How Safe And Advisable Is It To Memorize Chess Openings?

By Muna wa Wanjiru

The practice of memorizing chess openings is well-known particularly in the case of beginners who make efforts to improve tactics by experiencing new moves. But how safe and advisable is it to memorize chess openings? This could definitely be a waste of time since the main mistake is to focus on the pattern you have developed and ignore the rest of the board. For instance, many pieces could remain unavailable if you use an opening that doesn't involve crucial elements in the battle. Unfortunately, there is even a tendency to repeat the same chess openings and make the same mistake, and the best advice here is to keep an open eye on game behavior as such.

There are certain general coordinates that have to be applied for all chess openings regardless of how many different moves you may learn. A rule of the thumb says that you have to move every piece at least once, before you get to move one twice; it is actually unacceptable that you get to the middle game moves without having involved the rooks in the game. Sometimes, one doesn't need to actually be familiar with all the theories and trends in the field, common sense reasoning and perception of the chess openings could actually be enough for a high quality game.

Self-criticism and close analysis of the game quality and chess openings should be part of a player's routine; if you were to repeat the game experience in the same conditions, which moves would be different? This is really the capital question for successful chess playing since it saves you from making the same tactical mistakes again. Successful chess openings are those that make use of all the primary pieces before reaching the middle-of-the-game phase. Without the proper development of your “soldiers”, there is little chance of getting considerable tactical advantages. Hence, don't leave any important piece sitting safely in the back ranks!

In order to ensure a high game quality, chess openings need to be innovative and to gain the player some advantages over the opponent. A conservative style will reverse the situation enabling the other player to dominate the game and set a defensive game evolution for you. Chess openings should involve developing king defense, and this needs to take less than fifteen moves as a general rule. Therefore, don't act on the queen's side, but on that of the king, and advance all pieces in battle positions that allow further possibilities to enter the adverse half of the board. In order to win, chess openings need to bring the opportunity to gain advantages before the opponent does the same.

All The Chess Pieces Create A Complex Puzzle That You Design

By Muna wa Wanjiru

Players who achieve the most impressive results know that chess pieces work in a specific relationship, they rely on each other for protection and only together they can bring victory. Chess pieces are like troops, they go where you command and the victory or the failure depends on your skills and ability to coordinate and build strategies. From the very simple paws to the harmless, yet most important king, all the chess pieces create a complex puzzle that you design. The very basic organization principle is a pyramidal one: the king is the center of the game and its weak spot too: get the king and the game is over!

The pawns make the first line of defense, they are the chess pieces primarily used in the opening of the game when the players are trying to create a defense as strong as possible for the king, an action which is basically known as castling. Pawns are essential during the first part of the game when the main defense or offense is settled; however, don't rely exclusively on pawns for the protection of the king as they are chess pieces with limited functions on the board and they can be easily eliminated. Most books, Internet sites or chess manuals recommend that pawns in combination with rooks and bishops be used in the immediate vicinity of the king.

The queen is probably the most valuable of the active chess pieces, it is both powerful and easy to move on the board; hence, it is widely used for both offense and defense depending on the strategy you imagine. There are players who create treacherous situations using their queen in association with some other chess pieces so that the opponent be tempted to eliminate this top element, while exposing one of their own strategic pieces. Therefore, always check well before making any move against a queen, you've got to be sure that it is defenseless or that the sacrifice you make is worth it.

A very special position among the chess pieces is also occupied by rooks that play a distinguished role in the castling move together with the king. They are considered very influential pieces in the battle to checkmate, being just as useful for attack as they are for defense. The main goal one may achieve with the help of this piece is that of having control over a wide range of squares related perpendicularly or horizontally to the rook. Together with the knights and the bishops, the rooks remain top pieces in the chess challenge.