Introduction To Chess Strategies

Introduction To Chess Strategies
Strategies are often confused with Tactics, and vice versa. But there are distinct differences between the two... Tactics take advantage of short-term opportunities that unfold during the game. For instance, you may spot that your opponent has left a more-valuable Piece in front of a less-valuable Piece... You scan the board and notice that the less-valuable Piece isn't properly guarded, so you decide to use a Skewer Attack, to force the more-valuable enemy Piece to step aside, allowing you to capture the vulnerable Piece behind. Strategies, on the other hand, help you formulate a Plan for how you intend to tackle your opponent's army throughout the entire game.

Now, of course, you don't know exactly what your opponent will do, prior to starting the game. So, you must be prepared to adapt your Plans and, if necessary, alter your Strategies mid-game. The following group of Strategies should be used to give your a rough idea of what to do, or how to react, to deal with whatever your opponent throws your way. You cannot allow yourself to stay rigid, with just one single Plan or Strategy... You must be able to adapt to the ebb and flow of the game. As Bruce Lee once remarked, "Water seems weak, but it can penetrate rock... Be like the nature of water."

Chess Strategy #1: Making the Most of a Material Advantage
If you find yourself ahead in force - that is, you've capture more of the enemy that you've lost - then you have a Material Advantage. When you have the benefit of more troops to call upon than your opponent, you will have more options, than when both sides are equal in force. The options we speak of include having a greater variety of troops to handle defensive duties; plus, you're able to sacrifice material, in order to defend your position, while still retaining a fighting edge. Both of those options are examples of how to make the most of a Material Advantage.

Chess Strategy #2: Stopping Enemy Counterplay
In combat, if a man can't stand, he can't fight...
In Chess, if you restrict your opponent's ability to build an attack, they will become less of a threat, allowing you to go about your business, as planned. The first thing you need to do is spot your opponent's Tactical Threats... Study the board, before making your move and look to see where your opponent's pieces are pointing. Are your troops in a vulnerable position that's inviting a Tactic to be played against you? Check to see whether you're at risk from Skewers; Pins; Forks;Discovered Attacks; etc. The second thing you need to do is to keep your opponent helpless... Position your Pawns so they're guarding critical squares and/or providing support points that back up your Pieces, in both advanced and defensive positions.

Chess Strategy #3: Understanding Where the Pieces Go
Each Piece has its own strengths and weaknesses. We must send them where their strengths can be most effectively used. Knights are short-range Pieces; they need support points (provided by Pawns) in order to get close-enough to their targets. Knights need to be on the 6th Rank, when attacking the enemy's camp; while, Ranks 1 and 2 are for defensive duties. Ranks 3, 4 and 5 serve for both attacking and defensive duties. Bishops need long, clear diagonals to be effective.

Rooks need Open Files to be effective, while their do the most damage, in the enemy's territory, on Rank 7. Queens have the best range of movement across the entire board. They can go anywhere, very quickly. Where possible, only think about bringing your Queen into play when the enemy's forces have been significantly reduced. The Queen can then provide effective support to your remaining troops, as you hunt down the enemy King. Kings are vulnerable in the early to middle stages of the game. However, once the game has transitioned into the Endgame phase, when there's but a handful of enemy Pawns and only one or two Pieces, the King's power becomes fully realized. At this point, get your King to the Center of the board, use him to pick off Pawns and, if possible/necessary, the King should be used to aid one of your Pawns to Promotion.

Chess Strategy #4: Superior Minor Pieces
Minor Pieces are the Knights and Bishops.
When Pawns become locked in the middle of the board, the position is said to be "Closed". Because Knights can jump over obstacles, they have no problems in Closed Game situations; they can hop across the obstruction and back, at will. Bishops, on the other hand, cannot jump and they will be restricted by the Closed position. Therefore, in Closed Game situations, Knights become superior to Bishops. If it came down to sacrificing one of the two (tactically), your Knights are the ones to keep on the board.

When the middle of the board is clear for your long-range Pieces to show their worth, the position on the board is said to be "Open". In Open Game situations, Knights, being short-distance units, are more vulnerable and less effective - they take at least two moves to get from one side of the board, to the other; whereas, the long-range Pieces (Queens, Rooks, and Bishops) can get across, to attack and/or defend, in a single turn (providing the way is clear). Therefore, in Open Game situations, Bishops become superior to Knights.

Chess Strategy #5: How to Use Pawns
Pawns can be used as Blocking and Restricting agents... They can block the progress of the enemy Pawns and, if positioned correctly, they can restrict enemy Pieces from getting onto squares that you deem to be Critical to defending your position.

Chess Strategy #6: The Creation of Targets
Instead of waiting for opportunities to reveal themselves, be proactive in identifying your targets; creating the conditions necessary; then hunt down your victim(s). Ideal candidates for targeting are Weak Pawns, such as the following types: "Backward Pawns", "Pawn Islands", "Isolated Pawns", certain "Doubled Pawns", and "Tripled Pawns". If you can capture a single Pawn and create a material advantage, you can then set about exchanging Pieces (deliberate attempts to sacrifice Pieces, to clear them off the board), so you can simplify the position and transition swiftly into the Endgame phase, where your single extra Pawn should prove to be a winning advantage.

Chess Strategy #7: Territorial Domination
Acquiring squares and controlling squares is what Territorial Domination is all about. If you control more squares than your opponent, you will have an advantage of having more options for picking and choosing your attacks. The squares your count, as your controlling territory, are all that are behind your Pawns. However, you don't count the squares that the Pawns are sitting on, when calculating Territorial control; just the ones directly behind them.

Chess Strategy #8: Attacking the King
The majority of players Castle their King on the Kingside, since it's the quickest route to getting their King to relative safety, allowing them to get back to the task of developing their remaining army, ready for the Middlegame battle.

Later on, as the Middlegame approaches its transition to the Endgame phase, the enemy's King may still be tucked behind its defensive line of Pawns, on the Kingside.

To determine whether you're in the right state to attack that King, check the following four conditions (they're not the only criteria, but they're a good gauge to help you decide whether to attack the King, or not):
1. You have a Space Advantage close to the enemy King's position;
2. Your have more Pieces close to the enemy King's position, but your opponent only has limited defensive support nearby to their King.
3. The enemy King has Weak Pawns for defensive cover and you have more Pieces, close by, to put up a strong attack.
4. You have a big enough lead in development, giving you an advantage that enables you to mount an attack - consider attacking immediately!