Opening Principles and Analyzing Positions (100-1199 elo)
Learning how to analyze positions and come out of an opening on top is crucial to advancing into the more advanced levels of play. This post should help those of you who find yourselves stuck after your opening prep is over, or after your opponent starts playing Oonga Boonga, throwing off your opening
BASIC THINGS: Think for much longer, like at least 20 seconds per move (unless time trouble). Play 15|10. Learn opening principles. Learn how to analyze positions. Do tactics and analyze all games, find out where you went wrong, and MANUALLY try to figure out how to fix it before consulting the engine.
More In Depth:
Opening Principles: #1 Developing pieces
Developing pieces means getting them off the starting squares in a way that prepares them for battle. Try to develop ROOKS to the center or to open files, if any. Try to develop BISHOPS to powerful diagonals where your own or opponents' pawns do not block their view, unless your pawn can move and improve your position or the opponent's pawn is under an attack. Develop KNIGHTS to squares that control the center or threaten bishops (in most cases, 7/10, a bishop is slightly better than a knight. Do not trade if your knight has an extraordinary position or if the enemy bishop is super lousy or undeveloped). Get knights to squares where they can support a pawn or threaten a fork or have checking range of a royal or rook (can hit that piece next turn). Also use knights to jump into holes in the enemy position. Develop your QUEEN in the same way that gives her maximum mobility and lets her see weak enemy pieces, never develop her to a square where she can be attacked by a knight or a bishop, causing her to just have to retreat. Develop your KING by castling or getting him to safety, don't mobilize him until the endgame, where he is more powerful than a knight or bishop (his power is around 4 points)
In the following position, white is dominating in piece development. But why? Notice how white is castled and every single one of their pieces have made it off their starting square (besides the a1 rook), while the majority of black's army remains on the back rank, doing nothing. Black's only developed pieces are the knight and the queen, although the knight is weirdly placed on a6 and the queen can get hit by Nd5, winning a tempo. But is this really significant? YES! White's position is +7! So how do you capitalize on such development? Since white's army is ready and black's is not, begin the attack right away before black has time to develop. Ne5 infiltrates black's position with a knight and pokes away the queen, giving white a +6.9 advantage. However, dxe5 is superior (+7.4) because it is forcing (demands a response or else the pawn continue to consume) and opens up the center on blacks uncastled king, with Ne5 coming later
Opening Principles: #2 Controlling the center
Primarily use PAWNS to control the center. Pawns are the backbone of your position; their weakness is their strength, as no opponent will trade a knight or bishop or higher for a pawn. Support your pawns with knights, if able, and occasionally bishops. Put rooks underneath important pawns that are going to make a push, and keep them well defended. If your center falls, the game will often come crashing down, unless you can quickly launch pawns at the enemy king.
In the Following position, white has control of the center. But why? 2 Pawns, knights covering the 4 central squares, and with a rook backing e4, white's center is well fortified and prevents black from moving. But is this really significant? Yes. This position, equal in material, is +2.2 for white!
Opening Principles: #3 Improving position
If there is a very annoying enemy piece, create a strategy to destroy it. If you have a very powerful piece, do not trade it if you can prevent it. If you need to push a pawn to recapture the center or improve your position, but a knight is blocking it, find a way to rotate the knight to a square where it supports the new pawn. Always look at what your pieces are doing before you move them, if a bishop is defending a pawn, do not move that bishop to make an idle threat, leaving the pawn to be captured. If your opponent sends high value, undefended pieces at you, find ways to attack them while simultaneously improving your position. If you can't seem to find any moves in your position, don't randomly break down your glorious position, find ways to slightly improve a piece, such as moving a bishop one square to see more enemy pieces or double your rooks under the enemy king
In the following position, white has come to the end of their opening preparation and does not know what to do. There are a few options, developing the queen to d2, randomly playing a4 and immediately entering a losing position (-1), or... a move that moves a knight to a better position. Ne5! If bishop takes your knight, pawn recaptures and is now hitting the pinned knight! If black counterattacks with h6 to hit the bishop, the bishop takes on c6, forcing black to recapture with the g pawn, weakening his king (+2 for white). If black plays correctly and just leaves the knight on e5, white has a slight edge (+0.7) and has a very powerful knight
Analyzing Positions #1: King safety
A Castled king is usually a safe king. King-side castling is safer than queen-side castling, which is more aggressive. Do not push pawns above your king (moving the center pawn or flank pawn 1 square up is often good, though). If a king is threatened by X-Rays, is the sole defender of a piece, or is exposed, he is in danger. If he is off the 1st rank, he is in increased danger. If he is beyond the 2nd rank, and it is not an endgame, the king is suicidal.
In the following position, white has committed an atrocity. White removed the pawn above the castled king in a very familiar way and is now losing, because the king can be easily attacked and can't escape or be easily defended. Black to move, and Qg5+ is devastating. After hitting the king, black can bring in their knight to bamboozle white's king once and for all (or at least hold a -2 advantage)
Analyzing Positions #2: Center Control
Refer to Opening Principles: #2 Controlling the center. Whoever is doing a better job at this is winning the central dominance
(Like bro, what more is there to say???)
Analyzing Positions: #3 Tactics/Tension. Hanging pieces, overworked pieces, weak pieces, vulnerable pieces. All targets to the enemy. X-Rays, pins, and passed pawns imply a looming threat that will get out of hand if not dealt with properly. Knights infesting a position and in checking range of the king with rooks behind them are very deadly. Whoever has more viable threats is winning in this category
In the following position, black is up 2 pawns, obviously winning... or are they??? This position, white to move is actually +3 for white! While black is up 2 pawns, white has extreme counterplay. Qb6 threatens Bxf7+, which is absolutely devastating. Additionally, black's king is exposed, with white able to X-Ray it with a rook or a queen on the semi-open e-file. If black tries to prepare to castle and defend f7 with Nh6, Bxh6 forces black to take with the pawn that would cover the castled king, exposing him, and still allowing Bxf7+
Analyzing Positions: #4 Material advantage.
Whoever has more material often has an advantage. If you are down material, trade pawns. If you are up material, trade pieces. If you are down a catastrophic amount of material, never trade your queen unless you really have to and initiate an all out attack on the enemy king
IN CONCLUSION
Everything I've told you is a lie and if you implement these tips in your games, you will lose
