"Passed pawns must be pushed"

Totally off-topic, but how's this chess-twist on a common military saying:

Piece acquisition through superior calculatory power (it's a stretch, I know :-P)

"It's always better to sacrifice your opponent's men." -- TARTAKOVER

Oooh, a tautology!

Avoid moving the same piece twice in the Opening.

Bishops are Faster than Knights.

Rooks belong behind your Pawns or your Opponents!

Get your King to the Center First in a King and Pawn endgame.

A pair of pawns on the 6th rank are worth a Rook.

Sacrifice your opponent's pieces.

The one maxim: Play the particular position; don't play on General Principles / Maxims as autopilot. If you must use 'general principles', use them only  as a reminder of moves/plans you might have missed. (This is of course just Reti-Breyer advice paraphrased)

The golden rule is that there are no golden rules. (George Bernard Shaw)

I don't remember where I read this. It mostly deals with endgames but should be kept in mind always.

"The king is a powerful piece, use it!"

Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine, last page. (list of summary points, #9). btw, Fine wrote 'strong', not 'powerful'. same thing...

In the endgame, put your rook behind the pawns and your king in front of them.

Exchange when you have a material advantage, especially queens.

Control the center.

When evaluating your opponent's move, assume they're an idiot. When evaluating your move, assume they're a genius.

ichabod801 said: "When evaluating your opponent's move, assume they're an idiot. When evaluating your move, assume they're a genius."

I had to laugh, but it is great advice!

i prefer to call them guidelines which are not hard and fast rules. link to my blog on guidelines here

http://blog.chess.com/PerfectGent/general-notes-for-the-less-experienced-player

Thanks!

That must be where I read it and I got it wrong because I haven't been through that book in a long, long time. The idea always stuck with me though. The king shouldn't spend all its time ducking and dodging. It's a force to be reckoned with and should be used forcefully when needed.

a knight in the corner makes you a mourner

if you have a passed pawn, don't let it pass away

two pawns are better than one

angle your attacks the way your pawn chain points

You develop your peices to good squares,  force captures to open files, sieze the open file with rooks to penetrate to the 7th rank.  Go Aaron!

Make better moves than your opponent.

One must checkmate the opposing king to win.

The King is worth about four (4) points, stronger than a Knight or Bishop when used properly in the endgame.

An important concept to really unlock a lot of unbalanced endgames, however you do the math.

Always protect any piece on the board.