ChessTipsOnline.com

There is no doubt that chess is a game of strategy. People spend entire lifetimes learning about chess and developing their game.

Your personal style of playing chess may differ greatly from a given opponent, and is based on many factors, including the style/s of any mentors you may have had, your learning style, and most importantly the way your brain works. Different people ‘see’ the chess board in their minds in different ways.

Reading your opponent’s style is an important part of chess strategy. Some people play with an aggressive strategy, while others can be said to be defensive. Both styles win chess games, of course – otherwise, only one style would have evolved.

An open strategy, for instance, simply means beginning the game with the inner few pawns, and is a fairly offensive, or aggressive, strategy. The game will progress quickly as the board is opened up and you are both forced to think quickly.

On the other hand, opening moves in a closed strategy are considered defensive, and your game will progress more slowly as your movements are limited. While you will have less, initially, of your more important pieces, this is a good way to learn chess in that it provides for a slower game, allowing you time to think through your moves.

Then again, an open strategy allows you to learn to think ‘on your feet’ quickly, and a closed strategy can be very cleverly used by chess masters.

You will learn to tell from the opening moves of your opponent what his or her style is, and by learning many different strategies yourself, you can be better prepared to deal with the varying thought processes of your oppoents – thus getting the winning edge!

The game of chess is is a strategic game, drawing upon and hopefully improving your abilities to think ahead, to patiently wait while another person does the same, and to react intelligently to change. Improving your chess strategy is an intelligent pursuit, and will help you think better in all areas of your life.

Chess strategy and tactics are popular subjects among enthusiasts, and players use chess to help hone their cognitive skills as well as to compete and test their abilities against other, like-minded individuals. To play better chess, you need to practise, ideally against a variety of opponents.

While each player moves their 16 pieces around the board, they are simulating strategic battle moves such as attack, defense, and counterattack. In order to win the game, one must keep their wits and apply intelligent, strategic thinking.

Following are some tips for helping with your chess strategy:

• Plan your approach. Have a basic strategy in mind before you begin, and move your players aggressively into place as soon as possible.
• Be alert to changes in your opponent’s expression or demeanor, to help you learn when they are nervous or even confident. Like playing poker, you can learn much from your opponent by watching them as well as the chess board.
• When called upon to make a decision to sacrifice a piece, get rid of your lesser pieces first and save those with more value.
• Think of your pieces like a team or army, and you as their coach or strategic leader. You can look and see the entire board and play out various possibilities in your head before physically moving.
• Play chess often, and with different people. You will find that frequent chess playing improves your skill markedly, and by involving different opponents you will learn new and varying strategies and tactics.
• Practice guessing what your opposing player will do next, and as you get better at this you will be more easily able to think ahead and make strategic plays.
• Always protect your king. Lose your king, lose the game.
• Some experts claim that an important strategic tactic is to control the center of the board.
• Stay alert and attentive. Such things as drugs, alcohol and a lazy manner will hinder your ability to win in chess.
• Keep your eye on the prize. Always look from the ‘big picture’ perspective to ensure you can take advantage of opportunities to win.