Chess is an international game played all over the world by millions of people and as such is a game of many strategies. Chess strategy is concerned with evaluating chess positions and setting some goals and tactics for your future play. In chess, each player must take into account the board, the pieces, and all possible positions of movement for them and their opponent. There are many things that play into a player’s strategy in chess. Here is a look at common chess strategies that players may use during their game
Piece Value
Since every piece on the board has a certain value or point, a common stress strategy when playing the game is to make sure you keep as many points as possible. Material advantage can apply strategically and tactically. If you can keep more pieces on the board or even better keep more powerful pieces on the board your chances of winning increases. A basic strategic rule is to capture as many of your opponent’s chess pieces as possible. Bishops and knights are minor pieces on the chess board; rooks and queens are major pieces. And many of the pieces play different roles depending on if you’re in the opening, middlegame, or endgame. In a typical game of chess pawns are worth 1 point, bishops and knights are worth 3 points, the rook is worth 5 points, and the queen is worth 9 points.
Space
It is to your strategic advantage to control more space on the chess board as it has been seen that the side which controls more space has a slight advantage. In chess you want to keep all your options open and with more space you can do just that. So try and have a game plan in which you have enough space to move your pieces where you want them to go. This will mean that you have to stay a step of your opponent in order to secure the space you need.
Defense
A common chess strategy among all players is playing on the defense. In the game of chess your pieces mean everything. They are your best chance of winning. It’s important to defend all your pieces, even if they’re not under direct attack all the time. As each piece plays an important role in protecting other pieces, the chess strategy is extremely important. Overprotection is always better than none at all. And you should always look for undefended pieces of your opponent as this will give you an opportunity to take advantage of weak pieces. A strong defense is a good defense.
Capturing Pieces
It may sound silly to say that capturing pieces is a great strategy; everyone knows that right? But capturing pieces is a great strategy for more than just the mere fact that it helps you win the game. Capturing a hostile piece, which usually allows the opponent to take one also frees up space on the board; having more space (as discussed earlier) is always a good thing as it allows you to move around the board more easily. Exchanging pieces is desirable for a player with the advantage in material; it brings the endgame closer and leaves the opponent with less time to recover the ground they have lost. One piece exchange can make a huge difference in deciding who wins and loses.
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