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Chess General Principles and Guidelines

“Chess is a game of understanding, not memory.”
Eugene Znosko-Borovsky
In chess, knowing what to do is half the battle; knowing when to do it is the other half.
–Unknown
The Center – Play for the center. Occupy, guard and influence it. Drive away enemy pieces
that control it.

The Initiative – White, having the first move, starts with the initiative. Don’t waste time or
moves. Be aggressive. Try to attack in ways that build your game. Combine defense with
counterattack. Don’t be afraid to gambit a pawn for an opening attack, but don’t sacrifice without
sound reasons. Don’t waste time capturing wing pawns at the expense of development. Use the
initiative to apply pressure against your opponent's position.

Development – Use all your pieces. Make only necessary pawn moves to develop pieces. Aim
to develop a different piece on each turn. Move out minor pieces quickly. Castle early. Don’t
move the same piece twice without a good reason. Develop with threats.

Castling – Prepare to castle early in the game, especially if the center is open. Avoid moving
pawns in front of your castled king and creating weaknesses there. Castle for defensive and
offensive reasons - to safeguard your king and to connect & activate your rooks.

Pawns – In general, make only two pawn moves in the opening, usually the center pawns. Move
them one or two squares ahead, preferably two if possible. Bad pawn moves create weak squares
and unnecessary pawn moves waste time that could be better used to develop pieces. Don’t block
center pawns by moving bishops in front of them. Don’t move pawns in front of the castled king
position. Trade pawns to avoid loss of material, to open lines, or to save time.

Knights – Develop knights toward the center. White’s to f3 and c3 or d2, and Black’s to f6 and
c6 or d7. Develop them elsewhere only if absolutely necessary or for a specific purpose. In
general, you should develop knights before bishops, since it’s usually much clearer early in the
opening where the knights should go, but you usually have to see how the position develops to
know where the bishops should go. Avoid getting knights pinned to your king or queen by
bishops, and by rooks on the e or d file.

Bishops – P lace bishops on open diagonals. Use them to guard center squares, pin enemy
knights or defensively to break pins. Flank them if part of a plan to control squares of one color.
Avoid unnecessary exchanges with knights.

Rooks – Put them on open files, half-open files, files that are likely to be opened, or behind
advanced passed pawns. Double them, so that they support each other. Use them to attack the
uncastled enemy king along the e-file. Place them on the 7th rank, using them to attack pawns
still on the opponent's second rank and to limit the enemy king to the back row. Use them to cut
off the enemy king. In the endgame, it's often better to sacrifice a pawn and activate your rooks
than to tie them down to passive defense.
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The Queen – Don’t move the queen out too early in the game - she is too easily attacked with
tempo. Avoid developing it where it can be attacked. Don’t use it if weaker pieces would suffice.
Don't use the queen to go chasing pawns when it takes her away from the scene of the real action.
Use it to set up multiple attacks, alone or in combination with other pieces. Don’t be afraid to
exchange queens to gain some type of advantage, or avoid some type of problem

Analysis – Evaluate the major elements: material, pawn structure, mobility, time, space, and
king safety. Look for information about the position by asking yourself questions about each of
these factors.

Planning – Plan early. Don’t change plans without good reason, but be flexible. Modify your
plan if desirable or necessary, as the position changes. Base your plan on a thorough and honest
analysis and evaluation of the position, noting strengths and weakness for both sides, and
accounting for all threats. Assess the imbalances and all other factors in the position and form
your plan based on these factors.

The Endgame – Threaten to make new queens by advancing passed pawns. Force your
opponent to surrender material trying to stop you. Activate the king as soon as you safely can.
Trade pieces, not pawns, when ahead in material. Place rooks actively behind enemy pawns.
Place them on the 7th rank. Keep them active and don’t tie them down to defense. After queening
a pawn, use it to force mate.

Why Didn't Somebody Tell Me These Things?

"Play the opening like a book, the middlegame like a magician, and the endgame like a
machine."
Rudolf Spielmann
In General:
When you see a good move, sit on your hands and see if you can find a better one. –
Siegbert Tarrasch

1 There are exceptions to every general principle and law in chess. Knowing when you can
violate them is one of the hallmarks of a strong player.
2 Memory should never be a substitute for thought.
3 Even when a move seems forced, it is worth taking a few moments to see if there might
be a better alternative.
4 If a move is absolutely forced, don't waste time calculating it. Make the move and
calculate the ramifications on your opponent's time.
5 Given the choice of two moves, if you calculate that the first move is clearly losing, and
the other is vague and complex, the second move should be played without prolonged
calculation. You can calculate the consequences on your opponent's time.
6 Don't play a game or even a move if you don't feel like trying your best.
7 Attack pinned pieces with pieces worth less than them; never take a pinned piece unless it
leads to some sort of tactic or advantage, or you cannot maintain the pin.
8 Putting out your hand when you offer a draw is presumptuous; always put it out after the
draw is agreed upon, not before.
9 Rooks need open and semi-open files. Don't let your opponent control open files with his
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Rooks.
10 When capturing with pawns, it is correct most of the time to capture toward the center. If
the result is doubled pawns, this is correct even a higher percentage of the time.
11 If you worry about your opponent's rating or play to the level of your competition, then
don't look at his rating until after the game.
12 If something is happening on your board that is strange or you don't understand, stop the
clock and get the tournament director.
13 In a Swiss tournament, the most important rounds are the first and the last.
14 In chess, if you learn to consistently (each move) do the little things: take your time,
count the material effect of your move, and check for basic tactics, you will soon find that
these are not so little!
15 Move every piece once before you move every piece twice unless there is a clear reason
to do so.
16 In the opening, if you can drive a Knight out of the center by attacking it with a pawn, it
is usually correct to do so.
17 If you get way ahead in material, it is more important to use all your pieces, kill your
opponent's counterplay, and safeguard your King, than it is to try and get further ahead.
18 Having the 'Bishop Pair' - two Bishops when your opponent does not - is worth about half
a pawn.
19 Don't put your Knight in front of your c-pawn in double d-pawn openings.
20 Don't move your f-pawn until you have castled or your opponent's Queen is off the board.
21 Don't pin the opponent's King's Knight to the Queen before the opponent has castled.
22 Develop the Bishop on the side you wish to castle before the other Bishop.
23 When looking for tactics - for either player - look for Checks, Captures, and Threats, in
that order - for both players.
24 Stay flexible. Always be ready to transform one type of advantage to another, or to
switch from tactical to positional play.
25 Be especially careful after you've made a mistake. It often happens that one mistake soon
leads to another. The realization that something has gone wrong can be a big distraction
and lead to a loss of concentration.
26 Never, ever assume that your opponent has no threats, even in the most lopsided
positions.
27 Bold, imaginative play, presenting your opponent all sorts of continuous problems, is
likely to be well rewarded.
28 Short-term solutions to long-term problems on the chessboard rarely succeed.
29 Presenting your opponent with practical difficulties in over the board play, is just as
important as obtaining an objective advantage.
30 Concentrate. Keep your attention on the board. Don’t let your mind wander and don’t you
wander either. Don’t leave the board unless necessary.
31 Use your time to think of specifics and to find the best move. Use your opponent’s time
to think in generalities and of future possibilities. Always make sure you use your
opponent’s time productively.
32 Play to win in as few moves as necessary. Don’t waste time gobbling up your opponent’s
pawns when you’re well ahead. Go for the safest and most efficient mate.
33 If you blunder, don’t resign. Sit back and figure out how to give your opponent trouble.
Go down fighting.
34 Respect all opponents, but fear none.
35 What distinguishes masters and experts from intermediates and novices, is their
specialized ability to think effectively about chess positions.
36 Until you reach at least master level, playing as error-free as possible is MUCH more
effective and important than playing brilliantly, and will win a lot more games for you.
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One critical error will usually cost you more than a dozen brilliant moves will gain for
you. Remember, the first step to mastery, is the elimination of errors.
37 To improve your chess game, combine STUDY AND PLAY; study and play, study and
play, study and play…
38 As you improve, you will learn the value of – and develop skill in exploiting – first pieces,
then pawns, and finally squares.
39 Always play "touch-move" and never take back a move. It is against the rules of chess
and is detrimental to your improvement.
40 Avoid having a favorite piece.
41 Learn chess notation, then record and review your games.
42 Review all your games. This is how you learn to find & eradicate the mistakes from your
play.
43 Play stronger players frequently, and learn from them. After a loss, ask them to go over
the game and point out your mistakes. Playing stronger players strengthens your chess.
44 Remain calm and alert throughout a chess game. Take mental breaks to ease the tension.
45 Focus on playing your best, rather than on winning. The wins will follow.
46 Enjoy your wins and learn from your losses. Learn at least one lesson from each loss.
You will learn more from one loss than a dozen wins. Defeats are the greatest teachers.
47 After losing a game, especially against a much stronger player, ask them to review the
game with you and show you where you went wrong.
48 Record each move carefully. The only exception is when you are in time trouble. In that
case, at least try to check off each move as it is played. Write down each move before
you actually play it on the board, and each of your opponent’s moves before you make
your response, even obvious ones.
49 Always play touch-move, and call it if your opponent touches a piece. Do not hold a
piece in your hand while thinking.
50 Focus on the game in front of you, not the one next to you. Good concentration is one of
the keys to success in chess.
51 Don’t talk to your opponent and don’t allow him to talk to you.
52 Don’t play chess between rounds of a tournament. This saps your mental energy. Go for a
walk instead.
53 Don’t eat a heavy meal before playing. Keep your energy level up by snacking on healthy
items like fruit or fruit juice. Avoid junk food or anything with t oo much sugar.
54 If you blunder, don’t immediately resign, and don’t play as if you’re going to lose. Fight
on as if the fate of the world depends on it. Quite often after you make a blunder, your
opponent will relax and let his guard down, and then make an even bigger blunder
himself. If you blunder, take a few minutes to compose yourself and get your head back
into the game. Instead of playing aimlessly, as if the game is hopelessly lost, take a few
minutes to evaluate the position and figure out a strategy to maximize your chances.
Present your opponent with as many problems and difficulties as possible, and make him
earn the win. There’s always a best course of action, even when lost. Make sure you find
it.
55 Expect to win, whenever the opportunity arises – opening, middlegame, or endgame. Win
by attack or win by attrition, but win. Remember that checkmate is the goal.
56 To find the best moves, and avoid becoming intimidated or overconfident, play the
position on the board, not the opponent.
57 Stay calm, relaxed, and focused during each game. Tension and panic rout logical
thought.
58 When even or ahead, play hard. When behind, play harder.
59 Use time wisely. Think and plan on your opponent’s time during the game. Avoid time
trouble. When in time trouble, try to think and play calmly.
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60 Do not relax and become overconfident and careless when ahead. Apply the “killer
instinct” throughout the game.
61 Keep the normal value of the pieces in mind (queen=9, rook=5, bishop=3+, knight=3,
and pawn=1), but remember that these values vary according to the position, mobility,
and potential of the pieces. Whether attacking or defending, count the number and
consider the values of both attackers and defenders on a target piece, pawn or square
before exchanging or occupying, to insure against losing material.
62 Superior force usually wins, so stay even or ahead in material throughout the game
(except for gambits, combinations or sacrifices to force checkmate or a winning
endgame).
63 Chess is not Solitaire. Sound chess begins with respect for your opponent’s ideas, moves,
threats, plans and ability.
64 Determine the purpose of each move by your opponent. Ask yourself, “What is the
THREAT?” and “What has CHANGED in the position?” after each of your opponent’s
moves. Concentrate on offense and attacking, but recognize and answer all threats.
65 To win a game of chess, you must first not lose it. Avoid mistakes, such as leaving pieces
en prise (unguarded) or exposing your king. Before each of your moves, ask yourself,
“DOES THIS MOVE IMPROVE MY POSITION?” and “IS THIS MOVE SAFE?”
Avoiding mistakes is the beginning of improvement in chess. THINK before you move!
66 Don’t play the first good move you see. Look around for an even better one.
67 The two most common (and often fatal) mistakes in chess are moving too fast and
overlooking opponent’s threats. Sit on your hands until ready to move.
68 If your opponent is in time trouble, don’t rush your moves. Take some time to find
surprising moves that force your opponent to think.
69 Don’t play a move you know is unsound unless you’re busted. In that case, you have
nothing to lose, so look for a sucker punch.
70 Don’t be afraid of higher rated opponents. They have more to lose than you do. Have
some fun and go for the kill.
71 Take no prisoners. Draw only if you must. If offered a draw, make sure you understand
what it will mean if you accept it. In general, don’t accept a draw unless you’re losing.
72 If you touch a piece and your opponent calls you on it, put the piece back on the board
and search for the best move for it. Don’t hold the piece in your hand while thinking.
73 Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don’t take unnecessary chances.
74 Make sure EVERY move has a purpose.
75 If you know your opponent’s style, take advantage of it. But in the final analysis, play the
board, not the person.
76 Don’t check needlessly. Check only when it accomplishes something useful.
77 Answer all threats, but do so while trying to improve your position and/or posing a
counter-threat.
78 Never play a risky move, hoping the opponent won’t see it, unless you’re already lost and
have nothing to lose.
79 The goal in chess is to play the best move in every position.
80 Winning at chess basically consists of creating and exploiting opponent’s weaknesses.
81 Understanding, not memory, is the essential key to chess success. The chess player who
understands why will consistently defeat the player who only knows how. Play by sound
general principles adapted to the specific requirements (offensive opportunities and
defensive necessities) in each position.
82 In many cases, it is better to allow an enemy piece to occupy a square and then drive it
away, as opposed to preventing him from coming there in the first place. This way, you
gain a tempo instead of losing one. That’s a difference of two tempi.
83 If your opponent has a well-posted piece, drive it away or exchange it.
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84 If your opponent controls more space, advance pawns to gain space yourself.
85 If your opponent has greater elasticity in his position, loosen your own position, strive for
more freedom or flexibility (perhaps by exchanging one or more pieces), then look for
your own least active piece or pieces and develop a plan to make it or them active.
86 If your opponent controls the center, challenge it with pawns.
87 The surest way to consistently win chess games is to anticipate & nullify your opponent’s
plans, and to create no weaknesses in your position for your opponent to attack. This has
been one of the major keys to Karpov's success. Think and play prophyllactically.
88 Play slowly. Haste and carelessness are greater enemies than your opponent. Accuracy,
not speed, is essential in chess. Be patient. The reward for speed is a legacy of lost
games.
89 Be serious while playing. Don’t talk to your opponent during the game. If he or she talks
to you, complain. You can socialize after the game, not during it.
90 Chess is a creative process. Its purpose is to find the truth. To discover the truth, you
must work hard, be uncompromising, and be brave.
91 Play as if the future of humanity depends on your efforts. It does.
92 Don’t play automatic moves. Make sure you understand the opening before playing it.
93 There must be no reasoning from the past moves, only the present position. Logically, the
previous moves in a game should not affect one’s play in the slightest, as each move
creates a new position.
94 A player can get by with a minimum of book knowledge; simply avoid finesse. Play
moves that cannot lead to trouble.
95 Players usually make their worst oversights in dead won games or in dead lost games. It
is surprising how often a mate in one is overlooked when one’s position is already
hopeless or when you are winning easily.
96 The best practical rule for a winning game: destroy your opponent's counter-chances. It
may be slower, but it’s surer.
97 When your opponent is short on time, try to continually present him with problems that
will require a lot of time to analyze.
98 Never take a risk for material when you already have a win.
99 The chief factor in chess skill is the storing of patterns in the mind, and the recognition of
such patterns in actual play.
100 When a move can wait, it is almost always best to let it wait. However, it is nearly always
wrong to postpone a must move if you can safely play it at once.
101 When forced to choose among moves, play the most necessary one first.
102 The closer to the time trouble your opponent is, the more tactical your game should be.
This way you will pose the most unpleasant problems for your opponent. He or she is
much more prone to miscalculate in such a situation.
103 While a stockpile of principles, guidelines, rules, and basic positions can be very useful
in any chess player's arsenal, one should never forget that there is no substitute for
analysis. A general idea or guideline is not the end, but the means to an end.
104General principles can be a good guide, but there is no substitute for sound analysis
based on concrete variations.
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The Opening
"Your only task in the opening is to reach a playable middlegame."
Lajos Portisch
In the opening, work to:
1) control the center;
2) develop all your pieces to effective squares; and
3) safeguard your king. Every move in the opening should contribute to one or more
of these three opening objectives. If it doesn't, it is probably weak or an outright
mistake.

 Don’t play the opening casually or automatically, no matter how well you think
you know it. Make sure you understand what’s going on. If your opponent plays
a strange looking move, take some time to analyze it. Fight for the initiative right
from the start.
 If your opponent plays an unusual move, try to understand it before responding.
Answer all threats.
 The best way to avoid falling into a trap is to develop your pieces to useful
squares where they will not be in any immediate danger.
 An attempt by White to play “Black with a move in hand” can always be
resolved by the opponent into easy equality if one can only find the way. But
when faced with the problem over the board without having studied it or
previously met it, the way is not always easy to find.
 Proper development does not concern itself merely with placing the pieces where
they are effective for attack. It is equally important to interfere with the range of
influence of the opponent's pieces.
 If your opponent shocks you with a surprise move in the opening, don't panic and
answer too quickly. Take a deep breath and try to analyze the new move in an
objective manner. In most cases, the new move isn't any better than the normal
move. Its main strength usually lies in its surprise value.
 Don't be intimidated if your opponent is an expert in a particular opening. Play
reasonable moves, and you should reach a reasonable position.
 By all means, choose an opening that you believe will unsettle your opponent,
but be sure not to unsettle yourself in the process.
 The purpose of pawn moves in the opening are to control the center, release
pieces, defend your piece and pawn formation, and restrain opposing pawns and
pieces.
 Try to establish an ideal pawn center (both center pawns safely abreast on the
fourth rank), and support your pawns with pieces.
 Prevent your opponent from castling if possible, or force him to give up some
other concession in order to castle.
 Make only two or three pawn moves in the opening, and maintain at least one
central pawn to avoid being overrun in the center.
 Play to gain control of the center. Attack central squares (d4, d5, e4, and e5) with
pawns and pieces.
 Develop pieces rapidly and safely toward the center, and develop with a threat
when possible, to limit your opponent's options. Defend by developing a piece
when possible.
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 Look for ways to develop with threats.

 Develop each piece to its most effective square – strong, safe squares on which
your pieces have scope, mobility, and aggressive or defensive prospects – and do
so efficiently, without moving the same piece over and over.
 Aim your pieces at the center, the opposing king and at weak points in your
opponent's position.
 Develop all your pieces in the opening.
 To facilitate castling, develop pieces first on the side where you intend to castle.
 Develop rooks to open files, especially central files.
 Develop the queen, but not too early, and usually close to home to avoid
harassment by opposing minor pieces and pawns.
 Avoid time-wasting pawn grabbing of wing pawns, especially with the queen, at
the expense of development and position (center pawns are generally worth
capturing).
 Move each piece only once in the opening – do not waste time moving the same
piece multiple times, leaving other pieces undeveloped.
 Castle early, usually on the kingside.
 Avoid prolonged symmetry in the opening. Imbalances in the position are
necessary to create winning chances.
 Do not lose material without adequate compensation in the opening.
 Occasionally, play gambits – sacrifices of material (usually a pawn or two) to
gain a lead in development, control the center, seize the initiative, and open lines
for attack – for fun, and to sharpen your tactics.
 Play both king- and queen-pawn openings, and play gambits occasionally.
 If you accept a gambit, expect to play some defense – and be prepared to return
the extra material to improve your position after using the initiative to create
weaknesses in your opponent's position.
 Learn and play standard openings and defenses, which suit your style, whether
tactical or positional.
 Specialize in only a few openings and defenses. Build an opening repertoire and
play it consistently, until you know and understand thoroughly, and feel
comfortable with it against anyone, and anything they can throw at you.
 In serious games, play openings and defenses you know well. Practice other
openings and defenses in casual games or against a computer.
 Patience is the byword in the opening and early middlegame, especially as Black.
Best results are achieved by first building a solid, strong, active position – safe
king, active pieces, strong center, and sound pawn formations – then seeking
tactical and attacking opportunities.
 If behind in development, keep the position closed. If ahead, open it up.
 Try to prevent your opponent from castling. Keep it trapped in the center,
especially in open games.
 The books generally tend to exaggerate the value of a pawn center as such, If a
pawn center really hampers the enemy pieces, it is advantageous; otherwise not.
Things that count against a pawn center are: a) ample maneuvering space for
enemy pieces, even though on a wing; b) a completely open file, which at any
rate means freedom for rooks; and c) exchanges of pieces, especially minor
pieces. Real control of the center is always advantageous, e.g., knights posted
there and not vulnerable to pawns. But a pawn center does not always guarantee
such control. All one can say is that it usually helps.
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 A pawn center is rarely advantageous to the player possessing it if the

opponent has moved both his center pawns two squares. It is advantageous
only while the opponent is saddled with a pawn at K3, K2, Q3 or Q2. Such
a pawn impedes its own army.
 Developing a knight away from the center is usually a bad idea. Remember,
knights on the rim are dim.
 In an opening where your only advantage is that your pieces are just a little less
restricted than your opponent’s, the effect of a single exchange can be to equalize
the game.
 Openings in which White plays a Black formation with a move in hand nearly
always have some slight theoretical flaw, and the problem is to find it in any
particular case.
 Make as few pawn moves as necessary. Pawn moves tend to create weak squares.
Especially avoid them around your castled king’s position. When attacking,
particularly in open positions, use pieces. If you don’t know what to do, make an
intelligent piece move. Unless there is a specific need or reason, make pawn
moves only to facilitate development in the opening, open lines for attack in the
middlegame, or create passed pawns in the endgame. Every move spent moving a
pawn is a move that could have been used to develop a piece.
 Never play queen to Q-N3 early in an opening unless it goes there with a threat.
 In any opening, it is usually all right for White to give up a clear tempo to isolate
Black’s d-pawn. But if Black does it, he usually falls too far behind in
development to take advantage of the isolation. The d-pawn then becomes more
strong than weak.
 It’s the possibility of a breakthrough that confers the initiative in the opening, not
the breakthrough itself, which should be preceded by development.
 When you’ve opened two diagonals for a bishop, but can only use one, there is a
move gone to waste.
 Develop purposefully, not just for development’s sake. Put pieces on good
squares with the first move, and don’t keep moving them around without good
reasons.
 Try to develop with threats, but don’t threaten pointlessly or waste time doing so.
 If you take your opponent “out of the books,” do it with a bold move, not a
lukewarm one.
 The importance of getting to a stage where your rooks can see each other is
enormously greater in a position with open files.
 In most situations, to advance a rook pawn one square to prevent a bishop from
coming to N5 is a waste of a tempo. By waiting until the opponent has already
placed him there before you “biff” the bishop away, you cause him to waste a
tempo.
 When one’s opponent has castled kingside, it is nearly always a good idea to pin
his king’s knight.
 In most cases, it’s a mistake to play bishop to king’s N5 unless the enemy has
already castled.
 In closed games, it is usually better to be a little behind in development than to
develop quickly but awkwardly.
 A good motto in the opening is: No unnecessary concessions!
 In general, when a concession must be made in the opening, prefer one for which
the enemy must concede the initiative.
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 The king is best placed on the side where he has the minority of pawns.
 Early castling is dubious in a closed game.
 When behind in development, don't open up the position.
 Once an imbalance is created in the opening, one's further development must
address that imbalance in some way.
 When there is no special reason for accepting a gambit, decline it.
 A Stonewall formation should never be adopted without a king’s bishop to
strengthen the squares that the Stonewall weakens.
 In any position that is at all open, you should castle quickly.
 Philidor’s ancient principle that the bishop pawns should not be obstructed still
holds true in most positions.
 Pawn-winning strategy in the opening is always a gamble. It invites an attack,
against which one error may spell ruin.
 A non-developing move in the opening, however attractive, should always be
regarded as guilty until is proven innocent. The moral: Suspect any
non-developing move in the opening unless it forces a non-developing move in
reply.

The Middlegame
"Before the endgame, the gods have placed the middlegame."
Siegbert Tarrasch
Enemy Proble m Do This Against It
Bad minor piece Avoid exchanging it. Keep it restricted.
Blocked pieces Keep them blocked.
Cramped game Avoid freeing exchanges.
Down the exchange Simplify to an ending of rook v. minor piece. Invade
with K & R to produce a passed pawn.
Exposed king Threaten with pieces; look for double attack.
Ill-timed flank attack Counterattack in the center.
Lack of development Look for tactics and combinations, especially against the
uncastled king.
Unprotected pieces Look for combinations, especially forks and double
attacks.
Material disadvantage Trade pieces, not pawns.
Moved pawns around castled king Attack with pieces in open positions; pawn-storm in
closed ones; occupy weak squares.
Overextended pawns Undermine with pawns and attack with pieces.
Pawn-grabbing Develop pieces and attack the king.
Pinned units Pile up on them; attack with pawns and lesser units.
Premature queen moves Attack it with development.
Time trouble Make surprise threats and force him to spend time
calculating.
Uncastled king Prevent castling and open the center.
Under heavy attack Avoid exchanges and simplification until you gain
something.
Unfavorable pawn majorities Advance healthy majority; create passed pawn.
Weak pawns Fix, exploit and attack.
 P a g e | 11

Weak squares Occupy them.

Big pieces on a line Pin or skewer them.
Over-worked piece Attack it or offer it a sacrifice; force an overworked
piece to abandon one or more of its functions.

Middlegame goals are to;

1) checkmate the enemy king,
2) win material, and
3) establish a winning endgame.

 In the middlegame, active, coordinated pieces, open lines, and aggressive play
are the keys to success.
 The most important middlegame principle is to establish and maintain a SAFE
and ACTIVE position (passive positions contain the germs of defeat).
 Don't be afraid to sacrifice to press forward to your main strategic goal. An
advantageous position does not win itself against a resourceful opponent, and at
some point it may become necessary to "get your hands dirty" and analyze
precise tactical variations.
 In symmetrical positions, a single tempo can play a decisive role. The first player
to undertake aggressive actions can often force his opponent into a permanently
passive role.
 Always be aware of back-rank mates. If it is possible to make some luft for your
king, without serious loss of time or weakening your king's defenses, it is well
worth considering.
 A fianchettoed bishop combined with a pawn advance on the opposite wing is a
standard technique for exerting strategic pressure.
 If the position is equal, then playing too hard for the advantage is risky.
 No matter what the position or situation on the board, remain calm. Panic routs
logical thinking.
 Playing to win is often less effective at achieving the desired results than simply
playing good chess.
 To consolidate an advantage, eliminating enemy counterplay is more important
than grabbing extra material.
 Sometimes it is more important to create counterplay than it is to avoid
weaknesses. Wounds may not be fatal, but suffocation usually is.
 It is usually far more important to activate pieces than to grab pawns.
 Originality and surprise moves are powerful weapons in practical chess. Inducing
errors is an important part of the game.
 If your opponent has sacrificed material to gain the initiative, look for ways to
sacrifice material back to go on the offensive yourself, especially if there are
weaknesses in your opponent's position waiting to be exploited.
 It is often well worth sacrificing the exchange to disrupt the enemy's pawn
structure and deny his king a safe haven.
 An opponent's fianchettoed bishop can exert tremendous pressure along a long
diagonal. It is usually advisable to exchange it, or if that's not possible, to at least
restrict it by means of a suitable pawn chain.
 Distrust any pawn move. Examine carefully its balance sheet.
 Knowing which pieces you want to exchange is a great help in forming a plan
and choosing the correct moves.
 P a g e | 12

 If your opponent has a strong or mobile pawn center, the best way to combat it is
to attack it with pawns.
 A piece permanently locked out of play is as good as lost.
 An enemy pawn firmly embedded in one's position is like a fishbone caught in
your throat. Nothing good can come of it.
 Piece sacrifices and exchange sacrifices for positional compensation are common.
You should always be on the lookout for them.
 Exchange passive pieces for your opponent's active pieces, unless behind in
material.
 Avoid unnecessary exchanges when behind in material.
 Select a plan and stay with it. Don’t switch without good reason.
 Never play aimlessly and without a plan and a clear goal in mind.
 Avoid placing your king or queen on the same files as opposing rooks, or on the
same diagonals as opposing bishops, even with intervening pieces (because of
discovered attacks).
 Avoid a back-rank mate by providing your castled king a safe flight square.
 Play difficult positions with determination, and seek counterplay.
 Faced with the loss of materia l, lose the least amount possible (remember the
"desperado").
 Neutralize (restrict, oppose, or exchange) opponent's fianchettoed bishops,
especially when aimed at your king.
 Use threats to drive your opponent's pieces to less useful squares, then work to
keep them there.
 Look for opportunities on every move to limit the mobility & usefulness of your
opponent's pieces.
 Do not disrupt your king's pawn shelter by moving the pawns in front of your
castled king without a clear, sound reason.
 Pin your opponent's pieces, and maintain effective pins until the exchange is
favorable.
 Attack pinned pieces, especially with pawns.
 Avoid being pinned; if pinned, break pins early.
 Centralize and coordinate your pieces early in the middlegame. Pieces are
effective only when they are active, and cooperate.
 Move knights to outposts, and support them with pawns and pieces.
 Seize and control open files and diagonals with pieces.
 Double long-range pieces on important files and diagonals.
 Double rooks on the 7th rank when possible.
 Be certain that all advanced pieces have safe retreat squares.
 Gain control of important squares – central squares and the squares around both
kings.
 Gain space with pawn advances, and seek improved development during
exchanges.
 Refrain from aimless moves, captures, or exchanges. Move pawns and pieces
only to gain an advantage or avoid a disadvantage.
 Avoid exchanging bishops for knights without compensation. Bishops are usually
slightly stronger than knights, except in closed positions.
 Visualize your chess goals in every position. Imagine your pieces and pawns
safely in ideal position, then determine the moves necessary to reach that
position.
 P a g e | 13

 Be prepared to exchange one advantage for another more favorable one (e.g.,
exchange a bishop for a knight to double an opponent's pawns in front of his
castled king, or exchange material for a winning endgame).
 If no tactics or attacking opportunities are available, try to improve your position
– especially by mobilizing your inactive, or least active, pieces.
 Pawn structure is the skeleton of a chess game; strategy is more clearly defined
when the pawn structure is rigid, since options are more limited and pawn targets
are fixed.
 Attack pawn chains at their base, if possible.
 Establish and maintain strong pawn formations. Avoid weak (isolated, doubled or
backward) pawns.
 Make exchanges that give your opponent weak pawns or reduce the mobility of
his pieces.
 An open or half-open file is the usual compensation for doubled pawns. Occupy
and control such files with rooks and the queen.
 Usually, capture with pawns toward the center.
 Simplify by trading pieces when ahead, to make the win easier and more certain.
Complicate the position when behind.
 Place pawns on opposite-colored squares than your bishop so as to increase the
bishop's mobility.
 Protect weak pawns by maintaining them on opposite-colored squares than your
opponent's bishop.
 You cannot win a chess game by resigning. Resign only when the position is
absolutely hopeless.
 Try to gain a material or positional advantage early, and increase it. Improve
your position with every move, and accumulate small advantages. They add up to
a win.
 Be aggressive! Attack opponents’ weaknesses! Play forcing moves (checks and
captures, and threats to check and capture).
 Play with a series of sound, flexible plans. Plan early and continuously. Base
plans of strengths and weaknesses in the position, and modify as necessary or
desirable (plans are made for a few moves only, not for the entire game).
 Correct analysis is the foundation of strong chess. Accurate and complete
analysis of each position – for both sides – enables a player to develop sound
plans and effective moves. When analyzing a position, search for the central
features – especially identify and examine weaknesses – and base your plans on
these features. Look at king safety, material status, possible tactics, piece
placement and mobility, pawn structure, control of significant squares, and time
(tempi).
 Disguise your plans – play least committal moves first, especially when
preparing an attack.
 Do not be myopic and become too involved in your own plans. Play both sides of
the board. Analyze your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities as
well as your own.
 Have a sound and specific purpose every time you touch a piece. Try to improve
your position with every move.
 Every piece and pawn in a chess game should do useful work.
 When you have two rooks opposing each other on an open file, with each
defended by another rook, it’s usually best to let the opponent initiate the
 P a g e | 14

exchange. That way, after recapturing, you’ll be the one controlling the file with
a rook.
 When you find a good move, look for a better one!
 The most consistently effective strategy is to win with minimum risk. Avoid
risky variations and speculative lines of play, unless behind. Avoid going for the
“flashy” or brilliant win. When ahead, play for the certain win, even if slower or
less glamorous.
 Play aggressively, but soundly. Avoid risky, trappy, and unsound moves, unless
desperately behind.
 When ahead in material or position, reduce your opponent’s chances for
counterplay by minimizing his tactical opportunities.
 Seek chess “bargains” by trying to gain more than you give up on every move.
 Avoid playing moves that help your opponent.
 Hinder your opponent and his plans at every possible opportunity.
 In every position, first ANALYZE accurately, then PLAN soundly, and finally
EXECUTE effectively (A-P-E).
 Examine and respect the small tactical and positional details in each position.
They often contain the keys to victory.
 The sequence of moves is often important. In a series of exchanges, capture with
the lowest value piece first, unless an alternative capture is clearly more
advantageous.
 Positional play, the control of important squares and lines, involves active piece
placement and a sound pawn structure, as well as creating weaknesses in your
opponent’s position.
 Sound positional play provides the necessary foundation for effective tactics.
Incorrect of inferior positional play is seldom redeemed by tactical salvation.
Positional superiority precedes and supports effective tactics.
 Do not sacrifice material without a clear reason and sufficient compensation (e.g.,
to open lines for attack, expose the enemy king, remove key defenders, simplify
to a winning endgame, etc.).
 Search for multipurpose moves, and recognize possible multipurposes of your
opponent’s moves.
 Tactics decide all chess games. Successful tactical play involves recognizing,
creating, and attacking weaknesses to win material, achieve a positional
advantage, or to force checkmate. ALWAYS be alert for tactical opportunities
and threats for both yourself AND your opponent. One combination can be, and
usually is, the difference between winning and losing a game.
 Examine every possible check and capture – for BOTH sides – on every move.
 Anticipate your opponent’s best replies to your moves. Ask yourself, “what move
would I play against this move of mine?” Then other moves by your opponent
should pose no problem. While not relying on an opponent’s errors, do take
advantage of any mistakes that occur. Punish mistakes without mercy.
 If your position is cramped, try to free your game by exchanging pieces. If your
opponent is cramped, avoid exchanges and keep it that way.
 Don’t go pawn grabbing.
 If your king is still in the middle, don’t open the center. If your king is castled
and your opponent’s isn’t, open the center.
 Seize open lines. Reinforce and exploit them.
 Grab a key open file first. With a rook on the file, occupy an anchor point (a safe
 P a g e | 15

square on the same file supported by at least one pawn). Be alert to rook lifts -
shifting a rook to the other wing. If you can, double rooks. If you need, triple
major pieces.
 Neutralize enemy rooks. Oppose them. If this isn’t feasible, take another file, or
open your own. Don’t exchange rooks if it surrenders the file.
 Get a “pig” (a rook on the 7th rank. They’re called this because they eat, and eat,
and eat). If defending against a rook on the 7th rank, don’t advance pawns that
elongate the rook’s control of that rank (don’t lengthen the pig). If your rook is
attacking the 7th, reinforce it by doubling rooks. Place two rooks on the 7th rank
and open a sty!
 Turn weaknesses into strengths. For example, if your castled king is exposed to
attack along a half-open g-file, move the king to the corner and put a rook on the
g-file. Make your opponent sweat and work for everything.
 Accept all sacrifices you don’t understand. Don’t sacrifice without good reason.
 Seize open lines and fight to control and maintain them.
 Try to pin your opponent’s pieces and avoid allowing your own to be pinned.
Don’t capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, try
to attack them again, especially with pawns.
 Build batteries by placing two or more pieces of like power attacking along a
line.
 Always play according to the reality of the position.
 To gain space, you usually have to sacrifice time. To gain time, you usually have
to sacrifice material.
 Always be on the lookout for ways to trade your bad minor pieces for your
opponent’s good ones.
 Try to accumulate small advantages. They eventually add up.
 When embarking on a series of moves, make the most non-committal moves
first.
 Time becomes of small consequence when one side controls all the space.
 Don’t take weak pawns; instead take strong pawns - things that can bite if not
eaten first.
 When a pawn is offered to you, never take it simply for the sake of taking it.
Only if the pawn will annoy you if not taken, or if the opponent gains no
advantage by sacrificing it. In other words, sometimes take threatening pawns,
but rarely non-threatening ones if the opponent will get significant compensation.
 Contemporary masters often saddle themselves with weak pawns for the purpose
of getting freedom for their pieces. A weak pawn often ties one’s pieces up, but
not always.
 The policy of parting with the two bishops, when the bishops have no scope is
often the only way to wrest the initiative.
 It is almost always unwise to yield any positional advantage for the sake of
simplifying.
 Rather than submit to a marked disadvantage, always give up material. The loss
of a pawn, the exchange for a pawn, or queen for a rook, bishop and pawn – all
these cause absurdly disproportionate alarm in the majority of players. So long as
you have a little positional superiority in compensation, there is not the slightest
need to become timorous or desperate.
 Don’t support a threatened piece, move it.
 An attacked piece cannot be relied on as a protector.
 P a g e | 16

 There’s a general principle that you should not leave a piece where it ties another
piece to its defense.
 If you are not prepared to calculate deeply, avoid loose pieces.
 Threats are the stuff on which wins are built.
 In games of opposite castling, the rule is to sacrifice anything rather than time.
 Hanging pawns, although weak, are better than one isolated pawn, because as
long as they are both abreast, neither of them can be blockaded. The thing is not
to defend them with miserly pusillanimity, but to capitalize on the control of
center squares, which they provide – try to attack.
 In practical play, the question of how big or how small a theoretical advantage
one side has is not important. If one side’s moves are easy and the other’s hard,
that is important. To have an easy game means to have a clearly good aim or
strategy and no difficult tactical problems to solve in achieving it.
 In some positions a player’s skill consists in knowing a win MUST be there. He
can leave the finding of the moves till the situations arise, saving much labor.
The combinations will be there. You must have faith.
 When a central passed pawn can be well blockaded, it is of no use to its owner at
all.
 You need not fear to create a weakness in your own position if it creates or
preserves worse ones in the opponent’s position.
 One may see all one’s opponent’s threats, but that is not enough. Your opponent
may have no threat at all; but the move you contemplate making will alter the
position, and you must always look to see if it gives the opponent an opportunity
that was not there before. Statistics might show that players dig their own pitfalls
almost as often as their opponents dig them for them.
 The average player thinks an isolated pawn has to be won, but that is not till the
endgame. It must rather be made an obstacle to the opponent’s forces.
 To have one bad piece is not so terrible if all one’s other pieces are going to be
good.
 As a rule, the worst way of taking advantage of a weak pawn is to capture it,
because then the opponent no longer has to worry about it.
 The test of a plan is whether it improves or strengthens your position or, if that is
not feasible, at least makes it no weaker. If a plan looks good, it may still be bad,
but if it looks bad, it is almost certain to be bad.
 If you have a very exposed king, a queen swap is well worth one pawn.
 Always unpin. A safe rule in practically any position is Unpin! Remember
though, every general rule has its exceptions. “Always unpin” is a good general
rule, but it can sometimes lead to too many piece moves.
 It is hard to do much against strong opponents unless you “sail close to the
wind.” Always look for ways of ignoring threats.
 Acquiescence to your opponent’s plans is no way to win at chess. Try to prove
them faulty.
 Do not break up your own position. Let your opponent expend some effort in
breaking it up.
 If you must leave your opponent a good move, leave him more than one. Not
only will this consume time on his clock, but his choice may not be the best one.
 In general, act on the wing where you have the initiative.
 With only one open file, it rarely pays either side to avoid exchanging rooks.
 A checking pin or fork is usually effective, but a pin or a fork in which neither
 P a g e | 17

victim is the king can often be broken. All that is required is that one of the
victims should be able to make a move containing a threat strong enough to deter
the capture of the other victim.
 Follow Reti’s advice: When trying to win, destroy opponent’s strengths; when
trying to equalize, go for his weaknesses. It doesn’t always work, but it's worth
bearing in mind.
 Overprotection of strong points is often good. Overprotection of weak points is
rarely so.
 Never play a good move, however obvious, until you have looked for a better
one.
 One of the most important considerations in selecting a square for a piece is that
it should not obstruct one’s other pieces.
 It is important in practical play to not give oneself chances of going wrong: 1)
beware of unnecessarily accepting a pawn sacrifice; 2) beware of exposing your
king; 3) beware of leaving your king no flight squares. This last is only unsafe
sometimes, but look first!
 Beware of placing a piece where it has no retreat.
 To anticipate a move the opponent is bound to play is always good.
 Nothing can be better than a move you know you would be forced to play next
move anyway.
 Try to maneuver your rooks so that neither one requires protection.
 To get the best out of a bishop, avoid clogging his diagonals with pawns.
 A weakness that can’t be exploited is of no consequence.
 The middlegame is mainly a battle of the pieces and center pawns. A flank pawn
is of slight consequence and is sometimes better off the board, since its absence
creates a file for a rook.
 Against a cramped opponent, do not hurry; delay your break till it comes with
maximum force. Time is nothing; space and force are everything.
 Don’t allow exchanges if your enemy’s position is cramped.
 Post your pieces where they will be most effective if the enemy tries to free
himself.
 When the enemy threatens something, it may be best to let him do it, but play in
such a way that the threat’s execution will create new opportunities for yourself.
 The idea against a player burdened with a cramped game or a bad weakness is to
base your plan on the assumption that he will try to free his game or eliminate the
weakness. If you thereby deter him from doing it, so much the better.
 If your opponent can force a freeing move in a cramped position, post your
pieces so that you also will benefit from it.
 One should not allow oneself to be cramped for the sake of avoiding a very small
theoretical disadvantage. A small advantage in development will usually
compensate for such slight troubles. Play a game of mobility and do not be
scared by small theoretical weaknesses of whose actual significance you are not
fully aware.
 One should not always prevent freeing moves – prepare for them. Absolute
prevention may be bad if the preventive move is not otherwise useful.
 A powerful knight, centrally posted in the enemy camp, pawn-supported, and
immune to being dislodged by an enemy pawn is often worth as much as a rook.
 A knight blockading an enemy pawn is automatically well placed.
 A knight should always be driven back from an attacking position if it can be
 P a g e | 18

done so safely.
 Knights need well-supported advance outposts to be most effective. The way to
combat knights is to deny them these outposts.
 An enemy knight in one’s own camp should be driven away as soon as possible.
 Better a slight gamble or risk than to accept the certainty of a lasting inferiority.
 Tarrasch said, “ A knight on K6 and the game is won.” That is only true if the
pawn supporting the knight can be maintained and the knight can’t be exchanged.
This type of knight is often called a “Nail in the knee.” It is crippling.
 Be careful about getting stuck with bad pawns. If the game is otherwise fairly
equal, they may seal your doom in the endgame.
 In general, open lines when you are in possession of the two bishops.
 Against the two bishops, try to keep the position closed.
 When your opponent has a bishop and you don’t, keep your pawns on squares of
the same color as your opponent’s bishop.
 Pawns must be kept on the opposite color squares as your bishop.
 The main advantage of having the two bishops against a bishop and a knight
consists of the fact that the possessor of the two bishops can limit his opponent’s
mobility by appropriate pawn moves.
 If your opponent has the two bishops, try to exchange one of them for one of
your own knights.
 Another advantage of having the two bishops is that in order for the opponent to
attack, he must open lines – and that is usually good for the bishops.
 When both players have both of their bishops, it is usually worth a tempo to
prevent your opponent from exchanging one of yours for a knight.
 In the middlegame, bishops of opposite color are not drawish, but very winnish
for the freer bishop (usually the one with no center pawn in its way). Bishops on
opposite colors are a big advantage to the side with the better bishop, as it cannot
be exchanged off.
 In the middlegame, bishops of opposite color tend to be very useful for attacking,
since the opponent’s bishop cannot directly defend against its counterpart or.
 It is better to take a sure advantage with some risk of a draw than to permit
complications to get so out of hand that you also have a good chance of losing.
 The maxim that it is unwise to answer a K-fianchetto with a Q-fianchetto only
applies if the QB is unprotected. Otherwise it can pay off, as there is all the more
chance of swapping off the opposing K-bishop and thus weakening the castled
king.
 There are few sights more horrible than a rook sitting on its original square when
there is an open file for it.
 Rooks must be aggressive, or they can’t pull their weight.
 One of the first maxims of rook play is TAKE! Taking something frees the rook
for other work.
 If not allowed to be a marauder, a rook never fully functions.
 One of the most reliable maxims in chess is never use a rook to defend a pawn. It
is different when you put a rook behind a well-advanced pawn, for you do this
rather to back up its advance than to defend it.
 One of the hardest things in chess is to put both rooks in the best places first go.
That’s where grandmasters shine.
 Let the opponent be the first to speculate if possible. Stick to moves that can’t be
bad, as long as they are available.
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 Exchanging two pieces for a rook and pawn is usually not a good idea in the
middlegame, especially if the two pieces are your bishops. The two pieces are
usually able to create a lot more threats in the middlegame than the rook and
pawn could.
 It is a breaking of principle to bring a rook into the middle of the board during
the middlegame.
 It is better to give up the exchange rather than use a rook to blockade a passed
pawn. A rook is a bad blockader if it can be harassed by minor pieces.
 Vacating an open file to avoid exchanges is almost always wrong.
 Weak points or holes in the enemy position must be occupied by pieces, not
pawns
 Rooks work best with bishops, and queens work best with knights. These
combinations of pieces compliment each other’s strengths instead of overlapping.
This only holds for normal pawn formations. Against a king entirely without
pawn shelter, the bishop may be the stronger partner for the queen.
 Knights are generally poor defenders of each other.
 The rule for playing lost positions is this: continuously present your opponent
with difficult problems! This was a big part of the secret to Lasker’s success.
Give your opponent every opportunity to go wrong, and he often will.
 Remember that the advantage of queen for rook and minor piece is less than that
for the exchange, and draws are quite often the result. For a win, the queen is
usually required to be able to get at the king.
 It is nearly always better to have superior fighting force against a queen, with a
balancing minus in pawns, than equality in both. In the former case, the queen is
usually reduced to creeping tentatively around the board instead of attacking –
her only successful role.
 It is useless to try to gain space on the flank unless the center is under control or
blocked.
 It is nearly always bad to have the front member of a doubled pawn unsupported.
 The basic principle of positional play, right from the opening to the endgame, is
to use inactive force.
 It is a common fault to be too eager to take a second pawn when already one
pawn up. The important point at this point is to secure a good position, or if you
already have one, to maintain it. To sacrifice position for a little more material is
to risk a lot for a little.
 In general, it is more logical to open a line for a piece and then put that piece on
the line, than to put the piece on the line first – as you may not be able to open
the line after putting it there. The common exception is the mysterious rook move
in blocked positions, where you know your opponent will open the file himself,
or you wish to deter him from doing so.
 It is good to complicate in a lost position, but if the position is merely
unfavorable, it usually pays to play for restoring the balance.
 In chess, the threat is stronger than the execution.
 The value of a pawn center is much decreased by the complete opening of a file,
for then the enemy can mobilize his rooks.
 If you’re materially behind, complicate the position. Avoid simplifying moves
and exchanges (if you’re ahead, simplify ruthlessly). Exchange only if you can
force a known drawn position. If you are materially ahead, and if under attack,
don’t be afraid to give back some of your material to break your opponent’s
attack. If material is even and you are under attack, swap off a few pieces to
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lessen your opponent’s threats. If cramped, look to exchange to free your game.
The fewer pieces you have, the less cramped you are.
 With a closed center, you know which wing to play on by noting the direction
your pawns point.
 A weakness is not a weakness if it can't be exploited.
 In a winning position, work to kill off all your opponent's counterplay before
undertaking decisive action.
 When you control the center, it is usually a good idea to maintain or increase the
tension, rather than release it.
 Advantages do not increase of their own accord. Purposeful play is required to
increase an advantage.
 Choose your minor pieces wisely. In open games, prefer bishops. In horribly
closed positions, keep at least one knight. If you have a bishop, place your pawns
on squares of the opposite color. Try to anchor your knights on strong central
squares and create advance, supported outposts for them. With bishops of
opposite color, the attacker has the advantage in the middlegame because the
enemy bishop can’t neutralize the opposing bishop. Endgames with opposite
colored bishops are often drawn. For attacking purposes, a queen and knight are
often stronger than a queen and bishop, especially if the knight offers the queen
more support points, and when the action takes place mainly on one side of the
board.

Attack and Defense

“The true sweetness of chess, if it can be sweet, is to see a victory snatched, by some
happy impertinence, out of the shadow of apparently irrevocable disaster. ”
H. G. Wells
1 King safety is always paramount. Avoid exposing him to attack. Protect your king at all
times.
2 Keep pieces and pawns defended. Unguarded pieces and pawns are targets.
3 Avoid tactical and positional weaknesses, and remedy any weaknesses promptly.
Especially avoid knight forks, double attacks, and discovered attacks. Avoid being pinned
or skewered, and break pins early.
4 Defend only as required, and avoid cramped and passive positions.
5 Always analyze variations with double checks very carefully, no matter how improbable
they look.
6 Active counterplay is better than passive defense.
7 When your opponent turns defense into counterattack, don't panic. Calmly reassess the
position and look for the best continuations.
8 Once you've started an attack, especially one that involves a sacrifice, there may be no
turning back. Your only hope is usually to press on, no matter what.
9 Don't automatically capture a sacrificed piece. Look first for a zwischenzug that can be
played, or another strong move.
10 The elimination of defensive pieces is often the key to a successful attack.
11 When under attack, always try to find the most active, constructive defensive moves.
12 Don't be intimidated by extremely messy positions. The play still tends to be based on
simple tactical ideas – just a lot of them.
13 Don't automatically recapture material if doing so distracts you from your attack.
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14 When mopping up after a successful attack, don't get carried away trying to force mate.
Just concentrate on finding a clear, efficient way to win or a way to consolidate your
advantage.
15 The more combinational patterns you are familiar with, the easier it will be to recognize
them at the board.
16 It's not the material on the board that counts, it's the material at the scene of the action. If
your opponent's pieces are far away from the area of your attack and unable to participate
in the defense, especially when you're attacking the castled king, sacrifices are almost
always warranted.
17 When you have sacrificed material to seize the initiative, don't rush to win it back. Crank
up the pressure and force more concessions.
18 Try to analyze all forcing sequences to the end. There may be a "sting in the tail."
19 Even when your main plan is a direct attack, it is good to keep other options available as
long as possible.
20 When you are under pressure, don't panic. Tackle each problem in turn, and don't be in a
hurry to try to solve all your difficulties in one fell swoop. Such solutions rarely exist.
21 Sometimes, you have to rely on your intuition when you can't calculate a combination
clearly to the end, especially when a sacrifice is involved. Just knowing that a win is there,
somewhere, is all you need.
22 When defending, always be on the lookout for a zwischenzug or a chance to
counterattack. Tactics are not the sole possession of the attacker.
23 When all else fails, fall back on stubborn defense instead of lashing out with desperate
tactics.
24 If the enemy king is cut off from most of his defenders, it may be well worth sacrificing a
lot of material to get at him. It is the local superiority of force that counts in a successful
attack.
25 Offside pieces should be brought back into play as quickly as possible.
26 In a direct attack on the king, what matters is not the overall material count, but how
many pieces are in the actual battle area.
27 Be careful with clever little tactics and finesses. After your opponent's reply, you may not
find them quite so clever.
28 In general, attack in the direction your pawns are pointing.
29 Whenever possible, attack. If you must defend, try to defend actively and while
counterattacking.
30 Control of the center gives you the freedom to operate on either side of the board. You
can safely and easily shift your pieces and thus your attacks from one side of the board to
the other. Your opponent, having less room to maneuver, will find it difficult to defend
both sides, due to his inability to move easily from one side to the other.
31 An attacking complement of four pieces will generally be sufficient to force the mate,
allowing one of them to be sacrificed along the way.
32 If attacking, avoid the exchange of attacking pieces, except to eliminate important
defenders or to expose the enemy king. If under attack, swap off some of the attackers.
33 An attack on a wing is usually best met by a counterattack in the center. Close the center
before embarking on a wing attack.
34 When kings are castled on opposite wings, pawnstorms to open lines toward both kings
are the usual method of attack.
35 Successful attacks are based on weaknesses in the opponent's position. Identify and target
specific weaknesses to attack.
36 The usual sequence to attack a king is: open lines, penetrate with pieces, restrict the
opposing king, eliminate key defenders, and then deliver winning checks.
37 Open lines (with pawn exchanges and sacrifices or, if necessary, piece sacrifices) when
 P a g e | 22

attacking. Close lines when defending.

38 Try to expose and restrict the opponent's king. Move your pieces into its vicinity, and
then penetrate with your pieces to weak squares around the enemy king.
39 Attack with several pieces, rather than only one or two. Bring every piece you can into
your attack. Invite everyone to the party!
40 When attacking, play forcing moves (checks, captures, and threats to check and capture)
to limit - and increase the predictability of - your opponent's moves.
41 When meeting a threat with an in-between move, make certain that your threat equals or
exceeds your opponent's.
42 Play to maximize your advantage. Win all you safely can.
43 Attacks are only justified by existing or potential weaknesses. Avoid useless checks and
premature attacks that waste time and scatter pieces.
44 In tactical situations, always analyze each candidate move to a quiet position – one in
which all checks and captures have been exhausted or neutralized (your “horizon”).
45 If your opponent attacks on the flank, counterattack in the center.
46 In most cases, attack with pieces not pawns.
47 Every successful tactic, combination, sacrifice, and attack is based on one or more
weaknesses in the opponent’s position.
48 Sometimes, defending a weakness, such as a weak pawn, can ultimately cost you more
than simply letting it go.
49 Logical sequels are often fatal, but on the whole it pays, once you have embarked on an
unsound attack, to carry on regardless. If you shilly-shally you are almost sure to lose,
whereas an unsound attack boldly executed will often fool the defender.
50 An attacked piece cannot be relied on as a protector.
51 In general, during a tactical exchange, take with the least valuable piece first.
52 Overcaution in chess is the height of recklessness. The gods do not forgive those who
scorn their favors. It is unforgivable to throw away good attacking chances.
53 Do not release pressure on any point unless you can see a certain gain. If you transfer
pressure from one point to another, you are generally using up a move without improving
your position
54 A wing attack will usually not succeed unless you can control the center or clog it up.
55 A powerful knight, centrally posted in the enemy camp, pawn-supported, and immune to
being dislodged by an enemy pawn is a deadly weapon for an attack.
56 It’s usually a bad idea to attack a fianchetto castled position without first exchanging off
the fianchetto bishop to weaken the squares it was protecting. If you can force the
fianchetto bishop to retreat to R1, that is almost as good, as it leaves you in control of his
R3 and restricts the bishop to only one diagonal.
57 A common error is refusing to sacrifice the exchange for a pawn in order to get out of
trouble. This is such a very small sacrifice in a position without any fully open files
(therefore, not yet good for rooks) that it is almost always better than getting pushed
around.
58 Refrain from passive defense involving retrogression of pieces if there is some way of
ending the pressure by a small sacrifice. Of all sacrifices, the smallest is a minor piece for
three pawns.
59 Rooks work best with bishops, and queens work best with knights. These combinations
of pieces compliment each other’s strengths instead of overlapping. This only holds for
normal pawn formations. Against a king entirely without pawn shelter, the bishop may be
the stronger partner for the queen.
60 Many opportunities of avoiding disaster by giving up the queen for some of the enemy’s
attacking forces are missed because the queen is so much overrated.
61 When a queen and bishop battery is looming, you should move the rook to give your king
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flight squares. Avoid playing pawn to knight 3 if possible, as this only weakens the
castled position unless there is a fianchetto bishop there.
62 When you have superior attacking forces aimed at the enemy king, it’s often well worth
the sacrifice of one, or even two pieces to strip the king of his pawn cover.
63 An attack against the king is an end in itself, but an attack in another part of the board is
only a means of gaining space or mobility.
64 An open a-file is rarely enough for a Q-side attack, which requires a general
breakthrough in order to be effective.
65 A Q-side attack usually has no greater goal than a gain in space or mobility, so that it is
the height of folly to push ahead with one without securing your king first.
66 Be ultra careful when you lack pieces on your castled side.
67 Do not rely on slow routine development to nullify a coming kingside attack.
68 Counter-attack is rarely a desirable defense unless the thing counter-attacked is more
valuable than the thing being attacked.
69 Having your opponent’s king exposed (especially if he’s in the center of the board) and
under attack is usually well worth a piece.
70 Passive defense is futile in a game of opposite side castling. A pawn storm is also useless
if your opponent’s is already well under way. The only hope is to expose the enemy king,
usually by a piece sacrifice.
71 Good judgment and stiff defense in lost positions are two of the hallmarks of a master.
72 In chess, the threat is stronger than the execution.
73 If your opponent offers a sacrifice, accept it, unless you can see clearly that it would be
bad to do so.
74 The best defense is a good offense. Look for counterattacks. If you must defend, try to
combine protection with counterplay, making sure to reply to all enemy threats. Issue
threats of your own to seize the initiative. The best way to upset your opponent’s plans is
to become menacing.
75 The best way to stop an enemy threat to your own king is to attack his.
76 When preparing an attack, bring the distant rook into the attack.
77 It can be well worth the sacrifice of a pawn to gain a superb square for a piece, especially
if it is near the enemy king.
78 Great ingenuity is needed to break through a defensive wall. It may be necessary to
loosen the opponent's position by play on both wings, and to sacrifice material to divert
crucial defensive pieces.
79 When facing a massive sacrificial attack, keep calm and try to find ways to interfere with
the smooth operation of the attacking pieces. This may mean striking at the
reinforcements, rather than the advanced units.
80 A queen on an open board can often overpower a large number of uncoordinated pieces,
especially if one of them is a king.
81 In wild complications, piece activity is often more important than a material count.
82 If your opponent has sacrificed material for an attack, it may be possible to blunt his
attack by returning the extra material.
83 When defending, developing your pieces is usually more important than grabbing
material.
84 If your opponent's position is hanging together by a thread, use all your ingenuity to find
a way to cut that thread.
85 If your opponent is building up an attack, it is essential that you take defensive measures
in good time.
86 Positional superiority is almost always a necessary prerequisite to decisive tactics.
87 The introduction of a queen into an attack often has a devastating effect.
88 An attack based on the gradual advance of a central pawn majority may take a long time
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to develop, but generates tremendous force.

89 Defend actively, rather than passively. When attacked, consider counterattack first.
90 Be certain that your defenders are not pinned, overworked, unstable, or too valuable.
91 Defend against short-term threats with moves that promote your long-term goals.
92 Proper timing is often the key to effective defense. Defending too soon dissipates the
initiative, defending too late is ineffective.
93 Defend as economically and permanently as possible, and remember that a pawn is the
cheapest defender.
94 Close lines, and keep lines closed, when defending your king.
95 When in check, always consider all three escape methods – capture the attacker, interpose,
or move the king. Do not automatically move your king.
96 Brilliant defense can be just as powerful and imaginative as brilliant attack.
The Endgame
“To be capable of conducting an endgame to the distant goal with clarity, firmness, and
complete familiarity with all its tricks and traps is the sign of the first-class master.”
J. Mieses
1 Familiarize yourself with the endgames likely to stem from the openings you play.
2 Exploit advantages and minimize disadvantages.
3 Be dynamic.
4 Don’t play aimlessly. Don’t waste moves. Don’t give pointless checks.
5 Deploy & activate all your pieces. Get your king into the fight.
6 Cut off lines and cut down enemy threats. Restrain your opponent.
7 If winning, intensify your efforts. It can be hard to win a won game.
8 If losing, look for positional draws, fortresses, stalemates, swindles, and sucker punches.
9 Inflict multiple weaknesses on your opponent, preferably in different sectors, and set up
winning double threats.
10 Avoid weakening pawn moves.
11 If you have weaknesses, liquidate them.
12 If an enemy pawn is weak, don’t trade it. Win it!
13 Create a passed pawn. Use it.
14 Don’t dilly-dally. If one of your pawns is attackable, be ready to defend it.
15 Don’t hurry, but if there’s a race, win it!
16 Escort passed pawns. The king clears the way.
17 If the king can’t get in front, get behind. Get somewhere.
18 If the king can’t blockade, block out.
19 Zugzwang your opponent. Achieve meaningful oppositions.
20 When mobilizing a pawn majority, push the unopposed pawn first.
21 If stalled, open a second front. Create another passed pawn. Decoy your opponent.
22 Don’t make too many extra queens. Two queens are enough.
23 If ahead by a pawn, exchange pieces, not pawns. If behind by a pawn, exchange pawns,
not pieces.
24 Avoid getting stuck with rook pawns, unless it’s a special case.
25 Corral. Bishops should restrict knights.
26 With opposite colored bishops, blockade to draw, create passed pawns to win.
27 Anchor your good knight.
28 Don’t put pawns on the same color squares as your bishop.
29 Fix pawns to impede the enemy bishop.
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30 With two bishops, swap one to get a winning minor piece ending where appropriate.
31 Activate rooks. To insure activity, you may have to sac a pawn or two.
32 Attack with rooks from far away. Keep the “checking distance.”
33 Put rooks behind passed pawns. If not possible, flank-attack them.
34 In rook endings, if your king must bail out, flee to the short side of the enemy pawn.
Keep the long side for your rook.
35 Shelter your king from enemy rooks. If necessary, build a bridge.
36 Blockade with the king, not the rook.
37 In pure queen endings, centralize your queen and choke the enemy’s.
38 Avoid greed. Cede extra material if it eases the win.
39 Trade to simplify, avoid exchanges to keep complex. If winning, clarify. If losing,
complicate.
40 Play to shut down all your opponent’s counterplay.
41 When pawns are far advanced, close to promotion, be on the lookout for tactical tricks
involving promotion.
42 Tactics, combinations and mating attacks are a part of endgame play too. Always be on
the lookout for opportunities.
43 Normally, the player with a bishop against a rook (with no pawns) should be able to draw
by heading toward a corner of the opposite color as his bishop.
44 Endgame goals are to: 1) checkmate the enemy king, 2) promote pawns, and 3) create
passed pawns.
45 In the endgame, sound, mobile pawn structures and an active, aggressive king lead to
victory.
46 Planning is especially important in the endgame, since king position is usually critical
and pawn moves are irreversible.
47 The minimum mating material against a lone king is a king and rook.
48 To win and endgame with only pieces remaining, you must normally be at least minimum
mating material ahead.
49 Activate your king (usually by centralizing) early in the endgame – for both offense and
defense – and maintain an aggressive king position throughout the endgame.
50 Learn and apply endgame fundamentals: queening square, opposition, triangulation, and
zugzwang.
51 Seize and maintain the opposition in king and pawn endgames. The opposition
determines whether the game is a win or a draw.
52 Avoid moving your king outside the queening square of opposing passed pawns.
53 Keep your rooks active in the endgame.
54 Place rooks behind passed pawns.
55 Bishops of opposite colors are drawish in the endgame, since they can be sacrificed to
prevent a solo opposing pawn from queening.
56 Every pawn is a potential queen, and every new queen was once a passed pawn. Do not
lose pawns carelessly.
57 Develop queening threats on both side of the board. The enemy king is not elastic!
58 Create an advance passed pawns at every safe opportunity, and promote passed pawns to
new queens as quickly as possible.
59 To promote pawns, advance unopposed pawns first, especially those farthest from the
defending king.
60 An offside (away from the kings) pawn majority can produce a winning passed pawn –
either a new queen or an effective decoy.
61 Capture or blockade opposing passed pawns early, before they threaten to queen.
62 If an opposing passed pawn reaches the sixth rank, strong measures should be taken
immediately!
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63 If you are only one pawn ahead in the endgame, exchange pieces, not pawns. Save your
valuable pawns for promotion to queens.
64 Kings lead pawns to queening in a king and pawn(s) endgame.
65 In queen and pawn endings, it is helpful to place the king in a fianchetto formation and
station the queen on the long diagonal. This makes it very difficult for the opponent to
achieve any counterplay.
66 In a king and pawn endgame, a king on the sixth rank ahead of a safe pawn on the same
file (except a rook file) is a certain win.
67 Remember, a king and a rook-pawn (even with a bishop of opposite color than the pawn's
promotion square) is a draw if the defending king can reach the promotion square.
68 Be alert for endgame tactics, especially sacrifices.
69 With only one pawn against your opponent's none in an endgame with minor pieces
remaining, protect against your opponent's sacrificing a minor piece for your solo pawn
and forcing a draw by insufficient material.
70 Avoid stalemating your opponent. Leave him moves when his king is not in check.
71 Remember the option of under promoting a pawn, to avoid stalemate (rook or bishop) or
give a winning check.
72 Remember and apply the five types of draws: insufficient mating material, stalemate,
threefold repetition, 50-move rule, and by agreement.
73 Do not resign prematurely. Play for a draw when behind. Aside from hopelessly drawn
positions, offer a draw only when behind or in time trouble. Accept draws only after
careful reflection.
74 In the endgame, make good use of your king. Keep your rooks active. They work best
from far away. Don’t let your rooks idle in defense. Try to create a meaningful passed
pawn. Convoy it home. Don’t make lots of extra queens. One, or at most, two will do.
Otherwise, you increase the chance of stalemate. With an extra queen, mate as soon as
possible. If lost, find a stalemate shot, a swindle, or set up a fortress.
75 One of the best destroyers of counter-chances is a well advanced passed pawn. There is
always a danger in letting the enemy have a pawn one square nearer to queening than you
have.
76 To win, keep pawns on both wings.
77 A very advanced pawn has almost the status of a piece and should be removed if
possible.
78 When ahead in material, exchange pieces.
79 When behind in material, exchange pawns.
80 The general rule in endgames is: to win, exchange pieces; to draw, exchange pawns.
81 Before ever beginning to think of making a passed pawn, or advancing already made
passed pawns that cannot yet advance safely, get all your pieces into the best position
possible.
82 In the middlegame, one feeble piece may not be a serious handicap, for it is only one unit
among many. But in the endgame, with few pieces on the board, the immobility of one
piece means a proportionately bigger burden to carry.
83 The beginning, middle and end of endgame theory is the importance of passed pawns.
84 Even the very slightest advantage often suffices to win a knight vs. knight ending with
pawns on both wings.
85 In the endgame, bishops of opposite color tend to be drawish.
86 In the endgame, bishops tend to be stronger if there are pawns on both wings, while
knights tend to be stronger if pawns are on only one wing or in the center. The reason is,
bishops, with their long-range mobility, can cover both sides of the board, whereas
knights, while unable to cope well with far-flung pawns, can cover squares of both
colors.
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87 In those cases where the opposite-colored bishop is blockading the passed pawn, the
attacking side’s plan consists of getting his king through to the pawn. But sometimes, this
can only be achieved by means of a feinting attack on the other wing.
88 The possibility of making play on both wings is the winning factor with bishops of
opposite colors. If play can be made on both wings, there is sometimes a win even with
equal pawns.
89 In rook vs. rook, the enemy rook often rules out the cooperation of king and rook because
a too-venturesome advance by either king permits a marauding raid. An additional knight
or bishop, however, may guard a vital square and permit the coordination of all three
pieces.
90 A cardinal rule for the best use of rooks in endgames: use the rook to cut off the enemy
king. A bishop alone can never cut off a king, but a rook can.
91 In an endgame with only a few pieces, a very mobile rook tends to be almost the equal of
a bishop and knight, or of two knights. With a plus of a pawn, it is usually their superior.
92 The rule for the defending player in queen endings is to have your king close to the scene
of action, so that he can afford to exchange queens, or to have his king as far away as
possible, so as not to limit his choice of checks or flight squares.
93 The secret to endgame play is to play like a python. Take your time and choke all the life
and counterplay out of your opponent.
94 In general, you want to push the pawn that stands next to your most advanced pawn.
95 For drawing purposes, there is nothing like denuding the enemy of pawns on one wing.
96 Zugzwang is the great enemy of knights and kings in the endgame.
97 As soon as you get to the endgame, activate the king. Bring it back to the center or
somewhere useful. If there are rooks on the board, please make sure to avoid back-rank
mates by making luft or centralizing the king. Try to create a passed pawn and make a
queen, or force your opponent to give up material to prevent you from doing so. Keep
your pieces active. Rooks are effective from far away. Don’t place your pawns on the
same color squares as your bishop. In king and pawn endings, try to clear paths for your
pawns with your king. Remember the value of diagonal king moves. With them, you can
often cover more territory and accomplish multiple aims. Don’t waste time making a lot
of queens. Once you get an extra queen, force mate.
98 When losing, avoid the endgame unless you can achieve a positional draw. You can trade,
for instance, to reach an endgame with bishops of opposite colors. Such endgames are
often drawn, even if one player is ahead by a few pawns. You also can exchange if you
can saddle your opponent with a rook-pawn and a bishop that doesn’t control the pawn’s
promotion square. If the endgame comes down to a minor piece and pawn vs. a minor
piece, you may be able to sacrifice the minor piece for a draw. In general, fight on tooth
and nail. Make your opponent earn the win. No one ever won by resigning.