Many people feel intimidated by the game of chess. They feel that it is a game for intellectuals; however, chess is one of the fairest games out there. There is no dice used to leave the game up to “chance,” and there is no referee involved to possibly “throw” the game. Yes, chess is a thinKing person’s game, but you do not need to have a Calculus degree to master chess. You are the one that calls the shots of your chess pieces. You are the one that can learn various approaches and tactics. The chess game itself is very easy to learn, and could possibly take a lifetime to master with all of the different strategy books available. As a beginning chess player, follow these five simple strategy steps. These steps will provide you with techniques to help the player win the game.
- 1.Slow down your moves by thinKing things through. Often times, beginners are in such a hurry during their turn, they often overlook better vantage points. Also they can overlook obvious mistakes and could quite possibly lose the piece that they just moved.
- 2.Castle your King wherever possible. When you ‘castle’ your King, the unmoved King will either move two places to the right or move two places to the left. Immediately following the King’s move, the unmoved Rook closest to the moved King will then “jump” over the King and will land on the immediate open space next to the King. When you castle your King, you must make sure that there are no pieces, either yours or your opponents, on any square between your King and your Rook. Also, once the King has moved, that piece can no longer castle the rest of the game. That is why you are only allowed one time during the chess game to castle the King.
- 3.Plan your strategy and tactics by at least three moves in advance. Doing so will open up more strategies for you in the long run. By planning ahead during the chess match, this tactic will also help you anticipate your opponent’s next sequential moves and will then possible lead you to a decisive victory.
- 4.Do not attack your opponent prematurely. Doing so may have you losing a few key pieces you will need later on in the game. Always think before you act; weigh out all of your options that are available to you. By avoiding these types of attacks, time will be on your side for the overall long term strategy of the chess game.
- 5.Never sacrifice a piece worth more than one of your lower pieces. Many times beginners will think it is natural to sacrifice a Queen for a Knight. Will that sacrifice of a higher piece really give the upper hand in the chess match?
These top five beginning chess strategies and tactics should be taken as sound advice to build your chess game on. There are plenty of other more advanced tactics available, but for the beginning chess player, these five are the most beneficial for them.
14 Comments
[...] an important role. Tactics are different from the strategies and they complement each other. Chess strategy refers to a broad concept of either mating the opponent’s King or controlling the central [...]
The biggest mistake that I found myself making when I had just started playing chess was that I wasn’t thinking thoroughly, I was rushing myself and not considering all of the possibilities on the board infront of me, I was instead trying to make my moves quickly and therefore making rash, uninformed decisions which cost me many games.
I am familiar with how to castle, how about telling us WHY one should castle whenever possible.
Flawless: it protects your king. puts it in a corner so it is easier to protect. sometimes you shouldn’t castle if there is not enough protection for your king. but if it is in a corner, its easier to protect.
But castling into a corner might also be very dangerous, but that depends on your style of playing
If it weren’t for that pawn on the right of the king then it would be alot easier.
if you want to make the game difficult for your opponent,move the pawns in front of your knights,then put a bishop there.when the opponent moves thier bishop out of the way,you can get a pawn and a rook!
once i got a bishop,pawn,rook and knight from this tactic. hope I helped.
Thank you so much for this very informative site. I am 72 years old and always wanted to play chess. Started learning much younger but too busy then. Now I have the time and love playing chess. Your work on your site is far reaching and a blessing to people like me especially. I have had strokes and in assisted living memory damage to the brain. Chess lessons now about 50 hours from a volunteer have helped my memory quite bit. I need so much work and your site is a valuable asset. THANK YOU FOREVER… Sandy B of Manassas Va. Washington DC Metro Area resident and native.
I am a beginner to the highest degree.. just started playing about four days ago. when I typed chess strategies for beginners, your site popped up. My only constructive criticism would be, that if the tips are for beginners, you are assuming a beginner would know what “castle your king” means. I’ve heard of the term “castling” I think it’s the same thing but still am trying to learn exactly what it is.. guess I’ll have to type “castling in chess” in my search engine to find outt lol.. Thanks.
I have a calculus degree. . .does this mean im a master at chess?
@Sandra Boletchek
We are really happy to help.
@Evan
It doesn’t mean anything either way. Sultan Khan from India was illiterate, but was considered one of the strongest player of his time – read about him in Wikipedia.
[...] look at a variety of moves and be able to anticipate their competition’s moves at a glance. A chess blog that I was looking at said this: “Plan your strategy and tactics by at least three moves in [...]
[...] Originally Posted by Sky Dancer What's he teach? Chess? I need help. I'm awful at it. The Top Five Chess Strategies for Beginners | Chess Blog This section is a little more advanced… 50 Strategies to gain the upper hand over your opponent [...]