When thinking of board games, one of the most common choices that will come to mind is, no doubt, chess. And this shouldn’t be any surprise as this game is equally exciting but requires exceptional focus to win. If beating everyone you face at the game of chess is your desire, then you’re in the right place.
Here’s a guide where we’ll take you through different strategies to incorporate into your chess game to have the edge over your competitors. For you to achieve this, you need several skills, including knowledge of endgames and openings. You also need to practice intense concentration skills as moves get made so quickly. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the principles that will help you win chess every time.
Here are 6 helpful tips to win at chess every time:
- Have an excellent plan
- Learn the moves
- Understand the value of each chess piece
- Learn how to control the center squares
- Castle early
- Ensure your opening moves are good
How To Win At Chess Every Time
1. Have An Excellent Plan
An important principle you must observe if you’re to win at chess is always having a plan. This is recommended rather than making random moves without any goal in mind, as this means you are playing passively. Therefore, it will be a lot harder for you to checkmate your opponent as you’re not taking an active role in how you play.
Instead, it would be best if you always had a clear and detailed plan for all your moves. You should do this right from the start with your openings to avoid showing any vulnerability to your opponent early on during the game. With this active strategy, you’ll always be one step ahead of your opponent. This means that you’ll be one step closer to checkmate your competitor.
Ideally, you should develop a chess strategy that allows you to place pressure on the King. This is advised as it puts pressure on your opponent, increasing their chances of making a wrong move. Consequently, you can capitalize on that and checkmate them.
2. Learn The Moves
To fully comprehend how all of the chess pieces move, you should learn to perfect your game. Doing this is necessary as the different pieces move in different ways.
For example, the knight moves in an L-shape, while the castle or rook moves in a straight line, either backward, forward, or sideways. The pawn moves straight ahead one square at a time and does this only at one specific angle, whereas the King moves one square each time in any direction. In addition, the queen moves in all the directions for the wished number of squares but only in one direction at a time.
3. Understand The Value of Each Chess Piece
You also need to understand the value of each chess piece for you to start winning at chess every time. This is more so recommended if you’re a beginner who’s determined to sharpen your chess playing skills. Only after you understand each piece’s value in the order of importance rating from lower to higher, will you increase your chances of winning at chess.
The values of ranking of the different pieces on the chess game are;
- Queen – 9
- Rook – 5
- Bishop – 3
- Knight – 3
- Pawn – 1
In addition to this, you also need to know about the most valuable chess piece: the King. If your opponent traps your King, then you’ll have lost the game. Therefore, you should put in place measures that ensure your King is always protected always.
4. Learn How To Control The Center Squares
To increase the chances of winning at chess, you need to learn how to control the center tiles, more so the four at the very center. It’s recommended you do this as it gives you the flexibility to attack from anywhere on the chessboard. This means that you’ll always be in control of the direction and pace of the game.
You can use two strategies when trying to control the game, and these are;
- The use of flanks: This is a modern chess-playing strategy that enables you to control your chessboard center from the outside. You can do this by using the Knights, Queen, and Rooks running on each side of the board. By doing this, it becomes tough for your competitor to make a move at the center without losing a piece.
- Supported middle: This involves you slowly moving towards the chessboard’s center using numerous pieces. As you do this, the Bishops and Knights give their support from the peripheries, thereby enabling you to take a piece anytime you’re being attacked.
5. Castle Early
Many amateur chess players often make the mistake of not castling early. And if you want to win each of your chess games, this is a strategy that needs to become part of your game. Castling early is very effective as it moves this chess piece far from the chessboard’s center while simultaneously protecting your King. It also activates the rooks and prepares them to enter the game, enabling you to control the open files and back rank.
Castling early is a chess strategy that improves two chess pieces immediately.
6. Ensure Your Opening Moves Are Good
The first few moves in the game of chess are what determine whether you’ll be triumphant. Therefore, it’s best to perfect these moves to increase the chances of winning at chess every time. This technique is so effective hence why it’s been studied comprehensively to try and figure out which is the best way to start the chess game.
For top chess players, close emphasis is usually placed even up to the 20th move. Therefore, you must have the basic knowledge of the best opening moves to avoid getting trapped during the game and giving yourself an early advantage.
To help you develop your opening move technique, go through the popular opening move sequences such as;
- Sicilian Defense: This chess strategy usually depends on a single move that later creates an endless list of possibilities.
- Ruy Lopez: If you want to get full control of your board, this is a recommended opening you should implement.
Takeaway
Perfecting your chess skills needs you to set aside time to learn the tactics and strategies that give you an edge over your rivals. If this is what you’ve been hoping to achieve, highlighted above are the concepts you need to integrate into your game to increase the chances of winning.
