Chess Playing Guide

Submitted by KingLeopold on Thu, 05/01/2008 at 8:43pm.

Coach Leopold’s Chess Playing Guide

 

Opening Play:

 

3 Goals

1.      Develop Pieces

2.      Castle your King

3.      Control the Centre

 

Principles

1.      Move only 2-3 pawns in the opening

2.      Touch every piece (not pawns), once before touching one piece twice. Remember, if you touch a piece, you have to move it.

3.      Knights before Bishops; Knights and Bishops before the Queen and Rooks

4.      Don't hang pieces; Make sure your pieces are protected. Don't give away pieces for free, If you’re going to loose a piece then get SOMETHING for it.

 

 

Middle Game Play:

 

Use the Action Moves:

1.      Checks: A). Can your King be checked and can you protect it? B). Can you check your opponent's king?

2.      Captures: Can you capture any of your opponent's pieces?

3.      Piece Attacks: Can you attack any of your opponent's pieces?

4.      Mate Threats: Can you threaten mate in 1?

5.      If none of the above, then you need to improve the position of your pieces.

 

Remember to Look for Tactics:

1.      Pins

2.      Skewers

3.      Forks

4.      Double Attacks

5.      Discover Attacks/Discover Checks

6.      Overloaded Piece

7.      Removal of the Guard/Defender

8.      Decoys

9.      Deflection

10.  Double Checks

Keep in mind that almost all combinations start with a double attack

 

End Game Play:

 

1.      Take your time

2.      If winning, trade pieces

3.      If losing, trade pawns

 

3 Ways to Get Out of Check

 

1.      Capture the piece attacking your king

2.      Block the check by placing a piece between the attacking piece and your king.

3.      Move the king, (RUN AWAY!)

 

Know your Mate Patterns:

 

1.      Fool's Mate

2.      Scholar's Mate

3.      Legal's Mate

4.      Anastasia's Mate

5.      Boden's Mate

6.      Arabian Mate

7.      Morphy's Mate

8.      Pillsbury’s Mate

9.      Blackburn’s Mate

10.  Greco's Mate

11.  Back Rank or Corridor Mate

12.  Smothered Mate

13.  Epaulet Mate

14.  Mate with the Heavy Pieces

15.  Mate with the Minor Pieces

16.  Mate with pawns.

 

Know All King + pawn vs King Positions

 

Practice King + Rook vs King + pawn

 

 

 

Practical Play:

1.      Play slowly, but manage your time.

2.      Develop your pieces to their best squares: Remember Tactics flow from a superior position!

3.      Use the Action Moves to find good moves and create plans of attack in the middle game.

4.      Don't expect your opponent will play badly, but look for their mistakes! Believe me, they will make a mistake. It’s up to you to figure out how to capitalize on it.

5.      When in doubt, play simple moves and don't try to play complicated positions, its way too easy to make a mistake in a complicated position.

6.      Don't be afraid of your opponent, no matter his/her rating. If they are playing you then you both have the same score.

 


» posted in For Beginners
 

Comments:

by figrock - 12 months ago
United States
Member Since: Jul 2008
Member Points: 1438

Great Information..! Smile

by Firemanz - 15 months ago
Chandler,Arizona United States
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 5

cool

by Wrenn - 15 months ago
Massachusetts United States
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 40

This is a very good article, summing up all of the basic basics very well. It also does so in a way that does not try and fit too much information, allowing you to research the things he mentioned on your own, increasing your own learning.

by kayley - 17 months ago
Seoul South Korea
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 2

the list is AWESOMEwith a CAPITAL A

It even help win dad!thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Smile

 


by chessballer2 - 18 months ago
San Juan Capistrano United States
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 12

This article is great, i guess i just played people that are really hard.

Innocent
by LAB1 - 18 months ago
Miami United States
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 5

thanks

 


by KingLeopold - 19 months ago
Scottsdale, AZ. United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 364

KA49s asked: Should you really just check for the hell of it, though? This guide makes it seem like checking is always a good idea when it can be pointless if you don't have a plan behind it.

 Thats a good question. Actually just because you looked for checks and found one doesn't mean you make the check right away. First you go ahead and look at captures, piece attacks and mate threats. In doing that, you should be able to come up with a list of one or two canidate moves to choose from and then you deside the course of action to take. That is a way of creating a short plan. If you have none of those, then your pieces are out of place and need to be brought to other (better) squares where they can help exert some influence in the game. That is what is meant by Improving your position.


by Paul - 19 months ago
Flagler Beach Florida United States
Member Since: Jul 2007
Member Points: 53
What is the purpose of <!--[if !supportLists]--># verbage? Does the number after---> have a weight of some type?
by Roberto1956 - 19 months ago
Beirut Lebanon
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 172
Very good guide!
by ka49s - 19 months ago
Sacramento United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 58
Should you really just check for the hell of it, though? This guide makes it seem like checking is always a good idea when it can be pointless if you don't have a plan behind it.
by chessica - 19 months ago
MD United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 539
Good helpful points, Thx.
by AntiSniper - 19 months ago
Kaunas Lithuania
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 344
article for beginners more.
by Jasn - 19 months ago
Marin County, California United States
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 171
This is pretty much a concise recipe for moving from beginner to intermediate. Very much worth not only reading, but printing out and memorizing. Thanks for posting it.
by SirDonald - 19 months ago
Sylmar, CA United States
Member Since: Jun 2007
Member Points: 433
A splendid guide for beginners and a superb review for everyone else. Thanks.
by FossilRabbit - 19 months ago
Horsham, PA United States
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 22
<!--[if !supportLists]-->16.  <!--[endif]-->Nice article, better without computer @#$%^&.
by rbw741 - 19 months ago
Georgia United States
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 6
This is a great article for beginning chess players. Smile
by NinjaBear - 19 months ago
Salt Lake City (USA) China
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 717

I see computer programming language...


 

Add your comment:

Join Chess.com for free to add your comment! Already a member? Then login now to comment.