Ok. I'm not that good at chess, right. I try, and i suppose thats what counts, but i want to get better so i'm looking for some help.
I want all the basic tips for chess compiled on one thread - this one- so that when the next new guy comes looking for pearls of wisdom, we can direct him here.
rules like, granted these might be consider Occasional rules.. I am after absolute rules.. Not concerning board set up or piece movement
Knights before bishops.
try to castle in the first 8 moves.
the end game starts when the King puts on his running shoes.
these are a few of the pearls of wisdom i've been given so far, but there must be more.
Well, as some of the chess players on this site know that i am not very good at chess i can put some words in.
Other:
When castling the protective wall of pawns should not be moved (only when you have to.
Good Bishop and Bad, trade your bad B for his good B; a good B is a B that is the opposte color to the pawns.
Centralise the King at the end game
Try and get your rooks on the open, half open and central file.
When moving the rook, move the kingside rook (at times).
Trade down in the end game to simplify the mating solution.
Control the Center.
In development, always move you pieces once, and pawn moves don't develop the postion.
I hope these points help. I need to think of more...
Most of the points are not always correct. The rules may change. These are all informal controls which can chage and rules like these can be bent, really. Thank You
I was playing in a congress in Blackpool (England) and the guy next to me picked up his queen to squash a bug crawling about the board.
His opponent made him move the queen to the only legal square on the board. Unfortunatly, the only legal square on the board was right into the open arms of a queen hungry rook!!
My words of wizdom to you.
Don't squash bugs with pieces you don't want to move!!
actually these rules arent absolute either, none of the rules of thumb are, but some i always liked to use a while back when i wasnt sure what to do is: if you have 1 bishop, get the pawns off its color. or if you have a knight and no bishop, get the pawns off the color of your opponents bishop. if you have a bad bishop, trade it off. play on the side of the board that your pawn chain points to, as it usually indicates the side you have more space on. try not to move the pawns in front of your castled king. dont go pawnsnatching when behind in development at the cost of more development. start the game by advancing one of the center pawns 2 squares forward. controll the center in the opening!(most usefull opening advice, caused my rating to quickly jump around 400 points on icc over a short period of time.) dont develop the queen to early(at least not to far, as it can be attacked causing you to lose moves moving it around.) thats all i can think of right now. edit, removed the rook thing already mentioned by someone else.
oh, remembered a couple, knights like closed positions and theyre value increases in those, and bishops value decreases, in open positions the reverse is true. the goal of most any rook on an open of half open file is penetration onto the 7th(creats havock and can often gobble pawns) or 8th(usually for checkmate or the pinning of minor pieces to the rook.) ranks. develop with a threat when possible, as it limits your opponents replys. when a rook is trying to help a pawn promote or stop one from doing so, the best place for the rook is behind the pawn. knights get more valuable the further they are in enemy territory and need operation bases(outposts.) to be usefull(like a pawn controlled hole, a square unasailble by pawns). knights(or bishops if knights are unavilable) make excelent blockaders(where they sit in front of the pawn, preventing forward movement) for passed pawns.
tactics usually favor the more developed player. the best defence against play on one of the flanks is a strike at the center.( a recent piece of advice ive read, seems powerfull. consequently, dont start play on a flank until the situation in the center is resolved is another piece of advice ive heard.) when ahead in development, open up the game.
Originally posted by TheDarkKnightThis is true to a certain point... but Knights actually reach the peak of their power when they are posted on the sixth rank, preferably near the center, as this is where they contol the greatest number of squares in enemy territory..
...knights get more valuable the further they are in enemy territory...
Once a Knight is posted on the seventh (or eighth) rank, their power actually diminishes somewhat, because they are then closer to the edge of the board (Knights on the rim are dim...or grim...or whatever other bad words there are that rhyme with rim).
Just wanted to clarify the Knight's 'rules' there...your post does a good job of outlining some general principles.
Originally posted by TheDarkKnightYou're welcome! In fact, from Jeremy Silman's "The Amateur's Mind", here are some guidlines for Knights:
thx:-). never really thought of it stopping after the 6th rank, but makes sence.
First Rank - Knights are not effective. Here they act in a purely defensive role
Second Rank - also defensive, and considered inferior to a Bishop
Third Rank - serves many defensive functions and is ready to jump further up the board at a moment's notice.
Fourth Rank - if securely placed on the 4th rank, the Knight is considered fully equal to a Bishop
Fifth Rank - a powerful attacking unit, usually stronger than a Bishop from here
Sixth Rank - Knights reach the zenith of its potential. Here it eats other pieces alive and the defender is often happy to sacrifice a Rook for the offending Hourse and the pawn that protected it.
7th and 8th Ranks - Knight offers diminshing returns since it does not control as many squares as it does on the sixth.
And, of course, these are pretty good guidelines, but they may have exceptions now and then.