5 Basic Openings Principles of Chess – Do

Not Violate These!

Do not violate the Opening Principles of Chess
Susan Polgar
Avalanche Journal

Here are my power principles of chess, something which all beginners and novice players
should follow:

1. Control the Center!

The center of the board includes the squares e4, d4, e5, and d5. When you start a game,
place your pawns in the center to occupy and control as many of these squares as you can.
Location, location, location!

2. Develop Your Pieces as Soon as Possible!

Get your Knights and Bishops out right away. This should be done before you try to
checkmate your opponent, some time in the first 6 or 7 moves if possible.

3. Castle as Soon as Possible!

Castle at the very first chance you have in order to keep your king safe. Remember, you
can’t win if your king isn’t safe and you get checkmated first. So don’t forget to castle! Then
after you castle, connect your rooks by developing your queen.

4. Keep Your Pieces Protected!

Don’t leave your pieces hanging without protection. Each and every piece you have is very
valuable, so don’t forget to protect them. Protecting means if your opponent can take your
piece, then you can take your opponent’s piece.

5. Have Fun and Win with Grace, Lose with Dignity!

This is my motto in chess. First and foremost, chess should be fun. Sometimes you win and
sometimes you lose, it’s all part of the game. When you win, be a good sport and don’t trash
talk or make fun of your opponent. When you lose, be an even better sport and not a sore
loser. Shake hands and congratulate your opponent. This will go a long way toward making
good friends.
Below is an example to demonstrate what can happen when one does not follow the above
principles:

Tarrasch, Siegbert – Mieses, Jacques [C10]

Match Game 3, Berlin 1916

1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 This is the French Defense.

3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0–0 Nxe4 8.Bxe4 Nf6 9.Bd3 So far,
everything seems normal. In this position, Black should castle.

9…b6? This is a critical mistake by Black. One of the key opening rules of thumb is to
castle as soon as possible (General Principle #5: Castle Early). Black will pay for this
mistake. We shall see how White will take advantage of this.

10.Ne5! Black is facing serious problems. If Black develops the Bishop to b7, White will play
Bb5+ and Black will lose the right to castle. Now, Black realizes his mistake and castles
immediately. Unfortunately, it is a little too late. Let’s see how White takes advantage of this.

10…0–0 if 10…Bb7 11.Bb5+

11.Nc6 An excellent move! We shall see the purpose of this move shortly.

11…Qd6 if 11…Qd7 12.Qf3 Bb7 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Qxb7+-; 11…Qe8 This unusual move
is probably the best response for Black. 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Qf3 Rb8 14.Qg3 White has a
strong positional advantage with the pair of bishops and the queen aiming at Black’s
Kingside.

12.Qf3! Another excellent move! White is threatening a winning discovery (Discovered

Attack) with Nxe7+ (uncovering the attack by the white queen on f3 against the undefended
black rook at a8.)

12…Bd7 The only move. 12…Bb7 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Qxb7 and Black would be behind a
piece.

13.Nxe7+ Why does White exchange a good, active knight for a bad black bishop? This is a
very important question since you would not want to trade a good piece for a bad piece
without a good reason. In this case, White sees a deadly pin potential in the next move.
That is why he is willing to trade.
13…Qxe7 14.Bg5! Threatening 15.Qe4! Nxe4 16.Bxe7. Black has no way of getting out of
this pin.

14…Rac8 15.Rfe1 Bringing another important piece into action! Remember, you would
need to utilize all your pieces to achieve a winning attack. 15.Qe4 would be less accurate
for White. 15…Nxe4 16.Bxe7 Rfe8 17.Bxe4 Rxe7 +=

15…Rfe8 if 15…c5 16.Qh3 h6 17.Bxh6 gxh6 (17…c4 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Qg3+ Kh8 20.Qh4+
Kg7 21.Qg5+ Kh8 22.Qh6+ Kg8 23.Re5) 18.Qxh6 cxd4 19.Qg5+ (19.Re5? Rc5) 19…Kh8
20.Re4 and Black must give up his queen to avoid the mate.

16.Qh3! This move creates another threat. Because of the pin of the knight, the h7-pawn is
now vulnerable. White combines pressure against the h7-pawn from the queen at h3 and
the bishop at d3; meanwhile the white bishop at g5 threatens to trade off the only black
piece protecting h7, the f6-knight.

16…Qd6? Black’s position is very bad. This move just makes it even worse. 16…h6
17.Bxh6 gxh6 18.Qxh6 Qf8 19.Qxf6; 16…g6 17.Qh4 Kg7 18.Re4!; 16…e5 17.Bxf6 Bxh3
(17…Qxf6 18.Qxd7; 17…gxf6 18.Qxh7+ Kf8 19.Qh8#) 18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.gxh3; 16…c5
17.Bxh7+ Kf8 18.Be4 Kg8

17.Bxf6 Eliminating the piece that protects the h7-pawn.

17…gxf6 18.Qh6! Black is hoping to create an escape for the king to f8 then e7. White
wisely cuts the king off. This is another important move to learn. When you are on the
offensive, do not let your opponent off the hook.

18…f5 if 18…Qxd4 19.Bxh7+ Kh8 20.Bg6+ Kg8 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Qxf7#

19.Re3 Bringing the rook into action and sacrificing the d4-pawn. In the meantime, Black’s
pieces are not coordinated to defend the king.

19…Qxd4 if 19…f6 20.Rg3+ Kf7 21.Qg7#; 19…Kh8 20.Rh3 Kg8 21.Rg3+

20.c3 Attacking the queen. The black queen will soon run out of squares to stay on from
which it can continue to defend the g7 square. I prefer 20.Rg3+ a little more since it attacks
the king immediately. 20…Kh8 Now I would play 21.c3 transposing to what would have
happened in the game. 21…Qe5 22.f4 The queen now has no squares to move onto to
continue defending g7.
Black resigns since the position is completely hopeless.
1-0

SUMMARY:

So what have we learned in this game?

1. Do not violate the Opening Principles of Chess. Make sure to castle as soon as possible;
Black did not do so on move nine – and paid the price later on.

2. When you are attacking, make sure to utilize your pieces. By bringing the rook into the
action, White created a winning attack.
The Principles of the Opening -- for
Beginners!

Top Ten Rules to the Opening!

There are many rules and principles for the three different stages of a chess game, but the
focus of this article is how to "get out of the gates" in a hurry!

Rule #1 - Develop Your Pieces!

Development means "to build and create". Development, loosely translated to "chess
terms", means that in the beginning of the game you need to develop your position by
getting all of your pieces out as fast as possible. Using your entire army is an absolute must
when playing chess at a high level.

Rule #2 - Develop Your Pieces!

Wait a second, isn't that the same rule... Hhhhmmm, that's weird. Anyway, what I'd like to
point out with rule #2 is which pieces you should be developing first: In general,
your"minor" pieces should come out first. The minor pieces are your Knights and Bishops.
They're the easiest to develop, and because your Rooks and Queen can't really get into the
game until later (see rules 5 and 8) you shouldn't be thinking about moving "the big guys"
until the "little guys" are in the game.

Rule #3 - To Develop Your Pieces, or Not to Develop Your Pieces? DEVELOP!

Yes, development really is that important! Develop, develop, develop your pieces... Without
the help of all your dudes, how can you expect to win? With rule #3 I'd like to talk
about where you should be developing the pieces: Though rule #7 will reiterate this idea,
establish in your thinking now that the best place to develop your pieces is toward the
center. Below you will see a fun example of what, in a perfect world, might be the "best" way
to develop your pieces:
Danny's Top Ten vs. The Opening - Development
ChessKid.com Articles | 24 Mar 2010 | ECO: B00

The true purpose of this example game is not to show the best moves for both sides, but to give an
example where you might develop your pieces if your opponent did nothing at all.1. e4 Nc6(1... e5A
much more equal try in the center, and the most common reply to 1.e4.)2. d4 Nb8?!Not so good, but
please just observe the way white develops his pieces. Again, the idea is to know how you might develop
if your opponent was "silly".3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Ng8?!5. Bc4 Nc6 6. Bf4 Nb8?! 7. O-O(7. Qe2 Nc6 8. O-
O-O Nb89. Rhe1Would have been another way to develop strongly in the
center.)7... Nf6 8. Qe2 Ng8?! 9. Rad1Nf6 10. Rfe1 Ng8Please observe the "dream position". This
position is important to know not because you are likely to achieve it, but so that you understand what
'perfect development and center control" looks like! We should always complete our development
BEFORE we go off and chase our opponent's king or pieces. Get all your dudes out!

Rule #4 - Don't Move a Piece Twice Before Move 10!

After reviewing the first three rules and seeing an example of how one might want to
complete their development in a perfect world, this next step should be easy to understand.
Just look at the last example and imagine how crazy someone would need to be to move
their Knights back and forth while their opponent developed. Well, trying to battle the
enemy army by only using one piece at a time would be just as nuts. For example:

Danny's Top Ten vs. Rules to Opening 1

Bad Knight! | 3 Apr 2010 | ECO: B02

Let's look at what happens if a player uses only one piece and focuses solely on "one-move threats",
instead of using ALL of his or her pieces...1. e4White plays a good move by placing his pawn in the
center.1... Nf6which isn't necessarily a bad move, but definitely a risky one. This opening is called the
"Alekhine's Defense" and is playable at the Master level, but letting the Knight come "under fire" this early
in the game is not recommended for beginning players. Here is why:2. e5First, white kicks the knight
once 2... Ne4(2... Nd5Is the main line "Alekhine's" way to play. Still risky for the knight
after: 3. c4Nb6 4. d4where the position is playable, but not recommended to give your opponent that
much control over the center this early in the game.)3. d3Then he kicks him twice... 3... Nc5 4. d4Three
times... 4... Ne6 5. d5Four and counting... 5... Nc56. Be3Five times, and now white is developing his
pieces6... Ne4 7. Bd3Six!!! 7... f58. f3And finally, seven times. Black's knight has finally run out of
squares...

Rule #5 - Don't Bring Your Queen Out Early!

If either player is truly following our first four rules, and has therefore developed all of the
minor pieces, the last thing you would want to do would be bring your Queen out too early.
Think about it: The Queen is worth more than any piece besides the King.Some would say
that the Queen is more important than your mother (just joking, for any kids reading this

). If the Queen starts mixing it up with the little guys, her chances of getting lost along
the way are pretty good. Here is an extreme example:

Bad Idea for Queen vs. Lessons of Development

Danny's Top Ten | 28 Jun 2011 | ECO: C20

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 g6 4. Qf3 Nf6 5. g4? Nd4 6. Qd1 d5 7. exd5 Bxg4 8. f3

(8. Be2 Bxe2 (8... Qxd5 9. f3 O-O-Ois also winning for black...) 9. Nxe2 Nf3+ 10. Kf1 Qxd5)

(8. Ne2 Nf3+ 9. Kf1 Bh3#)

8... Ne4and black wins in view of the coming check on h4.

Rule #6 - Get Castled (Before Move 10)!

Generally, it should even be possible to castle before move 7, but I'm a nice guy and will
give you some leeway. Getting Castled is one of the smartest things anyone ever did! Really,
it is... Probably the best invention since sliced bread, or even the "Walk-In" Closet

Anyway, castling is the most efficient way to safe-guard your King, get your rook(s) into the
game, and coordinate your army all in one move. I am not sure we really need a diagram
here to teach us the importance of this move. Assuming you know the rules to castling (1--
You can't castle if you have moved either the King or the Rook(s); 2-- Can't castle out of
check; 3-- Can't castle into or through check). Okay, you are ready to castle, so "just do it"!

Rule #7 - Attack (Develop) Towards the Center!

Imagine a basketball game where your team never went to the rim or never crossed the
three point line. Now imagine a soccer game where the players on your team straddled the
edge of the field, but never ran down the middle of the field towards the goal. The likely
result of such a terrible team strategy would be a crushing defeat, and the punishment for
passive "non-centralized" development in chess can be just as devastating. You need to
develop your pieces to their most active squares possible! Below is one of my favorite
examples of what could (exaggerated of course, but still instructive) possibly happen to
someone after only one passive developing move.

Danny's Top Ten vs. Rules to Opening 2

Passive Development | 3 Apr 2010 | ECO: A45

1. d4Is perhaps not as common as 1.e4 at the beginning levels of chess, but 1.d4 is a perfectly
acceptable way to attack the center and prepare the development of your pieces. 1... Nf6Also a
very common response. Unlike the position after 1.e4, black's knight on f6 is perfectly safe and
effectively putting pressure on e4. 1...d5 is also playable for black of
course. 2. Nd2?UUUGGGLLLYYY!!!! Why would white ever want to develop his knight to a square
that blocks the bishop, blocks the queen, blocks the king, and weakens his defense of the d-
pawn? Was this a losing move for white? No it wasn't a losing move; however, the trick that black
now executes was only even possible after this awkward development of the knight. And black's
idea is a good example of why we shouldn't even think about developing our pieces
passively...(2. c4Followed by Nc3 is the more standard way for white to gain space for his pieces
and attack the center.)2... e5!?This move was not the only way to attack the center or to try and
expose white's last knight move, but it is probably the most fun!(Also possible
was2... d5)3. dxe5Why not? 3... Ng44. h3??Not forced for white of course, but it is easy for white
to make this mistake, because pushing a pawn doesn't usually lose on the spot!! The problem is
that this move allows black a killer blow, which fully exposes the issues with white's development,
caused by the second move... Can you see black's move here??? Think about it!(White's best way
to defend the pawn, and only chance to redeem himself with an active developing move
was4. Ngf3but black is doing just fine after 4... Bc55. e3 Nc6where black will regain his pawn on
e5 without too much trouble. The game would have been roughly equal.)4... Ne3!!Amazing!
Black is trapping white's queen! The only way not to lose the queen on d1 is to capture the knight
on e3, but that allows5. fxe3 Qh4+ 6. g3Qxg3#Pretty Cool trick right? So don't ever develop
your knight to a passive square without a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good reason... Or maybe a
letter of permission from the president...
Rule #8 - Connect the Rooks!

This rule is in place as a kind of reminder or "insurance plan". What I mean by this is that if
you simply start following the rules of development, but somehow decide to get lazy along
the way, this rule will remind you that your "plan of development" isn't complete until
your Rooks are connected. If you read between the lines, what does it mean if your Rooks
are connected? It means you have (1) developed your minor pieces,(2) gotten castled,
and (3) finally brought your Queen out to a more active (but hopefully safe) square. If you
have indeed connected your Rooks, than you have likely completed the first stage of the
game...

Rule #9 - Develop Plans, Not Just Pieces!

Let's assume, for the sake of learning this rule, that you have grasped all the "basic"
concepts of the Opening: You plan to develop your pieces; you plan to attack toward the
center and you plan to do all this while keeping watch over your opponent's threats...
So if we know now that you are going to develop and get castled as soon as you can, and
that you no longer need to be reminded of those important steps, then here is what I would
like you to think about: When you develop your pieces, try and develop them
with "purpose".

What that means is simple: Instead of just getting the pieces out, start thinking
aboutwhere and why you are getting them out. Develop your Knights looking to attack
pawns! Develop your Bishops looking to pin Knights!! Develop your Rooks to open files (not
to files that will never become opened)!!! The possibilities are endless!

These are the principles of higher level chess, and the beginning fundamentals of learning
"Opening Theory", which essentially means playing the Opening and developing moves that
are considered "theoretically best" by Grandmasters and World Champions. Here is one
example of a "tournament Opening" with explanations:

Danny's Top Ten vs. Rules to Opening 2

Ruy Lopez - Explained | 3 Apr 2010 | ECO: C88

1. e4Attacking the center1... e5Counterattacking the center 2. Nf3Attacking the e5-

pawn. 2... Nc6Defending the e5-pawn. 3. Bb5Attacking the c6-knight, which in turn increases the
 attack on the e5-pawn because the c6-knight is defending it.3... a6Indirectly defending the e5-
pawn because if white plays 4.Bxc6 black will respond 4...dxc6 and after 5.Nxe5 black can play
5...Qd4 applying a double attack to the knight on e5 and the e4-pawn. 4. Ba4White retreats the
bishop to safety.4... Nf6Attacking the e4-pawn. 5. O-OIndirectly defending the e4-pawn because
if black captures with the f6-knight, white will use the open e-file against black's king with
eventual moves like Re1. 5... Be7Safeguarding the king on the e-file so that black can now
capture the e4-pawn. 6. Re1Defending the e4-pawn. 6... b5Stopping white from capturing on c6
and then e5, as white has just defended his own e4-pawn.7. Bb3Moving the bishop to
safety. 7... O-OFinally, safeguarding the king. CONGRATULATIONS! You just learned the first 7
moves of Grand Master Theory in the "Ruy Lopez or Spanish Game". Every developing move was
played to attack a piece and/or with some kind of clear purpose!!!

Rule #10 - Attack "In the Direction" of Your Pawn(s) Structure!

What if I told you that one of the secrets to planning at a master level in chess was the
pawns? Here is the deal: Your pawns are the only pieces that can't go back. Which means
that every time they move forward, they are deciding something permanent about the
game you are playing. Weaknesses in the pawn structure or formation are positional
weaknesses, which means they're permanent in the position. Learning to recognize and then
attack pawn weakesses and the weak squares created by pawn moves, is the key to
understanding positional chess.

So what does that quick introduction to positional chess have to do with the Opening stage
of the game? The idea is that if a player looks for the open files and diagonals (or
sometimes lack thereof) created by the pawns in the beginning of the game -- he/she will
know where to develop the pieces. Pawns are telling your pieces exactly where to develop
with every move and trade, so take the time to think about your pawns before developing
your piece(s) to any random square.
64 Chess Principles

01. Develop your chess pieces quickly. Develop your knights and bishops, and
castle early to develop a rook.
02. Control the center as fast as you can with pawns and minor pieces.
03. Try to put your pieces on squares that give them maximum space and less
vulnerable to attack.
04. Try to develop your knights towards the center.
05. A knight on the rim is dim. But there are exceptions.
06. Don’t take unnecessary chances. Play solid chess.
07. Play aggressive, not passive.
08. Calculate forced moves first.
09. Always ask yourself, “Can he put me in check or win a piece or pawn?”
10. Have a plan. Every move should have a purpose.
11. Assume your opponent’s move is his best move.
12. Ask yourself, “Why did he move there?” after each opponent move.
13. Play for the initiative and try to control the board.
14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can.
15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces.
16. If you are losing, don’t give up fighting. Look for counter play.
17. Don’t play unsound moves unless you are losing badly.
18. Don’t sacrifice a piece without good reason.
19. If you are in doubt of an opponent’s sacrifice, accept it.
20. Attack with more than just one or two pieces if you can.
21. Do not make careless pawn moves. They cannot move back.
22. Do not block in your bishops. Keep them active.
23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing.
24. Try not to move the same piece twice or several times in a row.
25. Exchange pieces if it helps your development.
26. Don’t bring your queen out early and allow it to be attacked.
27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook.
28. Develop rooks to open files.
29. Put rooks behind passed pawns.
30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common and most complicated.
31. Don’t let your king get caught in the center unless it is the endgame.
32. Don’t castle if it brings your king into greater danger from attack.
33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king.
34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color.
35. Trade pawns pieces when ahead in material or when under attack.
36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material.
37. If your opponent is cramped, don’t let him get any freeing exchanges.
38. Study openings you are comfortable with.
39. Play over entire games, not just the opening.
40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often.
41. Study annotated games and try to guess each move.
42. Stick with just a few openings (2 or 3) with White and Black
43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost.
44. Show your games to higher rated opponents and get feedback from them.
45. Use chess computers, engines and databases to aid your chess studies.
46. Try to eliminate blunders. The champions just blunder less often.
47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations.
48. Try to double rooks or double rook and queen on open files.
49. Always ask yourself, “Does my next move overlook something simple?”
50. Don’t make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent’s
threats.
51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent’s piece.
52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View the whole board.
53. You can no longer write your move down first, then move, so make sure it
is the move you wish to play.
54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines.
55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings.
56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play.
57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble. Be aware of time delay and time
increments in tournament play with digital clocks.
58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in.
59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight.
60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up endgame.
61. Have confidence in your game.
62. Play in as many rated events as you can.
63. Try not to look at your opponent’s rating until after the game.
64. Always play for a win.
The Basics of Chess Principles 101
Basic Chess Principles 101

At present there are now 107 basic Chess Principles. So if you read only 7 principles
every day, you will have read all 107 in only 15 days, and then you will have a
significand advantage over your opponents, because I am sure that they do not know
even a fraction of all of these principles.

1. Rapidly develop ALL of your pieces. The main goal in the opening is to quickly
develop all of your pieces and reach castling as quickly as possible. Time is critical in
the opening for your RAPID development of all of your pieces. Opening is complete
when one or both players have their rooks connected. The player who finishes their
development first and connects their rooks gains the initiative and has a good chance
to win the game

2. Develop Knights before Bishops. While Bishops can control squares from their
original position, if there are no pawns obstructing their way, knights dominate only
their neighbor squares and take longer to reach the opponent's field, because they are
less mobile.

3. Don't move the same piece twice during the opening. Try to place your pieces at the
best possible position at the first move. It is a waste of time to move the same piece
more than once during opening play and it may cost you the initiative in the game. If
you move a piece to a position where it can easily be attacked and be forced back you
have lost the initiative.

4. Don't make unnecessary pawn moves during the opening. Pawn moves should be
restricted during the opening, because the time involved in these moves could be
applied to develop another piece and help your rapid development advancement.
Generally, moving pawns is suitable when the player aims to open diagonals for the
Queen or Bishops or occupy the center. You should know that it's pawn moves that
are mostly responsible for creating a imbalance in your position that your opponent
can take advantage of.

5. Don't check if not necessary. A check that can easily be defended by the opponent
is unnecessary and loses time and the initiative. Most of the checks during the opening
can be easily be defended by moves that favor development.
6. Don't open a position if you are late in development. An open position favors the
color with more pieces in the game. Therefore, only the player who has an advantage
in development should produce an open position.

7. Place the Queen behind the line of friendly pawns during the opening. Since the
Queen is a very powerful piece, it is also very vulnerable to your opponent's constant
attacks. Therefore, it's convenient to place it behind a pawn, preferably on the second
rank so that the first one is free for rook development.

8. Avoid trading a developed piece for a not developed one. Generally, it's a bad deal
to trade a well-positioned piece for a bad-positioned one. When you trade one of your
developed pieces for one of your opponent's not developed ones, you waste time. The
same is true if you trade a piece that has moved a lot for one that your opponent
moved only once.

9. Castle as quickly as possible. The king's safety is one of the most important things
to care about during opening play. The king in the center will always be very
vulnerable to an opponent's attacks, especially in open positions. Castling means
placing your king comfortably behind a pawn blockade and allowing development of
one of your rooks.
Then, the rook may rapidly occupy an open or half-open file.

10. Kingside castling is safer than Queenside castling. Kingside castling places the
king away from the center and safer behind a rank of protected pawns; furthermore it's
a quicker move than Queenside castling since only 2 pieces have to be moved.
On the other hand, castling on the opponent's opposite side may be very interesting to
create more attacking opportunities. More advanced players who love to play the
Sicilian defense often love to castle on the Queen side for just such opportunities.

11. Try to prevent your opponent from castling. If your opponent is waiting too long
to castle, try to keep their king even longer in the center. One of the most common
ways to do so is to control one of the squares serving as a passage way for the king.
(Usually f1 or f8, when kingside.
And many times it's even worthwhile to sacrifice a pawn or maybe even risk
sacrificing a valuable piece in order to keep the king in the center, especially if you
have developed an attacking army to follow through. But then be prepared for a
bloody battle to ensure.

12. Dominate as much territory as possible. The player, who has an advantage in
space, enables greater mobility to friendly pieces and can, therefore, transfer pieces
from one side to the other with more flexibility. On the other hand, (No, not that hand,
the other hand) the player in a more restricted position finds it difficult to maneuver
pieces, which might be fatal if they are requested to defend the king.

13. Advance pawns in order to conquer space. Although pawns are the main resource
to restrict the opponent's position, this rule should be considered carefully because the
farer the pawns are from the base position the harder it is to defend them.
Furthermore, each position advanced by a pawn creates weakness at it's adjacent
squares, which may be occupied by enemy pieces.

14. As pawns advance they get more difficult to protect. A weak pawn is one that is
not defended by another pawn, which means, that it must be defended by a valuable
pieces instead, while it is under attack. If you try to defend a pawn with another pawn
you may then create holes and weak squares for your opponent to occupy. If defended
by a piece now those defending pieces are going to lose much of their effectiveness in
the game because they now have to assume a defensive role in protecting a pawn
instead of an attacking role, while enemy pieces now have the opportunity to get an
active role against you.

15. Place your pawn in the center. The center of the chessboard consists of, e4, e5, d4
and d5. The expanded center also includes the squares that form the c3, c6, f3 and f6
rectangle. Pawns are the best units to create a strong center because, differently from
pieces, they are not vulnerable to the attacks of enemy pawns.

16. Keep your pieces as close as possible to the center. In the center, a piece controls
more squares than anywhere else on the board. The knight, for instance, may move to
8 different squares from the center while it has only 2 squares when placed in
corners.
The control of the center is also important because it enables pieces to move rapidly
from one side of the board to the other, and if your pieces move faster than the ones of
your opponent, you have greater chances to create a successful attack.

17. When trading pawns, try to get yours as close as possible to the center. If two
pawns can retake the opponent's piece that previously captured one of your pieces, it
is recommended to capture with the pawn that, will be closest to the center, since
central pawns are more important than lateral ones are.

18. Control the center before attacking. Successful attacks on the wings depend
mostly on center control. Therefore, concern yourself with a strong and stable center
before starting any lateral attack.

19. Pawns are the foundation of strategy. The pawn structure is fundamental to any
position, because it improves or reduces the effectiveness of pieces. In order to
achieve good pawn conformation, all different kinds of weak pawns should be
avoided such as: Isolated, Doubled, Backward and Hanging pawns and pawn islands.

20. Pawn weakness is eternal. While pieces can move to become more active, any
deficiency in pawn structure is a long-term weakness. Therefore, if your opponent has
weak pawns, you don't need to hurry to explore them.

21. Avoid doubled pawns. Doubled pawns are two pawns of the same color lined up
on the same file. (A file is a column of eight squares that can move pawns upwards.
An open file is a file that is not blocked by either side's pawns. A Rank is any
horizontal row.) Doubled pawns have less mobility than normal ones and are more
vulnerable to attacks, especially when isolated. However, they do not always represent
a disadvantage. Dominance of a open or a half-open adjacent file, or even additional
control of the center, may often be sufficient compensation.

22. Avoid isolated pawns. Isolated pawns are those with no friendly pawn on either
adjacent file. Therefore, they cannot be defended by a pawn of the same color, when
they are under attack and have to be protected by a piece.
The main weakness of an isolated pawn is that the square directly in front of it is
debilitated (A hole), because it cannot be controlled by another pawn and is easily
occupied by an enemy piece.
Isolated pawns are even more vulnerable when placed in half-open files, because they
then become easy targets for Rooks (FYI, Pig or Hog, is slang for Rook. Pigs on the
seventh is a common term for Rooks doubled on the seventh rank and are called pigs
because two rooks on the 7th rank can easily gobble up every thing in sight.

23. Avoid backward pawns. A Backward Pawn is a pawn that has pawns of its own
color on adjacent files, only in front of it, so it has no pawn protection of its own. A
backward pawn is closer to its base considering its adjacent comrades and is
prevented from advancing, because the square directly in front of it is under an enemy
pawn's control.
A backward pawn usually impairs communication between defensive pieces and the
weak square (Hole) in front of it may easily be occupied by an enemy piece.

24. Avoid creating holes or (Weak Squares) Every time you advance a pawn, the
square beside the pawn becomes a nice fat hole for your enemy to occupy. So that
now is its main disadvantage in that it is easily occupied by enemy pieces, improving
their effectiveness, because they are not easily chassed away from their positions,
since they are free from opponent pawn attacks.
You should know that it is pawn advances that are the most responsible for creating
imbalances in either your positions or of your opponents. So if you want to create a
advantage for your self then try to entice your opponent to make some unnecessary
pawn moves to create a hole and a weak square for you to take advantage of by
ideally placing a knight in that hole or even a Bishop works too. Remember a weak
square is one that if you were to place a knight in it there are no adjacent pawns to
attack it and force it out.
A hole that is easily occupied by enemy pieces becomes a liability because it creates a
imbalance in the position for whoever has one. And a wonderful opportunity for you
if your opponent creates one. That hole with a knight on your enemies 7th rank for
example becomes very valuable, so valuable in fact that now that knight may even
become more valuable than a rook.
This is the basis of compensation in that a strong player may be able to take a rook
with a knight in a hole on the 7th rank but knows that the knight now may be worth
far more than the rook because of it's valued position.
Especially if it can reach out into 8 squares with its tentacles. And It may be such a
terrible thorn in the side of your opponent he may consider sacrificing two pieces or a
rook to get rid of it if he is even able to do that. So its a good idea to further protect it
with prophylactic measures with a pawn or another piece as soon as you can.

25. Avoid pawn islands. A pawn group separated from others by one or more files is
called an island. Each island contains a basic position that has to be protected by other
pieces. Therefore, the more islands a player has the harder it gets to defend them.. It is
useful to consider influences on the pawn structure every time you trade pieces.
At the endgame for example, if you have a smaller number of islands than your
opponent has, that may be considered a real significant advantage for you.

26. Think carefully before advancing hanging pawns. Hanging pawns are two friendly
pawns that have no comrades on adjacent squares. If they are placed in the same rank,
they can control many squares in front of them, which is an advantage. But, on the
other hand, they cannot be defended by other pawns.
Advancing one of them results in creating a backward pawn and a hole, both to be
explored by your opponent.

27. Put pressure on your opponent's backward pawn. Usually, the best way to explore
a backward pawn is to put pressure on it, so that the enemy uses resources in its
defenses, and afterwards, attack at another point of the board,

28. Force your opponent to advance hanging pawns. In order to fight pawns, you have
to put them under pressure until a pawn advances, which results in a hole that then
you can occupy to your advantage.

29. Whenever possible, create a passed pawn. a passed pawn is the one that doesn't
have enemy pawns in its way in its file or in adjacent files. A passed pawn is
considered a very dangerous weapon, because it may reach the final rank and be
promoted usually to a valued Queen. SaintEmilion was once famous for saying many
times that a passed pawn is worth more than all of the Knights in Columbus and all of
Gay Bishops in Rome. And GBate muzzled him for it too :)

30. Always blockade your opponent's passed pawns. A passed pawn can easily
become a very powerful weapon, especially when it is well protected from enemy
pieces; therefore it has to be immobilized as fast as is possible and maybe even faster
than that if it is approaching to Queen. br> To block a passed pawn is to prevent it
from advancing by placing a piece directly in its way. Bishops and especially Knights
are considered the best pieces to use for a blockade.

31. The Knight is the best piece to block a passed pawn. Thanks to its ability to jump
over all units, the knight is considered the best piece to block a passed pawn, because
it's range isn't impaired by the pawn itself. The Bishop is the second best piece
blockader, especially if the pawn's adjacent diagonals are open.

32. A pawn majority distant from the enemy king is an advantage. A pawn majority is
when a player possesses more pawns on one side than his opponent has. For example,
2 against 1, or 3 against 2, etc. In many cases, a majority results in a spatial advantage,
but most important is that this majority always produces a passed pawn, when pawns
are correctly advanced.

33. The Minority Attack. Whenever a color has a majority of pawns on one side, the
other color may perform a minority attack. This attack consists of advancing pawns in
order to force trades, leaving your opponent with only one isolated pawn or a
backward one.

34. Avoid unnecessary trades. As a general rule, you should only trade pieces: 1.
When your opponent has the initiative. 2. When you are in a restricted position. 3. In
order to weaken your opponent's pawn structure. 6. When you are ahead in a material
advantage. 5. In order to trade off a passive piece for a active one of your opponent. 7.
In order to simplify your position and reach a more favorable endgame. 8. In order to
eliminate an important enemy defense. 9. Never, ever trade pieces when behind in
material.

35. The value of a piece varies according to its position. The value of a piece is,
generally, consistent with the number of squares it dominates, because the more
squares it controls, the more it threatens your opponent.
A well positioned piece is of much higher value than the equivalent enemy piece that
occupies a bad position. in general, a well positioned piece has the following qualities;
it is protected, has great mobility, isn't easily attacked, cooperates with the other
pieces and attacks enemy pieces or pawns.
36. Whenever possible place your Rooks on the 7th or 8th rank. A rook on the 7th
rank is an advantage, not only because it represents danger to enemy pawns, but also
because it restricts the opponent's king and creates various mate possibilities.

37. Doubled Rooks on the 7th rank. Two Rooks occupying the 7th rank is an
extremely dangerous weapon, because the enemy is condemned to the most complete
passivity.
The enormous amount of pressure on the pawn base and the possibility of innumerous
tactic themes, almost turn this advantage into a win.

38. Not always a pawn should be promoted into a Queen. In amateur games,
automatically queening a pawn has been the reason for many stalemate draws.
Carefully consider which piece is most appropriate for that specific circumstance.

39. Keep your Knights close to the center. Knights, more than any other piece, need to
be close to the center of the board.
First, because a knight can control 8 squares from the center, while from the borders
only it only controls 4.
Second, because a knight needs 4 moves to cross the board and reach the other side,
while from the center it takes only 2 to get to one of the borders.

40. Rooks should rapidly occupy open or held-open files. During the opening, Rooks
are the last pieces to be developed, because they are effective when they settle on
open or half-open files.
Usually, the ideal square to place Rooks are e1, d1 and c1, (e8, d8 and c8 for Black),
because from these positions they can put pressure on the center and defend the
backrank at the same time.
A Rook may, however, be an effective defense when placed on the 2nd file, while it
still operates aggressively in the file.

41. Keep your Bishops active. The activity of a Bishop depends mostly on your
friendly pawn's placement. A Bishop that is not blocked by its own pawns is a good
Bishop and one that is limited by its pawns is said to be a bad Bishop. If you have a
bad Bishop it may be a good idea to simply trade it off to improve the effectiveness of
your pieces.

42. Keep your pawns on squares of the same color of your opponent's Bishop. When
your opponent has only one Bishop, you should place your pawns on squares of the
color of corresponding color of the squares occupied by that enemy Bishop.
However, if you have only one Bishop, then the color of your pawn's squares should
not correspond to your Bishops placement, whether your opponent has only one
Bishop or not.
43. A Bishop is worth more than a Knight on open positions. Bishops must have
diagonals to operate in order to be more effective, therefore the less there are pawns
on the chessboard, the more effective they get. In open positions, when diagonals
aren't obstructed by pawns, a Bishop can attack the kingside and protect its own flank
from the Queen, at the same time. On the other hand, a knight can maneuver only on
one side due to its restricted mobility.

44. A knight is worth more than a Bishop n closed positions. Due to their ability to
jump over other units, knight perform better than Bishops in rigid pawn chain
positions.

45. Knights need outposts.

An outpost is a square, usually in the 5th and 6th ranks, that is under the protection of
a pawn and isn't subject to enemy pawn attacks. When a knight occupies an outpost, it
puts a great deal of pressure on the opponent's camp and it also supports the
development of flank attacks.

46. Usually, in mobile pawn endgame, the Bishop is worth more than a knight.

In the Bishop's fight against the knight, the Bishop's color should try to keep its pawns
mobile, while the other camp should paralyze these enemy pawns, preferably on
squares of the same color as the square occupied by the bishop.

47. Two Bishops are, usually stronger than Bishop and Knight and than two Knights.

The Bishop is a long-range piece and its main disadvantage is the ability to control
only squares of the same color.

Therefore, two Bishops complement each other perfectly. When well coordinated,
they are superior to a Bishop and a Knight , because these enemies take too long to
reach the active field due to the limited mobility of the Knight.

Another advantage of a pair of Bishops is that, at any moment, you may trade one of
them for the enemy knight, while it is very difficult for the opponent to trade the
Knight for one of the enemy Bishops.

48. how to fight against a Bishop and a Knight.

If you own a pair of Bishops and your opponent a Bishop and a Knight, restrict the
enemy Bishop's range by placing pawns on squares of the same color as the Bishop's
square, and reduce the power of the enemy Knight by preventing it from occupying
outposts and central squares.

49. How to fight a pair of Bishops.

If your opponent owns a pair of Bishops, restrict their activity with blocking pawn
chains and conquer outposts for your knights.

50. Keep your pawns on squares that are different from ones of your Bishop.

If you own only one Bishop, try to place your pawns on squares of the opposite color
of the Bishop's

Beside keeping the diagonal clear for the Bishop's operation, this enables your pawns
to work in perfect harmony with the piece, controlling one color of squares, while the
Bishop controls the other.

51. Bishops should be placed in front of a pawn chain.

A Bishop will be very weakened if it is restricted by pawns, therefore always try to

place it out of the pawn chain, when they are on squares of the same color as the
Bishop is.

52. If your opponent owns two Bishop, try to trade one of them off.

When you are fighting a pair of Bishops, try to trade one of them off, because this will
withdraw the dominance your opponent had over the squares the Bishop used to
control.

53. Keep your eyes on the squares controlled by your opponent's Bishop.

If you opponent owns two Bishops and you only one (the white-squared Bishop, for
instance), the enemy has control over the color of the spare Bishop's squares (the
black squares, in this example).

That means, that you have to watch carefully over these squares, because the other
Bishop (of the Black squares} can attack pawns and squares your Bishop cannot
defend.

54. A Bishop can dominate a Knight.

Due to its wider range, the Bishop can totally control a knight that is placed at a
border of the chessboard.
In endgames, this may be fatal, because the color that owns a Bishop is, in effect,
playing with an extra piece.

55. Think about defense first.

The most important principle in chess is safety. At each move your opponent makes,
stop and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Where is the move that is threatening me?

2. What are my opponent's intentions?
3. What would I do in my opponent's place?
4. What Knight moves can my opponent make?

56. Assess the changes resulting from your opponent's move.

Each move may considerably change the situation on the chessboard. Therefore, it's
recommended to ask yourself the following questions after each of your opponent's
moves:

1. What does the new move attack and defend?

2. Where has defense and attack been withdrawn?

3. Which diagonals, ranks and files have been obstructed?

4. Which diagonals, ranks and files have been liberated?

5. Which enemy piece can occupy the square left by the piece that just made the
move?

6. Where can the piece move to now?

57. Keep the backrank protected.

Make sure your king is able to escape any backrank checks, before moving your
Rooks from the 6 th rank.

It's always wise to open a small escape path for the King, before withdrawing Rooks
from the 8 th rank.

58. Don't let your pieces get overloaded.

An overloaded pieces is a piece performing more than one function at the same time.
Usually it's the one that is busy defending two or more pieces.

Overloaded pieces are reason for tactic strikes leading to loss of material, because
they leave something unprotected when they are forced to move.

59. Don't recapture pieces automatically.

It's recommended to consider the possibility of intermediate moves before retaking

any piece.

Intermediate moves are powerful weapons because they surprise the opponent,
besides being an important tactic component.

60. Avoid advancing pawns that protect your King.

Every pawn move creates a weakness that may seem irrelevant at first, but that can be
explored later on by your opponent.

61. Never ever allow your King to stay in danger of a check, not ever, or surly you
will suffer the consequences.

Unexpected checks are, many times, the key to dangerous tactic strikes, and
frequently when least expected.

62. Avoid placing heavy pieces in the range of lower pieces.

A piece of greater value should never be placed in the way of a less aggressive one,
because the latter will be nullified and terminated.

63. If you've got little space to trade off one or two pieces.

Try to trade one or two pieces in order to liberate some space, when you are in a
restricted position.

The other way around, when you have a space advantage, avoid trading and use this
advantage to quickly shift the attack from one side to the other.

64. Eliminate the negative and accent the positive by eliminating your opponent's best
piece.

If one of your opponent's pieces is very well positioned, try to trade it off.
65. Keep your most valuable pieces well protected.

Every unprotected piece may be a target of an enemy combination.

The ideal is to keep all pieces protected by pawns or, if there aren't any available , by
other pieces.

The main disadvantage of defending pieces by pieces is that, once the defender itself
is attacked, it must then abandon the piece it was protecting.

66. Keep your pieces on a square of a different color than the enemy Bishop is on.

If your opponent has only one Bishop, try to place all of your pieces on a square of a
different color than the enemy Bishop can control.

67.Try to get rid of all pinned pieces.

A pinned piece is immobilized and always vulnerable to new attacks.

It is impossible to avoid losing material, when the opponent gets to attack this piece
with a pawn.

68. Never make the job easy for your opponent.

Don't despair when you are under attack; even in a clearly inferior position there is
always a chance for survival.

The main principle consists in making things difficult for your opponent's attack,
placing many obstacles in the enemy's way, lingering as much as possible your
defense and inducing your opponent to a mistake.

69. If your opponent attacks on one side, counter-attack in the center.

Many times, the best answer to a flank attack is a counter-attack in the center, even if
it costs you a pawn.

70. Try to anticipate your opponent's threats.

Usually, a direct threat can be easily defended, but a remote threat, on the other hand,
is only defended if you are able to anticipate it some moves before hand.

Otherwise, when the remote threat become imminent, it will come with another direct
threat that will also need to get your immediate attention.
71. Trade off the opponent's Fianchettoed Bishop.

This means to weaken a group of squares close to the king, which may open lines for
an attack.

72. Improve your pieces position.

Try, gradually, to improve your pieces position so that they can control more
important squares, to cooperate with friendly pieces and put more pressure on the
enemy territory.

73. Restrict the movement of enemy pieces.

Try, whenever possible, to keep enemy pieces as far as you can from the field of
action. 74. Confine an enemy piece.

Keeping an enemy piece out of the game for awhile may be sufficient to gain a
decisive advantage.

75. Always try to create some kind of threat for your opponent.

Your opponent is forced to allocate resources in order to contain the threat you
created, which draws attention away from the enemy's own plans.

76. Create new weaknesses in the enemies field.

Never be satisfied in attacking an existing weakness on your opponent's position, but

try to create new ones.

Many times, the first step to a kingside attack is to force the weakness of a pawn.

77. Concentrate your forces on your opponent's weak points.

As you put pressure on certain points, your opponent is forced to bring pieces in
pieces in order to protect this point, which leaves other areas on the chessboard
unprotected and subject to new attacks.

78. Cumulate advantages before attacking.

Before starting an attack, you should create weaknesses in the opponent's position and
place as many pieces you can in aggressive positions.

A premature attack offers the opponent a chance to organize defenses.

79. Concentrate as much as possible your forces when you attack.

In order to ensure a successful attack, it's essential to concentrate your forces on your
target, preventing your opponent from an effective defense.

If the attack fails in this case, the opponent's weaknesses are very likely to increase.
80. Open ranks, files and diagonals.

It's important to open ranks with pawn moves or piece sacrifices, because it's through
these ranks that attacking pieces can enter the enemy position. 81. Eliminate key
pieces of your opponent's defense.

Identify the most important piece of your opponent's defense, when you are attacking,
and try to eliminate it. 82. Avoid trading while attacking.

Unless there is a very good reason, it's recommended not to trade pieces while
attacking, because this may make the opponent's defense easier.

Especially Queen trades, usually, debilitate the attack.

83. Plan hypothetical trades.

Mentally withdrawing pieces from the chessboard, assessing the new position and
verifying if the new situation is worse or better than previous one is a very useful
technique to evaluate if an exchange is to be made or not.

84. Quickly move your attack from one side to the other.

Many times it's necessary to create at least two weaknesses in enemy positions to win
a game.

Then, an alternated attack on these weak points is a very powerful weapon, especially
when your opponent has a lack of space, since enemy pieces will get overloaded by
defending both positions at the same time. In Endgame Theory, this is similar to the
weakness of two pieces or pawns moving down the board on both sides of the board at
the same time. It's almost impossible to defend both pieces at the same time.

85. Whenever you have a material advantage you must usually simplify to increase
your strength.

Material advantage gets more and more intense as the number of pieces on the
chessboard falls.
The difference of 1 unit in a battle of 4 against 3 is much more significant than in a
battle of 10 against 9 for example.

86. After an attack, reorganize your pieces.

Usually, after an attack pieces lose their harmony. <'p> Therefore, before starting a
new incursion against your opponent, reorganize your forces and protect your weak
points as quickly as is possible.

87. When a player has an extra pawn it's recommended to trade pieces instead of
pawns.

The principle is very simple; the fewer pieces in a game, the less complicated is the
position and much easier it gets to explore material advantage.

88. Centralize you King as quick as is possible in endgames.

After most of the pieces, especially Queens, have been traded off, the king takes a
predominant role in the battle and becomes an aggressive piece.

Since the King is a piece of little mobility, it's recommended to centralize it as quickly
as possible so it can move fast the position on the chessboard where it may be most
needed.

89. The King must be active in the endgame.

During most endgames, the King must worry less about mates and should assume a
more active position, especially, pursuing and blocking enemy pawns.

90. Drag your opponent into Zugzwang.

Zugzwang is a situation in which any movement the player makes results in an even
more worse situation than if he does not move at all.

This resource is particularly important in Bishop versus Knight endgames.

Since the Bishop has control on practically the same squares when it moves on a
diagonal, it has a great time advantage on the Knight that loses control on squares
when it moves.

91. Many wins are based on winning the opposition.

Kings are in opposition when they are placed on the same file, rank or diagonal with
only one free square between them.

Winning the opposition means that a player moves the King in order to put the enemy
King in Zugzwang, forcing the latter to make the next move.

92. Endgames with Bishops of opposite colors usually result in a draw.

Bishops of opposite colors may represent an advantage for active color in the middle
game, since the Bishop of the defensive part won't be able to neutralize the pressure
on a certain diagonal.

Nevertheless, an endgame one Bishop cannot attack the points the other can defend.

93. Flank pawns are very strong against Knights.

Usually, a Knight has a hard time to fight passed pawn, due to its little mobility.

When these pawns are Rook pawns, it gets even harder, because Knights have more
restricted movements close to the borders.

94. Keep your Rooks active in endgames.

An active Rook is stronger than a passive one.

In endgames, this may, sometimes, be just enough to win your game.

95. Always place a Rook behind a passed pawn.

Rooks become more active behind passed pawns, both to support friendly pawns and
to attack enemy ones.

96. The color that has an exchange down should avoid trading the second Rook.

Many times, when a player has an exchange down, the simplest way to win an
endgame is to trade off the opponent's second Rook.

Usually, a lonely minor piece has little chance against a Rook.

97. Create a passed pawn if you have a majority of pawns.

In order to create a passed pawn from a majority of pawns, advance the pawn first that
has no opponent in its file.
When the opponent succeeds in placing a pawn directly in front of your most
advanced pawn, the advantage of your majority tends to disappear, because lateral
pawns have no support points to advance to.

98. Centralize the Queen in endgames.

Although the Queen should not be too exposed during the first part of the game, after
some piece trading, it should be centralized whenever possible.

On a central square the Queen should not be too exposed during the first part of the
game, after some piece trading, it should be centralized whenever possible.

On a central square the Queen reaches its highest mobility (Almost half of the
chessboard) and it prevents the enemy Queen from occupying the most important
positions.

99. Always expect your opponent to find and make the best move.

Never make a move believing that your opponent won't find the best answer to it.

100. Not every weakness is bad.

Weaknesses are only relevant if your opponent can exploit them.

A pawn is only weak if it can be captured; a square is only weak if your opponent can
occupy it.

101. Every rule was made to be broken.

Chess is not an exact science and all tips, principles and concepts presented simply
cannot be applied in100% of all of the situations, and neither should they be. followed
blindly.

One of the main differences between a Great Grandmaster player and a amateur is in
them knowing when basic strategy principles are to be violated or not.

102. Don't weaken your King's defenses early in the game.

In general, it is recommend that you avoid advancing pawns that protect your King,
unless you have a dam good reason for doing so, or surly you will suffer the
consequences of your foolish actions.
103. Moving out END PAWNS in the opening loses time to your opponent's
development.

Always develop with a purpose. This means that when you move a piece out for your
development that piece should be developed in such a way as that if follows some
basic chess purpose, or follows some basic chess principle, like a bishop pin of knight
against queen. Or a knight move that attacks an important center square. Or a center
pawn move that opens a file to develop a bishop.

Amateurs like to move out END PAWNS to prevent a pin but generally, this is a
wasted defensive move that not only does not develop a piece in your opening play,
but it also gives the initiative to your opponent because now you have given your
opponent the opportunity to gain a tempo in his development and put you behind in
your development.

Notice that strong players rarely move out end pawns in their opening play unless
there is a very good reason for doing so. Always try to quickly castle and connect
your rooks within the first 7 or at least the first 10 moves. Whoever is able to connect
their rooks first is said to have a significant advantage because of completing their
development first and frequently has a better chance of winning the game.

104. Never, ever underestimate the value of a passed pawn.

A passed pawn has the potential very frequently of deciding the game for you so you
must defend it with as many pieces as is practical, so as to make its Queening
possible.

A passed pawn is worth more than all of the Knights in Columbus Ohio, and all of the
Gay Bishops in Rome, so its best to get a Rook BEHIND it, as soon as possible and
protect it prophylactically with another piece.

The Knights of Columbus are members of a benevolent and fraternal society of

Roman Catholic men founded in 1882.

The gay Bishops are members of a autocratic greedy bunch of Roman Catholic people
who make sure that every penny that they can get their hands on gets sent to Rome to
the Catholic church so that it can reach out with its powerful financial tactics to own
as many businesses as is possible using its unfair tax breaks. Have you any idea of just
how many billions the Catholic Church is worth now?

105. In your opening play, it is very important to first complete development before
you try and simply take a pawn, otherwise the file where your King is located could
be open, making your king vulnerable to attacks and losing tempo. It's necessary to
balance your central position, open lines for development and guarantee a good square
for your Knight. This ia playing sound basic opening principles.

106. One good way to find good winning moves are to do like strong players do and
that is to use the principles of Back Solving. Just think hard on back solving for a
checkmate, both for winning and for preventing one on you. Back Solving involves
the process of thinking of how a checkmate could be made if this or that were to
happen, starting from some good position that you are now playing.

107, One good way to tell who is the better player is to observe who is playing
positionally wasting no time to rapid develop all of their pieces first and then castle
for a safe King. The lesser player is more concerned with attack first and always
aggressively pushing things for a fast win as he has not the patience to act prudently in
securing a sound position where his pieces act in a coordinated fashion and usually his
attacks just fizzle out against the positional players strong defenses.
 6 most important chess principles
Since my very first steps in chess, I came across a very important lesson: the chess
principles, or general laws of chess, must be respected.
Everyone around me, from club players to chess Grandmasters was stressing the
importance of following them, so I took their word for it.
Now, after so many years of playing chess, this is the first concept that I present my
students. Before showing you how strong players use these ideas in their games and how
they punish their opponents for not respecting them, we’ll introduce you to the general
chess principles and their history.
Chess players have been aware of the importance of occupying the center for a long time.
Players of the16th and 17th centuries were striving for a quick control of the center, but
their idea was to quickly open their pieces and start attacking the king at any cost. The
pawns were not important in their view and, because of this, they were sacrificed in the
players’ quest for the king. This formula sometimes worked, but many times the player
would lose because of the material disadvantage.
It was Philidor who saw the importance of the pawns and developed the theory of the pawn
centre and pawn chains which, if used correctly, could help win space and activate the
pieces. The next important step in the chess laws history was the solution given by Paul
Morphy. His strategies implied controlling the center with the pawns and rapidly centralize
the pieces, pointing out the importance of tempo. The center became the focal point of the
game, although this was combined with plans involving attacking the opponent’s king.
The next to develop these ideas were the first World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz and Mikhail
Tchigorin. We could say that Steinitz was the one to establish the chess principles as we
know them today. He stressed out the importance of weak and strong squares, positional
advantages such as better pawn structure, the use of open files, the bishop pair,
superiority of pieces, piece mobility and many others. He also showed the importance of a
well-founded attack, which should only be started when having at least one positional
advantage.
To sum up, the 6 most important chess principles are:
 Quickly develop your pieces, while controlling the center at the same time;
 Take advantage of the weak points and positional disadvantages in your opponent’s
position. Examples of positional disadvantages could be: pawn weaknesses such
as doubled pawns orisolated pawn, weaknesses in your opponent’s castle (bad pawn
structure), weak squares such as the ones in front of the isolated pawn, etc. Fight for
other small advantages such as better piece mobility and cooperation, control of the
existing open files, bishop pair, etc;
 Try to accumulate small advantages. In the end, they will result in a considerable
superiority;
 Once you have gained an advantage, it is time to start the attack against your opponent.
Otherwise, you might end up wasting your advantage;
 While you should avoid losing tempi, bear in mind that in closed positions this is not so
critical;
 If the central pawns don’t exist on the board anymore, replace them with piece pressure.
We will have a look now at games where one of the players disobeys one or more of the
above stated chess principles and is rightly punished. With these examples (we don’t mean
any of these players don’t know the basic concepts of chess, not at all!) we show the risk
that takes when they decide to break them and how it often backfires.
Our first game is between Anish Giri and Mikhail Oleksienko [you can learn Grandmaster
Level Positional Understanding directly from him], two very strong GMs. Black played a
risky strategy of grabbing pawns with his queen in the opening before finishing his
development. This resulted in a huge lead of development for white and soon black was
unable to stop white’s initiative.

Giri, A. vs Oleksienko, M.Qatar Masters Open 2014Doha QAT29 Nov 20141-0

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 !? Giri is among the best prepared Grandmasters and

he can surprise his opponents on any opening. Here he plays this interesting line in
which white's main idea is to attack on the kingside with g4.c5 Oleksienko decided to
play this double edge move and skip the main line which is 4...h5. Black strikes in the
center by temporaly sacrificing a pawn, although he will need to spend tempi to get
his material back.4...h5 5. c4 is the main line.5. dxc5 ! Accepting the challenge!5. c3 is
also possible but the game seems to be less critical afterNc6 5...Nc6 6. Bb5 Holding
on to the pawn and developing at the same time.Qc7 7. Ne2 146 First new move of
the game and very logical as well. Giri develops his knight and controls the f4 square
to move his bishop there once black captures on e5.7. Nc3 O-O-O 8. Bxc6 Qxc6 9.
Qd4 e6 10. Be3 was played in Morozevich-Bareev7...Qxe5 8. Bf4 ! Not afraid of
sacrificing a pawn for development.Qxb2 9. Nbc3 Nf6 taking one more pawn
with9...Qxc2 cannot be advised. After10. Qxd5 black is in serious trouble.10. O-O 36
Qb4 Makes sense to bring the queen back into a safe zone but white now will bring
another piece into the game with tempi.11. Rb1 Qxc5 12. Ba4 ! The b7 pawn is
imposible to defend. Black is already lost.e5 Is a bad move but there is not much
more black can do.12...Bc8 was also bad because13. Rb5 Qa3 14. Qb1 and still Rxb7
is a threat.13. Bxe5 Ng4 14. Bg3 O-O-O 15. Bxc6 Straightforward win.Qxc6 16. Nb5
Bc5 17. Ned4 Qf6 18. Qf3 Black resigns as he can't prevent losing material.
 Our second example was played between Judith Polgar and Josef Horvath, both
Grandmasters. Here black committed one of the most frequent mistakes one can make,
grabbing material and falling behind in development. Not just that, but in this case, the
price was too high as black also surrendered the bishop pair in an open position. Judith
Polgar, a merciless player when given so much facility, went on to win convincingly.

Polgar, Judit vs Horvath, Jozsef ECCHalkidiki GRE22 Sep 20021-00

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 The english attack against
the Taimanov was started to get popular around the time this game was played.
Therefore black's careless play.a6 7. Qd2 Nf6 8. O-O-O Bb4 8...Be7 is another
possibility.9. f3 d5 ?! This is asking for trouble. Black opens the position with his king still
in the center.10. a3 ! Bxc3 10...Be7 11. exd5 exd5 is not good for black.11. Qxc3 dxe4 12.
fxe4 Nxe4 Black is consquent with his previous play but this is actually very bad for
him.13. Qd3 f5 Forced.13...Nf6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bc5 is awful for black.14. Qc4 e5 15.
Nxc6 Qxc6 16. Rd5 ! After the queen trade white will regain his pawn with a large
advantage due to the bishop pair.Qe6 16...Qxc4 17. Bxc4 17. Ra5 ! Nd6 18. Qc3 White
regains the material keeping all his advantages.O-O 19. Rxe5 Qa2 20. b3 Qxa3+ 21. Kb1
Nb5 22. Qe1 Rd8 23. Bc4+ Kh8 24. Bd2 Black is hopeless.

Our third and last example is a really beautiful game between Grandmaster Evgeny
Alekseev versus International Master Anuar Ismagambetov. As in the first example,
black went pawn hunting with his queen at the cost of development. Later on he made a
second mistake that was opening the center, making things easier for white.

Alekseev, Evgeny vs Ismagambetov, Anuar World CupKhanty Mansiysk RUS26 Nov 20071-0

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 This simple developing move actually
contains some poison.Nxe4 7. Bxe4 Nf6 8. Bg5 Qd6 !? This move was considered to be black's best
option but white's response casts some doubt on this evaluation.9. Bd3 !? 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. c3 was
the main line and hereBg7 is fine for black.9...Qb4+ Black accepts the challenge but needless to
say that this move is highly risky.10. Qd2 Qxb2 11. O-O At the cost of one pawn white has obtained
a considerable lead in development.Be7 12. Qf4 ! bringing the pieces to the kingside in order to
start an attack.Qb6 13. Qg3 c5 13...O-O is met with14. Rab1 Qa5 15. Rb5 Qxa2 16. Qh4 with a
powerful attack13...c6 14. Rab1 Qd8 15. dxc5 keeping the game open.Bxc5 16. Rfd1 Note at this
 moment how all of white pieces are doing something.Qe7 17. Bb5+ Kf8 18. Ne5 h6 19. Rd7 !? This
pretty move had to be played. Although white could have won with a simpler continuation19. Bxf6
! Qxf6 19...gxf6 20. Nd7+ Bxd7 21. Rxd7 Qe8 22. Rc7 Qb8 23. Rxc5 20. Rb3 ! 19...Bxd7 ? 19...hxg5 20.
Rxe7 Bxe7 offers more resistance.20. Bxf6 Bxf2+ 20...gxf6 21. Nxd7+ Ke8 22. Nxc5+ Kf8 23. Nd7+
21. Qxf2 gxf6 22. Nxd7+ Kg7 23. Rb3 Rhd8 24. Rg3+ Kh8 25. Qf4 25. Qf4 Kh7 26. Nxf6+

We hope you have enjoyed this article and remember, whenever your opponent breaks any
these concepts we have listed here, look for a punishment. It is very likely that the position
has hidden resources just waiting to be found.
Good luck!
If you want to improve your chess level, you need to have a clear study plan. If you aim for
a dramatic improvement at chess you need to work on all of the elements of the game in
a systematic way:
 tactics
 positional play
 attacking skills
 endgame technique
 classical games analysis
 psychological preparation
 and much more

7 Most Important Opening Principles

Many chess players get in trouble in the openings because they are not familiar with
general opening principles. These players may know the opening lines that they usually
play, but if something goes differently they get confused and in danger to get inferior
position and even lose the game. The goal of this article is to remind you of theseseven
very important opening principles that every chess player must know.
1. Develop pieces rapidly
It is not a secret that the main objective of opening is development. Even though it sounds
like common sense it is not the case for many amateur players. Some players use this
phase of the game for quick queen checks, pawn hunt and launch of unprepared attack.
Needless to say, that after their cheap shots fail (and that happens in 99% of the games)
they end up in deep trouble. Imaging being way behind in development, with an exposed
king stuck at the center, under attack of opponent’s rooks and the queen. Not a very
pleasant position to be in. Focus on rapid development and you won’t be one of these
“unlucky” players that lose in 15 moves.
In the position below Black is 2 pawns up but he is so much behind in development that the
game is already lost.

Black to move
2. Don’t move the same piece twice
This is a general rule to remember. Typically you want to move each piece just once during
the opening phase. Unless there is a very good reason (serious material gain, checkmate,
etc.) to move the piece twice, it should be avoided. Give a chance to other pieces to get
developed before you start repositioning already developed pieces.
It seems like white found a nice attacking move Nb5, threatening a vulnerable c7 square.
But this move was an inaccuracy because it violates one of the basic opening principles
of not moving the same piece twice. Black can easily defend with Qf7, simultaneously
opening the diagonal for the light squared bishop. White just lost a tempo. It would’ve been
better for white just to play O-O.
Black to move
Tip:
In order to understand how to play openings it is important to have deep positional
understanding. Only then you will be able to develop the pieces correctly and understand
the fundamental opening ideas. Opening and middlegame is very much connected. In order
to improve your positional understanding we suggest you to sign up for our comprehensive
training course.
Hundreds of chess players already benefited from our training . Don’t wait, start winning
chess games today.
3. Don’t make unneeded pawn moves
Don’t spend valuable time in the opening making unnecessary pawn moves. Generally
speaking, you should only make pawn moves when they are needed to develop the pieces
(central pawns, fianchetto, etc.) Especially avoid prophylactic pawn pushes; they don’t do
any good in the opening.
White just played an unforced pawn move h3. This is not very good move because it loses
time. Better is just Qe2+ or Nxd5.
Black to move

4. Develop knights before bishops

There are many reasons to develop knights before

bishops. First of all, the knight is a short range piece,
meaning that it only can control the nearby squares. If a
knight is not developed its effectiveness is close to zero.
At the same time, a bishop is a long range piece and can
control many squares even from the back rank. Also, by
developing the bishop before the knight you are leaving
a knight’s pawn unprotected.
5. Avoid exchanging a developed piece for an
undeveloped counterpart

In order to develop a piece you invest a valuable chess

resource: time. If you exchanged a well-positioned piece
for an undeveloped counterpart you are losing tempos,
and that’s something you definitely want to avoid in the
opening. Use these tempos to develop more pieces
instead!
In the position below it is not a good idea for white to
play Bxb8 because it will lose a tempo.

White to move

6. Castle early

Putting the King to safety is one of the priorities of the

opening. Keep in mind that contrary to a popular belief it
is much harder to attack the castled king. At the same
time, castling connects the rooks, allowing them to work
more efficiently. Always castle early in the game!
Following this simple rules will save you handful of
games.

White to move

7. Control more space

The spatial advantage is a very important aspect of
chess. Generally speaking a player that possesses a
spatial advantage has control of the game. Space allows
you to much more efficiently coordinate the pieces for
both attack and defense, at the same time preventing
your opponent from doing the same. In our training
course we have excellent examples and a much deeper
explanation of how spatial advantage can be effectively
used and converted into the win.

Notice how white advanced his pawns to occupy more

space.
 White to move

If you want to improve your chess level, you need to

have a clear study plan. If you aim for a dramatic
improvement at chess you need to work on all of the
elements of the game in a systematic way:
 tactics

 positional play

 attacking skills

 endgame technique

 classical games analysis

 psychological preparation

 and much more

7 Most Important Principles of Positional Chess

Positional chess is something that all chess players are aware of, but only the
select few actually understand and can use it to get an upper hand and win
games. Today, we have boiled down seven most important positional
principles into a single article. After going through these examples you will
understand the fundamentals of positional play.

1. Improve all of your pieces

Improving positioning of your own pieces is one of the most important principles of
chess. That is something common to both “tactical” and “maneuvering” type of
positions. Every tempi invested in improvement of your pieces will greatly benefit
you in the long run. In order to attack or defend effectively your pieces need to be
properly positioned, on the squares where they can perform at their best.

Take a look at the position below. White has plenty of ways to improve their pieces.
For example:
 Bb2 – occupying the long diagonal, where bishop is the strongest
 Re1 – occupying an open file, where rook is the strongest
 Ne4 positioning the knight at the center

White to move
2. Create favorable pawn structure
This is something that many chess players understand, but not many players
manage to achieve in their games. The reason being, most likely, because they get
disrupted by other “more important chess matters” and never have time to worry
about simple things like pawn structure.

The truth is, by creating a favorable pawn structure (the one which suits your pieces
best) you not only improve your own pieces, but also make your opponent’s play far
less comfortable.

In the example below, white is about to play …c5. That simple move has a deep
meaning behind it. If you take a look at the white’s pawn chain, you may notice
that all of the pawns are located on dark squares.
Since black has a dark squared bishop, closing the position on dark squares would
make a lot of sense, because white’s knight can easily exploit the closed center. At
the same time, black’s bishop doesn’t have many useful moves.

This examples contradicts to common rule that if your opponent has a dark squared
bishop you need to position all of your pawns on light squares. In this case the
opposite is true.

White to move
3. Restrict your opponent’s pieces
Restricting your opponent’s pieces is a very powerful technique. In the previous
example we saw how we can create a favorable pawn structure to improve our own
pieces’ activity as well as to reduce mobility of the opponent’s pieces. The same can
also be done when one of our pieces restricts the movement of the opponent’s piece
or pieces.

In the example below white’s bishop completely dominates black’s knight. The
knight has no moves, because all of the squares d7,e6,g6,h7 are controlled by the
bishop.
Despite the fact that the material is equal, black already has a losing position, and
key reason is the restricted knight. White continued with 1.c5! restricting the king to
a7, followed by 2.h4 running the pawn towards the promotion square. Soon black
will have to give up his knight for that pawn.

White to move

4. Neutralize your opponent’s plan

Understanding what your opponent is planning to do and interfering with his plan
is a very important ability. By constantly staying alert and questioning all of the
opponent’s moves you will be able to stay one move ahead in the game, which is
typically enough to win.

In the example below black is planning to relocate his knight on e4-square via d7-
f6-e4 maneuver. Since white saw that coming, he took necessary precautions to
prevent that from happening. White played 1.Nd3followed by 2. Nf2 covering the
important e4-square first. Black’s plan failed. Notice that the exchange of rook does
not help black to position the knight on e4.
 Black to move

5. Accumulate small advantages

Positional chess is all about accumulating many small and very small
advantages and using them when the time is right. In the position below white
already has some of such advantages. They control an open e-file, black’s a-pawns
are weak, the a7-bishop is a bad piece and the d5-knight is very well placed.
That is more than enough to launch a winning attack via 1.Re7.
 White to move

6. Convert temporary advantages into permanent ones

It is indeed important to possess advantages in the game of chess. However, what’s
good about these temporary advantages, if they are well… temporary. In order to
fully benefit from temporary advantages, we need to use them wisely and convert
into permanent ones.

That typically means we need to act fast, before our opponent gets rid of them, or
patches them.

In the example below we have that kind of situation. Black’s king temporarily got
stuck in the center. If white does not act fast, black will castle and the position will
equalize. White has something in mind.
1… e4 2. Rxe4+! Sacrificing the rook to open up the position. Nxe4 3. Qxe4+ Kd8
4. Ne5 +- and white is winning. Notice how white skillfully converted a temporary
advantage (inability to castle) into a permanent one.
 White to move

7. Do not rush

That is one of the very important chess principles applicable to all stages of the
game from opening to the endgame. This principle does not mean that you need to
waste tempis, but it says that you need to prepare carefully before attempting any
serious positional changes.

In the position below white has an advantage of two central pawns. Indeed he can
push them right away, but that wouldn’t be wise.

Instead, he prepares the push first, by playing moves like f4, Kh1, Rd1 and Re1.
After the preparatory moves everything will be ready for a strong attack in the
center, which will most likely win the game.
`
Chess Opening Strategy - Top Ten Principles

#1 - Develop pieces towards the centre, to safe and useful

squares.

#2 - Control the centre by occupying it with pawns and

attacking it with pieces.

#3 - Protect the king by castling early, usually on the kingside.

#4 - Develop pieces with a threat, or in defense of a threat.

#5 - Make as few pawn moves as possible, and make pawn

moves that further the development of pieces.

#6 - Move each piece only once, unless you must do otherwise.

#7 - Don't bring the Queen out early.

#8 - Develop minor pieces first - usually knights before bishops.

#9 - Connect the rooks and bring them to open files.

#10 - The best first move is a centre pawn move.

Polgar: Try these
basic chess
principles to help
you become a
better player
Chess is a very easy game to learn, but harder to master. Here are some
very important principles in chess that will help you become a better
player.

• Control the center

The center of the board includes the squares e4, d4, e5, and d5. When
you start a game, place your pawns in the center to occupy and control as
many of these squares as you can. Location, location, location.

• Develop your pieces as soon as possible

Get your knights and bishops out right away. This should be done before
you try to checkmate your opponent, some time in the first 6 or 7 moves if
possible.

• Castle as soon as possible

The first chance you have, castle immediately to keep your king safe.
Remember: you can't win if your king is not safe and you get checkmated
first. So, don't forget to castle! Then after you castle, connect your rooks
by developing your queen.

• Keep your pieces protected

Don't leave your pieces hanging without protection. Each and every piece
you have is very valuable, so don't forget to protect them. Protecting
means if your opponent can take your piece, then you can take your
opponent's piece.

• Have lots of fun. Win with grade. Lose with dignity.

That is my motto in chess. The most important thing in chess should be to

have fun, whether you win or lose. When you win, be a good sport. When
you lose, be an even better sport. Shake hands and congratulate your
opponent. This will go a long way in making good friends.

Besides the five valuable principles above, there are others that you
should try to remember. Chess is a game with logic, strategies, planning,
and tactics. Keep the following principles in mind as you play.
• Every move should have a purpose.

• What is the idea behind your opponent's move?

• Always think before you move. There is no take back in chess. So make
your decision carefully.

• Learn to make plans. Planning is one of the most important elements of

the game of chess.

• Analyze your games and learn from your mistakes. Every player, from
beginner to world champion, makes mistakes. It is very important to go
over your games to find mistakes and learn from them.

• Pace yourself wisely.

There are many different time controls in chess. Use your allotted time
wisely. If you have 30, 60, or 90 minutes to play your game, use your time
to find the best plans and moves. Don't rush just because your opponents
play fast.
10 Fundamental Chess Principles According
to Steinitz

Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian-American chess player and the

first undisputed world champion. In early years his style of play
was rather sharp, aggressive and full of sacrifices. Later he came
up with his own scientific theory enunciating principles of chess:
both for attack and defence.

Today’s article covers 10 of his most important principles that can

be used in your own games.

1. Remember, the point of any opening is to develop the pieces

and position them accordingly. At the same time, you need
to prevent your opponent from accomplishing the same. You can
get upper hand in two ways: develop quicker or prevent your
opponent from developing.

2. Not only is it important to develop quickly, you also need to

take care of your King’s safety. If your opponent is behind at
development, you should delay him even more by creating
threats.

You need to launch an attack as quickly as possible on the side of

the board where he is the most vulnerable. Your opponent will
need to focus on the threats you create and will not be able to
finish development.

3. Another thing you need to pay attention to is the center.

Depending on the position you need to occupy the center with
either the pawns or the pieces. Strong pawn center will provide
space. The piece center will give an opportunity for an attack.
4. You need to be careful concerning any pawn pushes. Always
keep in mind that the pawns don’t move backwards and any
unnecessary pawn advances will weaken position of you own
king.

In our training program we pay specific attention on this very

important element of chess: pawn pushes. Using concrete, well-
analysed examples from Grandmasters’ play we deeply study
when, how and why to use pawn pushes to create problems for
your opponent and win games.

5. When developing pieces you have to have an exact plan of

actions. You need to know what role each piece will play and
where it should be positioned to realize this plan.

The difference between a novice player and a master is that a

master develops chess pieces with a specific purpose while a
beginner develops them just for a sake of developing.

6. The side who possesses an advantage must attack, otherwise

he risks losing that advantage. The best way to come up with a
plan for an effective attack is to identify a weakness in opponent’s
position and to exploit it.

7. The defending side must deflect the threats, follow the plan of
his opponent, predict his moves and look for a possibility of an
effective counter attack. Keep in mind that defensive play is a
much more difficult job than attacking play.

8. If a position is more or less equal the players need to

maneuver their pieces to achieve an advantage of some sort and
then move on to an attack. With a correct (best) defense the
position should remain equal and the game should be drawn.
9. The overall advantage may consist from one big advantage or
a multiple smaller advantages. When players of the same level
play chess their goal is to obtain multiple small advantages that
may ultimately result in winning the game.

In 21 Days to Supercharge Your Chess training program we

give a step-by-step outline that can be used to accurately
evaluate any chess position. It is easy to use and to remember,
after just a couple times using it.

10. There are two types of advantages at chess: permanent and

temporary.

The permanent advantages are:

– Material advantage

– Weak squares

– Passed pawn

– Weak pawns

– Open diagonal/file

– Bishop pair

The temporary advantages are:

– Development

– Position of pieces

– Center

– Space
 When you possess a permanent advantage you need to take
your time, do not rush and with a careful play you will ultimately
win the game.

When you have a temporary advantage you need to attack as

soon as possible, since there is a possibility for your opponent to
recover if you don’t act quickly enough.
 To take is a mistake.
 The threat is stronger than the execution.
 Attack is the best defense.

The Basic Principles of Chess?

It would be too long and a trifle boring to try to map out exactly how I arrived at
the four basic principles for each phase of the game. Suffice it to say that I have
been teaching the four basic ideas {principles} out of the opening ... ever since I
was just a teenager. (I am now 46 years old.) And I studied hundreds --- what I
considered to be nearly perfect, model games --- of master level engagements; to
arrive at what I considered to be the four basic principles of the middlegame and
also the four basic principles of the end-game.
For example, after studying literally hundreds of games, after [looking for] a quick
attack on the King, (which is only possible a smallpercentage of the time); the next
thing masters do is to post their pieces on good squares. I studied as many games
as I could, and I was constantly making notes in various books and notebooks. And
then I would make a list and then update it. (Etc.)

VERY IMPORTANT!!!
 I consider the four basic principles ... to be a tremendous aid in
GENERATING good Possible moves!!
 AFTER you have generated a few candidate moves, you run through each
move ... individually ...
using the entire checklist to see if the possible, selected move ... fits in with
the needs of the position.
  Use the principles below - as a guide!!! In other words, check to see if that
idea or principle is possible. I.e., if you are doing the middlegame: First you
check to see if an attack on the King is possible. (Do you have some of the
basic prerequisites that are necessary to allow a successful attack on the
King?) If the answer is ... "No, I don't think I can realistically attack the
King from this position," then the next step is to look for play, open files
and the like. By now you should be getting the basic idea.

The Four (4) Basic Principles of the Opening

("Chess Develops Powerful Minds")
1. Control the Center. (Only the center matters now!)
2. Develop your pieces towards the Center. (Efficient development.)
3. Protect your King AND castle early! (A two-part equation.)
4. Maintain the Material Balance, unless you are playing a Gambit.
(With an emphasis on SQUARE CONTROL!)
---> Use these principles at least until you have castled.
(But remember!! The job of the opening is not finished until ALL your
pieces are in use.)

******************************************************************
*****************
The Four (4) Basic Principles of the Middlegame
("Alert Play will triumph.")
1. Attack the King. (A good attack on the king will finish the game - the most
quickly.)
2. Look for P. L. A. Y. (Generally improve the squares that your pieces stand
on - improve your position.)
[ P.L.A.Y. = Out-Posts, Lines for the Rooks, Diagonals (Angles) for the
Bishops; and Pawn Breaks (“Y”)
or Space Grabbers. ]
3. Make, and attack weaknesses. (A fundamental principle of the mid-game
in chess!)
(A weakness is defined as: Organic Pawn weaknesses, bad structure, a very
cramped position, pieces on very poor squares, poor King
safety/compromised King position; unprotected pieces or units; units near
the edge of the board – especially if they are unprotected.)
 4. Find a transition into a favorable (better) Ending. (The next phase of the
game.)
---> Use this set of principles at least until you have swapped the Queens and
there are only 2-3 pieces,
(per side); left on the chess-board. (There is no hard and fast dividing line
here, experience will help.)

******************************************************************
*****************
The Four (4) Basic Principles of the Endgame
(NO really good pneumonic yet. I use, "I've been moved to Kentucky," for lack of
anything better.)
1. I.D. (identify) The Pawn Structure.
(I.D. = Improve yours, deface, degrade, or destroy his. Prepare for the
ending!)
2. Better Squares. (GM's constantly seem to be re-shuffling their pieces
during the endgame.)
(Constantly look for new/better squares to RE-DEPLOY your pieces to.)
3. Pawn Majorities. (Useful for many things, like restricting your opponent's
pieces.)
(By hook or by crook …) Make a Passed Pawn and then PUSH it!!
4. Activate the King!
(The King is a fighting piece in the endgame, so use it!)
Ten rules for the opening
1. Get your pieces out into the centre quickly. The opening is a race to see who can get their
pieces out first while keeping at least a share of control of the centre.
o This is the main point to remember; all the other rules are just footnotes to this
one. Sortez les pieces!

2. Get a firm foothold in the centre - a pawn on one of the 'little centre' squares e4/e5/d5/d4 - and
don't give it up without good reason
3. Move your king to safety at the side by castling
4. Complete your development before moving a piece twice or starting an attack. By move 12,
you should have connected your Rooks, or be about to do so.
5. More detail on winning the race:
o move pieces not pawns, and
o move them to their best squares in one move if you can, and also
o try to gain time if you can by aggressive moves.
6. Move your minor pieces out early on generally move Knights before Bishops, and generally
straightaway to f3/c3 or f6/c6 (but probably not both, as White)
7. Don't move out your major pieces (Q+RR) where they will get chased around by the little guys
and possibly trapped.
8. Don't grab pawns or attack if you haven't completed developmen; especially, don't charge
around with your Queen trying to hoover up pawns.
9. If one side gets ahead in development:
o If you are ahead in development, start something going and open up lines for your
better pieces
o If you are behind in development, don't start anything and keep things closed until
you have caught up. This is especially true if you have not castled!
10. Rooks are the hardest piece to develop: "openings should be judged on the prospects they offer to
ambitious young Rooks" - PURDY. To develop your Rooks, open a file; to open a file, bring
pawns into a position to swap them off; so after 1.e4, plan to play d2-d4 or f2-f4 soon.
o In fact, you have to attack the opponent's centre with pawns to get much chance of an
advantage as White (The Four Knights' Game is next to Old Stodge in drawishness), so
d2-d4 makes sense for more than one reason.

Further advice on playing the opening

I've collected here some other advice from the grandmasters of the past.

Lasker's rules for the opening

1. Do not move any pawns in the opening of a game but the King and Queen pawns.
2. Do not move any piece twice in the opening, but put it at once on the right square.
 3. Bring out your knights before developing your bishops, especially the Queen's Bishop.
4. Do not pin the adverse King Knight (ie. by Bg5) before your opponent has castled.

COOL TIP: Why should you move the knights first? Well, knights are very much more effective if
they are in the centre. (Bishops are more effective here too, but they can work from a distance). For the
opening that has to mean Knights moving to c3 and f3 (or c6 and g6). Where should the Bishops go?
The White King's Bishop on f1 could go to b5,c4,d3 or even e2. Which is best? That depends on what
your opponent is up to. So, move your knights straight away to the centre, and while you are doing that
your opponent's moves may suggest to you where you should put your bishops.

Reuben Fine on the opening:

1. In the initial position White, because of the extra move, has a slight advantage. Consequently:
2. White's problem in the opening is to secure the better position, while...
3. Black's problem is to secure equality.

Fine's rules for the opening

1. Open with either the e-pawn or the d-pawn.
2. Wherever possible, make a good developing move which threatens something or adds to the
pressure on the centre.
3. Develop knights before bishops.
4. Pick the most suitable square for a piece and develop it there once and for all.
5. Make one or two pawn moves in the opening, not more.
6. Do not bring your queen out too early.
7. Castle as soon as possible, preferably on the king's side.
8. Play to get control of the centre.
9. Always try to maintain at least one pawn in the centre.
10. Do not sacrifice without a clear and adequate reason, eg.:
o it secures a tangible advantage in development
o it deflects the opponent's queen
o it prevents the opponent from castling
o it enables a strong attack to be developed

Fine's two last questions to be asked before a move is made:

 How does it affect the centre?
 How does it fit in with the development of my other pieces and pawns?
Nimzovitch's Seven Axioms
(from My System)

1. Development is to be understood as the strategic advance of the troops toward the frontier line
(the line between the fourth and fifth ranks).
2. A pawn move must not in itself be regarded as a devloping move, but merely as an aid to
development.
3. To be ahead in development is the ideal to be aimed for.
4. Exchange with resulting gain of tempo.
5. Liquidation, with consequent development or disembarrassment.
6. The pawn centre must be mobile.
7. There is no time for pawn hunting in the opening, except for centre pawns.

-- NIMZOVITCH

Suetin's four principles for advanced players

1. The fight for control of the centre
2. The striving for the quickest and most active development.
3. The creation of conditions that permit early castling.
4. The formation of an advantageous pawn structure

-- SUETIN

Hort's 13 rules for all players

1. Take advantage of every tempo.
2. Do not make pawn moves without careful planning.
3. Begin the game with a centre pawn, and develop the minor pieces so that they influence the
centre.
4. Develop flexibly!
5. Develop harmoniously! Play with all your pieces
6. Do not make aimless moves. Each move must be part of a definite plan.
7. Do not be eager for material gain. The fight for time is much more important than the fight for
material, especially in open positions.
8. A weakening of your own pawns may be accepted only if it is compensated by a more active
placement of your pieces.
9. With the help of your pawns, try to get an advantage in space and weaken your opponent's
pawn position.
10. Do not obstruct your pawns by grouping your pieces directly in front of them; pawns and pieces
must work together.
 11. During the first few moves, pay special attention to the vulnerable KB2 square on both sides.
12. Remember that the poor placement of even a single piece may destroy the coordination of the
other pieces.
13. With White, exploit the advantage of having the first move and try to gain the initiative. With
Black, try to organize counterplay.

This last point is worth particular attention, for, although it contains much wisdom, it is not always
applied in current tournament practice. Unfortunately, we belong to a time when White usually tries to
gain only a minimal advantage, because to try for more entails the taking of risks. Black, having no sure
method of developing counterplay without risk, usually tries to minimise White's attacking possibilities.
The game thus proceeds towards an endgame in which neither side has real winning chances."
-- VLASTIMIL HORT

Portisch on forming a repertoire:

"Your only task in the opening is to reach a playable middlegame."

"...To all players I can recommend the following: simplicity and economy. These are the
characteristics of the opening systems of many great masters... A solid opening repertoire
fosters self-confidence." -- LAJOS PORTISCH
Chess Principles
These principles are from IM Cyrus Lakdawala's books and are shared with his permission. His books are available for purc
Strong players routinely use these principles to guide their analysis and assessments so an understanding of this list is ess

Opening
If ahead in development then open up the position (trade central pawns) or create confrontation; if be
central pawn structure and avoid confrontation.

If you lag in development and your opponent cannot effectively open the game, then don't worry too m

Let your opponent break the central pawn tension unless you have something concrete to gain from it.

In an open game develop rapidly; don’t move the same piece twice.

In a closed game, quality instead of quantity development; pay close attention to the pawn structure.

Endgame
Outside passed pawns favor inside passed pawns.

Rooks should be placed on open files and should not defend laterally.

In the endgame they should be stationed behind passed pawns (yours or your opponents).

Try to own fewer pawn islands than your opponent.

In an ending with two rooks versus rook and a pair of minor pieces, the side with the minor pieces shou

In queening races: 1. Don't putz around! 2. Queen a pawn as fast as you can. 3. Slow down your oppon
can.
A knight ending is the closest thing to a pure king and pawn ending.

A bishop is of greater value than a knight in queening races because a bishop can perform both defensi
is capable of only one or the other.

Pawn Structure
If you have a passed pawn and your opponent does not, exchange for an endgame.

Pawn captures towards the center.

Avoid creating holes in your position. Occupy your opponent's holes with pieces.

Attack at the pawn chain’s base rather than at its head.

If attacking on the wing then close the center.

If defending, then open the center or seek counterplay in the center.

When playing against an isolated pawn trade pieces and centralize.

When playing with an isolated pawn play for attack against the opponent's king.

Chip away at the opponent's center from the sides if he has a space advantage.

General
Centralize pieces and redeploy unemployed pieces.

If ahead in material, swap pieces but not pawns. If behind in material, swap pawns (not pieces) and com

A knight on the rim is dim.

In a winning position avoid unnecessary complications. When losing take wild chances and complicate
Trade opponent’s active and centralized pieces.

Tie your opponent’s pieces down to his pawns (or king).

Don't play passively. Seek out activity. Masters focus on gradually improving their positions to convert.

When your opponent is tied down or in a bind and is just waiting: look for ways to improve your positio

In a winning position if the opportunity arises to simplify and retain equally or better winning chances,

Avoid unnecessary retreats or decentralizations in an open position.

Don't capture a pinned piece unless there is a concrete gain from it.

Welcome confrontation when your pieces are better posted than the opponent's. Don't create confron
development or the confrontation would reside on your opponent's strong wing. Engage the opponent
for it.

The player who holds a temporary advantage must create confrontation or attack, otherwise the advan

When attacking avoid swapping or retreating pieces.

Maintaining a lead in development is more important than keeping the two bishops.

Don't allow the opponent to eliminate key defenders of your king.

Space
If cramped then trade pieces; if you have a space advantage then avoid exchanges unless they favor yo

If you are cramped and have a freeing break, then play it.

Avoid opening the position on the wing where your opponent has more space.

The player with less space only rarely gets an attack going.

Minor Piece Imbalance

In a closed position knights tend to favor bishops; in an open position bishops tend to favor knights.

If in possession of the bishop pair when your opponent is not then avoid exchanging bishops. Open the
fluid pawn structure (i.e. the Bishop pair is more effective when the pawn structure remains fluid – not

If in possession of only one bishop then place your pawns on the opposite color.

If position is closed when in possession of the two bishops, open up the position to give them more spa

Opposite colored bishops favor the attacker.

When in possession of both bishops, and your opponent only one, place your pawns on the same color
your opponent's pawns on the same color as his remaining bishop.

When strong on one color then play on that color.

Garry Kasparov: One of the youngestWorld Chess champions,

Kasparov claimed the title at age 22 and is considered one of the
most accomplished players of all time.
Chess is a battleground. The game of chess is not a nice, quiet
game. It is about demolishing the enemy, according to Kasparov,
and should not be played any other way. Business, therefore,
must also be considered a fight to the end.

Make yourself comfortable in enemy territory. By convincing a

competitor that you are comfortable on their ground, you may be
able to trick them into making a move into your territory. This can
only happen if you have practiced working in the enemy’s
holdings. Familiarize yourself with the enemy and then make
plans to take over. –Garry kasparov
 The Thirty Rules
TEN OPENING RULES

1. OPEN with a CENTER PAWN.

2. DEVELOP with threats.
3. KNIGHTS before BISHOPS.
4. DON'T move the same piece twice.
5. Make as FEW PAWN MOVES as possible in the opening.
6. DON'T bring out your QUEEN too early.
7. CASTLE as soon as possible, preferably on the KING SIDE.
8. ALWAYS PLAY TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE CENTER.
9. Try to maintain at least ONE PAWN in the center.
10. DON'T SACRIFICE without a clear and adequate reason.

For a sacrificed pawn you must:

a) GAIN THREE TEMPI,
b) DEFLECT the enemy QUEEN,
c) PREVENT CASTLING,
d) BUILD UP a strong attack.

TEN MIDDLEGAME RULES

1. Have all your moves fit into definite plans.

Rules of Planning:

a) A plan MUST be suggested by SOME FEATURE IN THE

POSITION.
b) A plan MUST be based on SOUND STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES.
c) A plan MUST be FLEXIBLE,
d) CONCRETE, and
e) SHORT.

Evaluating a Position:

1) MATERIAL,
2) PAWN STRUCTURE,
3) PIECE MOBILITY,
4) KING SAFETY,
5) ENEMY THREATS
2. When you are material AHEAD, EXCHANGE as many pieces as possible,
especiallyQUEENS.
3. AVOID serious pawn WEAKNESSES.
4. In CRAMPED POSITIONS free yourself by EXCHANGING.
5. DON'T bring your KING out with your OPPONENT'S QUEEN on the board.
6. All COMBINATIONS are based on DOUBLE ATTACK.
7. If your opponent has ONE or MORE pieces EXPOSED, look for
a COMBINATION.
8. IN SUPERIOR POSITIONS, to ATTACK the ENEMY KING, you must OPEN a file
(or less often a diagonal) for your HEAVY PIECES (QUEEN and ROOKS).
9. IN EVEN POSITIONS, CENTRALIZE the action of ALL your PIECES.
10. IN INFERIOR POSITIONS, the best DEFENSE is COUNTER-ATTACK, if possible.

TEN ENDGAMES RULES

1. To win WITHOUT PAWNS, you must be at least a ROOK or TWO MINOR

PIECESahead (two knights excepted).
2. The KING must be ACTIVE in the ENDING.
3. PASSED PAWNS must be PUSHED (PPMBP).
4. The EASIEST endings to win are PURE PAWN endings.
5. If you are ONLY ONE PAWN ahead, EXCHANGE PIECES, not pawns.
6. DON'T place your PAWNS on the SAME COLOR SQUARES as your BISHOP.
7. BISHOPS are BETTER than KNIGHTS in all but BLOCKED pawn positions.
8. It is usually worth GIVING UP A PAWN to get a ROOK ON THE SEVENTH RANK.
9. ROOKS belong BEHIND PASSED PAWNS (RBBPP).
10. BLOCKADE PASSED PAWNS with the KING.
Strategy: How to Think
Like a Chess Player

In 1972, chess became political, and the world

took notice.

At the height of the cold war, the US prodigy

Bobby Fischer went to Iceland to play the
defending World Chess Champion from the
Soviet Union, Boris Spassky. The Soviets had
dominated the game for decades, but because
of Fischer’s reputation and the escalating
tension between the two nations, this was
hailed as an intellectual battleground for the
superpowers.

Fischer began slow, but after a few twists and

turns, he handed Spassky the defeat. The meet
is remembered as the “Match of the
Century.” It was a pivotal point in the history
of the game.

Chess is thought to have first originated in its

early form more than 1,500 years ago in India
or China. The modern variant has been around
since at least the 15th century.

The chess played by the average hobbyist,

however, is far different from the chess played
by the professionals. In fact, beyond moving
pieces on the surface, it’s almost an entirely
different game. The word strategy means
something different to you than it did to
Fischer.

Even so, although Fischer had the most

significant influence on the growth of the
game, when it comes to the title of the greatest
to ever play, he faces fierce opposition from a
different Soviet prodigy who would storm onto
the scene a decade after he quit.
Garry Kasparov became the youngest World
Chess Champion at age 22, and by the time he
retired, he had been ranked first for 225
months out of 228.

In 2007, he published a book called How Life

Imitates Chess. It’s an insight into the mind of
a master strategist, and it shows us the
application of deeper chess principles beyond
the board.

A good strategy increases the odds of getting

from A to B to Z. Let’s see how.

Ask the Right Questions to

Narrow Focus
Kasparov is big on asking the right questions
when strategizing. In his words:
“Questions are what matters.
Questions, and discovering the
right ones, are the key to staying
on course.”

When novice players play chess, their primary

focus is on what to do with the pieces in front
of them. When professionals play chess, their
main focus is on how their opponents think.

Novice players might try and visualize a few

steps ahead, but they mostly just react to the
board. There isn’t enough depth in their style
of play to realize how a move in the opening
parts of a game might influence the dynamics
in the later stages.

In the professional’s world, this simple fact —

 that any move, at any point, can determine the
advantages or disadvantages at a far later
stage — makes the game infinitely more
complex.

There are so many potential moves that make

sense that it becomes less about calculating the
seemingly optimal play in the short-term than
does about understanding the intentions of
your opponent in the long-term.

A novice looks for answers about which piece

to move based on the structure of the board
without thinking about the reasons behind that
structure. A professional seeks to ask the right
questions to understand their opponent’s
process so that they can figure out what to look
for.

It’s important to note that, whether in chess or

life, in a dynamic world, answers to general
questions change over time. General questions
are layered and ambiguous, and they have
more than one answer. It can be easy to be
fooled by what’s on the surface. The line
between irrelevant noise and relevant
information is blurred, and often, we don’t
realize it.

The best approach, then, isn’t to start by

looking for an answer in a sea of noise, but it’s
about having a framework in place to trim the
fat so that we can zone in on what matters.
“What are you really trying to
accomplish and how does what
you’re doing accomplish that?”

Start there. Eventually, if you ask enough

pointed questions, you can go from a big noisy
environment where there’s either no clear
solution or an illusion of a solution to a
smaller, more narrowed circle of localization
where you only have the relevant decision-
making tools left to use.

The most important part of any strategy is an

understanding of what the mission actually is.
It isn’t enough to make a profit as a small
business or to get that A grade as a student. It’s
about digging deeper to understand the
core“why” and the right questions help do
exactly that.
Balance Calculation with
Imagination
The secret to humanity’s success lies in that
we’ve built on the collective intelligence of our
entire species. Each generation doesn’t have to
start from scratch because we can pass on
knowledge through the use of our complex
language system. No other animal has this
ability.

As a result, our default mode of reasoning is to

build on what we know. We calculate based on
what we understand about the past, and we
tweak it to make incremental changes that
guide us into an uncertain future. Most of the
time, this works just fine.

That said, this method has its shortcomings,

too. When we rely solely on reasoning from
existing parallels, we contribute to the bias
towards existing patterns, and we instinctively
eliminate the possibility of new ones. The
future isn’t predetermined, but when we
calculate it based on what we know, we make it
so. Imagination expands this narrowed
possibility.
The future isn’t predetermined, but
when we calculate it based on
what we know, we make it so.
Imagination expands this
narrowed possibility.

Chess is traditionally broken into three parts:

opening, middlegame, and endgame. Any real
student of the game reads books, analyzes past
examples, and gets instructed on the famous
patterns and tactics during each part. In fact,
there are step-by-step plays where it’s almost
expected that if an opponent does one thing,
you react with another.
Good players study these things, and in a
game, they’re able to recognize the appropriate
cues and take advantage of their opponent by
employing the tactics they have learned.

Great players, however, recognize these same

patterns but they know that they are playing
against others who have spent their lives
studying similar plays, and they don’t always
employ those old tactics. Sometimes, they look
towards the future and fill the gaps in a new
way.

None of this is illogical. It’s just a method of

reasoning backward from where we want to
end up rather than using the past to move us in
a predictable direction. Kasparov calls this the
power of fantasy, and when this occurs, the
result is a new way of doing the old, and that’s
how the game evolves. Calculation guides
progress, but imagination catalyzes innovation.

We’re familiar with existing methods, and we

have a tendency to presume that they’re the
only way forward. If it’s done this way or that
way, we intuitively think that it’s for an
unquestionable reason, so that’s the path we
take. That’s not, however, the optimal route to
making big leaps.

The world is always changing, and to change

with it, we have to challenge the status-quo and
even our own long-held beliefs. We have to be
willing to imagine the future and reason our
way backward. That’s how we bypass
inefficiencies and discover hidden
opportunities.
Leverage Strengths to
Maximize Advantage
It’s common for us when we’re inexperienced
to look for the secrets.

We search through past narratives, and we

hope to mimic a similar strategy. It’s another
way of reasoning from existing parallels, but
it’s an act of copying rather than building on
the past.

Understanding the history of something or

learning from someone else’s experience is an
incredibly efficient way to bypass the needless
mistakes that come with practical learning.
There’s often required general knowledge that
can make anyone better off.

The problem occurs when we try to duplicate

the whole blueprint. Instead of using the
wisdom to learn how to better think about our
own situation, sometimes, we take the easy
way out. We try to use the information to
rigidly guide what we do as if that’s the only
way.

No two people or circumstances are the same.

What worked for someone else will likely not
work for you in the same way. There’s an
abundance of ways to reach an end. We all
have our own personal strengths, and the key
is to recognize them and use them to our
advantage.
No two people or circumstances
are the same. What worked for
someone else will likely not work
for you in the same way.

Kasparov was known for his aggressive style of

play. Contrary to popular belief, in many ways,
chess is as much a game of psychology as it is
about strategy, and Kasparov was as
formidable in his ability to beat opponents in
psychological warfare as he was in his skill as a
tactician.

In contrast, Anatoly Karpov, Kasparov’s

archrival, who’s also considered one of the
greatest to ever play the game, was far more
risk-averse. He focused on the board and let
his strategy play out by capturing as many
resources as he could without any major
gambles.

What worked for Kasparov would have been

counterproductive for Karpov, and vice versa.
Beyond general rules of thumb and a basic
education, it’s more effective for each person to
recognize and leverage their own strengths to
maximize their advantage.

Another example is Deep Blue, the IBM

computer that beat Kasparov in 1997. As a
machine, it was completely detached from the
psychological aspects of the game, but with
brute calculating power, it displayed a new
method of winning.

A strategy should never be a model of what’s

worked in the past. It should be educated, yes,
but more importantly, it should have a
personal element of awareness embedded into
it.

All You Need to Know

A strategy should be more than a rigid plan. In
a rapidly changing world, a better way think
about a strategy is as a detailed, but flexible,
vision towards a mission. It should be unique,
and it should be designed to adapt.

Chess is one of the most popular games of any

kind, and at its core, it’s a game of war. With
this dynamic and the infinite number of ways
that the game can be played, naturally, it
heavily relies on effective reasoning.
Garry Kasparov is a legend of the game, and
beyond just his moves on the board, he tried to
show us how the ideas used in chess can help
us succeed in other aspects of life, too. Not
everyone thinks like him, but almost everyone
would be better off if they did.

Of course, more is needed than just a strategy

to achieve something. Execution, chance, and
flexibility all play their part. But it starts here.

Although chess isn’t business, politics, or

sports, the models are transferable.
1. Rapidly develop all pieces

The main goal at opening is to develop pieces and reach castling as

quick as possible.

Opening is complete when one or both players have their Rooks

connected.

The player, who finishes the development first, gains the initiative.
2. Develop Knights before Bishops

While Bishops can control several squares from their original position,
if there are no pawns obstructing their way, Knights dominate only
their neighbour squares and take longer to reach the opponent’s field,
because they are less mobile pieces.
3. Don?t move the same piece twice during
opening

Try to place your pieces at the best possible position at the first move.

It is a waste of time to move the same piece more than once during
opening and it may cost you the initiative in the game.
4. Don?t make unnecessary pawns moves
during opening

Pawn moves should be restricted during opening, because the time

involved in these moves could be applied to develop another piece.

Generally, moving pawns is suitable when the player aims to open

diagonals for the Queen or Bishops or occupy the center.
5. Don?t check if not necessary

A check that can easily be defended by the opponent is unnecessary.

Most of the checks during opening can easily be defended by moves

that favor development.
6. Don?t open a position if you are late in
development

An open position favors the color with more pieces in the game.

Therefore, only the player who has an advantage in development

should produce an open position.
7. Place the Queen behind the line of
friendly pawns during opening

Since the Queen is a very powerful piece, it is also very vulnerable to

the opponent’s constant attacks.

Therefore, it’s convenient to place it behind a pawn, preferably on the

second rank so that the first one is free for Rook development.
8. Avoid trading a developed piece for a not
developed one

Generally, it’s a bad deal to trade a well-positioned piece for a bad-

positioned one.

When you trade one of your developed pieces for one of your
opponent’s not developed ones, you waste time.
The same is true if you trade a piece that has moved a lot for one that
your opponent moved only once.
9. Castle as quickly as possible

The King’s safety é is one of the most important things to care about
during opening and middlegame.

The King in the center will always be very vulnerable to the opponent’s
attacks, especially in open positions.

Castling means placing your King comfortably behind a pawn

blockade and allowing development of one of your Rooks.
Then, the Rook may rapidly occupy an open or half-open file.
10. Kingside castling is safer than
Queenside castling
Kingside castling places the King away from the center and safer
behind a rank of protected pawns; furthermore it’s a quicker move
than Queenside castling since only 2 pieces have to be moved before.

On the other hand, castling on the opponent’s opposite side may be

very interesting to create more attacking opportunities.
11. Try to prevent the opponent from
castling

If your opponent is waiting too long to castle, try to keep the enemy
King even longer in the center.

One of the most common ways to do so is to control one of the

squares serving as passage for the King (usually f1 or f8, when
Kingside castling).

Most of the times it’s worthwhile to sacrifice a pawn in order to keep

the King in the center.
12. Dominate as much territory as possible

The player, who has an advantage in space, enables greater mobility

to friendly pieces and can, therefore, transfer pieces from one side to
the other with more flexibility.

On the other hand, the player in a more restricted position finds it

difficult to maneuver pieces, which might be fatal if they are requested
to defend the King.
13. Advance pawns in order to conquer
space

Although advancing pawns is the main resource to restrict the

opponent’s position, this rule should be considered carefully because
the farer the pawns are from base position the harder it is to defend
them.
Furthermore, each position advanced by a pawn creates weakness at
its adjacent squares, which may be occupied by enemy pieces.
14. As pawns advance they get more
difficult to protect

A weak pawn is one that is not defended by another pawn, which

means, that it must be defended by pieces, when it is under attack.

Those pieces lose much of their effectiveness because they have to

assume a defensive role, while enemy pieces get an active role.
15. Place your pawns in the center

The center of the chessboard consists of e4, e5, d4 and d5. The
expanded center also includes the squares that form the c3, c6, f3 and
f6 rectangle.
Pawns are the best units to create the center because, differently from
pieces, they are not vulnerable to the attack of enemy pawns.
16. Keep your pieces as close as possible
to the center

In the center, a piece controls more squares than anywhere else on

the board. The Knight, for instance, may move to 8 different squares
from the center while it has only 2 options when placed in corners.

The control of the center is also important because it enables pieces

to move rapidly from one side of the board to the other, and if your
pieces move faster than the ones of your opponent, you have greater
chances to create a successful attack.
17. When trading pawns, try to get yours as
close as possible to the center
If two of your pawns can retake the opponent’s piece that previously
captured one of your pieces, it is recommended to move the pawn
that, at the end, will be closest to the center, since central pawns are
more important than lateral ones.
18. Control the center before attacking

Successful attacks on the wings depend mostly on center control.

Therefore, concern yourself with a strong and stable center before

starting any lateral attack.
19. Pawns are the foundation of strategy

The pawn structure is fundamental to any position, because it

improves or reduces the effectiveness of pieces.
In order to achieve good pawn conformation, all different kinds of
weak pawns should be avoided: isolated, doubled, backward and
hanging pawns.
20. Pawn weakness is eternal

While pieces can move to become more active, any deficiency in

pawn structure is a long-term weakness.

Therefore, if your opponent has weak pawns, you don’t need to hurry
to explore them.
21. Avoid doubled pawns

Doubled pawns are two pawns of the same color lined up on the same
file.

They have less mobility than normal ones and are more vulnerable to
attacks, especially when isolated.
However, they do not always represent a disadvantage.

Dominance of an open or a half-open adjacent file, or even additional

control of the center, may often be a sufficient compensation.
22. Avoid isolated pawns

Isolated pawns are those with no friendly pawn on either adjacent file.
Therefore, they cannot be defended by a pawn of the same color,
when they are under attack and have to be protected by a piece.

The main weakness of an isolated pawn is that the square directly in

front of it is debilitated (a hole), because it cannot be controlled by
another pawn and is easily occupied by an enemy piece.

Isolated pawns are even more vulnerable when placed in half-open

files, because they become easy targets for enemy Rooks.
23. Avoid backward pawns
A backward pawn is closer to its base considering its adjacent
comrades and is prevented from advancing, because the square
directly in front of it is under an enemy pawn’s control.

A backward pawn usually impairs communication between defensive

pieces and the weak square (hole) in front of it may easily be occupied
by an enemy piece.
24. Avoid creating holes (weak squares)

Every time you advance a pawn, the squares beside him become
holes.

A hole is a square that cannot be protected by pawns.

Its main disadvantage is that it is easily occupied by enemy pieces,

improving their effectiveness, because they are not easily chased
away from their positions, since they are free from opponent pawn
attacks.
25. Avoid pawn islands

A pawn group separated from the others by one or more files is called
an island.

Each island contains a basic position that has to be protected by other

pieces.

Therefore, the more islands a player possesses the harder it gets to

defend them. It is useful to consider influences on the pawn structure
every time you trade pieces.

At the endgame, the smallest number of islands may be considered a

significant advantage.
26. Think carefully before advancing
hanging pawns
Hanging pawns are two friendly neighbour pawns that have no
comrades on adjacent squares.

If they are placed in the same rank, they can control many squares in
front of them, which is an advantage. But, on the other hand, they
cannot be defended by other pawns.

Advancing one of them results in creating a backward pawn and a

hole, both to be explored by the opponent.
27. Put pressure on the opponent?s
backward pawn

Usually, the best way to explore a backward pawn is to put pressure

on it, so that the enemy uses resources in its defense, and afterwards,
attack at another point of the board.
28. Force your opponent to advance
hanging pawns

In order to fight hanging pawns, you have to put them under pressure
until a pawn advances, which results in a hole that you can occupy.
29. Whenever possible, create a passed
pawn

Passed pawn is the one that doesn’t have enemy pawns in its way in
its file or in adjacent files.

A passed pawn is considered a very dangerous weapon, because it

may reach the final rank and be promoted.
30. Always blockade your opponent?s
passed pawns

A passed pawn can become a very powerful weapon, especially when

it is well protected by enemy pieces; therefore it has to be immobilized
as fast as possible.

To block a pawn is to prevent it from advancing by placing a piece in

its way.

Knights and Bishops are considered the best pieces for blockades.
31. The Knight is the best piece to block a
passed pawn

Thanks to its ability to jump over all units, the Knight is considered the
best piece to block a passed pawn, because its range isn’t impaired
by the pawn itself.
The Bishop is the second best blockader, especially if the pawn’s
adjacent diagonals are open.
32. Pawn majority distant from the enemy
King is an advantage

Majority is when a player possesses more pawns on one side than the
opponent. For example, 2 against 1, 3 against 2, etc...

In many cases, majority results in a spatial advantage, but most

important is that this majority always produces a passed pawn, when
pawns are correctly advanced.
33. Minority attack

Whenever a color has majority of pawns on one side, the other color
may perform a minority attack.
This attack consists of advancing pawns in order to force trades,
leaving the opponent with only one isolated pawn or a backward one.
34. Avoid unnecessary trades

As a general rule, you should only trade pieces:

 When your opponent has the initiative

 When you are in a restricted position
 In order to weaken your opponent’s pawn structure
 When you are in material advantage
 In order to trade off a passive piece for an active one of your
opponent
 In order to simplify position and reach a more favorable endgame
 In order to eliminate an important enemy defense
35. The value of a piece varies according to
its position

The value of a piece is, generally, consistent with the number of

squares it dominates, because the more squares it controls, the more
it threatens the opponent.

A well-positioned piece is of much higher value than the equivalent

enemy piece that occupies a bad position.

In general, a well-positioned piece has the following qualities: it is

protected, has great mobility, isn’t easily attacked, cooperates with the
other pieces and attacks enemy pieces or pawns.
36. Whenever possible, place your Rooks
on the 7th or 8th rank
A Rook on the 7th rank is an advantage, not only because it
represents danger to enemy pawns, but also because it restricts the
opponent’s King and creates various mate possibilities.
37. Double Rooks on the 7th rank

Two Rooks occupying the 7th rank is an extremely dangerous

weapon, because the enemy is condemned to the most complete
passivity.

The enormous amount of pressure on the pawn base and the

possibility of innumerous tactic themes, almost always turn this
advantage into a win.
38. Not always a pawn should be promoted
into a Queen

In amateur games, automatically queening a pawn has been the

reason for many stalemate draws.
Carefully consider which piece is most appropriate for that specific
circumstance.
39. Keep your Knights close to the center

Knights, more than any other piece, need to be close to the center of
the chessboard.

First, because a Knight can control 8 squares from the center, while
from the borders it controls only 4.

Second, because a Knight needs 4 moves to cross the chessboard

and reach the other side, while from the center it takes only 2 to get to
one of the borders.
40. Rooks should rapidly occupy open or
half-open files
During opening, Rooks are the last pieces to be developed, because
they are effective when they settle on open or half-open files.

Usually, the ideal squares to place Rooks are e1, d1 and c1 (e8, d8
and c8 for Black), because from these positions they can put pressure
on the center and defend the backrank at the same time.

A Rook may, however, be an effective defense when placed on the

2nd file, while it still operates aggressively in the file.
41. Keep your Bishops active

The activity of a Bishop depends mostly of his friendly pawns’

placement.

A Bishop that is not blocked by its own pawns is a good Bishop and
the one that is limited by its pawns is a bad Bishop.
42. Keep your pawns on squares of the
same color of your opponent?s Bishop

When your opponent has only one Bishop, you should place your
pawns on squares of the corresponding color of the square occupied
by the enemy Bishop.

However, if you have only one Bishop, then the color of your pawns’
squares should not correspond to your Bishops placement, whether
your opponent has only one Bishop or not.
43. A Bishop is worth more than a Knight
on open positions

Bishops must have diagonals to operate in order to be more effective,

therefore the less there are pawns on the chessboard, the more
effective they get.
In open positions - when diagonals aren’t obstructed by pawns - a
Bishop can attack the kingside and protect its own flank from the
Queen, at the same time.

On the other hand, a Knight can maneuver only on one side due to its
restricted mobility.
44. A Knight is worth more than a Bishop in
closed positions

Due to their ability to jump over other units, Knights perform better
than Bishops in rigid pawn chain positions.
45. Knights need outposts

An outpost is a square, usually in the 5th and 6th ranks, that is under
the protection of a pawn and isn’t subject to enemy pawn attacks.
When a Knight occupies an outpost, it puts a great deal of pressure on
the opponent’s camp and it also supports the development of flank
attacks.
46. Usually, in mobile pawn endgames, the
Bishop is worth more than a Knight

In the Bishop’s fight against the Knight, the Bishop’s color should try to
keep its pawns mobile, while the other camp should paralyze these
enemy pawns, preferably on squares of the same color as the square
occupied by their Bishop.
47. Two Bishops are, usually, stronger than
Bishop and Knight and than two Knights

The Bishop is a long-range piece and its main disadvantage is the

ability to control only squares of the same color.
Therefore, two Bishops complement each other perfectly. When well
coordinated, they are superior to a Bishop and a Knight, because
these enemies take too long to reach the active field due to the limited
mobility of the Knight.

Another advantage of a pair of Bishops is that, at any moment, you

may trade one of them for the enemy Knight, while it is very difficult for
the opponent to trade the Knight for one of the enemy Bishops.
48. How to fight against a Bishop and a
Knight

If you own a pair of Bishops and your opponent a Bishop and a

Knight, restrict the enemy Bishop’s range by placing pawns on
squares of the same color as the Bishop’s square, and reduce the
power of the enemy Knight by preventing it from occupying outposts
and central squares.
49. How to fight a pair of Bishops

If your opponent owns a pair of Bishops, restrict their activity with

blocking pawn chains and conquer outposts for your Knight(s).
50. Keep your pawns on squares that are
different from the ones of your Bishop

If you own only one Bishop, try to place your pawns on squares of the
opposite color of the Bishop’s square.

Besides keeping the diagonal clear for the Bishop’s operation, this
enables your pawns to work in perfect harmony with the piece,
controlling one color of squares, while the Bishop controls the other.
51. Bishops should be placed in front of a
pawn chain

A Bishop will be very weakened if it is restricted by pawns, therefore

always try to place it out of the pawn chain, when they are on squares
of the same color as the Bishop is.
52. If your opponent owns two Bishops, try
to trade one of them off

When you are fighting a pair of Bishops, try to trade one of them off,
because this will withdraw the dominance your opponent had over the
squares the Bishop used to control.
53. Keep your eyes on the squares
controlled by your opponent?s Bishop

If your opponent owns two Bishops and you only one (the white-
squared Bishop, for instance), the enemy has control over the color of
the spare Bishop’s squares (the black squares, in this example).

That means, that you have to watch carefully over these squares,
because the other Bishop (of the black squares) can attack pawns and
squares your Bishop cannot defend.
54. A Bishop can dominate a Knight

Due to its wider range, the Bishop can totally control a Knight that is
placed at a border of the chessboard.

In endgames, this may be fatal, because the color that owns a Bishop
is, in effect, playing with an extra piece.
55. Think about defense first

The most important principle in chess is safety. At each move your

opponent makes stop and ask yourself the following questions:

 Where is this move threatening me?

 What are my opponent’s intentions?
 What would I do in my opponent’s place?

56. Assess the changes resulting from your

opponent?s move

Each move may considerably change the situation on the chessboard.

Therefore, it’s recommended to ask yourself the following questions
after each of your opponent’s move:

 What does the new move attack and defend?

  Where has defense and attack been withdrawn?
 Which diagonals, ranks and files have been obstructed?
 Which diagonals, ranks and files have been liberated?
 Which enemy piece can occupy the square left by the piece that
made the move?
 Where can the piece head to now?

57. Keep the backrank protected

Make sure your King is able to escape any backrank checks, before
moving your Rooks from the 8th rank.

It’s always wise to open a small escape path for the King, before
withdrawing Rooks from the 8th rank.
58. Don?t let your pieces get overloaded
An overloaded piece is a piece performing more than one function at
the same time. Usually, it’s the one that is busy defending two or more
pieces.

Overloaded pieces are reason for tactic strikes leading to loss of

material, because they leave something unprotected when they are
forced to move.
59. Don?t recapture pieces automatically

It’s recommended to consider the possibility of intermediate moves

before retaking any piece.

Intermediate moves are powerful weapons because they surprise the

opponent, besides being an important tactic component.
60. Avoid advancing pawns that protect your King

Every pawn move creates a weakness that may seem irrelevant at

first site, but that can be exploited later on by your opponent.
61. Never allow your King to stay in danger of a check

Unexpected checks are, many times, the key to tactic strikes.

62. Avoid placing heavy pieces in the range of lower
pieces

A piece of greater value should never be placed in the way of a less

aggressive one, because the latter will be nullified.
63. If you?ve got little space, try to trade off
one or two pieces

Try to trade one or two pieces in order to liberate some space, when
you are in a restricted position.

The other way round, when you have space advantage, avoid trading
and use this advantage to quickly shift the attack from one side to the
other.
64. Eliminate your opponent?s best piece

If one of your opponent’s pieces is very well positioned, try to trade it

off.
65. Keep your pieces protected

Every unprotected piece may be the target of an enemy combination.

The ideal is to keep all pieces protected by pawns or, if there aren’t
any available, by other pieces.

The main disadvantage of defending pieces by pieces is that, once the

defender itself is attacked, it must abandon the piece it was protecting.
66. Keep your pieces on a square of a different color
than the enemy Bishop is on

If your opponent has only one Bishop, try to place all your pieces on a
square of a different color than the enemy Bishop can control.
67. Try to get rid of all pinned pieces

A pinned piece is immobilized and always vulnerable to new attacks.

It is impossible to avoid losing material, when the opponent gets to

attack this piece with a pawn.
68. Never make the job easy for your opponent

Don’t despair when you are under attack; even in a clearly inferior
position, there is always a chance for survival.

The main principle consists in making things difficult for your

opponent’s attack, placing many obstacles in the enemy’s way,
lingering as much as possible your defense and inducing your
opponent to a mistake.
69. If your opponent attacks on one side, counter-
attack in the center

Many times, the best answer to a flank attack is a counter-attack in the

center, even if it costs you a pawn.
70. Try to anticipate your opponent?s threats

Usually, a direct threat can be easily defended, but a remote threat, on

the other hand, is only defended if you are able to anticipate it some
moves before.

Otherwise, when the remote threat becomes imminent, it will come

with another direct threat that will also need to get your immediate
attention.
71. Trade off the opponent?s Fianchettoed Bishop

This means to weaken a group of squares close to the King, which

may open lines for an attack.
72. Improve your pieces? position

Try, gradually, to improve your pieces’ position so that they can

control more important squares, cooperate with friendly pieces and put
more pressure on the enemy territory.
73. Restrict the movement of enemy pieces

Try, whenever possible, to keep enemy pieces as far as you can from
the field of action.
74. Confine an enemy piece

Keeping an enemy piece out of the game for a while may be sufficient
to gain decisive advantage.
75. Do always create a threat
Your opponent is forced to allocate resources in order to contain the
threat you created, which draws attention away from the enemy’s own
plans.
76. Crate new weaknesses in the enemy field

Never be satisfied in attacking an existing weakness on your

opponent’s position, but try to create new ones.

Many times, the first step to a kingside attack is to force the weakness
of a pawn.
77. Concentrate your forces on your
opponent?s weak points

As you put pressure on certain point, your opponent is forced to bring

in pieces in order to protect this point, which leaves other areas on the
chessboard unprotected and subject to new attacks.
78. Cumulate advantages before attacking

Before starting an attack, you should create weaknesses in the

opponent’s position and place as many pieces you can in aggressive
position.

A premature attack offers the opponent a chance to organize

defenses.
79. Concentrate as much as possible your forces when
you attack

In order to ensure a successful attack, it’s essential to concentrate

your forces on your target, preventing your opponent from an effective
defense.

If the attack fails in this case, the opponent’s weaknesses are very
likely to increase.
80. Open ranks, files and diagonals

It’s important to open ranks with pawn moves or piece sacrifices,

because it’s through these ranks that attacking pieces can enter the
enemy position.
81. Eliminate key pieces of your opponent?s defense

Identify the most important piece of your opponent’s defense, when

you are attacking, and try to eliminate it.
82. Avoid trading while attacking
Unless there is a very good reason, it’s recommended not to trade
pieces while attacking, because this may make the opponent’s
defense easier.

Especially Queen trades, usually, debilitate the attack.

83. Plan hypothetical trades

Mentally withdrawing pieces from the chessboard, assessing the new

position and verifying if the new situation is worse or better than the
previous one is a very useful technique to evaluate if an exchange is
to be made or not.
84. Quickly move your attack from one side
to the other

Many times it’s necessary to create at least two weaknesses in enemy

positions to win a game.
Then, an alternated attack on these weak points is a very powerful
weapon, especially, when your opponent has a lack in space, since
enemy pieces will get overloaded by defending both positions at the
same time.
85. Whenever you have material
advantage, simplify

Material advantage gets more and more intense as the number of

pieces on the chessboard falls.

The difference of 1 unit in a battle of 4 against 3 is much more

significant than in a battle of 10 against 9.
86. After an attack, reorganize your pieces

Usually, after an attack pieces lose their harmony.

Therefore, before starting a new incursion against your opponent,
reorganize your forces and protect your weak points as quick as
possible.
87. When a player has an extra pawn it?s
recommended to trade pieces instead of
pawns

The principle is very simple: the fewer pieces in a game, the less
complicated is the position and much easier it gets to explore material
advantage.
88. Centralize your King as quick as
possible in endgames

After most of the pieces, especially Queens, have been traded off, the
King takes a predominant role in the battle and becomes an
aggressive piece.
Since the King is a piece of little mobility, it’s recommended to
centralize it as quick as possible so that it may move fast to the
position on the chessboard where it is most needed.
89. The King must be active in the endgame

During most endgames, the King must worry less about mates and
should assume a more active position, especially, pursuing and
blocking enemy pawns.
90. Drag your opponent into Zugzwang

Zugzwang is a situation in which any movement the player makes

results in an even worse situation than if no move at all was performed
(diagram).

This resource is particularly important in Bishop versus Knight

endgames.
Since the Bishop has control on practically the same squares when it
moves on a diagonal, it has a great time advantage on the Knight that
loses control on squares when it moves.
91. Many wins are based on winning opposition

Kings are in opposition when they are placed on the same file, rank or
diagonal with only one free square between them.

Opposition is a kind of Zugzwang, in which the move of one King

opens the way to the passage of the other one.

Winning the opposition means that a player moves the King in order to
put the enemy King in Zugzwang, forcing the latter to make the next
move.
92. Endgames with Bishops of opposite colors usually
result in a draw
Bishops of opposite colors may represent an advantage for the active
color in the middle game, since the Bishop of the defensive part won’t
be able to neutralize the pressure on a certain diagonal.

Nevertheless, in endgames one Bishop cannot attack the points the

other can defend.
93. Flank pawns are very strong against Knights

Usually, a Knight has a hard time to fight passed pawns, due to its
little mobility.

When these pawns are Rook pawns, it gets even harder, because
Knights have more restricted movements close to the borders.
94. Keep your Rooks active in endgames

An active Rook is much stronger than a passive one. In endgames,

this may, sometimes, be enough to win a game.
95. Always place a Rook behind a passed
pawn

Rooks become more active behind passed pawns, both to support

friendly pawns and to attack enemy ones.
96. The color that has an exchange down
should avoid trading the second Rook

Many times, when a player has an exchange down, the simplest way
to win an endgame is to trade off the opponent’s second Rook.

Usually, a lonely minor piece has little chance against a Rook.

97. Create a passed pawn if you have majority

In order to create a passed pawn from a majority of pawns, advance

the pawn first that has no opponent in its file.

When the opponent succeeds in placing a pawn directly in front of

your most advanced pawn, the advantage of your majority tends to
disappear, because lateral pawns have no support to advance.
98. Centralize the Queen in endgames

Although the Queen should not be too exposed during the first part of
the game, after some piece trading, it should be centralized whenever
possible.

On a central square the Queen reaches its highest mobility (almost

half of the chessboard) and it prevents the enemy Queen from
occupying the most important positions.
99. Always expect your opponent to make the best
move

Never make a move believing that your opponent won’t find the best
answer to it.

Always try to make moves that gradually improve your position, even if
your opponent finds the best answers.
100. Not every weakness is bad

Weaknesses only are relevant if the opponent can explore them.

A pawn is only weak if it can be captured; a square is only weak if the

opponent can occupy it.
101. Every rule was made to be broken

Chess is not an exact science and all tips and concepts presented
hereby cannot be applied in a 100% of the situations, neither should
they be followed blindly.

One of the great differences between a Grandmaster and an amateur

is knowing when basic strategy principles are to be violated or not.

In general, we recommend that you: avoid advancing pawns that

protect your King, unless you have a good reason to do so.