Chess Improvement for the Beginner

When we first start playing the exciting game of chess, it can become very daunting losing game after game to more experienced players. Beginners can benefit greatly from just a few simple rules that will improve their chess game to no end. A player can go from complete novice to strong club player in a very short time by following three easy chess maxims.

Control the center
The four center squares on a chess board are vitally important in a game. Gaining and maintaining control of them nets a winning advantage without a doubt. There are two ways to go about this task, but for the beginner, pawns should be utilized. The other method is known as hypermodern play and is geared more toward experienced players.

Open up your chess games by pushing either the king's or queen's pawn out two squares, especially when playing with the white pieces. In algebraic chess notation, they are the e pawn and d pawn, respectively. So the squares to control are e4 and d4. If you can get both the e and d pawns to the central squares, you have accomplished total central control, and will have time to play on other parts of the board.

Develop all your pieces before attacking
A very common beginner mistake is to attack the enemy king with only one or two pieces, usually the queen and a bishop. While this can indeed net some won games, against a seasoned player, you will likely only accomplish a lost position. The general rule is knights before bishops, meaning to get those knights into play and then the bishops. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule, but it is good practice. An attack is much more likely to succeed with all the pieces developed and out into play rather than one or two pieces fumbling around and losing valuable time.

Also, try and castle as soon as you can. In some positions, castling can in fact be delayed or avoided altogether, but generally, the move will promote a better chess game. It gets the king to safety and connects the rooks on the back rank which is highly important, especially in the end game. As Alexander Alekhine (the 4^th world chess champion) said, "Castle early, castle often".

Do a "Blunder Check" before each move
Sometimes in chess, we see a move that at first looks spectacular (if not easy to find) and we play it without much thought. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the enemy queen slides across the chess board and gives check, winning an entire piece. Before each move you make in chess, ask yourself a few simple questions.

"Can my opponent check me? If so, is it dangerous for me?"

"If I move here, what is the strongest play my opponent has to counter it?"

"What is my opponent's plan here? Is there a way to stop it?"

While these questions might seem ridiculously obvious, it has been my experience that they are not asked nearly often enough, either while playing on the Internet or over-the-board. Chess is anything but a simple game, but it is comprised of simple rules.

I will guarantee you that if you follow the simple plans of this article, your rating will drastically increase, as will the enjoyment you get out of chess. Playing chess is always fun, but winning is even better.