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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!

55 Comments on 10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

  1. I’m gonna be a chess champion

  2. try bohemia chess. the player who gets their king first onto the others back-line also wins the game..

  3. thankyou I really like it

  4. That’s a really good tips for playing chess

  5. comedy

  6. I feel like you all are know-it-alls

  7. It was a good article for beginners.

  8. This is a good tip

  9. Nice advise!!!👍👍👍

  10. Yes it’s very useful for my son.

  11. This was so helpful! Thanks so much! 😘

  12. BTW you don’t get points for “castleing”, because I see that is a common mistake people make.

  13. GREAT!! What is a rook and how many points is a castle worth?

    • I like to help. // February 22, 2018 at 8:17 pm // Reply

      A rook is a piece that can move forward.backward, and sideways by and number of squares just so long as it’s still in the same direction. Also Castling isn’t a way to earn points it’s only a way to protect your king. (if you are unaware castling is Castling is a special type of chess move. When castling, you simultaneously move your king, and one of your rooks. The king moves two squares towards a rook, and that rook moves to the square at the other side of the king.)

  14. wow chess’s really good

  15. Great Article to improve Game

  16. Not bad

  17. Good advice thanks

  18. I have heard of the point system for the pieces before and have kept it in mind for ages

  19. Thanks for this awesome advice it’s super helpful. Great article largely appreciated. :):):):)

  20. nice

  21. Nice tips thanks!

  22. Super tips for playing the chess game

  23. Works well, I’ve tried it in chess tournament and won. Thanks. Also, great advices there.

  24. Nice I will use this in my society s chess competition and thanks a lot

  25. funny advice

  26. I no all of this stuff

  27. Good! I will try your suggestions enhance my chess strategies

  28. Today is my competition of chess. Thnx for the tricks. I will follow them and try to win.

  29. Nice one… Even the dullness can understand and become a winner…

  30. excellent very good I love it super

  31. excellent very good I love it

  32. thanks for the awesome tips now i can finally beat my dad,lol

  33. “never celebrate too early.”

  34. fishy granddaughter // June 23, 2017 at 4:27 am // Reply

    I m gonna be the best CHESS player EVER

  35. JACKSEPTICEYE // June 12, 2017 at 9:24 am // Reply

    THIS IS THE BEST GUIDE FR CHESS

  36. Very nice article thanks a lot

  37. Anonymous // June 5, 2017 at 1:47 pm // Reply

    Thanks for the tips, will help me to play better.
    I play with my computer and I can’t Winn lavel 14.

  38. 😎😇😋 // May 17, 2017 at 6:20 am // Reply

    Thanks alot
    This may help

  39. Herman li // May 5, 2017 at 8:16 am // Reply

    Today i lose 2 games but i’ll try again to defeat my opponent.
    Thanks for ur advice.

  40. awesome article

  41. it a good lesson to win in chess

  42. Fantastic advice

  43. megaMilano // March 17, 2017 at 3:35 pm // Reply

    good idea thanks guys

  44. Excellent Advise!!! 👍👍👏👏😊😊

  45. Wow this is a really good article!

  46. I want to learn.

  47. Intelligent!

  48. Thank you

  49. chess is a game of patience and leadership

  50. This article is AMAZING!!

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