Chess Basics

  1. Control the Center (E4, E5, D4, D5)
  2. Develop your pieces towards the center
  3. Develop knights before bishops before they are slow.
  4. No unnecessary pawn moves. They are a loss of time and will help the opponent develop faster.
  5. Bishops on longest possible diagonal.
  6. Queen should not be developed too early. Try to develop with minor pieces first.
  7. Always Castle to make your king safe. And it also helps to develop rook to the center.
  8. Rooks are good on open files. Try to get rooks on the 7th and 8th rank so they can capture the pawns.
  9. Checks, captures, and threats. Especially when the king is exposed do not miss considering a check.
  10. Place your pieces on effective squares.
  11. How to deal with bad bishops - Exchange it, change the color of your pawns, bring him outside the pawn chain.
  12. Knight is the best blockade of passed pawns as it is active.
  13. Central pawn structure is the first step in the formation of the game plan.
  14. Closed Center. Knights are good in closed positions.
  15. Open Center leads to more attacking and interesting positions. Bishops just dominate the knight in open positions. Try to obtain a pawn chain that favors your bishops. If you have a light square bishop try to obtain a dark square pawn chain.

  16. The semi-open centers have the properties of both open centers and closed centers.
  17. Develop your queen carefully. Ensure queen isn't attacked and it is as active as possible.
  18. Development is complete when rooks are connected.
  19. Try to exchange one rook when both have two.
  20. Always use king as a piece and bring it out in the endgame.
  21. Try to exchange the pieces especially queen when under a huge attack and do not exchange when attacking.
  22. Weakness is any square that cannot be defended by any pawn.
  23. A weakness in enemy territory controlled by your own pawn is called an outpost.
  24. Occupy weaknesses and outposts with minors pieces especially knights and avoid placing pawns on them.
  25. Challenge the weaknesses. You can do that by pieces or a pawn break,
  26. Every pawn move creates weakness and they are committal moves. Choose wisely which two squares to control and which ones to let go. They cannot go back.
  27. Focus on relevant weaknesses. They are - 
    • Weak squares around your opponent's king.
    • The Square should be reachable within the time limit.
    • It should be important.
    • Easily reachable in opponent's territory.
  • Castling can not be played when:
    • The king is in Check
    • With the king or rook involved has previously moved
    • Pieces are between the king and the rook
    • squares passed over or landed on by the king are under enemy attack.

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