Chess Opening Strategy for Beginners:

How to get a Great Position.

The fight for the center

Opening lines
Keep pawn moves to a minimum
Knights before bishops
King safety
Don’t move the same piece twice
Connect the rooks
Summing up
 1. How to win at chess: Learn to develop pieces quickly

2. How to win at chess: Castle early

3. How to win at chess: Control the center

4. How to win at chess: Think more than one move ahead

5. How to win at chess: Learn to pin, fork and skewer opponent’s pieces

6. How to win at chess: Keep all of your pieces protected at all times

7. How to win at chess: Preserve your pawn structure

8. How to win at chess: Always look for possibilities to attack

9. How to win at chess: If you playing black it does not mean you’re at disadvantage

10. How to win at chess: Learn to play forcing moves

5 Must-Do Things During Chess Tournament

1.Game preparation

2.Solving tactics before the game

3.Disconnect from the game

4.Keep a positive attitude

5.Create a relaxing routine

Pawn structures
1. Pawns are strong when they are in a chain; try to avoid splitting them into isolated
groups.
2. Isolated or hanging pawns tend to be a liability, try to avoid at least till the end game.
3. Pawn chain shapes that look like /\ (an inverted V) from your side tend to be stronger
than those that look like a \/.
4. Doubled pawns are weak, try to avoid getting them.
5. If you can maintain center pawns, you get more options to organize attacks.
6. Your own pawn chains may block free movement of your pieces, mainly the bishops if
stuck behind the chain. Avoid this disadvantage.
7. Pawns cannot move backwards. Sometimes the opponent will deliberately lure you to
advance your pawns to create weaknesses in your pawn structure. So think carefully
before pushing them forward.
8. Pawns in front of your castled king are there to guard the king. Try to avoid breaking up
their line unless you have planned to launch a king-side attack with those.
9. Check the possibility of getting a passed pawn and then defending it. A passed pawn
becomes a thorn in the opponent’s flesh and even when it fails to become a queen, it
can gain you significant material advantage through opponent’s efforts to neutralize it.
10. Passed pawns in rook’s file are weaker than passed pawns in other files in the end game
as it is easier for the opponent’s king to block the pawn in rook file.
Knights

1. Knights play well in complex and locked positions. Assess their value and plan their
movement accordingly.
2. A knight posted on d6 and e6 squares can be a nuisance to your opponent. Try to get
them there (with adequate support of course).
3. Knights play well in the center part of the boards. Try to avoid keeping them at the
sides (a- and h-files) unless your tactical plan calls for such positioning.
4. Knight fork can be a very potent weapon. Creating such possibility can upset the plans
of your opponent.
5. Knights have a relatively poor play in the end game when the board is fairly open but
with a number of opponent’s pawns ready to advance.
6. In the end game, a knight may be helpless in preventing your opponent’s pawns if
those are on two sides of the board.
Bishops

1. Bishops, if not developed early, may get bogged by your own pawns blocking the
diagonals. Be aware of this.
2. Bishops play well if there are many open diagonals and a bishop pair in such situations
can give you a great advantage.
3. For above reasons, bishops are more helpful in the end game.
4. If your bishop can control the long diagonal towards your opponent’s castled position,
it can give you considerable leverage in your attack on the king.
5. If you have only a single bishop in the end game, half the squares on the board are
inaccessible to it. But with a few linked pawns of your own, a bishop can be a great help
to support your pawn march and delay your opponent’s pawn advance (if you can
position it in time).
6. In the end game, a bishop can be better than a knight if the pawns are at two sides of
the board.
7. In general, bishop pair is more advantageous than the knight pair during the end game.
Rooks

1. Rooks, like bishops, play better if there are some open files.
2. Try to take control of open files with your rooks. Two rooks in same open file provide a
lot of opportunities for attack.
3. Rook positioned in the 7th or 8th row becomes a headache for the opponent. Two
rooks on that row can often provide mating attack or gain of material.
4. Two rooks with lots of maneuvering space can often stand up to the opponent’s queen,
particularly when minor powers and pawns are absent in the end game. You will find
many games in chess archives where one player has given up the queen in exchange
for two rooks.
5. In endings where you have King, Rook and Pawn against King and Rook, your rook
should be behind the pawn and your king should be next to the pawn to get a win.
Queen

1. Even though it is the strongest piece, it needs a rook or some minor pieces for its most
effective use.
2. Avoid taking the queen too far out during the openings as it is likely to get ‘harassed’
by opponent’s minor pieces to cause you a loss of tempo.
King

1. Always a liability, is it? It becomes more so, if it is at its original position. Aim to castle at
the earliest opportunity.
2. Both kings castled on the same side normally do not get an immediate early attack. You
have to maneuver through the Queen’s side. But castled on the opposite sides allow
both players to launch direct attack through pawn advances.
3. Kings come into their own in the end game with major pieces removed from the board.
Try to keep king near your pawn group for their advance. Be aware of the ‘Square’ and
‘Opposition’.
4. In the endings with King and Pawn vs. King, make the king lead the pawn, not the other
way.
5. Make yourself familiar with the standard strategies for handling different types of
endings with pawns, minor pieces, rooks etc. Learn to identify situations that may give
win or only a draw.
Positional

1. Initial pawn movements facilitate the development of your minor pieces. Do not get
distracted from this objective.
2. In the opening phase, avoid moving the same piece twice (unless forced to do so and
learn to avoid those kinds of positions). It loses you tempo.
3. You gain tempo when you can achieve two objects in one move. For example, a pawn
move may attack some piece while opening a line for your own pieces. Look for such
opportunities.
4. Try to seize control of the center (d4, d5, e4, e5 squares) as this will give you more play
and better attacks. Of course, some opening strategy, particularly for black), may
deliberately surrender some control in the center to gain more play in the flanks to
neutralize opponent’s advantage.
5. Don’t be greedy! Sometimes you may find an easy pawn to pick up but it may be a trap
(‘poisoned pawn’). Accepting it will often allow the opponent to launch a powerful
attack and often the best way to neutralize is to return that material instead of trying to
hold on to it.
6. Do not launch a premature attack. Develop your pieces such that they coordinate well
with one another and then plan your attack. Unless you do this, you may find your
attack to lose steam and that may put you at a disadvantage.
7. A locked center (your and opponent’s pawns facing each other without being able to
capture any) restricts movement of pieces in the center and thus facilitates flank attack
without fear of counter-play at the center. Keep this possibility in mind.
8. Check which of the opponent’s pieces is controlling the play. Try to capture it at the
earliest.
9. Exchanging your inactive piece with a similar but active piece of the opponent gives
you an advantage. Try to avoid such exchange if the reverse is true.
10. When in trouble, remember that attack is often the best form of defense. Look for such
possibility.
11. Since coordination of pieces gives advantage, try to cut off communication between
opponent’s pieces e.g. by advancing a supported pawn in the opponent’s line of
communication.
12. Be aware of pins and how to create one. Properly handled, they can yield significant
advantage.
13. When cornered in the end game, look for opportunities to get into a position allowing
stalemate and draw. Sometimes, a piece sacrifice may offer you this opportunity in an
otherwise desperate situation. When you have an upper hand, guard against the
opponent taking this route to draw the game.
14. Whatever openings you normally adopt, learn the ideas behind the moves and the
targets to be achieved. Without this focus, you will only create weaknesses for yourself.
15. In general, King’s pawn openings lead to more open games and direct attacks on the
king. Queen’s pawn openings create somewhat closed positions that need more
maneuvering and positional play to launch indirect attacks.

7 Most Important Middlegame Principles

1. Centralize your pieces

2. Trade your flank pawns for the central pawns

3. Avoid pawn weaknesses

4. Avoid creating weak squares in your position

5. Always blockade your opponent’s isolated pawn with a knight

6. Occupy open files with your rooks

7. Keep the bishop pair

The 64 Commandments
1. Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don't take unnecessary chances.

2. Make sure every move has a purpose.

3. If you know your opponent style, take advantage of it. But, in the final analysis, play the
board, not the player.

4. Don't ignore your opponent's moves.

5. Don't give needless checks. Check only when it makes sense.

6. Answer all threats. Try to do so by improving your position and/or posing a counterthreat.

7. Play for the initiative. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don't have it, seize it.

8. When exchanging, try to get at least as much as you give up.

9. Take with the man of least value, unless there is a definite reason for doing otherwise.

10. Cut your losses. If you must lose material, lose as little as possible.

11. If you blunder, don't give up fighting. After getting the advantage, your opponent may relax
and let you escape.

12. Never play a risky move, hoping your opponent will overlook your threat, unless you have a
losing position. In that case, you have nothing to lose.

13. Rely on your own powers. If you can't see the point of your opponent's move, assume there
isn't any.

14. Don't sacrifice without good reason.

15. When you can't determine whether to accept or decline a sacrifice, accept it.

16. Attack in number. Don't rely on just one or two pieces.

17. Look for double attacks.

18. Play for the center: guard it, occupy it, influence it.

19. Fight for the center with pawns.

20. Don't make careless pawn moves. In the opening, move as few pawns as necessary to
complete your development.

21. If feasible, move both center pawns two squares each.

22. In the opening, move only center pawns, unless the opening system or situation requires
otherwise.

23.Try to develop your Bishops before blocking them in by moving a center pawn just one
square.

24. Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the center (especially Knights, which often
are "grim on the rim").

25. Develop purposefully, and not just for development's sake.

26. Don't waste time or moves. Try to develop a new piece on each turn. Don't move a piece
twice in the opening without good reason.

27. Try to develop with threats, but don't threaten pointlessly.

28. Develop minor pieces early. Kingside pieces should usually be developed sooner than
Queenside ones, and Knights before bishops.

29. Develop during exchanges.

30. To exploit an advantage in development, attack.

31. In the opening, don't remove your Queen from play to "win" a pawn.

32. Don't bring out the Queen too ealy, unless the natural course of play requires it.

33. Try to give as much scope to your pieces as possible.

34. Seize open lines.

35. Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open.

36. Castle early.

37. Try to prevent your opponent's King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially
in open games.

38. Try to pin your opponent's pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces.

39. Don't capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, try to attack
them again, especially with pawns.

40. After castling, don't move the pawns in front of your King without specific reason.

41. To attack the King, pick a target square around it.

42. When applicable, pick target squares on the color of your unopposed Bishop. (Bishops
control square of only one color. If you have a Bishop that controls dark squares and your
opponent has exchanged his corresponding Bishop, your dark-squared Bishop is "unopposed" on
those squares.)

43. Look for tactics especially on squares of the color controlled by your unopposed Bishop.

44. Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights.

45. Double your attacking pieces by building batteries (two or more pieces of like power
attacking along the same line). Put Queen and Rook(s) on the same file or rank, and Queen and
Bishop on the same diagonal.

46. Build batteries with the less valuable men up front, unless tactics require otherwise.

47. Maximize the efficiency of your moves. Play flexibly.

48. To strengthen control of a file, double your major pieces (Rooks and/or Queen) on it.

49. Determine whether you have an open or closed game, and play accordingly.

50. Usually play to retain your Bishops in open games, and sometimes Knights in closed games.

51. To improve the scope of your Bishop, place your pawns on squares opposite in color to it.

52. Keep your weaknesses on the color opposite to that of your opponent's strongest Bishop.

53. Trade when ahead in material or when under attack, unless you have a sound reason for
doing otherwise. Avoid trades when behind in material or when attacking.

54. Choose a plan and stay with it. Change it only if you should or must.

55. To gain space, you usually have to sacrifice time.

56. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material.

57. Trade bad minor pieces for good ones.

58. If the position is unsettled, disguise your plans; make noncommital moves.

59. To gain space or open lines, advance pawns.

60. If the center is blocked, don't automatically castle.

61. If behind in development, keep the game closed.

62. Try to accumulate small advantages.

63. Try to dominate the seventh rank, especially with Rooks.

64. Use the analytic method. When you don't know what to do, first evaluate the position (as best
you can), then ask pertinent question about your analysis.