Understanding Chess Strategy

I believe there are two things that all chess players want to know:

1. What is the best chess strategy?
2. How do I use chess strategy in my games?

Chess players of all levels that I have met or listened to, want to know the answers to these questions.

Chess strategy is having the knowledge and understanding of what to do in every chess position. There are rules and principles that make every chess position work and you need to know them if you want to improve your game. The most important chess strategy is to checkmate the opponent’s King and stop them from checkmating your King.

What is chess strategy?

Every chess player has to ask themselves these two questions: what to do and how to do it? The answer to the first question is found by using chess strategy, and the second one is found by using chess tactics.

Planning and chess strategy go hand in hand. There is a famous saying in chess that says: it is better to play with a plan and lose, than to play without a plan and lose.

This is a common mistake that is made by chess beginners or novice players and if I am honest by stronger players as well.

Chess strategy is very difficult and cannot be learned in one day. It is mastered by putting it into practice in every chess game that you play.

How can I use chess strategy?

The answer: Chess tactics.

Good chess strategy is put into use by using chess tactics.

If someone told you that there was a hidden treasure in the mountain close to where you live, you would not just rush and start digging randomly in the mountain. You will need a map to locate where the hidden treasure might be and then you will need to carry tools and food supplies etc. When you get to the location where the hidden treasure is you won’t just sit there and wait for it to present itself. You will start digging until you find it.

That is the bond between chess strategy and tactics.

Chess strategy will get you to the hidden treasure and tactics will help you dig until you find that treasure. You realise your chess strategy by using chess tactics. They are the practical side of the chess game.

Why is it important to use chess strategy?

If you take the example given under the previous headline, there is no way you can just rush into the mountain and start digging without knowing where the hidden treasure is!? That would not be wise, you may end up to digging the entire mountain and IF you are lucky you might find the hidden treasure.

Every position on the chessboard has a clear strategy that you need to follow if you want to win your chess games and enjoy them.

When you understand chess strategy you won’t struggle to find good moves and also how to find a good plan to follow in every chess position.

You avoid making bad moves that lose when you play every game using chess strategy. The best chess players in the world can play simultaneously with more than one opponent because of their superior understanding of chess strategy.

What is the best chess strategy?

The best chess strategy is the reason you play the game of chess, and that is to checkmate the opponent’s king. There is no other reason besides this to play chess. The second best chess strategy is stopping your opponent’s plans to checkmate your own king. King safety is the most important chess strategy.

There are three phases in the game of chess. The opening, middlegame and endgame. Each of these stages have specific strategic rules that you must follow.

You want to make sure you are always a step ahead of your opponent and that you are making them defend your threats. Try to always find plans that cause problems for your opponent every game you play.

Always ask what your opponent is planning to do and make sure you stop it before they can do it on the board.

What is the best chess strategy in the opening?

• Control the four central squares with your pawns and pieces, the centre is the most important part of the chessboard.
• Develop all you minor pieces (bishops and knight) quickly towards the centre. Move knights before bishops.
• Castle your King to safety as soon as possible.
• Don’t move too many pawns, they cannot move backwards.
• Don’t move the same piece more than once unless it is attacked by the opponent.
• Don’t bring out the Queen too early.
• Connect your rooks.

What is the best chess strategy in the middlegame?

• Start your attack in the centre by advancing pawns and occupying the centre with your pieces.
• Find weaknesses in the opponent’s positions to attack and if they have none, you must force them to create weaknesses.
• Plan to start an attack on the opponent’s King.
• Control open lines with your Rooks and open diagonals with your Bishops.
• Increase the activity of your pieces by controlling more squares than your opponent.
• Limit the activity of your opponent’s pieces.

What is the best Endgame chess strategy?

• Do not rush!
• Attack the opponent’s weak pawns.
• Create a passed pawn.
• Activate your King.
• Rooks belong behind passed pawns.

After reading this blog I hope you now have an understanding of what chess strategy is and you are ready to learn more about strategy with me at Elite Chess Coach. Remember the biggest way to improve your chess strategy is to put it to use in your chess games. Practice is what makes the master.

And as always keep chessing!!!