20/05/2019
GENERAL CHESS IDEAS AND PRINCIPLES 🏆
On Opening
1. Develop your pieces quickly.
2. Control the center.
3. Put your pieces on squares that give them maximum space ideally on the central squares.
4. Try to develop your knights towards the center. For a knight on the rim is dim.
5. Don't move same pieces twice or more in the opening it is usually a waste of time.
6. Don't bring your queen out early.
7. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook.
8. Develop rooks to open files.
9. Don't let your king get caught in the center.
10. Don't castle in a side that brings your king into a great danger.
11. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king.
12. Study opening system you are comfortable with.
On Middlegame, Attack and Defense
1. Maximize your advantages.
2. Find a target (your opponent's weaknesses) and create a plan to attack it.
3. When you are ahead of material exchange pieces to simplify the game
4. Bishops are strong in an open game. Do not block them.
5. Knights are strong in a close game.
6. Understand pawn structures and use your pawns to create a massive attack.
7. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material.
8. If your opponent is cramped, don't let him get any freeing exchanges.
9. The best defense is offense.
10. Bring up the reserves to continue the attack's momentum.
On Calculation and Choice of Moves
1. Calculate forced moves first.
2. After your opponents move ask yourself, "Why did he move there?"
3. Have a plan. Every move should have a purpose.
4. Don't take unnecessary chances or speculate. Be logical.
5. Never understimate your opponent's move
6. Play for the initiative. Every move is highly important.
7. Don't sacrifice without a properly calculating the consequence.
8. If you are in doubt of an opponent's sacrifice, accept it.
9. Attack multiple pieces if possible.
10. Do not carelessly move your pawns. They cannot move back.
11. Calculate atleast three moves ahead.
On Losing
1. If you are losing, don't give up fighting. Look for counter-play.
2. Complicate the game to create more room of errors on your opponent.
3. Don't play unsound moves unless you are losing badly.
4. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can.
On Winning
1. The game is not finish until your opponent is checkmated or resigns the game. Do not be too confident. Focus till the end.
2. You must learn to control your nerves.
3. Always be objective.
4. Find the simplest way to end the game. Do not complicate.
5. Be patient. Never hurry.
On Endgame
1. Centralize your king in the endgame
2. Put rooks behind passed pawns.
3. Study rook endgames. They are the most common endgames.
4. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color.
5. Bishop of opposite colors have the greatest chances of drawing.
*There are many principles I have not included here.
Nevertheless, a player must remember that PRINCIPLES are only guides. Never limit yourself on these principles. There are times you must break it to win the game! In CHESS and in LIFE!
