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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!

58 Comments on 10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

  1. Very nice

  2. thank you these are very useful

  3. very good

  4. wonderful

  5. Good

  6. I used to lose all the time but now I may even conquer my greatest opponent!

  7. well done

  8. Good tips

  9. Nice good 10points

  10. grandmaster // August 3, 2013 at 11:18 pm // Reply

    Thank you ;now I can play as much as agrandmaster play!!!!

  11. how to capture opponents team after his castling

  12. These are very simple tricks.
    I know these tips already.

  13. Its very helpful n awsm

  14. this tips are great. i like it.

  15. brillaint one // July 3, 2013 at 3:26 am // Reply

    These tips have proved to be helpful. Thanks

  16. aakash says // July 1, 2013 at 11:22 pm // Reply

    Castle in the begging of the game.

  17. Very helpfull

  18. INDIAN BOY // May 23, 2013 at 9:32 am // Reply

    Its really helpd me out. but 1 Question what happnd if my pawn reach at the end of my oppnent.

  19. I too play the same opening game……

  20. Lariscort // May 9, 2013 at 4:28 am // Reply

    Nice one

  21. good

  22. I PREFER TO GET MY QUEEN OUT BEFORE THE BISHOPS AND KNIGHTS CHECKING MY OPPONENTS KING AND MESSING WITH MY OPONENTS ROOKS FORCING NON WISE ROOK MOVES. IT TAKES VALUBLE “TIME” OFF MY OPPONENTS CLOCK.

  23. Yeah obviously nice playing
    i used to play in this manner the same opening
    n used to win most games

  24. It’s marvelous to have a good push on my first game.thanks for the concise and very useful tips for starters. You are the best.

  25. very good, thank you

  26. titli chess // April 3, 2013 at 11:46 pm // Reply

    these tips are great

  27. Thank you captain obvious!

  28. Nice tips I got, thank you..

  29. Thanks for 10 tips

  30. Thank you …now i can win all the competition

  31. It is very usefull and helpfull for me

  32. thanks for tips

  33. this is really helpful

  34. This Page has helped me understand Chess so much better. Thank you Boy’s Life!

  35. Cool

  36. good. need some more advance steps

  37. Good ideas. makes the game exciting and serious

  38. my dad beat me but after reading these tips I’m going to ask him to play again and I’m pretty sure I’m going to beat him this time

  39. wah!that was real helpful advice

  40. I got home work passes for the whole year because I used these moves aginst my teacher

  41. Nice stuff

  42. i hope these steps will help alot while playing

  43. nice ! Hope to use that tricks and tips.

  44. thi was helpful and useful. im beating everybody

  45. awesome!

  46. nice but this one is only for learner . thanks

  47. Nice tips formula.. This is very helpfull esp. For begginers.

  48. this does not work with the chess game on my computer and if it does not work with mine it might not work agianst your chess games on the computer. your welcome to ry but I garintee that it will not work.

  49. thank you boys life I can now play chess like a boss!

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