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10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

chess player looking at board

If you want to be a chess champ, it’ll take lots of learning and lots of practicing. Here are 10 tips to get you started:

LEARN THE CHESS MOVES

Each chess piece can move only a certain way. For instance, a pawn moves straight ahead but can only attack on an angle, one square at a time. A knight’s move is L-shaped. The bishop moves at an angle but can move more than one square at a time. The rook (castle) can move only in a straight line but can go forward, back or to the side. The queen, the most powerful piece, can move in any direction for any number of squares, but not two directions in one move. And the king moves at a stately pace — as a king should — one square at a time in any direction on the chess board.

OPEN WITH A PAWN

Move the pawn in front of either the king or queen two squares forward. (Only on its opening move can a pawn move two squares.) This opens pathways for your bishops and queen to enter the game. They move on an angle and can’t get out onto the field of battle if pawns are in the way.

GET THE KNIGHTS AND BISHOPS OUT

Before you move your queen, rooks or king, move your knights and bishops toward the center of the chess board. You want to get these pieces out from behind the pawns so they can attack.

WATCH YOUR BACK!

And front! When it’s your turn, always think to yourself, “What did my opponent’s last move do? What is he up to?” Is he laying traps to capture your pieces? Then decide on your own plan. Always look at all your possibilities. Look at moves that would capture your opponent’s men or threaten his king first. But always double-check your moves before you play them. Ask yourself, “Does my move leave something unprotected?”

DON’T WASTE TIME

Don’t make too many moves with your pawns or try to pick off your opponent’s pawns.

“CASTLE” EARLY

Castling is a move that allows you to move your king to safety and bring your rook into play. Once all the squares between your rook and the king are unoccupied you can move the king two squares toward the rook while the rook moves to the square on the the king’s other side. If your opponent neglects to castle, you might be able to launch an attack on his king. This is the only chess move in which more than one piece may be moved in a turn.

ATTACK IN THE “MIDDLEGAME”

After you’ve brought all your knights and bishops into the game and castled (these moves are your “opening”), the middlegame begins. In the middlegame, always be on the lookout for ways to capture your opponent’s men. Take any chess piece that your opponent doesn’t protect. But look at what will happen to your piece if you take his — will you get picked off? Always be looking for ways to move lots of your men into position to attack the enemy king.

LOSE PIECES WISELY

You’ll take some of your opponent’s pieces. Some of your pieces will be taken. You must figure out what is and isn’t a good swap in chess. Use these points to figure out whether you’re making a good move if you’re going to lose one of them:

  • Queen: 9 points
  • Rook: 5 points
  • Bishop: 3 points
  • Knight: 3 points
  • Pawn: 1 point

So is it a good idea to lose a bishop to save a pawn? No!

DON’T PLAY TOO FAST

If you see a good move, sit on your hands and look for a better one. Patient thinking is the key to chess success.

WIN THE ENDGAME

After you and your opponent swap pieces and you’re down to just a few men, the endgame begins. Now the pawns become more important. If you can advance a pawn to the farthest row away from you, that pawn becomes a queen. A big success! Let your king attack, too, as long as he stays out of reach of your opponent’s remaining pieces — especially the queen — and does not let himself to be checked.

Your king is said to be in check when your opponent threatens to use one of his pieces to capture the king on his next move. If your king is checked and you have no way to remove the threat — it can’t run away, you can’t capture the opposing piece that has him in check and you can’t block the check by moving one of your own pieces — the game is lost. Checkmate! If you checkmate your opponent before he checkmates you, then you win!

75 Comments on 10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

  1. THANKS I REALY LOVE THE TIPS

  2. How could we concentrate much on board while playing?????

  3. THANK YOU FOR WONDERFUL LESSON

  4. HappyCookiePal156 // November 4, 2019 at 5:47 pm // Reply

    I am practicing with my dad and these tips really is making sense. Tomorrow I will be playing one of the teachers in my grade. Hope these tips help me. Thanks. !!! πŸ˜€ πŸ™‚

  5. very helpful to play.
    I won my friend too who is a chess champion.

  6. Great tips

  7. thanks for the tips i’LL come back with good news

  8. dose it real work?

  9. I am playing a tournament for my school and this tips really helped me. Thanks a lot for that one!

  10. thank you very much.

  11. thanks for these tips. now i could do better to lose my friends.

  12. Livingstone // August 20, 2019 at 8:47 pm // Reply

    I’m a candidate master
    this tips have really helped me

  13. great tips

  14. they are really nice am going to try them out and see thanx guys

  15. Amazing tips!!!

  16. Very good I like it!

  17. Awesome girl19 // July 23, 2019 at 2:10 am // Reply

    I play chess very well I think now I am a expert in chess. Although I am only 11 years old . I think these rules will help me succeed in the future

  18. super tips

  19. Fantastic tips for all beginners

  20. thanks il try to beat my dad now good tip btw

  21. Anonymous // July 2, 2019 at 3:13 am // Reply

    my plan i will first move bishop 1st and i will move pawn on queen and i use knight to move forward and i use my queen to attack bishop by that the queen will in under our control from few min by that i will move all my pawn front and get back to king attack

  22. Good teaching, very essential to keep in mind when you are on the board

  23. Thank u very much

  24. Great tips!

  25. nice tip.but why castle early, i have lost a lot of games couse of that

  26. good tips.hope there a good use

  27. nice one

  28. Very useful for teaching yourself and/or others

  29. Cashmoney9ja // June 13, 2019 at 1:38 pm // Reply

    A big thank u,to the 10tips.I actually become a Champion at my log,after studying dis 10tips!

  30. Great tips bro. I will try them today.

  31. such a wonder full

    • I play champions chess game even though I am tough I still get beaten. Give ne some quick ways to handle the game and tell me how I should better

  32. And remember to cheat , using engine πŸ˜‚

  33. good tips

  34. NICE TIPS I LIKED IT VERY MUCH

  35. Anonymous // May 30, 2019 at 8:18 am // Reply

    NICE TIPS I LIKED IT VERY MUCH

  36. Really helped now i am a school level champion and going to battle for state level

  37. great tips, i have a chess tournament soon hope they’ll work.

  38. Anonymous // May 3, 2019 at 8:39 am // Reply

    GOOD

  39. So useful

  40. helpful

  41. Fantastic tricks

  42. Very nice but why to castle early as the Queen of the opponent has a chance to checkmate. Please answer.

    • You’re right. When you castle to the left especially, its very dangerous but it can be avoided. Before you castle, make sure your opponents queen is not in the way. After castling, you need to pay close attention to ensure that there are no pieces heading towards that direction. And if your opponents queen gets closer to the direction of your King, move the pawn in front of your king one step forward. That move protects the three pawns, your king and castle. When that is done, chase your opponents queen away with your other pieces to avoid any secret attack.

  43. ShyHunterBB // April 23, 2019 at 10:27 am // Reply

    ok sweet!

  44. Good for beginners

  45. I need it still clearly I couldn’t follow plz

  46. πŸ™ƒπŸ™‚ // April 15, 2019 at 9:35 am // Reply

    I play with my dad in the real chess (see back)πŸ™‚πŸ™‚.

  47. Thanks….for the tips

  48. Good tips

  49. I’m in a chess tornement and thease tricks helped me

  50. I play with my grandpa on the phone, by calling out the moves(pawn at b2 to b4,etc.,)
    Great tips btw!!☺

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