Chess Strategies for Beginners

Strategy requires thought; tactics requires observation. ~ Max Euwe

Chess is one of the most intellectual and brain-stimulating games. There is extensive planning of moves and strategies and you are always supposed to think ahead of your opponent. Often when my friends decide to play a game of chess at our regular coffee place, I often wonder what is it about this game that keeps them hooked for so long! Until a few days back, I thought chess was not my cup of tea. However, I decided to give it a shot and picked up some basic tips to get me started. These tips have helped me a lot while I played my friends. If you are contemplating the thought of playing chess, here are some chess strategies for beginners, which will help you get a head start…

Chess Strategies for Beginners

• The first and most important tip to keep in mind is that take your own time to plan a move. Do not make a hasty move.
• Always avoid moving the same piece twice until all other pieces have been developed.
• Always develop the knights before you develop their respective bishops. Although it is true that the knights and the bishops are equal in points, it is favorable to keep a bishop above a knight.
• Make your sacrifices wisely and never sacrifice a chess piece for a piece of lower value.
• Plan at least three moves in advance while playing chess, and try to think of the possible moves that your opponent can make.
• You should know that a game of chess is divided into three parts – the opening, the middle game and the end game.
• There are some basic aims of a chess opening which are development, control over the center, king safety and pawn structure.
• Piece development is an important aspect of the game, which involves placing the pieces on useful squares where they will be helpful to create an impact on the game.
• A good players should always try and achieve control of the central squares, which will not only help to move pieces to any part of the board but will also have a cramping effect on the opponent.
• You should always ensure safety of the king while making your moves, since one careless move can make your king vulnerable.
• Try and avoid weak pawn structures like doubled, isolated, backward pawns or pawn islands.
• After about first ten moves or so, the opening is over and the middle game has to begin, which means that you need to assess your position and plan how to simplify the game and lead towards the end game.
• During the end game when there are few pieces left on the board, the main aim remains to promote the pawn by advancing it to the eighth rank of the chessboard.
• The kind should be protected in the end game and can be brought to the center of the board where it can protect its own pawns.

I hope these tips will help you to get started in the game of chess. In case you are looking for more information read more articles about chess.