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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!

73 Comments on 10 Tips to Become a Chess Champ

  1. Thank you for the tips.
    I sure my friend won’t laugh at me again.

  2. my rating is 2235 but i always loose end game to a grandmaster😭

  3. its very useful

  4. winner 36 // May 7, 2021 at 1:06 pm // Reply

    i hope this works i am doing national chess competitions tomorrow

  5. dash crash // April 13, 2021 at 2:45 am // Reply

    I love chess it is my life

  6. i think i will do better than last time

  7. Great! Now ill be able to beat my relatives in chess! Thanks!!

  8. I tried using these tips in my games against the computer but never win any game. What can I do differently to win

  9. I'm epic at chess :))))))))))) // March 29, 2021 at 1:58 pm // Reply

    wassup? I’m really good at chess. In real life my rating is 1479

  10. I’m so happy.my first win in cheese game

  11. I feel so left out nobody in my class can play chess

  12. Thankyou so much πŸ’•

  13. thank you soo much.

  14. It’s a grEAt article. Filled with strategy and logic.

  15. yummibananamuffins // January 19, 2021 at 12:20 pm // Reply

    recomend the book “how to beat your dad at chess”

  16. Bhutanese champs // January 19, 2021 at 1:57 am // Reply

    Thank You so much for such program

  17. Thewherryschool // January 18, 2021 at 7:53 am // Reply

    nice! i suck at chess lol

  18. The Kabooom!! // January 16, 2021 at 10:20 am // Reply

    My Dad teaches me all about chess he ALWAYS wins!!!!!!

  19. BIG BRAIN BIG BRAIN BIG BRAIN BIG BRAIN

  20. Thank you, I can use this tips on tournaments

  21. THANK YOU πŸ™‚

  22. THANK YOU SOMUCH ITS REALLY HELPFUL

  23. WoW!!! Amazing. Gave all. I believe I will come out better and tougher.

    • chessmasterZ12 // December 31, 2020 at 4:54 pm // Reply

      wow very good advise im winning nearly the chess with ease, now just grinding for GA soon ill be one of the best, then ill tell other people to go to this website for tips, maybe ill even buy it (: good luck to others trying to get to my level in cheese) –

  24. these tips are really helpful

  25. show me how to play chess

  26. THANK YOU

  27. Random Human Being On Planet Earth // December 6, 2020 at 9:06 pm // Reply

    SAME HERE

  28. I love this article. It’s helpful

  29. I dont understand a thing lol

  30. This worked out alot! thanks

  31. Check mate Bobby Fischer! // November 27, 2020 at 4:55 pm // Reply

    Thank you so much

  32. These tips are great, thanks a lot! I’ve won a few games against my parents now!

  33. I won 14 games in a row!:-)

  34. Whoever said knight and queen are the only good promotions is wrong, sometimes you need to underpromote In order to avoid stalemate… (Elo: 2230)

  35. thank you

  36. This is useful

  37. This was extremely good!

  38. Chess Player // November 15, 2020 at 3:34 am // Reply

    If your pawn has become a queen, can you have two queens, in your colour, on the board at once?

  39. I’ll try using these tips, I hope I bring positive feedback

  40. Good

  41. The tips you gave, was a big help! Was able to win 3 games in a row!!! Thank you!

  42. For the pawn promotion, you can also strategically block a king’s escape with a knight. knight and queen are the only good promotions.

  43. yeah I already knew that

  44. This really helped me even though I am ok at chess I am a lot better now.

  45. Very succinct and helpful many thanks

  46. Thank you, this really helped.

  47. Nice!
    But what about quantum chess??
    Is Thier are different tips to become good quantum chess player?

  48. Thankyou for all the tips. I am a noob so these really helped

  49. nice thank you

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