Chess is one of the oldest and most difficult games in the world. Although anyone can learn to play it, it requires a special kind of skill to master it. It often takes years of practice and studying to be able to excel in the kind of planning ahead that a chess master must make to win a chess game.

General Fundamentals of Strategy

In any chess game, you must do three things: protect your kind, capture enemy pieces, and capture the enemy King. To do this, you need to have a general strategy whereby you are always thinking ahead. Try to stay two or three moves ahead of your opponent. As you become more familiar with the game, what people are more likely to do is become familiar with the moves others are more likely to get.

General Fundamentals of Tactics

There are also some more general tips you should follow as well. Make your first plays wisely so that the game will suit your style of play. If you’re a tactical player, don’t choose to open with the color that goes first. Going second in chess is always an advantage. Take the time to build your strategy. Don’t ever just rush in or you waste valuable pieces. To protect your King, try to control the center of the board. This way, you have pieces that can attack from anywhere.

Tactics and Strategies for Opening

When possible, try to go second in a game. Consider your first moves carefully. In the opening phase of the game, you are working to put your pieces in the best possible place on the board. You want your pieces to be able to move freely whilst still protecting the King. This means surrounding the King with Pawns without restricting the pieces that can move more freely. To accomplish this, you have to develop the Knights before the Queen’s Bishop. As you progress, remember that it’s not good to exchange a Bishop for a Knight in the earlier stages.

Tactics and Strategies for Middle Game

The middle phase starts when you start to really attack your opponent after gaining an advantage. When you get to this portion, things become a lot more fluid and you’ll start reacting to your opponent’s moves more heavily. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice pieces here if they can get you into the perfect spot to end the game. If you can exchange a Knight or a Bishop for a Pawn, you would have gained a great advantage. A great move is called the “double threat” whereby a single chess piece is used to threaten two other pieces. Another move is called “the pin” whereby one of the opponent’s important pieces is threatened while another piece is in the way.

Tactics and Strategies for End Game

The last phase is when someone takes their opponent’s King. If you’ve done things right, you should be in a position to check – and checkmate – the King with few difficulties. By this time, you should be some pieces down and have captured many of your opponent’s pieces, including the Queen, the biggest obstacle. You need to back the opponent’s King into a corner so that it cannot take the piece you are trying to check with. If you can corner the King, you win the game, and that’s the entire point of the game. When you have material advantage, it’s best to strip your opponent so that there’s only the King to contend with. Ty to keep your Castles or Queen because they are very useful when you are trying to immobilize your opponent’s King.

Please use the following sites for more strategies and tactics to improve your chess playing:

  • Chess is Fun: Explains the basics of chess games.

  • Chess Strategy Ebook: Ebook containing multiple chess strategies available online.

  • Predator at the Chessboards: More tactical information about chess games.

  • Tips Index: Index of good chess tips for people of all skill levels.

  • Chess Page: Discusses chess as well as tactics.

  • Chess Trainer: Discusses chess trips from various levels of difficulty.

  • Chess Tactics: Lists various chess tactics.

  • The Chess Drum: A list of links to tactics based on skill level.