Chess champ Jonathan Hilton started beating adults regularly about two months after he started playing. His secret: Lots of learning and lots of practicing. Thanks to Jonathan, your learning starts (or continues!) here:
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1. LEARN THE MOVES. Each chess piece can move only a certain way. For instance, a pawn moves straight ahead but can only attack on an angle, one square at a time. A knight’s move is L-shaped. The bishop moves at an angle but can move more than one square at a time. The rook (castle) can move only in a straight line but can go forward, back or to the side. The queen, the most powerful piece, can move in any direction for any number of squares, but not two directions in one move. And the king moves at a stately pace — as a king should — one square at a time in any direction.
2. OPEN WITH A PAWN. Move the pawn in front of either the king or queen two squares forward. (Only on its opening move can a pawn move two squares.) This opens pathways for your bishops and queen to enter the game. They move on an angle and can’t get out onto the field of battle if pawns are in the way.
3. GET THE KNIGHTS AND BISHOPS OUT. Before you move your queen, rooks or king, move your knights and bishops toward the center of the board. You want to get these pieces out from behind the pawns so they can attack.
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4. WATCH YOUR BACK! And front! When it’s your turn, always think to yourself, “What did my opponent’s last move do? What is he up to?” Is he laying traps to capture your pieces? Then decide on your own plan. Always look at all your possibilities. Look at moves that would capture your opponent’s men or threaten his king first. But always double-check your moves before you play them. Ask yourself, “Does my move leave something unprotected?”
5. DON’T WASTE TIME. Don’t make too many moves with your pawns or try to pick off your opponent’s pawns.
6. “CASTLE” EARLY. Castling is a move that allows you to move your king to safety and bring your rook into play. Once all the squares between your rook and the king are unoccupied you can move the king two squares toward the rook while the rook moves to the square on the the king’s other side. If your opponent neglects to castle, you might be able to launch an attack on his king. This is the only move in which more than one piece may be moved in a turn.
7. ATTACK IN THE “MIDDLEGAME.” After you’ve brought all your knights and bishops into the game and castled (these moves are your “opening”), the middlegame begins. In the middlegame, always be on the lookout for ways to capture your opponent’s men. Take any piece that your opponent doesn’t protect. But look at what will happen to your piece if you take his — will you get picked off? Always be looking for ways to move lots of your men into position to attack the enemy king.
8. LOSE PIECES WISELY. You’ll take some of your opponent’s pieces. Some of your pieces will be taken. You must figure out what is and isn’t a good swap. Use these points to figure out whether you’re making a good move if you’re going to lose one of them:
So is it a good idea to lose a bishop to save a pawn? No!
9. DON’T PLAY TOO FAST. If you see a good move, sit on your hands and look for a better one. Patient thinking is the key to chess success.
10. WIN THE ENDGAME. After you and your opponent swap pieces and you’re down to just a few men, the endgame begins. Now the pawns become more important. If you can advance a pawn to the farthest row away from you, that pawn becomes a queen. A big success! Let your king attack, too, as long as he stays out of reach of your opponent’s remaining pieces — especially the queen — and does not let himself to be checked.
Your king is said to be in check when your opponent threatens to use one of his pieces to capture the king on his next move. If your king is checked and you have no way to remove the threat — it can’t run away, you can’t capture the opposing piece that has him in check and you can’t block the check by moving one of your own pieces — the game is lost. Checkmate! If you checkmate your opponent before he checkmates you, then you win!
Tags: Chess
totally awesome, dude! I CAN NOT WAIT TO USE THESE TIPS!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for these tips
I play chess aginst my dad and these tips worked great,in fact i got to beat him last night.
thx for the tips used to be the best at school but im not any more
I’m pretty much Grand Champion Chess Master in my family but, those were tips i have never learned in my 3 yr. career as a chess player thanks! I’ll use them next time i play
Thank you for the tips i will be sure to try them next time i play.
Quite nice piece u put 2geda here. But in adition. To totaly suadue ur enemy is to let ur queen find its way 2 d bak end of ur oponent. Pickin his pawn. Then atak with ur bishop 4rm 2 ends. I guarantee u sucess
thanks for theawsome tips
these tips are superb.thank you!!!!
I LIKE CHESS AND THESE ARE GOOD TIPS!
I’m trying to learn so this really helps.A friend tried to teach me long ago but his life was cut short and the game reminds me of him.Now my nephew throws the challenge and loves to beat me.To win i need the help.
done throw away your knight or pawns they are very useful at times. also keep your queen safe. She is very useful when someones trying to attack. always suppress your opponent because they cant attack as good (just make sure your safe to)
I say these are some good tips to play chess because i usaly put my moves fast and i learned to think then put your move and put your plan into ACTION!
I’ll try to use the tips in chess
Simple, yet, very important tips. Good read!
This is good advice.
sweet
quite good
I can use some of these tips.
I’ll try to use the tips in chess
good tips
i have only won 3 out of 20 times
Thanks for the tips.I’llhave to try them.:)
Yea, the’re great
Thanks for the wonderful tips on chess. I always seem to lose.:)
I know what you mean… I’ve won against my brother once in the past months. Then again, I haven’t played since I was five.
hoping to improve my game with these tips
I always get my knights to control the 4 center squares.
Try to bring all 8 pawns to the end of the board. And keep your 2 knights behind them to protect them. Then you have 9 queens!
9 Qweens!
I love chess and will use these tips wisely
im going to battle my brother now. hope it works!
this is very helpful
move your 2 royal pawns up 2 and counter them with 2 nights then the bisip to protect the nights i started that first and i beat pros with that