Chess has been around for many many years. It is a game that has been in families for decades, played in the parks of the world, and even challenges the minds of inmates in prisons. After a long game and your brain is tired, many people are left pondering "How can I play chess better?"
The sequences that good players use to win games may seem impossibly complicated. But most of them actually are based on just a few general concepts combined ingeniously and persistently
Here are 3 tips that you can add to your chess arsenal to help you understand the art of winning in chess.
1. Double Threat
One of the most important ideas in chess is the double threat. Generally speaking a double threat is any move you make that presents your opponent with two problems at the same time. Since each player can make just one move per turn, your opponent only has time to address one of the threats you have made.
On your next turn you execute the other one. Maybe your first move checks his king and attacks another of his pieces at the same time; or maybe you threaten one of his pieces and are building a threat of checkmate elsewhere. The result is the same: your opponent has to spend his next move dealing with your threat against his king, and then you get to take the other piece you were threatening.
2. Loose Piece
Another key idea in chess is the loose piece. A loose piece is simply a piece that has no protection. It is common for players to leave pieces unprotected here and there; as long as they aren't being attacked, they look safe enough. But loose pieces make perfect targets for the double threats described a moment ago.
Suppose your queen performs a fork, attacking your opponent's king and one of his rooks at the same time. He moves his king. Now you can use your queen to take his rook-if it is unprotected. But if the rook is guarded you won't be able to take it because the cost will be too high: your queen will be captured afterwards.
We can turn this point into advice for practical play. You want to be aware of loose pieces on the board at all times. Any piece your opponent has left unguarded is a possible target for a tactical strike; any piece of yours that is left unguarded is a vulnerability. Indeed, you want to not only notice loose enemy pieces but also look for ways to create them.
3. Forcing Moves
Checks, captures, and mate threats therefore are known as forcing moves. In other words, they are moves that force your opponent to pick from a small set of possible replies. They are the essence of tactical chess; they allow you to dictate your opponent's moves and thus control how the board will look two or three or more moves from now.
Sometimes in chess you do whatever you want to do and then your opponent does whatever he wants to do. Other times it's different: if you capture his knight with your bishop, for example, he pretty much has to recapture your bishop; otherwise he simply is short a piece and probably will lose. (The other pieces belonging to both sides gradually will be exchanged away, and you will end up with the only attacking piece left on the board.)
Another example: If you check your opponent's king, he can't do whatever he wants in reply; he has to either move the king, block the check, or capture the piece you have used to make the threat. And if you make a move that will enable you to deliver checkmate on your next turn-a "mating threat"-your opponent likewise will have to address it immediately.
These are just a small few tips and tactics to help you play better chess. So next time you get into a game with your buddy, try to employ these and you might find yourself with a win under your belt.
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