When most people think about chess, they envision two people sitting opposite one another while squaring off in an epic dual of thought. While that is the most common form of this game of strategy, there is no denying that it has come a long way since its inception. A great example of this is computerized chess boards. These boards certainly offer a different experience than the one that most players are accustomed to. There are many reasons to own one of these computerized chess boards, but to truly appreciate them it helps to understand some of the reasoning that they were brought to life in the first place.

Surprisingly enough, the idea behind computerized chess has been around long before an actual computer was ever built. While the idea was there, the concept never came to life until the advent of the digital computer. Since then, there have been many different forms of computerized chess and for numerous different reasons. Some want the ultimate challenge and feel that an artificially intelligent player would provide that. Others just want to play a game of chess by themselves to practice, or simply want to play when other opponents may not be available. Then there are those that want to take the game with them when they travel, but don’t want to be hassled by dragging the traditional sized board and pieces around.

Whatever your reasoning may be for wanting one of these computerized chess boards, you are sure to find a great deal of enjoyment out of them. They also offer a way to play the game in ways you may have not thought possible. For instance, you can choose to play with or without actual game pieces. Also, the computer can keep tabs of your record and even evaluate your performance. These types of options make this a great purchase for newer players and players who simply want to improve their overall game. Having the computer show you your weaknesses will only help you to become a much stronger player in the long run. You will learn many new tactics that will have you looking forward to the next time you play a real life opponent.

It’s apparent that the game of chess will continue to evolve, and if the result of that evolution brings such welcomed advancements to the game that computerized chess boards have, then every player should be excited about the future of this awesome game.

Improve My Chess Game … how do I do that?

I used to play lots of chess when I was in high school. I also used to represent my school during Interschool tournaments… and lose. I have no idea why I was picked because apart from being good at the game and beating opponents at my own level, I had nothing else. I could never beat those geeks or big guns in the game.

As I played more and more and developed the feel, my skill level would drop further back, losing via careless mistakes and being easily overwhelmed by opponents even though I clearly had more experience playing, then when I started. And then when I was out of high school, I abandoned the game and when I got back to it some time in college, I was good at it again, and after some time playing, my skill level would drop again… What was I doing wrong…

Then recently, about a few months ago, I discovered that some simple concepts that I never really took into consideration seriously really could make a difference in my gameplay. Sure enough, I improved tremendously. I am currently enjoying a 15+ winning streak at chess and I am now able to beat regular guys at the free Internet chess server - something I could never do before my discovery.

I would not brag and say that I am already an expert or master, cause I still lack training and experience, and I would probably still rank very low compared to those brain-frying chessmasters out there from Russia or India, but I have really experience a vast improvement from last time. If only I had adhered to those basic chess concepts during high school, I would have won the tournament or at least finished in the top quarter…

My Basic Chess Improvement Concepts

Before I start, I would like to state that I did not create these concepts but I am using the subtitle “My Basic Chess Improvement Concepts” simply because I think there are really important, and I am suggesting to have these concepts in high priority in your head at all times during the game.

Again, as I said before, I am not a chessmaster or expert and these tips are to help newbies or rookies that are looking to improve. Now, if you are already a chessmaster or expert, there is no point reading this, as you might either already know this or have other even better strategies to beat this.

Alright. I will try to keep the explanations simple. There will be points to adhere to during all 3 stages of gameplay:

Stage 1 - Opening

An important phase of the game to play correctly, that let me improve my chess game. The concept is simple: Get your pieces out. You probably have heard this many times, and followed this rule, but still lose? Having all your bishops and knights out just to get them eaten up? Well, that’s just half of the concept.

The full concept: Get your pieces out with minimal blockage.

If you don’t get your pieces out or if they are out but cannot participate in gameplay, they are as useless as a flamethrower underwater. Always make sure your pieces are out, and they are attacking / pointing to the center (not in the center).

Attack and defense - If you are playing white, do not play defense, get your forces out until you find an opening, then attack. If you are playing black, defend until you either find an opening or your opponent is a step behind you in development, then you attack.

Pawn moves - Do not move many pawns up. There is a trick that is to use your pawns to block your opponent’s pieces. That trick maybe powerful at first glance, but once the pawn formation is broken, and you have not developed enough of your other pieces then you will be in deep trouble when your castled opponent is out and attacking. So, just move enough pawns to release all of your attack forces and that’s it. Your pawns would then be movable later on during middle or end game.

Most important - Beat your opponent in development. Get your forces out and movable (not blocked by pawns) and fast. If your opponent is wasting moves like moving his rook’s pawn in case your bishop goes up or something like that, instead of developing his bishop/knight or castling, you are one more move ahead. Wasting moves is the best way to lose.

Stage 2 - Middle Game

If you have done well in the opening, you will not have such a hard time in the middle game. So, in the middle game, all you need to do would be to find an advantage. This can be in the form of:

Material - if you are winning by 1 pawn, it’s quite enough. If you can exchange all other pieces on the board, and reduce the game to King and Pawn vs King, it’s an 80% chance you will win and 20% chance you will draw! So if you are winning by a rook or knight or better still - queen - then it’s a good sign to finish it. Exchange everything and reduce it to the smallest number possible and you will win, aka an imbalanced algebraic equation.

Position - if you have many mobile (unblocked) pieces targeting at many strategic squares, and your opponent has blocked pieces, like bishops blocked by pawns or undeveloped rooks in the corner, you can plan a strategy to either capture more pieces or aim for a checkmate.

Domination of the board - If there is a straight open file with no pawns, place your rook there to conquer it. This is also an advantage. With domination, you can aim to win material and get a number 1 advantage (mentioned above). There are killer tactics to do that, but I will not cover on that because that would be a very wide topic.

Remember, once you get an advantage, finish the game via checkmate if easily possible, or take the game to the next stage ASAP - End Game.

Stage 3 - End Game

This is no easy task. There are always 2 scenarios here:
1. You are winning
2. You are losing

It isn’t easy to find out which one. Number 1 or number 2? Ideally, if you have more pieces you will have an advantage and you would be winning. But sometimes, that is not the case. You may have a rook and your opponent may have just one bishop and a pawn, but that pawn is nearly reaching the finish line and grabbing the queen’s bathrobe at your kingdom, and your rook is trapped somewhere, and you have no way to stop the pawn… you understand what I mean?

So, during endgame, if you are winning by pieces, just try to reduce everything to your king and your forces vs enemy king and you should be winning. But be careful. Sometimes your forces aren’t enough to win, for example, a lone king and a knight can never checkmate another king, so it would be a draw.

If you are winning by position, try to checkmate or capture opponent pieces using killer tactics like forks, X-rays and pins, to turn the tables. You will have to study on this to get good at it but actually, you can implement these tactics once you find out about them.

If you are losing by position, try to force a draw, like multiple checks ie. checking your opponent, preventing him/her to launch any attack. If your opponent cannot stop your checks, the game is drawn. You can also try to capitalize on mistakes, then use killer tactics to turn the tables but that would be harder. Another way is to get repeated moves. If a move is repeated 3 times consecutively, the game is drawn.

If you are losing by material, and you are reduced to a king, try to get a stalemate. But this one is really hard and the odds are stacked against you.

So the opening and middle games are important to ensure you get at least some fighting chance in the end game, if you are able to get there.

Conclusion

Wow, I never thought I would be creating a hub this long, but it’s here anyways. Final important tips. Be alert at all times. Careless mistakes can hurt you bad! And be flexible. If you are pushing a strategy that will not work, it will cost you dearly. The best way to play chess is to stick to the concepts and the opportunities for strategies will come to you automatically.

Have fun, and I hope you can improve. I am a casual chess rookie who found out how to become a better rookie and to win more matches, and I wish you the best of luck!

Peter Kurzdorfer has been a Chess Master since the early 1980s.  He is the coauthor of The Everything Chess Basics Book with the U.S. Chess Federation and is the former editor of Chess Life magazine.  In The Tao of Chess: 200 Principles to Transform Your Game and Your Life, Kurzdorfer shows how the complex game of chess can reveal underlying truths that one can adapt from the chessboard to every aspect of life, even to the no-limit hold’em tournament poker table.

Here are a few of Kurzdorfer’s competitive thinking insights, with each followed by my poker tournament translation:

1.  “Attacking a well-prepared opponent on the fly will rarely work in any sport or game.”  Page 57.

In a no-limit tournament, the all-in bet provides a player with a significant advantage.  But, sometimes this advantage can be overused, leading to a false sense of security or superiority.  If you repeatedly attack a smart, observant opponent,  that opponent will adjust.  It is then only a matter of time before an ill conceived all-in bet will lead to big trouble.

2.  “The initiative is an advantage.  Take it whenever you can, and take it back when you don’t have it, if at all possible.”  Page 60.

“We know that if you want something to happen, you need to make it happen.  And the way to make something happen is to go after it aggressively.”  Page 102.

“The best way to psych out an opponent is to always play the strongest moves.”  Page 213.  And,

“Fortune favors the brave…At least one reason why this is so is that defending is such a distasteful activity for most players.”  Page 219.

In practically every situation in hold’em poker, the aggressor is favored to win the pot.  Thus, it is almost always preferable to bet or raise rather than call.  When betting or raising are not feasible options, then the best next option is to fold.  Becoming the table captain, or alpha player, is the goal.  This position is achieved through relentless aggression.

3.  “Completing a hugh task becomes possible when it is broken up into many connected little tasks.  In other words, a journey of a thousand miles is carried out one mile at a time.”  Page 129.

Playing in a poker tournament is an undertaking of mammoth proportions.  There are literally thousands upon thousands of considerations about factors such as hands, opponents, odds, levels, and more.  These many factors intertwine to create an endless stream of situations.  And, each situation then requires the selection, from a menu of several, of the one best option.  This is indeed an elephant way too big to eat in one bite.  Even just the thought of winning a tournament can be overwhelming.

When overwhelmed, there is a mental fallback position.  Remember that poker is a game of decisions.  Winning poker is achieved by making one good decision at a time.  And, that is all that is required.  One good decision at a time, time after time.

4.  “Every dog has his day.  Don’t ever think you can win without effort.”  Page 160.

We all know about dogs in poker.  They are the hopeless, longshot hands held by an opponent.  Hands that probably should never have even been played.  But, there they are, anyway.  Sucking-out on the river to win our rightful pot.  It is maddening.  It is the stuff that puts otherwise sound players on tilt.

And, therein is the challenge.  And, therein is the meaning of winning against all odds, too.   Or, at least against all hardships.  This is not a time for whining and self pity.  This is a time for redoubling our committment to winning.

5.  “Be on the alert at all times for opportunities in any game that you play.  They come up when least expected.”  Page 173.

The windows of opportunity in a poker tournament occur during the play of a hand.  These windows open unnoticeably, and close quickly and permanently.  If a player is not informed, observant, and decisive, the opportunity will be missed.  The lost opportunity might take the form of failing to raise against weakness, and thereby winning a pot right then, as opposed to losing it later.  Or, many of the other moves in poker that are timing dependent.

6.  “The hardest game to win is a won game.”  Page 192.

The greatest disappointment in tournament poker:  to become the bubble boy, after being chip leader.  And, the second greatest:  to place second, after being chip leader.  Indeed, winning a won tournament seems to be a major accomplishment in and of itself.  I suggest that you read Kurzdorfer’s book to learn how to overcome this hurdle.

7.  “Anything that does not pertain to the position in front of you is extraneous thought: eliminate it.”  Page 205.

Distractions.  There is no room in any form of competition for mental distraction or loss of focus.   Of course, to maintain one’s focus for hours at a time during a tournament while under pressure and duress is one huge objective.  Especially, when you are competing on-line at home.  So, learn the art of concentration.  And, enlist any necessary aids, like disabling your email while you play.

8.  “Think along strategic lines when it is your opponent’s turn and along tactical lines when it is your turn.”  Page 207.

In other words, always pay attention to the action.  Especially when you are not in the hand.  The information you gain will help to shape your strategic plan.  Then, as opportunities present themselves during the play of a hand, you can execute the tactical moves to advance your strategy.

9.  “Patience…All strong players possess this virtue in abundance…”, page 214.

Every poker player has had the importance of patience drilled into their heads, over and over.  For some players, patience is synonymous with self denial.  For others, patience is an exercise in self discipline.  Regardless of how you define patience, the result is the same.  Patience is the ability to wait, and wait, and then wait a whole lot longer, to play only the right hand at the right time.

There is to be discover in Kurzdofer’s book an important universal truth about competitive thinking.  It is this:  regardless of the sport, whether it is chess, bridge, poker, martial arts, video games, or whatever, there are only a few fundamental rules for achieving a winning mind set.  And most, if not all, of those rules can be found in his book.

You may know the name of the famous chess player Garry Kasparov who hit the highest rating in the history of FIDE at 2849. You may also know that the FIDE rating is calculated by the Elo system. But do you know how?The Elo system is named after Dr. Arpad Elo who improved the original one developed by Kenneth Harkness. It has been in use in the USA since 1960 and was taken on by FIDE in 1970. The system is twofold:

1. It shows how strong the player is: Player A rated 2400 is stronger than Player B rated 2300.
2. It also calculates the results of a game, tournament, or event as numerical Elo results.

Originally designed as a chess rating system, nowadays it is also being used in a number of other sports and computer games.Each chess player has chance to win a game. The stronger player, the more chances to win. FIDE uses a special winning probability table for a game which is based on the rating difference between the two opponents.

If the rating difference between the two is 0, each player has equal chances to win, and his or her winning probability is 0.50. If the difference is 100, the stronger player has the winning probability 0.64 while the weaker 0.36. Please remember 100, 0.64, and 0.36.Let’s imagine that Player A rated 2400 and Player B rated 2300 are to officially play 100 games. The rating difference being 100, the expected result for Player A is therefore 0.64 and for Player B 0.36. And now the main idea… If Player A is really playing as strong as 2400 and Player B as 2300, at the end of the event Player A will score 64 and Player B 36 for sure. If Player A scores only 55 (but not expected 64) and Player B 45 (more than expected 36), the Elo system will change their new ratings.The system uses the K-factor which is necessary for rating calculation. The K-factor is assigned to the player, and its possible values in FIDE are 10, 15, and 25 as follows:
- 25 for players new to the rating list, until they have completed events with a total of at least 30 games.
- 15 for players with a rating under 2400.
- 10 once the player has reached 2400 and been registered for at least 30 games. Thereafter it remains permanently at 10, even if the player’s rating is under 2400 at a later stage.The current rating of the chess player changes after each game. The one-game Rating Change depends on:
- The player’s K-factor.
- The player’s score (1, 0.5, or 0).
- The player’s Expected Result for a game.Example 1. With the K-factor 10, Player A rated 2400 defeated Player B rated 2300.

The Rating Change for Player A is therefore calculated as this:
K-factor x (Result - Expected Result)
10 x (1 - 0.64) = 10 x 0.36 = 3.6

Example 2. With the K-factor 10, Player A rated 2400 lost to Player B rated 2300.
In this case, the Rating Change for Player A is calculated as this:
K-factor x (Result - Expected Result)
10 x ( 0 - 0.64) = 10 x (- 0.64) = - 6.4

Example 3. With the K-factor 10, Player A rated 2400 made a draw with Player B rated 2300.
The Rating Change for Player A is now calculated as this:
K-factor x (Result - Expected Result)
10 x (0.5 - 0.64) = 10 x (- 0.14) = - 1.4The new rating of the chess player is calculated based on the rating change. Updated, the FIDE rating list is available online on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October.

You finally decided to try taking beginner’s chess lessons after a long time of being fascinated by the game. The decision had been long in the making. You often see people crowding around the chess table watching a game. You read up and realize it’s a “sport” of sorts and this suits you just fine. After all, you’ve been looking for a non-contact, non-physical sport for a long time. Basketball doesn’t work for you. Neither does tennis. Chess, on the other hand, sounds like an excellent choice - and it is. Before you go throw yourself deeply into beginner’s chess, though, here are some pointers to think about.

1. Know the rules.

This seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how complicated the rules of the game can be. Too many people plunge into something without brushing up on the rules, the name of the chess pieces, or learning how to read game moves. Remember, chess is not a physical game. It requires a deeper level analysis compared to other games. So no, where beginners’ chess is concerned, you can’t learn the moves as you go along; you have to be familiar with the rules.

2. Master one strategy at a time.

Chess is a strategy game. Read up on winning strategies used by grand masters like those mentioned in ‘Chess Success Secrets’. Study how these strategies are done and plan how you could apply them to beef up your game. So read, practice, and play. You can’t master a strategy overnight so don’t even try.

3. Practice, practice, and then practice some more.

It’s the oldest of clichés: practice makes perfect - and this holds truer for beginner’s chess more than any other game. You can either challenge a friend or a family member to practice with. Or, you can try practicing by playing against yourself in electronic chess games. There are plenty of online gaming sites that allow you to do that so go for it. It’s a good way to train yourself with chess rules.

Chess can be an intense intellectual game and some people take it too seriously. Don’t. Remember it’s just a game and games are supposed to be fun.

A chess set consists of 32 pieces: 16 white and 16 black, representing two sides of a chess battle. To understand how to play chess and develop strategy, it’s imperative to know how each piece moves. This very simple knowledge is necessary to truly grasp the power of each chess piece and in the course of a match, make the most of that individual piece’s power.

The Pivotal 16

Each player begins the game with 16 chessmen: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 bishops, 2 knights, 2 rooks, and 8 pawns. To properly position the pieces on a chess board, start with the rooks and move inward. The two rooks are placed on the lower corner squares. Next to them go the knights, followed by the bishops.

The queen is next. As a rule of thumb, this piece always matches its color. Thus, the black queen will be on the remaining black square. The white queen, the white square. Lastly, the king sits in the final square of the row. The pawns are placed on the second row in front of the king’s “court.”

The pieces of a chess set collectively reflect a player’s power. What he does with this potential power is what ultimately determines who wins the game. The overall objective is to keep the king safe. To do so, a player must utilize each chess piece to its maximum strength. In short, chess pieces are capable of the following moves:

King: Moves only one square at a time, but in any direction. It’s the most important piece on a chess board. If/when captured, the game is over. The king’s special move is called castling; it is the only time two pieces can move at once (king and rook).

Queen: Moves in any direction for any number of squares. It is the most powerful piece on the board, capable of capturing and positioning from most any vantage point.

Bishop: Moves diagonally for any number of squares, yet is limited to one color. It is sensitive to pawn movement.

Knight: Moves two squares vertically or horizontally, then one square to the side. Its unique movement often factors into strategy.

Rook: Moves by rank or file for any number of squares. Starting in the corners, the rook - along with the queen - are major pieces on the chess board, capable of altering space and an opponent’s plan of attack.

Pawn: Moves only one square at a time and only forward. However, on the opening move, it can choose between two squares or one. A seemingly weak piece, a pawn can also be promoted if it safely reaches the end of the board. If it succeeds, a pawn can be exchanged for any other chess piece, except the king. Most often, a pawn gets promoted to queen.

What’s My Move?

It may seem overwhelming to understand all this at once, but in order to truly grasp the potential of your chess pieces, it’s important you first understand what each individual piece is capable of. For instance, feeling despaired that you’re left with only pawns? Don’t forget about pawn promotion. Feeling like your king is being threatened? Consider castling him. By understanding your pieces’ potential, a chess board can truly open up with possibilities. You just need to recognize them first.

One the most common pitfalls when considering beginner chess strategies is to think that you can be a vastly better player by merely memorising a few opening moves. There are two intrinsic problems with the approach: Most experienced players are all too familiar with every set of ‘killer moves’ that you plan on throwing on them and already have good solid strategies to counter them in place.

If you focus on merely trying to learn a few opening moves you are certainly not planning for the ‘long haul’. What happens if your brave opening gambit fails? The answer to that question should not be too hard to figure out. The more experienced player will simply capitalise on your rash opening moves and wipe you from the board.

It is very important, in light of this, that beginner players realise that the first question to ask should not be “How can I learn quick chess strategies?”, but rather “How can I grow into a well rounded, competent player?” The last question may sometimes take a lifetime to answer, but finding that answer may very well be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things you have ever done.

It is impossible to show you the complete roadmap to becoming a well rounded player in a single article. I can however, sketch the briefest outlines of how you can make your ‘time in black and white’ something to be proud of!

As a complete beginner you should work towards steady improvement in the following areas:

• Work on your understanding of basic chess rules: This may seem so obvious as to border on the ridiculous but it is a fact that most beginners shoot themselves in the foot by having an incomplete or inadequate understanding of the rules of the game.
• Improve your tactical skills: Chess is a game of strategy and tactics. You should therefore do your best to become a tactically better player. There are several ways to doing this but one of the most important among them is to study at the feet of the masters. A big part of the training of military strategists is to study great battles of the past. Doing the same on the chess board can, over time, turn you into a vastly better player.
• Develop solid strategies for opening play: One of the biggest mistakes that novices make is to rely on the same tired moves in the hope that they will deliver the knockout blow. Replacing this with solid, well thought out, strategies will pay off in the form of setting you up for some truly great contests.
• Work on your end game: Many a chess game have been lost because the player did not know how to end well. Study great endings to make sure that this cannot be said of you.

So many people think that acquiring good beginner chess strategies is like learning to sprint. It is, in fact, more akin to taking the first steps in a marathon. You should therefore make sure that you pace yourself for the race. I can’t assure you that it will be easy and quick. I can assure you however that it will be exciting and very fulfilling.

To your success in black and white!