Chess Gems

For me, a Chess Gem is an idea. Something I should never forget, or if you're a pattern recognition player, and I am, a Chess Gem comes to mind exactly when I need it. But, that's just me. By the way, this may be one of my few posts worth bookmarking because I will update it as I find new Gems.

There are books called Chess Gems. There are gem encrusted Chess piece sets. That's the image for this post. Someone is claiming that's a $4 million dollar set of Chess pieces. I've even seen piece sets where each type of piece had an associated gem and sometimes it's as simple as Black pieces have a black gem at the base of the piece and you can imagine what the base of the White pieces is.

But, back to me. It's my blog after all. For me, a Chess Gem is an idea. It may not always be there at the front of my mind, but the idea comes when it's called. If I ever get a dog that comes when it's called, I'll probably call the dog Gem.

Earlier in this blog series I mentioned that quite a few books, and even more videos really aren't worth spit, but some are worth spit and they usually have a Gem. The Gem in the video is worth writing down and I have a collection.

Many players will see these and say, "Well, Duh!!!". Please keep in mind this collection comes from a man who started later in life, 59 years of age, 1.5 years in game now, rating 700 - 800 and spent more than 3 months of this year in hospital, mostly comatose or heavily sedated.

I'm an avid puzzle player. https://www.chess.com/stats/puzzles/whisper. Open that up to a full year. Every part of the chart that is flat? I was in hospital.

It was time to get all the Gems in one spot and I thought I would share them. I'm not going to tell you who the video creator was but some of them you'll probably be able to guess.

If you think you know who the creator was, tell us in the comments!

That should be fun to read too.

1. When you see a good move, look for a better one.
2. No one ever won a game of Chess by resigning.
3. An inaccuracy is any move that wasn't the best move.
4. A threat to you is any move that improves the position of an opponents piece.
5. [Edit] You need a plan, and a bad plan is better than no plan at all.
6. [Edit] Think about pieces and possible positions before you play them.
7. [Edit] Only move pawns when and if they help you develop your better pieces.
8. [Edit] Never place a Bishop before a Pawn. They only move forwards.
9. [Edit] A piece that develops to a threat was a good Candidate move.
10. [Edit] A timely, appropriate sacrifice can help to create a Fork situation (and I hate sacrifices).
11. A threat that develops to a capture was a very good Candidate move.
12. [Edit] A Candidate move has two parts. Which piece to move, but also, where to put it.
13. [Edit] Forcing your opponent to play a piece may be taking away his Candidate moves.
14. [Edit] Forcing your opponent to NOT play piece, and not develop can be just as useful. (Knights and Bishops are good at this).
15. {Edit} Pawns are unusual (to say the least) because they can only capture on the diagonal. If you like an opponents Pawn just where it is? Don't give him a diagonal to move to.
16. [Edit] A threat to an empty square may be better than a capture if it keeps a powerful piece away from a good square.
17. A Draw might be as good as a Win.
18. Sacrificing a piece may be the only way to win.
19. [Edit] A Blunder may at times look like an aggressive Gambit or Trade. Don't give up after one.
20. [Edit] Perfectly played Chess ends in a draw. So wait for a mistake, and take advantage.
21. [Edit] Players regularly miss the Pawn En Passant capture. It's a risky move, but can pay off.
22. Pawns are good bait.
23. [Edit] Pawn Chains are fairly static. Play in the direction of the "Head of the Chain" to support your pieces there.
24. [Edit] Attack the base of the opponent Pawn Chain to cut off his forward support, even if it costs you a Pawn.
25. Pawns and Knights to the center of the board.
26. Bishops, Rooks and Queens can surprise, from the side of the board.
27. [Edit] Knights before Bishops.
28. [Edit] Early in the game you want your King to move away from the center files of the board.
29. [Edit] Toward the end of the mid-game you want to centralize your King again. It's a better weapon in the center of the board, and it is a weapon. Get it moving late in the game.
30. [Edit] You can Fork a Knight with a Knight or a Bishop with a Bishop when they are pinned to the King, but that's about the only time it can be done.
31. Pawns at the edge of the board should not be played early.
32. If you have a choice when capturing with a Pawn, capture inward on the board.
33. Avoid creating a hemmed in, or "Bad Bishop".
34. Never trade a "good Knight" for a Bad Bishop.
35. [Edit] Don't trade when you are outnumbered in mobile pieces.
36. [Edit] In a Queen Trade you must ask yourself, "Am I better without my Queen than my opponent is without him
37. Trade Queens early in the game.
38. Pawn's can't come back, so play pieces when you have a choice.
39. [Edit] Pieces can go backwards and sometimes you have to back to later go forwards.
40. [Edit] It can be painful to be reminded that pieces can go backwards. Players forget that (a lot).
41. Learn early to create Passed Pawns. It's almost trivial.
42. A Knight in an outpost can be worth a Rook.
43. It is rarely worth to sacrifice a Rook, but to capture a Knight in an outpost might be worth it.
44. Pawns are good at protecting Bishops.
45. Knights are good at stopping Pawns looking for a Promotion. Your own Pawns are good too!
46. Rooks are meant to control open vertical files, so put them there.
47. [Edit] Seriously consider to Castle Queen side if you need a Rook on a mid-board open file.
48. [Edit] Seriously consider to Castle Queen side if the King side Castle risks placing the King on an open, or even semi-open file.
49. [Edit] You do not want your King or Queen on a "semi-open" file that your opponent controls.
50. Do not line up two pieces diagonally on the same color if your opponent has that color Bishop.
51. Do not line up two pieces on the same row or file, if your opponent has a mobile Rook.
52. Take any opponent hanging piece that you can take safely.
53. Beginners should learn end-games, before openings.
54. [Edit] Many Black game lines have a mirror line for White, with a move advantage.
55. Beginners should look for openings that are easy to learn, and build from there.
56. Beginners should look for openings that few others know.
57. Never advance a piece that isn't protected by another.
58. Play on your own side of the board. It's easier to protect your own pieces.
59. [Edit] Plan your development to protect all pieces.
60. [Edit] In development, don't play a piece twice in row. Protect that piece with further development.
61. If you have little else to do, improve your least active piece.
62. Pieces are not meant to move half way unless there is a safe target waiting for them.
63. Threaten opponent pieces on his/her side of the board.
64. [Edit] You can threaten your opponent from protected space on your side of the board.
65. [Edit] You can defend against an opponents threat by creating one of your own.
66. [Edit] A pair of Pawns control a lot of spaces in front of them, but so does a pair of Knights or Bishops.
67. When it all looks lost? Run the King down the board. It is a weapon too.
68. Don't move the f7 Pawn until after you castle, and maybe not even then.
69. [Edit] Poor opponent development is usually against your Pawn on f7. Protect it.
70. To take is a mistake.
71. Always move forward.
72. A Bishop is not meant to be a tall Pawn.
73. [Edit] A game played perfectly will always be a draw, so wait for your opponent mistake.
74. [Edit] To understand a system you must be able to play it, and defend against it.
75. The Bishop has an advantage in an end game with opponent Pawns on both sides of the board.
76. The Knight has an advantage in an end game with opponent Pawns on only one side.

Please feel free to tell us who you think created these Gems, and if you've got any Gems? Please add those in the comments too. I will update this post reasonably often. Yes, I watch a lot of videos.