Back to TOC
Back to Home Page

The 'rules of thumb' which guide every chess player who has been taught the basics of chess should mostly be applied throughout every game but a player must, above all else, remain flexible.  There are occasions when even the strongest of players abandons one or more of the well-known basic principles but there should be a sound reason for doing so.  Take an unsound decision or, even, deliberately make an unsound decision, to cast aside these principles and your chickens (or your opponent's pawns) may well come home to roost!

Mastering openings is something that bedevils the weaker player.  I shall assume in this book that the reader has access to a book on openings and already has adopted certain openings for his or her use.  I will come to openings later and we will have a wider look at which ones may be more appropriate to your style of play.  But, this book is not intended to go 'in depth' on this phase of the game and the reader will soon become aware that the author has used a fairly limited range of openings, at least for any prolonged period.

What are these basic principles, mentioned in the first paragraph above, which should steer every chess player through his game you ask?  There are quite a few but, to start us on our way and get the reader quickly into a game, I would list the main ones as follows:

1.      From move one remember at each move to try to see the reason behind your opponent's move and then react accordingly.  Forget to do this and blithely carry on with your own plan or, simply, waste time on an inappropriate move and you will surely come a cropper.

2.      During the opening phase – approximately the first ten moves – develop as many pieces as possible but, allied to this, do not let them block each other in any lasting manner.  Remember that 'developing a piece' does not necessarily mean moving it: but it does mean opening up its pathways.

3.      The freeing movement of pieces during the opening should be co-ordinated with a plan to gain control over the centre squares of the chessboard.

4.      It is usually the best policy to castle at the earliest moment!

5.      Do not waste a move.  You should know what a tempo is … it is the single time period used up in moving a piece.  Each one is very important and if you move a piece out and then back again without good reason you have thrown away two tempi (in effect handed your opponent two free moves)!

6.      Although pawns are by far the weakest pieces at the start of a game, because of their potential to 'queen' and also to be used as blockers or shields they must be handled carefully according to their own list of does and don'ts…..

a)      Try to avoid a lone 'isolated' pawn.  Without a companion pawn to, perhaps, defend it, it is a weakness.

b)      A 'backward' pawn – the least advanced of a pair or chain of pawns – is a similar weakness, especially if it is permanently prevented from advance.

c)      The pawns in front of your castled king should remain on their starting squares and used as a shield through the earlier part of a game. The exceptions to this are where a player moves the centre of three pawns up one square, usually to make room for the bishop on a long diagonal (fianchettoing the bishop) or moving the h-pawn up one square, often to prevent a knight advance or to drive away a bishop. This latter move also has the added merit of providing a bolt hole for the king should it be threatened along the back rank.

d)      The gambit is an opening where a pawn may be sacrificed to speed up development.  But beware of using this type of opening.  A pawn should normally not be given up easily and it takes a good player to capitalise on his pawn sacrifice!

e)      Lastly: a passed pawn is one that has somehow got past the opposing pawns on either side.  It can only be stopped by a piece.  It is a huge asset; a match winner so, if you can get one, get it down the board - but carefully.

7.      It should go without saying, assuming the reader is a fairly well-practised player, that the value of each piece is known and respected.  Defend each pawn and piece as much as it is attacked.  Later we will look at the respective strengths and values of knights and bishops but, since these are normally valued equally at three units (or three pawns), they may be exchanged one for the other.  But do not exchange away your rook for an opponent's knight or bishop as you are two units down, the rook being valued at five units.  The rules on exchanging pieces are quite complex, however, so look upon equal exchanges as being a generality …. In some of the illustrative games to follow, the reader will see examples where an unequal exchange has been made but, perhaps, the positional compensation outweighs the loss of material.

8.      If one of your pawns or pieces is being attacked (is en prise), beware that it may be a weakness but, conversely, look for your opponent's weaknesses and probe his defence by threatening his pieces.

Assuming you have carried through these few basic principles, which we will explore in the following games, you should arrive safely at an equal position (at least) for the decisive middle-game phase.  Then, still holding to these vital elements of play, you may be able to gain the upper hand in the ensuing struggle and, hopefully, to force a win.  The middle game is often the hardest part of a game to proceed with and fight your way through but we will look at middle game strategies in more detail in later chapters.  We will also add to the list of basic principles to be followed as we proceed.  But, you will not need reminding that fate is very fickle and there will be games where you will have followed all the correct procedures only to make a miscalculation, an error of judgement …. then all your fine schemes will crash about you.  We will find some of those games included too!

Principle 1. What's your opponent up to?

Even during the opening phase of a game, it may not be totally apparent just what your opponent's game plan is.  Some opponents will have a slow, methodical build-up.  Can you see what their plan of action is?  If they are hanging back with their pawns, should you push yours up the board to gain territory?  Why are they hanging back?   This will be dealt with in more detail in the chapter on opening play.

Towards the end of the opening phase, into and through the middle game, your opponent may make a move which is not a direct threat …. he may move a pawn forward for no clear reason or start manoeuvring, say, a knight (these clumsy brutes can take a bit of round-about manoeuvring sometimes).  Because there is no obvious reason do not write it off.  He must have some reason for the move!  Very rarely is it a purposeless move simply because he can't think of anything better to do ….so, try to work out what he is up to.   

If he has a deeper cunning he may well be trying to conceal his true intentions, of course, so do not take every move at 'first look' face value.  And, provided your opponent gives you the chance, can you partially conceal your own intentions?  Remember that this  section applies to all phases of the game.  Intentions can be hidden away right from move one as well as throughout the middle game.  The end-game is usually clearer as to what your opponent's plan is and what you should be doing, in a general sense that is – but none the easier for that on many occasions.

The comments, which I make later, in the section on opening play, show how we all agonise over which openings to adopt.  When, many years ago, I realised that the Dutch Defence, Stonewall Variation, which I had then adopted, had merits if played with the white pieces, I played it with an early f4 move.  Later, I began to seek methods of concealing my true intent.  I tried to cloak my plan by playing the opening moves out of sequence.  This not only hid my strategy but allowed me some flexibility too.  Even though this opening was not to be found in my Chess Openings book during the seventies (much to my great delight), if I played an immediate or early f4 my opponent would know straight away what I was up to. 

The following two games, illustrate the thoughts behind this first section.  The first is the 'obvious to anyone' game plan.  Then we will look at the concealment strategy.

top

Game 1.      Leicestershire County Championship, 1977/78.

Author  v  C Cordel.     Opening: Stonewall Attack.

For those readers not already familiar with the 'stonewall' principle, it is to build a barrier (a wall) of pawns across the long diagonal – often at the expense of a backward pawn on e3 – which, if Black castles on the K-side, act as a funnel for White's attacking pieces and a barrier to some of Black's defenders.  (It can be played in like manner for Black with the Dutch Defence).  Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess dismisses this system, used with white or black pieces, fairly casually because it concedes control of certain central squares.  However, the reader may note that it served the author quite well in many games included herein. Here, Black has kindly shuffled a well-placed knight away behind that barrier with his Q-side pieces.

In the above game, Black knew what sort of game plan White was adopting right from the first few moves.  He even made a good counter move with the knight (which often gives White a sticky time), but then, for some unaccountable reason, he took it back!

In the second game, White briefly conceals his intentions and Black commits to a strange and irrelevant move and seems to be, strangely, thrown out of his stride.  

top

Game 2.      Leicestershire League game, 1982.

Author  v  A Morley

Andrew Morley, a young Wigston Club player, was the current East Midlands Champion.  I was playing for the Melton Club and used my now-favourite Stonewall Attack.

 top

Principle 2. Developing pieces in the opening.

This principle is firmly in most players' minds but, like any other, can all too often be forgotten in the heat of combat.  The reasons, however, can be many … getting caught up in early play wherein piece development is neglected; inconsistency in the opening plan; etc., etc. The following game is an example of the former …. 

Game 3.           Leicestershire County Championship, 1974/75. 

    Author  v  M Whall

Black starts strongly and very aggressively with his (delayed by one move) Centre Counter …..

top

Principle 3. Control of the centre.

Why is control of the centre so important?  The reader may already have played games wherein a thunderous attack down one side against, say, a weak king has won the game despite the centre being 'a mess'.  This may be so but it is the exception to the rule.  Pieces, especially the short-ranging knight are only at their maximum theoretical strength

near the centre of the board – on the side squares their value is halved.  Your pieces may not need to occupy those vital four central squares but, they should threaten or control them. 

If the reader is a beginner and not aware of how pieces are valued, it is mostly to do with the number of squares they threaten. Take all other pieces off the board and, in turn, count up the number of squares threatened by each piece but try this in different positions on the board.

The key to winning, however, is often where players place their pieces. The more experienced but weak player may still not have grasped the importance of placing pieces on squares where they achieve their maximum fire-power and where they are 'directed at the action'.  As chess is a war game we can equate this to the following .... a soldier places a machine gun down in the bottom of a small valley: his foe places his similar weapon on a ridge overlooking the valley.  Whose machine gun should be the most effective?  The following game illustrates this.

top
Back to TOC
Back to Home Page