3 BIG Tips:
After reading these tips and strategies you will increase your chess win rate and ranking easily. Just by following these simple tips your chess game will be a lot more solid. So without further ado, here we go.
1. Control the center:
It is vital that you take control of the center of the board at the beginning of each game you play. Advanced players know that attacks usually start at the center of the board. The center squares of the board is usually were the the most action is going to take place during the opening and middle-game. This is why experts tell you not to move your knights towards the side of the board. The best place for your knights to develop and attack is in the center, where they have the most moves. For your bishops the best place for these guys to control the center is on the longest diagonals of the board. Mainly, because you control the center from here and this type of placement is both offensive and defensive. The best example of this is the formation of the Sicilian dragon. One of the most powerful formations in chess. Reason being it controls the center and it acts both as an offensive and defensive weapon.
2. Pawn Structure:
Pawn structure is very key to winning in chess. By having each pawn protected and structured for an attack it will help you tremendously. Pawn structure is mainly beneficial to your end-game. It is vital that you do not get careless and leave your opponent an opportunity to give you a double pawn structure. This means two of your pawns are on the same row (stacked). Positional players like to mess up your pawn structure at the beginning because they know it will be your downfall in the end. So remember to protect your pawns with other pawns and avoid double pawns at all means necessary.
3. King Protection:
Yes, I know it is common sense. But you would be surprised to see how many people are careless. Make sure you are not leaving your king out to dry. Make sure some of your major pieces are doing the job. Take advantage and castle whenever you need to. Your rooks and bishops are usually the best tools for defense while your knights are made for offense primarily. Your queen is your ace, so you can use it for both. It really just depends on what type of player you are playing. But at all costs protect that king and keep it out of danger.
Now if use all three of these simple tips in your game all at the same time, you will notice that most players under 1400 lack these simple tips. Once you get to the 1500's, the players will get a lot harder because they know the same concepts you do. This is where your experience and knowledge of formations come through. Other than that, good luck and use these concepts to increase your skills in the game of kings.
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6 of the General Basic Tips of Chess Play:
Chess strategy can be the difference in winning or losing the game. If you don’t have the right chess strategy you can very well lose the game within five minutes of starting the play without even realizing it. With the 6 chess tips below you should be able to learn enough as a beginner to have a successful game. You can always build on the chess tips below to create a better chess strategy as you learn more about the game and play more opponents.
The first is to concentrate on your opponent’s moves. The point of this tip is that you don’t want to get so lost in your own plan, which I will go into later, and that your chess strategy may need to change when needed. Chess strategy is about having a plan for the game, but it is also about adapting to other players' moves.
Chess tips number 2 says that you must have a plan. This plan is a basic chess strategy for how you are going to win the game. Sometimes you can have five moves that will win you the game; however it is more often that the other player will negate your moves by moving differently. This is when watching your opponent supersedes the move plan. The second type relates to how you will use the chess strategy you have. In other words it is the adaptability of your strategy that is important.
The third is to make the best possible move. There will be other moves you can make within your chess strategy, however, not all moves are going to be the best. Instead, one move could cost you more than the better move.
Know what the pieces are worth. The pieces have different value because of how they can be used. In chess you can get some pieces back when you get a pawn to the opponent's last square; however you shouldn’t bet on this in a game. So by knowing the value of the pieces you are losing you can assess the damage control you need to make for your plan.
Above all other chess tips you need to keep your king safe at all costs. This is about knowing what pieces to trade in the chess strategy so that the king will remain unharmed and safe for you to continue playing.
In Chess the game is over when the King is in checkmate. By being alert and thinking about the end-game you can be more successful in wins than at any other point in your learning how to play chess. These tips are pretty basic and as you get more advanced you may find a strategy that works the best for you in almost every game.
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36 More Good Tips to Follow:
1. Use the center pawns to gain space in the opening.
2. Invade only with support.
3. Do not lock in bishops.
4. Exchange relieve cramped positions.
5. Control the center of the board.
6. Counter a wing attack with a center attack.
7. After you control a square in enemy territory, occupy it with a knight.
8. When ahead in material, force exchanges.
9. Secure your King early.
10. Try to keep your pawn structure intact.
11. Try to keep pawns mobile or in duos.
12. If a pawn becomes locked, try to use others to pry it free.
13. Create passed pawns, especially protected passed pawns.
14. Push passed pawns.
15. Attack backwards pawns with heavy pieces.
16. Try to provoke a hanging pawn to advance then blockade.
17. Avoid stacking your pawns, and try to force your opponent to stack his pawns.
18. Try to exchange your stacked pawns.
19. Attack pawn chains at their base.
20. Look for pins, forks and skewers.
21. Avoid the "good knight, bad bishop" end game by checking pawn structure.
22. Do not move an already developed piece unless all pieces are developed, or you have good reason.
23. If you have more pawns, exchange pieces, not pawns.
24. If you have fewer pawns, exchange pawns, not pieces.
25. When capturing with pawns, try to push your pawns to the center.
26. Protect your pawns.
27. Don't bring your queen out too early.
28. Use your king for end-game play.
29. In pawn endings, put your king in front of, or beside your pawns.
30. If your opponent has a bishop, keep you pawn chains on its color. If you have a bishop, keep your pawns on its opposite color, regardless of what your opponent has.
31. In end game play, use your King to control the movement of your opponent's King.
32. When facing a king and pawn after you have lost your material, try to keep your king in front of your opponent's king. You may be able to force a stalemate.
33. When your pawn and king are facing only an opponent's king, lead with your king and move the pawn only when necessary for its safety.
34. Push pawns that are not obstructed by other pawns.
35. Capture hanging pieces.
36. Create hanging pieces by taking advantage of over-burdened pieces.
* I do not always follow these rules & neither will you as you develop your own style of play, however, for beginners these tips can help you to become a better player.
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10 More Tips Reiterated:
1. Look at your opponent's move.
2. Make the best possible move.
3. Have a plan.
4. Know what the pieces are worth.
5. Develop quickly and well.
6. Control the center.
7. Keep your king safe.
8. Know when to trade pieces.
9. Think about the endgame.
10. Always be alert.
* Don't rush. Take your time and be sure to study. Chess.com offers many tools at your disposal! There are also a number of chess school groups here & many video lessons offered by professional players. Go out and practice - and have some fun!
1. Look at your opponent's move!
Every time your opponent makes a move, you should stop and think: "Why was that move chosen? Is a piece in danger? Are there any other threats I should watch out for? What sort of plan does my opponent have in mind?"
Only by defending against your opponent's threats will you be able to successfully carry out your own strategies. Once you figure out what your opponent is attempting to do, you can play to nip those plans in the bud.
2. Make the best possible move.
When you are considering a move, ask yourself these questions:
"Will the piece I'm moving go to a better square than the one it's on now?"
"Can I improve my position even more by increasing the effectiveness of a different piece?"
"Does this move help to defend against my opponent's threats?"
"Will the piece I move be safe on its new square?"
If it's a pawn, consider: "Can I keep it protected from attack?"
If it's another piece, consider: "Can the enemy drive it away, thus making me lose valuable time?"
Even if your intended move has good points, it may not be the best move at that moment. Emanuel Lasker, a former world champion, said: "When you see a good move, wait---look for a better one!" Following this advice is bound to improve your chess.
3. Have a plan.
If you threaten something here in one move, something over there in the next move, and so forth, your opponent will have an easy time defending. Your pieces have to work together to be effective. Just imagine each instrument in an orchestra playing a different tune!
When you develop a plan, your men can work in harmony. For example, you might plan to attack your opponent's king; one piece alone probably wouldn't be able to do much, but the combined strength of several pieces makes a powerful attacking force. Another plan could be taking control of all the squares in a particular area of the board.
The chess men are your "team"; to be a good "coach," you have to use all of their strengths together.
4. Know what the pieces are worth.
When you are considering giving up some of your pieces for some of your opponent's, you should think about the values of the men, and not just how many each player possesses. The player whose men add up to a greater value will usually have the advantage. So a crucial step in making decisions is to add up the material, or value, of each player's men.
The pawn is the least valuable piece, so it is a convenient unit of measure. It moves slowly, and can never go backward.
Knights and bishops are approximately equal, worth about three pawns each. The knight is the only piece that can jump over other men. The bishops are speedier, but each one can reach only half the squares.
A rook moves quickly and can reach every square; its value is five pawns. A combination of two minor pieces (knights and bishops) can often subdue a rook.
A queen is worth nine pawns, almost as much as two rooks. It can move to the greatest number of squares in most positions.
The king can be a valuable fighter, too, but we do not evaluate its strength because it cannot be traded.
5. Develop quickly and well.
Time is a very important element of chess. The player whose men are ready for action sooner will be able to control the course of the game. If you want to be that player, you have to develop your men efficiently to powerful posts.
Many inexperienced players like to move a lot of pawns at the beginning of the game to control space on the chessboard. But you can't win with pawns alone! Since knights, bishops, rooks, and queens can move farther than pawns and threaten more distant targets, it's a good idea to bring them out soon, after you've moved enough pawns to guarantee that your stronger pieces won't be chased back by your opponent's pawns. After all the other pieces are developed, it's easier to see what pawns you should move to fit in with your plans.
It's tempting to bring the queen out very early, because it's the most powerful piece. But your opponent can chase your queen back by threatening it with less valuable pieces.
Instead of just moving pieces out, try to determine the best square for each piece and bring it there in as few moves as possible. This may save you from wasting moves later in the game.
6. Control the center.
In many cases, the person who controls the four squares at the center of the board will have the better game. There are simple reasons for this.
First, a piece in the center controls more of the board than one that is somewhere else. As an example, place one knight on a center square and another in one of the corners of the board. The knight in the center can move to eight different squares, while the "cornered" one only has two possible moves!
Second, control of the center provides an avenue for your pieces to travel from one side of the board to the other. To move a piece across the board, you will often have to take it through the center. If your pieces can get to the other side faster than your opponent's pieces, you will often be able to mount a successful attack there before he can bring over enough pieces to defend.
7. Keep your king safe.
Everyone knows that the object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king. But sometimes a player thinks about his own plans so much that he forgets that his opponent is also king hunting!
It's generally a good idea to place your king in a safe place by castling early in the game. Once you've castled, you should be very careful about advancing the pawns near your king. They are like bodyguards; the farther away they go, the easier it is for your opponent's pieces to get close to your king. (For this reason, it's often good to try to force your opponent to move the pawns near his king.)
8. Know when to trade pieces.
The best time to trade men is when you can capture men worth more than the ones you will be giving up, which is called "winning material" but the opportunity to do this may not arise if your opponent is very careful.
Since you will probably have many chances to exchange men on an "even" basis, it's useful to know when you should or shouldn't do this. There are several important considerations.
As a general rule, if you have the initiative (your pieces are better developed, and you're controlling the game), try not to exchange men unless it increases your advantage in some clear way. The fewer men each player has, the weaker the attacking player's threats become, and the easier it is for the defending side to meet these threats. * Note: When you have the material advantage it may further your advantage to trade-off pieces.
Another time not to trade pieces is when your opponent has a cramped position with little space for the pieces to maneuver. It's tough to move a lot of pieces around in a cramped position, but easier to move just a few.
One sort of advantage you can often gain by trading pieces is a weakening of your opponent's pawn structure. If, for example, you can capture with a piece that your opponent can only recapture in a way that will give him "doubled pawns" it will often be to your advantage to make that trade.
9. Think about the end-game.
From the time the game begins, you should remember that every move you make may affect your chances in the end-game. For instance, in the earlier parts of the game, a knight and a bishop are about equally powerful. Toward the end of the game, though, when there are fewer men in the way, the bishop can exert its influence in all parts of the board at once, while the knight still takes a long time to get anywhere. So before you trade a bishop for a knight, think not just about the next few moves but also about the end-game.
Pawn structure is crucial in the end-game. When you capture one of your opponent's men with a pawn, you'll often create an open file that will help your rooks and queen to reach your opponent's side of the board, but you may also get doubled pawns. Since doubled pawns cannot defend each other, they are a liability in the end-game. If your opponent survives the middle-game, you may have an uphill battle later.
Concentrate on your immediate plans, as well as your opponent's---but always keep the end-game in mind!
From the very first moves of the game, it's important to have a good pawn formation.
10. Always be alert!
Pay attention to EVERYTHING!
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* thee_black_knight asked me to assist him in the analysis of games, however, I no longer devote the same amount of time to this site as I once did. With that said, I hope this forum can help some of you looking to improve your chess strategy. ALWAYS analyze your own games after their completion! Let's start with the basics for beginners ...
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Chess is a game of strategy and tactics. Each player commands an army of 16 chessmen --- pawns and other pieces (the king, queen, bishops, knights, and rooks).
A well-played chess game has three stages. In the opening, the players bring out their forces in preparation for combat. The middle-game begins as the players maneuver for position and carry out attacks and counter-attacks. The final stage is the end-game when, with fewer pawns and pieces left on the board, it is safer for the kings to come out and join the final battle.
As play proceeds, each player will capture some of the opponent's men; often, the capturing pieces are immediately recaptured. As long as the piece a player gives up is generally equal to the piece he gets in return, we say the players are exchanging. If you unintentionally place a piece where it can be captured without getting a piece of equal value in return, we say that you put that piece en prise. (This is a French term that literally means "in take.") Sometimes a player may place a piece en prise in order to trick an opponent. If the opponent captures the offered man, it may leave him open to attack.
Notation
The abbreviations of pieces are as follows. Bishop=B, Knight=N, Queen=Q, Rook=R, King=K and pawns have no letter but can be Pawns=P. If you want to say bishop goes to square b4 you would say Bb4. However if you wanted to say that a pawn goes to b4 you would merely say b4 in your notation. However, if the pawn is taking the bishop then you could say PxB. When one piece takes another piece it is marked with an x. When a pawn takes a piece it is marked with the file of the pawn and the square of the piece. If 2 of the same piece can move to the same square you should put the original square of the piece being moved. Check is marked with a +, and checkmate with a #.
Special Notation
Certain special moves have a special notation attached to them. En Passant is marked with e.p. after the move, a king-side castle is marked 0-0, and queen-side castle 0-0-0, and pawn promotion is = or () with the abbreviation of the piece promoted.
Notation is the record keeping of a chess game through each move. It depends on abbreviations and on the grid system of a chess board.
Look at the edges of your chess board. You will notice that along one side it reads 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and on the other side a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h with this system squares or entire rows can be specified such as the 1st rank, 2nd rank, 3rd rank, 4th rank, 5th rank, 6th rank, 7th rank, and 8th rank. Files can also be specified; a file, b file, c file, d file, e file, f file, g file, and h file. Squares are referred to by their place in the grid. So if a square is in the e file and on the 4th rank, it is the square e4.
Piece Value
Pieces are usually valued as follows: Pawn=1 point, Bishop=3 points, Knights=3 points, Rooks=5 points, Queens=9 points, and Kings cannot be valued. Note: * A Bishop can be worth 3.5 points, because it can move further than a knight. A knight can be worth 3.25 points due to its ability to "jump" and attack from behind other pieces. And white can be said to have a .5 point advantage for going first.
Use the piece values to your advantage. For example, if an enemy pawn could either take your rook or a knight, move your rook instead of the knight.
* Point values are only guidelines! In some positions, like in the opening, a bishop or knight is more valuable than a rook. You must assess the positional value of every move, and just because a move loses material doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it.
En Passant
It is common knowledge that on the first move pawns can move 2 spaces forward. En Passant is when your pawn is on the fourth space away from its original square. An opponent's pawn moves 2 spaces forward, next to your pawn. Oh No! Your entire strategy has been upset. That is what you might think, but En Passant allows you to take the opposing pawn next to yours as though it had moved only one square. Your pawn moves to where the opposing pawn would have been if it had moved only one space forward. Be aware that this move is not always useful and may lead to problems, so don't just do it because you know how. As with all moves, you must carefully assess the situation before moving.
Pawn Storms
A pawn storm is useful when you and your opponent have castled to opposite sides of the board. Unless the center is locked or static, a pawn storm will merely weaken your king. Use the pawns parallel to you opponent's king to charge in and weaken the king. Again, as with all moves, don't just charge in. There is no reason to lose 3 or 4 pawns when you could avoid losing even one. Support the storm with your other pieces, make your opponent pay dearly for each piece. Used correctly, a pawn storm is a deadly weapon, however, make sure that you are ahead of your opponent's pawn storm!
Castling
Castling is a defensive move where a King may move two spaces to the side and a Rook may hop over the King. To do this, there must be no pieces in between the Rook and the King. The Rook may not move more than one space past the King. Also, this can only be done if both pieces have yet to move. * The King cannot be in check & neither can any spaces between your King & Rook be under attack while attempting to castle.
Lifting A Rook
Lifting a rook is not so much a strategy as a fancy name for a move. Lifting a rook simply means that you bring your rook off of the back rank by first going up, and then to either side.
Pin
A pin is an incredibly powerful tactic, that ,when used correctly, can end a game. Pinning a piece is when your piece attacks 2 pieces of equal or greater value. The term pinning the bishop to the king, means that the bishop cannot move, or the king will be under attack. This is called an absolute pin, where moving the bishop is an illegal move, as it places the king in check. Another kind of pin is the familial pin. Instead of the king being behind the bishop, there may be a queen or a rook. In this case, the bishop can move, but it is only in rare cases a good idea, as it lays the more valuable piece behind it under attack.
Skewer
A skewer is similar to a pin, but instead of the bishop being in front of the king, the king is in front of the bishop. A skewer is when you put the king in check, forcing it to move, and forcing it to expose the bishop.
Fork
A fork is when one of your pieces attacks 2 of your opponents pieces. (Note, a pawn is not considered a piece in this scenario). An example of a fork is if a knight attacks both the opposing king and queen at the same time. Unless the knight can be taken, the king is forced to move, as it is in check, and the queen can be taken, at little to no expense.
Discovered Checks and Double Checks
A discovered check (or check uncovered) is when a pawn or a piece moves somewhere else so that a piece behind it can attack the enemy king. Sometimes these attacks won't be very useful, but if a knight is in front of the major piece, be on the lookout for a serious attack on the queen.
A double is a more dangerous form of discovered check in where not only the piece behind it attacks the enemy king; the moving piece attacks as well. Double checks force the king to move because capturing or blocking one piece doesn't work because the other piece also attacks the king. Masters love to set up double checks because of their awesome attacking power and can lead to dangerous tactics on the rooks, queen, and king.
Stages of the Game
Chess is broken into 3 major stages. The Opening, The Middle-Game, and The End-Game
The Opening
The goal in the opening is to develop, or take out, pieces.
Here are 2 openings: the King's Gambit for white, and the Sicilian Dragon Defense for black.
The King's Gambit
The King's Gambit Generally proceeds as follows. 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4, Note that your opponent does not have to take, but there is no advantage to not taking the piece. 3. Nf3. After this point the opening can go in any direction, but white will eventually seek to play d4, resulting in the complete control of the center of the board. Note that this is a very brief explanation of the King's Gambit.
The Sicilian Dragon
The Sicilian Dragon generally begins as follows: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6. From here there are many different paths that white could take, but black will likely play Nc6 and 0-0, waiting to see how white develops.
The Middle-Game
The main strategy in the middle game is "Coordination of pieces" (Jose Raul Capablanca). By Following certain guidelines it may be easier to gain the upper hand.
Always retain control of the center, preferably using pawns as the core pieces.
Seek ways to undermine your opponents defense, whether with a sacrifice or a pin.
Do not develop your queen too early.
Do not open your king to attack when you have a choice.
Always keep your king guarded behind pawns, bishops will sometimes work as well.
Look for tactics to attack opposing king, and learn how to attack the king if it is castled either queenside or kingside.
When ahead in material, simplify by exchanging pieces and go for an all pawn end-game.
The End-Game
The end-game is a delicate part of a chess game where every pawn matters. Checkmate can be achieved with these pieces, which are commonly available in the end-game: 2 Bishops and a King, 1 Knight, 1 Bishop and a King, A Rook and A King, and A Queen and A King. Note that these checkmates are only possible while the opponent has no other pieces. The Knight, Bishop and King vs King checkmate is complicated, and some Masters don't even know it, but the other mentioned checkmates are simple.
Rook and King
The key to all checkmates is to keep the opponents king confined. Do not be over-anxious to check the king, as it will not work. First move the rook to the rank ahead of the enemy king. This will confine the king to a certain amount of squares. Advance the king to obtain opposition, when your king is in front of the opponent's. When he moves away, you will need to make a waiting move, just move the rook one square over. He will move the king away from your king. When The kings are opposite each other, check him with the rook, and then repeat the process until he is on the back rank, where check becomes checkmate. The Queen checkmate is identical, but you must be careful not to stalemate.
Nimzovitch said that passed pawns must be pushed. A passed pawn is one that is not opposed by an opponent's pawn and can become a queen easier than a pawn that is opposed. The rule is not to advance too early or the pawn will be subject to attack. You must learn to advance pawns together so that they support one another, making them free from attack by your opponent's pieces.
Try to avoid moving a piece twice in the opening, unless necessary.
Every pawn counts. Do not throw away pawns, as they are very valuable in the end-game.
Look at the whole board before you make your move. Make sure a piece cannot be taken before you move it.
This is a very short summarization of Advanced Chess, if you wish to become serious about chess you should study a chess book; there are some very good ones out there.
Never, ever move a pawn on the sides in the opening unless necessary. For example, the Grob Attack or the Orangutan will enable you to move the B and G pawns. They can lead to counter attacks, but can be stopped easily by black.
Take your time! This cannot be stressed enough, grandmasters have lost games because they moved too quickly. Even in blitz games, the few extra seconds taken to calculate moves further can be the difference between winning, and losing.