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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!

54 Comments on 10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

  1. really really good tips.i did follow them and i beat the champ in my locality. thank you very much.

  2. u cant defeat me using these tips

  3. Nice one

  4. always play attacking game for winning the chess

  5. Thanks got to try it , it kinda make sense

  6. Thnx fr ur tips on Monday I have the selection trial for a chess competition may I win!!!😘😍

  7. Iam going to try this tomorow

  8. kalam's kalam // September 7, 2016 at 7:16 am // Reply

    it’s amazing. I am going try it tomorow. Thankyou for this tips

  9. Somewhere sometimes these tips might be used

  10. Super duper tips

  11. helpful tips!

  12. wow nice tip, I’ll use it to be a champion in South Africa

  13. Coooool!

  14. Thnx for the tips

  15. Good tips THANKS πŸ˜€πŸ˜„πŸ˜ŠπŸ˜ŒπŸ˜ƒ

  16. Anonymous // July 7, 2016 at 2:24 am // Reply

    thanks for winning tips.

  17. Cool these tips kiiinnnda help meπŸ‘ŒπŸ˜ƒ

  18. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIPS.IT REALLY HELPED ME.KEEP POSTING SUCH GOOD ARTICLES.

  19. Nice tips

  20. so you can make a car??? // June 20, 2016 at 9:02 pm // Reply

    If you play computer chess aganst a computer, most of the time castling can’t be done at the game

  21. Good tips!!!! But useful for a beginner not for someone who wants to become a champion….

  22. Good and Important tips but not enough for championship

  23. Good-Kid Maeza // May 19, 2016 at 12:52 pm // Reply

    Thnx for this Tips because they are very important to me as a Chess player

  24. It’s amazing

  25. Good tips! And please keep on posting other things which could help everybody in the world
    …..nice work wish u the best…..I even challenge you for a match πŸ˜› πŸ˜‰

  26. Thanks

  27. Luv it

  28. super!!!

  29. Thank you

  30. I just figured out those moves myself.

  31. Thank you, I haven’t played chess in one year and I personally thank you for refreshing my memories.

  32. Thanks A lot

  33. good tips

  34. Thank you so much for the tips. I gained confidence back

  35. awesome tips ! thanks a bunch

  36. awesome tips!thanks a bunch

  37. tips are good

  38. thanx but l want challeng yu so that we see if this works

  39. this helps to win the 5th level game against computer so I like it. How to improve my knowledge in chess any more tips are there

  40. Tips are excellent..!

  41. Pretty cool tips but i still am not that good

  42. i challenge u to a match

  43. thanks these are awesome

  44. This is the best tip for playing chess

  45. thnx

  46. Moosey200000 // October 9, 2015 at 2:21 pm // Reply

    This is great information i won 4 times in one hour because of this thank you so much!

  47. Moosey240000 // October 9, 2015 at 2:16 pm // Reply

    EPIC i won 4 times because of this thank you so much

  48. thanks for the tips:)

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