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10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

chess player looking at board

If you want to be a chess champ, it’ll take lots of learning and lots of practicing. Here are 10 tips to get you started:

LEARN THE CHESS 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 on the chess board.

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.

GET THE KNIGHTS AND BISHOPS OUT

Before you move your queen, rooks or king, move your knights and bishops toward the center of the chess board. You want to get these pieces out from behind the pawns so they can attack.

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?”

DON’T WASTE TIME

Don’t make too many moves with your pawns or try to pick off your opponent’s pawns.

“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 chess move in which more than one piece may be moved in a turn.

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 chess 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.

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 in chess. Use these points to figure out whether you’re making a good move if you’re going to lose one of them:

  • Queen: 9 points
  • Rook: 5 points
  • Bishop: 3 points
  • Knight: 3 points
  • Pawn: 1 point

So is it a good idea to lose a bishop to save a pawn? No!

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.

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!

59 Comments on 10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

  1. good start for me thanks

  2. I <3 CHESS

  3. all moves really works

  4. Anonymous // May 9, 2014 at 8:00 pm // Reply

    Well, what happens if your opponent captures your pieces in the beginning? Should i capture his piece or ignore. (The opponent might threaten me with a pawn by trying to capture my knight.

  5. Much appreciated.

  6. It really helped me to compete with my opponent

  7. Wonderful ideas. These are so useful for me to become a champ!

  8. Siddhartha // April 17, 2014 at 3:35 am // Reply

    I liked the 5th and 8th tips.

  9. Monkey on a Leash // April 7, 2014 at 7:00 pm // Reply

    Good. Very good.

  10. Sonic Beast // April 7, 2014 at 6:58 pm // Reply

    This really helped me! Thanks.

  11. Miguel and Juan // April 7, 2014 at 1:51 pm // Reply

    This made me lose every time

  12. Usefull

  13. Nice tips

  14. Awesome tips and advice for every chess player beginner or advenced!

  15. Book man g // March 18, 2014 at 7:08 am // Reply

    Excellent advise for beginners. This helped me!

  16. its best to not castle it wastes a move

    • superacerchesschamp // May 18, 2014 at 11:51 am // Reply

      Totally untrue, it protects your king while putting a rook on or near the center file.

  17. Oblinkz... // March 12, 2014 at 4:45 am // Reply

    These tips are a little more help…..But I would like to advice the developer of this site to put more effort……….am sure I can beat him/her in chess…….Basically all tips here are too old to use…..

  18. can u give some theories

  19. Nice, but I think this is just the general knowledge of Chess; its not detailed. With this you can’t emerge a champion.

  20. surely it will motivate the beginers like me

  21. telescopeguy // January 23, 2014 at 9:19 am // Reply

    You can move your knight OVER your pawns.

  22. I like these tips. Can you post more i am preparing for a chess tournament in a few weeks.

  23. Good…………. nice tips&tricks……..

  24. AWESOME!I DEFEATED LEVEL 7!

  25. Good basic tips

  26. This is very good. I like it.

  27. Good tips..it will help

  28. 9ice tips 2 become champ

  29. I like the opening

  30. NOT THAT MUCH GOOD.

  31. Thanks alot

  32. i beat alex

  33. I am motivated with the tips

  34. thanks alot

  35. Thank you for the good tips. Now I can beat my friends easily.

  36. i want to learn more from chess

  37. verry good helps alot

  38. I have no idea chess was real!!!

  39. thank you .i’ve learned more by this time with that chess game

  40. Donald Xavier bubbles // November 7, 2013 at 9:29 pm // Reply

    Great tips, thanks

  41. tankxxx bosss…..!!!!

  42. nice tips it will help a great deal

  43. I knew most of this stuff. Not very helpful but has few good tips.

  44. Thanks i also want to become chess champion

  45. Lolington the LOLTroll // October 6, 2013 at 12:46 pm // Reply

    thnx for da tip

  46. Thanks….I want tips for advance game also

  47. Thanks friend for da tips..

  48. What’s the best side to castle?

  49. Nice. i like shepherds mate

  50. Nice tips & guys what’s the best side to castle?

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