Chess doesn’t have any luck involved unlike most board games and it is completely dependent on one’s brain power. Once you know the rules, it’s only about imagination and pattern recognition. There’s a beautiful, infinite world inside those 64 squares.
I have played a lot of sports till early 20s, including at competitive levels, and I found the the intensity hiding behind Chess to be like no other. Anyway, I just wanted to document some of my more precious Chess learnings:
- Play for the positional advantage and not material gain.
- Prioritise development in the opening. No Fried Liver or Scholar’s Mate attacks.
- Most of the times attack is the best form of defense.
- Bishop > Knight. Bishop Pair > one Bishop. Connected Rooks > unconnected.
- Try to open files especially on the King side.
- Don’t get the Queen out early: it has to be timed well. Punish early Queen attacks.
- Passed Pawns are dangerous in the Endgame.
- Castling timing is crucial. Plan an attack on the King Side right after the opponent castles.
- Beware of forks from the Knights. Two Knights in pair are confusing. If possible, exchange.
- If you know that you are up positionally or materialy, exchange to simplify position.
These are simple rules: everyone talks about them, but it’s important to really realise the why behind them. But, the most important rule, and I say this out loud in my head at the start of every single game a I play is: “Play Chess”.
And believe me, that’s one rule I see most players violate all the time.
Yes, “Play Chess”. It means: follow the principles and the patterns that have been discovered by humankind over hundreds of years. Just like we don’t play random notes, but known scales on a music instrument, likewise, Chess principles should be followed instead of random sequence of moves. Once that’s done, it becomes a dance, a symphony.
So, don’t attack randomly just to win, don’t play material grabbing, just don’t do random things on the board. It’s a beautiful world of 64 squares. If you “play Chess”, you’ll be amazed at it’s beauty. And of course, you will win more 😉
