by International Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier
Getting Started
Chess is a game of strategy and tactics. Each player commands an army of 16
chess pieces --- 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 middlegame begins as the players maneuver for position and carry out attacks and counterattacks. The final stage is the endgame 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.
You're Ready to Go!
It's time for you to take a look at these ten tips to help you learn some simple ways to win more games:
- Look at your opponent's move.
- Make the best possible move.
- Have a plan.
- Know what the pieces are worth.
- Develop quickly and well.
- Control the center.
- Keep your king safe.
- Know when to trade pieces.
- Think about the endgame.
- Always be alert.
Don't rush. Take your time and be sure to study the
examples carefully. Then go out and practice - and have some fun! If you have
trouble reading chess notation, look at "How to Read and Write
Chess."
1. Look at your opponent'smove!
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.
Example A
Black to move
Pretend you're playing black in this position. White has
just moved his queen to f3. What's the threat? How should you move to meet
his threat?
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 itaway, 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.
Example B
White to move
You're white in this position. Black has just played cxd4
and is temporarily a pawn ahead. What's the best move you can make? Don't be
too hasty!
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.
Example C
White to move
Look at this position carefully. What would be a good
plan for white? What moves would be involved in carrying out this plan?
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.
Example D
Black to move
Here's a harder problem that requires you to use several
of the tips you've read about so far. Pretend you're playing black in this
position. First of all, what is white's threat? Second, what move should you
make to meet this threat? Finally, if white went ahead with his
"threat" even after you move, what would be the result?
Example E
We know that a knight and a bishop are usually worth
about the same. Which would you say is stronger in this position?
Example F
White to move
White is about to make a move here. Is the black knight
strong or weak? Would it be better or worse to have a bishop on that square?
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. Look at Example A: after 1. . . .
Nf6, black threatens to drive the white queen away with either 2. . . . Nd4
or 2. . . . d6 and 3. . . . Bg4.
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.
Example G
Each player has moved two knights and two pawns. Which
side has better control of the center?
Example H
Once again, think carefully: Which side stands better in
the center? Why?
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 iaway 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.)
Example I
We've learned many important objectives: advantage in
material, better development, control of the center, and now king safety.
Which of these is the most important?
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" (see tip 4, "Know what
the men are worth"). 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.
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.
The player who is ahead in material will usually benefit
from trades. It's sort of like basketball or soccer; five players will
sometimes have trouble scoring against four opposing players, but take away
three from each side and the stronger team will find it easier to score with
two players against one.
So, to summarize: It's usually good to trade pieces if
your opponent has the initiative, if you have a cramped position, if you can
weaken your opponent's pawn structure, or if you are ahead in material. There
are exceptions, of course, but following these rules should bring you
considerable success.
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 endgame. 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 endgame.
Pawn structure is crucial in the endgame. 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 liability in the endgame. If your opponent survives the
middlegame, you may have an uphill fight later.
Concentrate on your immediate plans, as well as your
opponent's---but always keep the endgame in mind!
Example J
From the very first moves of the game, it's important to
have a good pawn formation. How would you assess white's pawn structure in
this position?
Example K
In the endgame, it's common to see a pawn run to the end
of the board and promoted to a queen. So, pawns are a great thing to hang on
to. Study this diagram. Who has the "healthier" pawns, white or
black?
10. Always be alert.
There is a tendency for people to relax once they have
reached a good position or to give up hope if their position is very bad.
These attitudes are natural, but both lead to bad results.
Many players---even world champions---have achieved
winning positions, only to lose because they relaxed too soon. Even the best
position won't win by itself; you have to give it some help! In almost any
position, the "losing" player will still be able to make threats.
The "winning" player has to be alert enough to prevent these
positions.
Advice: If you have a better position, watch out! One
careless move could throw away your hard-won advantage. Even as you're
carrying out your winning plans, you must watch out for your opponent's
threats.
Conversely, if you have a worse position, don't give up!
Keep making strong moves, and try to complicate the position as much as
possible. If your opponent slips, you may get the chance to make a comeback.
Remember: Where there's life, there's hope.
So be alert all the time, no matter what the position is
like. A little bit of extra care can pay off in a big way.
Example L
Black to move
Pretend that you're the general of the black army in the
position shown above. You have, as you can see, an easily won game---since
you are four pawns ahead. But white has just moved his knight to e5. This
looks like a silly move, since you could capture this knight with your own
knight or with your queen.
But look again. Don't relax because you're winning too
easily! If you captured white's knight with your knight, what would be his
best (and surprising) move?
Answer
Answers
Example A: White is threatening to play Qxf7 checkmate! Black
defends best by moving 1. . . . Nf6. This move meets the threat and develops
the knight to a good square.
Example B: White can win his pawn back immediately with a move like
1. Nbxd4. But did you look for a better move? By playing 1. Nc7+, you can win
black's queen!
Example C: One good plan for white here would be an attack on
black's king. Once he has decided to do this, white should figure out how to
bring his pieces to that area of the board. After 1. f4, for example, white
can bring his rook to f3 and then to g3 or h3, where it would exert pressure
around black's king.
Example D: White's threat here is to play Nxf7, with a double attack
on black's queen and rook. Black should simply castle (0-0). Now if white
continues with his "threat," black merely captures the knight and
the bishop. That continuation would be
1. . . . 0-0 2. Nxf7
Rxf7 3. Bxf7+ Kxf7
You can see that white has traded bishop and knight for
black's rook and pawn. That's about an even exchange, except---in the early
part of the game especially---these two pieces are often handier than the
rook. Note that white has exchanged his only developed pieces, while black has
a bishop and two knights ready to attack.
Example E: Here is an example where a knight is better than a
bishop. The bishop is trapped behind its own pawns, while the knight is free
to hop in and out of black's position. It will be easy to maneuver the knight
to f6, and if black defends the pawn at h7 with his king, white's king will
enter black's position by way of c5 or e5, with decisive effect.
Example F: The tables turn; black's knight moves so slowly that
after 1. h6, the pawn cannot be prevented from reaching the eighth rank and
being promoted. If black has a bishop on b6 instead of the knight, he could
answer 1. h6 with 1. . . . Bd4+, when the bishopwould control the crucial
square h8.
Example G: It is easy to see that white has control of the center
in this position.His pawns occupy center squares, while black's pawns are not
yet involved in the struggle. Note how easy it will be for white to develop
his bishops to squares that help control the center, while black's bishops
are hemmed in by his own pawns.
Example H: There, too, white has more central control and a freer
game. The pawn at e4 attacks two squares on black's half of the board and
helps control d5, preventing the pawn on d6 from advancing while providing
protection in the event that white plays Nd5. White can put a rook on d1
later to put pressure on the d-file.
Example I: This example shows why king safety is the most important
factor. Black is ahead in material by a bishop and a pawn, has control of the
center, and has more pieces developed, but this is all worthless because he
is unable to prevent white from playing Qxh7, checkmate!
Example J: White has doubled pawns on the e-file, normally a
disadvantage. Here, though, the pawn on e3 controls the vital squares d4 and
f4. Also, white can mount an attack by putting his rooks and queen on the
f-file, which is no longer blocked by one of his pawns.
These doubled pawns could turn out to be weak in the
endgame. Therefore, white should avoid unnecessary exchanges and concentrate
on winning in the middlegame.
Example K: Black has the "healthier" set of pawns here,
since white has doubled pawns on both the a- and c-files. Such pawns cannot
protect each other. Also, notice that the trailing or "caboose"
pawn must stay forever behind his leader. A set of doubled pawns are worth
little more than one pawn.
Example L: Did you get this one? It's a toughy. As black in this
superior position, if you capture white's knight on e5 with your knight (1. .
. . Nxe5) instead of your queen (1. . . . Qxe5), then white should move 2.
Qf2+!
As you can see, this forces black's queen to capture
white's queen, placing the white king in stalemate. The game would be a draw!
So stay alert. This type of surprising sacrifice can
happen surprisingly often!
Glossary
center. The four squares in the middle of the board.
development. The process of moving pieces from their original squares
to positions where they can better aid the player's plans.
doubled pawns. Two pawns of the same color on the same file. Generally
considered a disadvantage because the pawns cannot defend each other.
endgame. Also called "ending," it is the third and final
phase of the game, in which each player has relatively few pieces remaining.
The promotion of pawns is a common goal in the endgame.
file. A vertical (up and down) row of squares. The players'
kings start the game on the same file.
initiative. Control of the game, usually due to better placement of
men and easier access to weaknesses in the opponent's position.
material. The chess pieces. The player whose remaining pieces are
of greater value is said to have a "material advantage."
middlegame. The second phase of the game, in which development of the pieces has mostly been completed and many pieces are captured or
traded as the players pursue their plans.
opening. The first phase of the game, in which players concentrate
on development, gaining room for their pieces to maneuver, and on bringing their kings to
safety.
promotion. When a pawn reaches the eighth (last) rank, the player
"promotes" it to his choice of a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
rank. A horizontal (left to right) row of squares. The pawns
start the game on each player's second rank.
Source: United States Chess Federation
