Chess Tips : Studying is Hard Work

To really make major improvements in your chess game you need to study a variety of concepts. You have already started by reading this. Reading about games, tactics, strategies, etc. are proven methods of improving your chess game. There are also software programs to visually teach you tactics and multiple web sites with a variety of learning tools.

The important thing is to try and stay interested in learning. Playing chess is great fun. Studying concepts and strategies is not always as fun as playing an actual game against a good opponent. Try to stay interested in your studies by utilizing a learning method that you enjoy. If you enjoy reading, then get some chess books to read through. If you are a more visual learner, then some of the software programs or websites may be more your style.

Chess Tips: Which Forked Piece to Capture

A fork is when you are able to threaten two pieces at the same time with ONE of your pieces. Knights are notorious for being able to do this, especially against rooks. For an example, you have your knight forking two rooks. Does it matter which of the two rooks you capture? Are you sure? Should you capture one of the forked pieces immediately?

These are the types of questions that you need to know the answers to if you want to consistently win games. When to capture a forked piece depends on what your opponent does with them. If your opponent leaves the pieces sitting there you can simply wait. If your opponent moves one of the two forked pieces then the answer is simple. Take the piece that you still threaten and take it now. But what if your opponent threatens your forking piece?

Chess Tactic : Doing Nothing

Chess is a very complicated game, as we all know. One of the reasons that it is very complicated is that you must move a piece every move. This makes it nearly impossible to hold the wonderful defense that you have created without giving your opponent an opportunity to penetrate your defensive scheme. This defensive structure that you have carefully crafted grows to be even more important in the end game.

Understanding that it is sometimes better to shuffle a piece back and forth from square to square, than to weaken your defense, is very important. Doing this may seem… boring… but it is better to be boring than to throw away a win or a chance at a draw. If your opponent allows you to do this enough, the game will end in a draw due to the 50-move rule. More often though, your opponent will grow impatient and make an error. This is assuming that you are in a weaker position and that your opponent is looking for a way to place you into a checkmate instead of letting you get the draw.

This frantic moving and searching by your opponent will frequently result in them making a mistake and giving you the victory. Another consideration is whether or not you are playing a timed game. If so, you can run your opponent out of time with this shuffling of your piece because your opponent will spend time looking for a mate while you are in a perfectly defended position that requires no thought. Look at your end game for opportunities to utilize this do nothing strategy. This strategy will come in handy at times and can help you secure a draw, or even better a win.

Chess Tips: What is Your Opponent Trying to do?

This is a question that you should ask yourself each and every time your opponent makes a move in a chess game. Too often players will overlook this simple question and focus far too much on what he or she is trying to do, not what their opponent is trying to do. Ignoring the strategy that your opponent is trying to implement is similar to going to war and only focusing on your army’s goals while ignoring the goals of the enemy.

You are trying to capture your opponent’s queen in these next few moves because it appears to be weakly guarded. This can be a good or bad strategy depending on what your opponent is trying to do. If your opponent is attempting to lure you into focusing all of your attention on that poorly guarded queen while setting you up for checkmate, then your attention is focused in the wrong place. Of course you are not a mind reader and do not always know what your opponents strategy is, or if he or she even has a strategy in mind. However, it is critical that you consider what you believe your opponent is trying to do.

When playing chess your goals in the game need to become somewhat secondary to countering the goals that your opponent has. If you see that in two moves you can place your opponent in checkmate, but fail to realize that in one move he or she can capture your attacking pieces, then you have failed to examine what your opponent is trying to do. Once again it is the all-important balance between offense and defense that you are working towards in the game of chess. Focusing all of your attention on one area or the other is a mistake. Find a good balance between the two styles.

Chess Strategies - Skewers and Pins

Pinning your opponent is when you are able to trap one of your opponent’s pieces. The most common scenario is pinning a piece that your opponent has placed in front of his or her king. Picture your opponent placing a bishop in front of his or her king and you placing a rook on the same file. Now your opponent cannot move the bishop or he or she will be placed into check. It is an illegal move to put yourself into check. Now that you have learned the tactic of pinning your opponent’s pieces you need to know when it is the best time to actually capture that pinned piece.

Many times a chess player will react too quickly and take the opponent’s pinned piece because it seems like the right move. This is often a mistake. If you are able to pin one of your opponent’s pieces you may be best served to wait to capture that pinned piece. If you react quickly and take it now, you will lose the piece that you have used to create the pin. From the example above, you would lose your rook once you take the bishop.