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Chess is a game of tactics and strategies. Both the players get an army of 16 each, including pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, the queen and the king.
As there are many different tactical patterns and chess strategies, a chess game is divided into three stages. The first is the opening when the players spread their forces for combat. Next, is the middle game in which players move their army to attack and counterattack. Last, is the end game in which the game comes to an end, and there are only a few pieces and pawns left on the board, and the kings are safe to be a part of the final countdown.
Let us have a look at some of the most useful strategies for each of these three stages.
Opening
While there are many ways to open a game, the fundamentals of all the opening strategies are almost similar. Some of the things that you should keep in mind in the beginning are-
- Take the pieces, especially the knights and bishops to places from where they can make some impact at later stage of the game
- Try to get control of the central squares as these are strategic places from where the pieces can be easily moved to any part of the board
- Avoid weak pawn structures, like backward pawns, isolated pawns and doubled pawns
- Time the casting correctly to improve the safety of your King
Middle Game
When you are at the middle stage of the game, some great strategies can give you the upper hand. Some of them are-
- At this stage, it is not just important to think about attack but defense as well. Try to understand what your opponent is thinking to create defense strategies that are better than his/her attack strategies
- Force your opponent to make a move that comes with a long-term positional disadvantage, like extreme passivity, isolated pawn, etc.
- When you already have a space advantage, do not attack in a hurry. Try to gain other benefits and only attack when it is required.
End Game
The end game stage is the most complex for most of us, especially as a beginner. You can use the below-mentioned strategies to avoid making mistakes in the endgame.
- While it is usually believed that you only need to calculate and use tactics and strategies, it is also critical to use them during the end game, especially with minor pieces
- Using your king to defend and attack is a great move to steer away from complex situations. However, if there are a lot of pieces on the board, be very careful about activating your king
- When there is an open position, the bishop is usually considered as the stronger piece as they can be easily moved on open diagonals. But if you have a closed position, Knights will be better as they can easily jump over locked pawns and cluttered landscape
Use these tips next time you play a game of chess to increase the chances of winning. While they cannot be excelled at once, practice them on a regular basis to get used to them and become a better player.
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