Quality chess advice!

[Blockhead]

20. Don't make careless pawn moves. In the opening, move as few pawns as is necessary to complete your development as quickly as possible.

21. If feasible, move both centre pawns two squares each.

22. In the opening, move only centre pawns, unless the opening system or situation requires otherwise.

[yitwail]

Blockhead, in case anyone who reads your advice has never read a chess book, it might be worth noting that *development* refers to bringing out all the minor pieces and castling to connect rooks.

[nightmare]

Well said yitwail.

[yitwail]

why thank you, nightmare, i appreciate your endorsement, although it wasn't necessary or expected.

[Blockhead]

23. Try to develop your Bishops before blocking them in by moving a centre pawn just one square.

24. Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the centre (especially Knights, which often are "grim on the rim").

"I have added these principles to the law: get the Knights into action before both Bishops are developed" (Emanuel Lasker)

25. Develop purposefully, and not just for development's sake.

"Good offense, and good defense, both begin with good development" (Bruce A. Moon)

[Blockhead]

26. Don't waste time or moves. Try to develop a new piece on each turn. Don't move a piece twice in the opening without good reason.

"Methodical thinking is of more use in Chess than inspiration"
(C. J. S. Purdy)

27. Try to develop with threats, but don't threaten pointlessly.

28. Develop minor pieces early. King-side pieces should usually be developed sooner than Queen-side ones, and Knights before Bishops.

"Play the opening like a book [or with MCO! BH] ..." (Spielmann)

[Blockhead]

29. Develop during exchanges.

30. To exploit an advantage in development, attack.

31. In the opening, don't remove your Queen from play to "win" a pawn.

"The most important feature of the Chess position is the activity of the pieces. This is absolutely fundamental in all phases of the game: Opening, Middlegame and especially Endgame. The primary constraint on a piece's activity is the Pawn structure"
Michael Stean

[Blockhead]

32. Don't bring out the Queen too early, unless the natural course of play requires it.

33. Try to give as much scope to your pieces as possible.

34. Seize open lines.

"The simplest and most useful piece of advice I've ever had is to try and gain space and scope, and limit that of my opponents." (Gritty)

[dan3]

[glow=red,2,300]Thank you blockhead this has helped. ;D ;D ;D[/glow]

[Blockhead]

35. Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open.

36. Castle early.

37. Try to prevent your opponent's King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially in open games.

[Blockhead]

38. Try to pin your opponent's pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces.

"The Pin is mightier than the sword" (Fred Reinfeld)

39. Don't capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, try to attack them again, especially with pawns.

"The older I grow, the more I value Pawns" (Keres)

40. After castling, don't move the pawns in front of your King without a specific reason.

"Pawns: they are the soul of this game, they alone form the attack and defence" (Philidor)

[phantomghost]

Excellent stuff Blockhead. This site may also prove useful.

www.qualitychessbooks.com/products.aspx?category_ID=4

[Blockhead]

41. To attack the King, pick a target square around it.

42. When applicable, pick target squares on the colour of your unopposed Bishop.
Note: Bishops control squares of only one colour. If you have a Bishop that controls dark squares and your opponent has exchanged his corresponding Bishop, your dark-squared Bishop is "unopposed" on those squares.

"Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost." (Yuri Razuvayev)
Note: A good bishop controls squares not occupied by his pawns. A bad bishop keeps bumping into his parishioners!

43. Look for tactics especially on squares of the colour controlled by your unopposed bishop.

"Chess is 99% tactics" (Richard Teichmann)

Or better still

"Chess isn't 99% tactics, it's just that tactics takes up 99% of your time" (Dan Heisman)

[Blockhead]

44. Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights.

45. Double your attacking pieces by building batteries (two or more pieces of like power attacking along the same line). Put queen and Rook(s) on the same file or rank, and Queen and Bishop on the same diagonal.

46. Build batteries with the less valuable men up front, unless tactics require otherwise.


To be continued on my return (Monday 6th March) ... but until then:

How do you decide on a move? Some other ideas worth considering are:

a) "What wonderful things does this move do for my position?

b) Avoid the quick, lazy move. This is one move that will almost always turn out to be the losing blunder.

c) Nothing scares the inexperienced player more than the threat of an attack against the King [...] Funnily enough, it is then not the opponent's King's-side attack that wins the game but rather the amateur's lack of threats due to his having given up on his own plans.

d) Take nothing for granted. Don't feel or hope that some line is good or bad. Make sure that it is!

e) Always expect your opponent to see your threat and make the best reply.

f) Play to win against anyone and everyone. [...] Play without fear (after all, we are all going to lose lots of games, so there is nothing to be afraid of, is there?) and you will instil fear into your opponents."
(SILMAN)

[dan3]

IS it bad to try and lose a pawn if it is in your way?