Strategic Approach to Playing Chess

From LoveToKnow BoardGames

A strategic approach to playing chess is key if you want to have success playing this popular game. While you can play chess without understanding much about strategy, the more you can learn about the way chess works, the more chances you have of winning.

The right chess strategy can keep you out of sticky situations.

Parts of a Chess Game

In order to develop a strategic approach to playing chess, you must first, of course, have a good idea of how all the different pieces move and what some effective moves are.

It's also a good idea to understand and think about the structure of a game of chess, because each part of the game involves different strategies.

There are three basic parts of a chess game:

The opening
The middle
The end game

The opening is the first 10 moves or so of each player, while the middle is the main part of the game, and the end game involves the attack and final moves of the game.

There are probably thousands of different strategies and options for the different parts of a chess game. Only an expert who has studied chess for many years can really understand all of the nuances of these different strategies, but there are some basics that can help even relatively new players.

Strategies for the Opening

Probably the most important part of the game, especially for beginners, is the opening. If you don't open well, you could be ending quickly. There are many famous strategies for openings, but there are some tactics that anyone can use to make their openings more successful:

Don't cross the center of the board. In the beginning part of a game, you're just setting up your plan of attack. You shouldn't actually be attacking.
Don't move a piece more than once. In your first dozen or so moves, all your pieces should be getting into position, not just some of them.
Move pieces on both sides of the board. Again, your movement should be balanced.
Avoid premature attacks. More new chess players get into trouble because they start attacking too early probably than any other reason.

A Strategic Approach to Playing Chess

In addition to starting strong, you must continue to use strategy throughout the game if you are going to be successful. This means you really have to pay attention, not only to what your next few moves are going to be, but to what you think your opponent is up to as well.

This may be the most frustrating aspect of chess for new players. Sometimes it can be very difficult to see that far ahead in the game to anticipate attacks and make your move first. This is something that comes with a lot of practice and being able to know what to do without having to think so much about it.

In the meantime, there are some things you can try that may help you with your chess strategy:

Move your knights before your bishops. Because bishops can move farther than knights, it's a good idea to keep them protected as long as possible.
Don't attack your opponent's king before he has castled, especially if you yourself have castled on the king's side. It's tempting, but usually a mistake.
Look for holes in your opponent's defenses. This seems pretty obvious, but in the beginning you may have to remind yourself that you're not just playing defense and you can actually attack as well.

Resources for More Information

There have been countless books written on the strategic approach to playing chess, so this is naturally a very quick overview. Here are some websites to visit for more information: