continued from Chess Strategy Guide Part 1
In this second part of a two-part series, we consider the minor pieces and pawns.
| Piece |
Opening |
Middle-Game |
End-Game |
| Bishop |
* Develop early
* Try not to block your pawns
* Preferred squares:
d2, e3, f4 or b2 (fianchetto) for QB
e2, d3, c4 or g2 (fianchetto) for KB
g5 for QB and b5 for KB (only if pinning enemy Knight, but use caution) |
* Each Bishop can cover only half the squares, so they work best as a pair
* They also work best from a distance and on relatively open board
* Try to occupy long open diagonals
* Avoid obstructing them with your own pawns
* They are very effective in creating pins, particularly on Knights
* They can be used effectively for sacrificial attacks to break open enemy castle |
* In Bishop and Pawn endings, if you and your opponent hold bishops of opposite color, draw is the most likely result even with a difference of one or two pawns
* With disadvantageous pawn position, try to retain opposite colored bishop
* With better pawn position, retain bishop of same color
* Bishop of same color as the queening square for your pawn is a great advantage
* Try to keep your pawns such that your Bishop movement is not obstructed
* Bishops work better than Knight if you have pawn groups on both sides of the board |
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|
|
| Knight |
* Develop early
* Preferred squares:
c3 and f3 are best
d2 and e2 can do provided Bishops are not locked
* Edge of board are normally bad positions for Knight |
* They are most effective in crowded positions
* They are good defensive pieces for your castle
* They are deadly in creating fork on major enemy pieces as they remain out of sight of those pieces
* They can also be used for sacrificial attack to open up enemy positions
When used in conjunction, they work best operating from opposite colored squares |
* Knights are slow-moving and hence become inferior to Bishop
* They are better only when pawns are grouped at one side of the board |
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| Pawn |
* Think carefully before pushing any pawn (they cannot backtrack!)
* Try to stick to d,e, c and f pawns (to rank 3 or 4) except f3 (exposes King and takes away the best square for KN)
* b2 and g2 only if you prefer fianchettoed Bishop |
* They are battering rams creating space for your pieces to move in
* They are very effective when supported by pieces in both attack and defense
* Try for strong formations and avoid weak ones
Each pawn is a potential Queen, so a pawn majority becomes very strong feature when other pieces are exchanged
* Analyze pawn positions to plan end-game strategy |
* They are the prime factors in this phase
* Rook pawn is most difficult to promote, so exchange pawns with this in mind
* With only Kings on board, pawns at two sides are more advantageous compared to pawns grouped in the middle
* Plan pawn exchanges depending on your minor pieces (Bishop or Knight) in line with what was said for Bishop and Knight
* Since two knights or a single Bishop cannot deliver mate, keep the possibility of sacrifice of such pieces by both sides to remove pawns
* When moving pawns, consider the one farthest from enemy King
* Keep in mind that a pawn sacrifice to push enemy King outside ‘the Square’ for a distant pawn will help its promotion |
This article is a ready reckoner type of guide for beginners, in line with the prevalent mode of capsule information sought by people in these days of everything ‘fast’ – fast track, fast food, fast lifestyle, fast ….
But at the same time, some saner heads have started questioning this style and warning about the damages wrought on our health and spirits by such ‘fastness’. So a warning will also be appropriate for the capsule package on chess strategies, though it is not likely to cause as much damage! Some general rules apply in every walk of life and helps us to tackle problems more readily provided that we are aware of possible exceptions to every rule and try to understand when the situation needs us to break the rules!
Now that we have suitably cautioned you lest you come back with basketful of rotten tomatoes after losing your game in two moves (it is possible, you know! Just play 1. f4 e6 2. g4 Qh4#)! With all that off our mind, we are giving you a table of chess pieces vis-a-vis their suggested deployment during the three main phases of a chess game.
This first part of a two-part series deals with the King and the heavy pieces.
| Piece |
Opening |
Middle-Game |
End-Game |
| King |
* Keep well-guarded
* Castle early
* K-side castle preferred, if on Q-side – QRP remains weak |
* Keep guarding inside castle
* When castle loses importance (most pieces off board), move to second rank and centralize (in preparation for end-game) |
* With most pieces removed, it now holds the power and helps in attack
* But avoid premature advance when several enemy pieces are still on board
* Keep it close to support your pawns if advancing for promotion
* Keep it close to enemy pawns if defending and trying to stop their promotion
* Relative positions of your King and enemy King is very important for action plan
* Keep in mind the principles of ‘opposition’ and ‘the Square’ for pawn promotion |
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|
|
|
| Queen |
* Try not to go beyond third rank |
* Move freely based on need
* Look for opportunity to pick up pawns safely
* Leave alone pawns that will take it away from action area
* Watch out for risk of getting hemmed in when taking pawns
* Be alert against pins and Knight fork |
* Its power increases when other enemy pieces are gone
* It can be used to mop up pawns
* Even in an apparent losing situation, it can salvage draw by perpetual check |
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|
| Rook |
* Try to link them up (it is one aim of castling)
* Keep them on back rank
* Occupy open/semi-open files |
* They work best from a distance
* Try to double them on an open file
* Try to occupy the seventh rank, where doubled rooks can play havoc with enemy
* Otherwise keep them on first two ranks as they are vulnerable to Bishops
* Look for back rank attack on enemy King |
* The seventh rank is still strong if enemy King is on eighth rank
* They are effective in restricting enemy King’s movement
* They can be used to mop up pawns
* They can protect your advancing pawns
* Try to retain them if you have inferior pawns as they can help to salvage a draw
* With fairly open board, they can be used for perpetual checks |
continued to Chess Strategy Guide Part 2
In the article on formulating your game plan, we indicated that a simple or exchange sacrifice can often be used to initiate an attack on enemy position, often catching your opponent by surprise because of the unexpectedness of such moves. We give here a spectacular example!
Take a look at the position shown below. The material position is equal, but due to castling on opposite sides by White and Black, both players are ready to launch attacks on opponent’s King. If anything, Black King seems to be facing the worse of it, being completely without a pawn cover in front. But it is Black’s move now and he does not give White any breathing space!
It is an exemplary lesson in chess tactics to see how Black completely demolishes White’s position through a series of sacrificing play.
| 1. |
|
Nf3+ |
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|
| 2. |
gxf3 |
Bxf3+ |
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|
| 3. |
Bg3 |
Qxg3+ |
|
|
| 4. |
hxg3 |
Rxg3+ |
|
|
| 5. |
Kh2 |
|
|
If 5. Bg2 Rxg2+ 6. Kf1 Rh2 with mate to follow. |
| 5. |
… |
Bxf2 |
|
White is a full Queen ahead, but is helpless to avoid mate. |
| 6. |
Bh3 |
Rxh3+ |
|
|
| 7. |
Resigns |
|
|
If 7. Kxh3 Rh8# |
Chess problems as appearing in newspapers, magazines, books etc. are generally composed by experts to highlight certain chess tactics, though situations from actual play are also used sometimes if they serve to exemplify those tactics. Some of these problems specify the number of moves in which the player with the move has to mate the opposite King (these types are designated as ‘Chess Problems’), while others simply say that White (or Black) to play and win (these types are correctly known as ‘Chess Studies’). Many beginners find it difficult to solve these problems, especially the latter type, as they find these too complex to find the starting move and to analyze all the possibilities!
With a view to alleviate the pessimism of such beginners, we give below a composition where White has to play and win and challenge any beginner to claim that he was NOT able to solve it!
What is the weakest pawn when you start a game of chess? It is the KBP. Why? While all other pawns get the support from at least one of the pieces, KBP is the only pawn that has the King alone to defend it and you know that the King’s power is very limited in the early phases, itself being subject to attack by all and sundry in the opposition ranks! One idea of a quick castling on the King-side is to bring the support of the Rook for this pawn, besides putting the King in a safe position.
In fact, a lot many games have been decided by a successful attack on this pawn, often preceded by piece sacrifices! As a beginner, if you are not careful to watch out for opponent’s pieces targeting this pawn howsoever remotely, you may find yourself at the receiving end of a nasty surprise! Even Grandmasters have been known to fall victim to traps that exposed this weakness in their positions, with the game finished off in super-quick time!
In the article on some Exercises in assessing a chess game position, you have seen how attacks on the King targeted this position.
