon, and poker. Happy gaming!
