Saturday, 11 April 2020
Tactics in chess
Sunday, 5 January 2020
Special moves in Chess
Special moves
1. Pawn promotion
• If a pawn successfully reaches the 8th
rank or …..rank is promoted to a piece
• To any other 4 pieces that is: Rook, Queen, Knight or Bishop only.
• BUT not the King and should not remain a
pawn once at the end.
• Most chess players want the promotion to
be the queen, why?
• When a pawn reaches the rank
furthest from its starting position.
• Replace the pawn with another piece and should be on same square for a new piece of the of the same colour.
• Pawn promotion normally occurs in the
endgame why?
• You can have 9 queens on the chess boards that is if all pawns have been promoted
Practice pawn promotion click here!
2. En passant
• En passant is a pawn move
• En passant French - in passing
• is a special pawn capture
• only occur immediately after a pawn
makes a move of two squares from its starting square
• That pawn could have been captured by an enemy
pawn had it advanced only one square.
Practice En passant click here!
3. Castling
• Involves the King and one of the rooks
• Kingside of queenside
• King and Rook involved should be on its
original position
• Nothing in between them
• Procedure- move the King 2 squares
towards the rook then the Rook jumps over to the other side of the King
• You cannot castle if the king or rook has already moved during the game.
• You cannot castle
if the King is in check or would pass
through check
• You cannot castle if the King
will be in check at the end
of the move
4. Stalemate
• The King is not IN CHECK but its his turn to move
• He has no moves with his king which do
not put him into CHECK.
• no other pieces to move.
• The King cannot move anywhere, - this
position is a DRAW.
Check & checkmate
What is check & Checkmate
1. Check
• you can win or lose a real game of chess.
• The King is an important piece
• A threat to it is also important
• When the king is threatened, we call it
a Check!
• A King is not allowed to be captured
• If the King is in check you must attend
to the threat before you do anything.
• It becomes an illegal move to leave the
King in check
• When in check you have 3 options – Block,
run away or capture
• You cannot stay in check
• + is a sign which represent check when
you are writing down the moves (notating)
Click where it is blue to Practice checking !
You have 3 options to get out of check. Run away, capture the piece attacking the King or block the piece attacking the King
Click where it is blue to practice Getting out of check
2. Checkmate
• If you cannot do the 3 options when you are in check that
means it will be Checkmate
• King cannot escape
• It means the King have been trapped
• Means the game is over!
• If your King have been checkmated you
have Lost the game.
• Aim of chess is to trap the enemy King
Click where it is blue to practice checkmating!
Opening principles
Best recommended way of opening in chess.
• Develop your pieces.
• Open through the centre pawn
• Don't make too many pawn moves.
• Don't bring your queen out too early.
• Don't move the same piece twice.
• Castle early. Though all based on
opponent’s play
• Develop towards the centre. ...
• Clear the back rank and connect your
rooks.
How chess pieces move
How pieces move
1. Pawn
• start in front of the other pieces. #
2nd rank for White or 7th rank for Black
• It moves forward only
• It moves forward only
• 8 pawns at the beginning for each team
• Only moves forward
• Cannot move backwards
• One square at a time
• However, they are allowed to move either
1 or 2 squares forward only on their first move
• It moves 1 step at a time
• can move 2 steps only at the beginning and thereafter 1 step at a time.
• can move 2 steps only at the beginning and thereafter 1 step at a time.
• Cannot be advanced if the square ahead is
blocked by another piece
• Captures diagonally
• The power of the pawn is in promotion
• Once it gets to the last rank it becomes any other piece besides a King
• The power of the pawn is in promotion
• Once it gets to the last rank it becomes any other piece besides a King
• Only piece which captures differently
from the way it moves
• It have a special move called en passant which will be covered under special moves
• It have a special move called en passant which will be covered under special moves
Click where it is blue for Pawn video click here How the pawn moves
Click where it is blue to practice how the pawn moves
2. Bishop
• It moves
DIAGONALLY as far as it likes & in straight lines only
• North, East
and North West, South East and South West.
•Backwards,
forwards as many squares as they like
•Their track
should be clear and cannot move beyond a piece
•If on
white/light squares that BISHOP will move on white/light only diagonally.
• A BISHOP that
starts on a WHITE SQUARE stays on a WHITE SQUARE all its life.
•And a BISHOP
that starts on a BLACK SQUARE stays on a BLACK SQUARE all its life as well. “
•It captures
the way it moves
** Cannot
jump
Click where it is blue for How the bishop moves click here
Click where it is blue to practice how the Bishop moves
3. Knight
• KNIGHTS
are very different
• Its
move is like the capital letter L (not a cursive one)
• Side
step, step or 2 square in 1 direction and then 1 square sideways. try the way you understand it. Tricky?
• Any
direction sideways, forwards or backwards
• It
captures the way it moves
• If we
place the Knight on e4 how many squares can it go to?
• it
always moves to a square of a different colour
Click where it is blue to practice how the Knight moves
4. King
• moves just one square at a time in any
direction.
• If you trap the enemy King you win the
game. # Checkmate
• if your King gets trapped you lose the
game.
• A KING CANNOT move to any ATTACKED
square by an enemy piece.
• you CANNOT move the KING to an attacked
square as this becomes an illegal move # Check
• If you play an ILLEGAL MOVE you have to
take the move back and play another move instead.
• NEVER allow Kings to STAND NEXT TO EACH
OTHER!
• If you make a mistake and move your KING
to an attacked square your opponent CANNOT take your KING.
• you have to go back and play a different
move instead.
• you CANNOT make any move that allows
your KING to be captured.
5. Rook
• Other
prefer to call it a castle but we in chess we call it a Rook
• It moves in a straight line along the
board
• backwards, forwards or sideways as far
as it likes.
• Long range piece
• Moves along files and ranks as well
• Rooks captures the way they move
• Cannot jump over other pieces
• If there's another piece of the same
colour in its way it cannot move beyond that square.
• If there's an enemy piece in its way it
can capture it but it cannot move any further.
Click where it is blue for how the Rook moves
Click where it is blue to practice how the Rook moves
6. Queen
• most powerful piece on the chessboard.
• Moves along ranks & files
• Moves as many squares as she likes in
any direction
• Cannot jump over other pieces
• Captures the same way she moves
• Can do everything a ROOK can do.
• Can do everything a BISHOP can do.
• # Rook & Bishop combined
• It moves like a Bishop as well as a Rook
Click where it is blue to practice how the Queen moves
Friday, 30 August 2019
Setting up the chessboard and the values of the pieces
1. Setting up of the chess board at the beginning
Remember white moves first!
Click here for setting up the chessboard!
2. Piece value
We also allocate values for the pieces in chess click here to learn more!
Tuesday, 20 August 2019
Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Monday, 8 August 2016
Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Capturing in chess
Remember most of the pieces captures the way they move. See below for more information.
Click where it is blue Prcatice capturing the pieces
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Opening Principles According to Dr. Tarrasch: Must Read
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Written by Yury
Markushin
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Wednesday, 01
October 2014 00:00
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There are three the most
important factors at chess that every player needs to take into account.
These are material, space and time.
Most chess players know what the material is: pieces and pawns. Each of the
pieces has a relative pawn value that can be assigned to it. For example, a
minor piece is equal to 3 pawns, while a pawn is equal to
roughly 3 tempos. That means if you sacrifice a pawn
without any material gain, you better get at least three tempos
ahead.
Next we will describe the importance of each of the chess
pieces from the opening perspective according to Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch.
The King is the most important chess piece on the board. We all
know that if it gets checkmated the game is over. In the opening stage of the
game, after the central pawns d and e move
forward, the king becomes somewhat vulnerable at the center of the board.
That is why castling early in the game to put the king to
safety is typically a good idea and a plan of most openings. Losing the
ability to castle is often equivalent to losing a pawn or 3
tempos.
In most games players prefer king-side castle. Queen-side
castle is usually recommended when:
1. It is
impossible to castle king’s side since the pawn structure is destroyed or
other threats exist.
2. The rook
becomes immediately active after occupying the file (open or semi-open).
3. You have a
clear plan how to attack your opponent’s position on the king’s side via
rolling your pawn (assuming he is castled short).
In the middle-game, with many pieces on the board, the king is
typically a target and needs protection. However, in the endgame things
change and the king starts playing an important role as an attacking piece
that is capable of supporting its own pawns and pieces as well as attacking
the opponent’s. At the final stage of the game, the king is worth more than a
minor piece: about 3.5 pawns.
The Queen is by far the most powerful chess piece on the board. That
makes the queen vulnerable to threats, since losing a queen often equivalent
to losing a game. In the opening, the queen should not be developed too
early.
Many novice players make this mistake because they think that
by introducing the queen into the game early on, they obtain a serious
advantage. However, by attacking the queen with pawns and minor pieces, their
opponents can win many important tempos and develop much faster.
General tips:
1. If you want to
develop the queen early in the game you need to keep her majesty safe and not
vulnerable to attacks (usually that means on your side of the board).
2. Don’t spend
more than one move in the opening developing the
queen; there are other more important things to focus on (minor pieces,
pawns, center, castling, etc.)
3. Avoid placing
your queen opposite to your opponent’s rook, even if the file is blocked by
pieces or pawns. You will save yourself from a lot of trouble.
4. The queen’s
job to participate in an attack on the opponent’s king and to deliver a final
blow: the checkmate.
Note: In our training program we focus a lot on the attacking chess by going over many examples of how the
king's pawn structure can be destroyed and how the king can be extracted from
the center involving typical maneuvers and sacrifices.
The Rook is the most effective when occupying an open file.
Remember that rule and always place your rook on an open file. Another
great location for the rook is 7nd (2nd) rank where
it can be used to pick opponent’s pawns and threaten the king.
Even though the rook usually plays a defensive role in the
middle-game there is a possibility of placing it on h3 or g3 (h6
or g6 from black) and threaten the opponent’s king safety. It is a
typical and powerful maneuver, called rook lift and
you always need to expect it.
It is usually a good idea to line up both of your rooks
occupying an open file. That is called doubling the rooks.
Doubled rooks are worth more because they can work together and support each
other.
Another advantage of quick castling, among from keeping your
king safe, is connecting the rooks. This is also a great way to improve your
position and coordination of the pieces.
The Bishop is primarily an attacking piece.
The most effective placement for the bishop is when it controls two
diagonals, one of which is the long-diagonal. In
many cases we want to point our bishop at the opponent’s castle.
The king’s bishop is typically the more important of the two;
therefore you should always think twice before exchanging it off. A
bishop pair is considered to be a valuable asset at chess. Keeping it is
often a good idea.
In closed and semi-closed positions bishops lose their powers
due to diagonals being closed, making them not as effective as on the open
field.
The Knight is a great defensive piece and a good attacker. In the
opening, the knight is typically placed on the 3rd (6th)
rank where it defends the castled king. The center is the best location
for a knight, since it controls the most important squares on the board and
can be used for a subtle attack on the king.
A knight is also the best blockading piece, and should be your
first choice when it comes to an isolated pawn positions.
Note: the isolated pawn positions are one of the most
important middle game themes in chess. They appear from many different
openings and it is important to know how to play in this positions (sometimes
fairly sharp) for both sides. In our training program we also focus on typical isolated pawn
structures and going over
GM games that involve it.
On the edge of the board, however, a knight doesn’t control
that many squares, so this kind of placement should be avoided if possible.
The knight usually does a better job than bishop protecting multiple squares
at once. However, for a single square protection, bishop does a better job,
making it a superior piece in most endgame positions.
The Pawn is the strongest at the center, losing its value towards the
side of the board. That said the e and d pawns
are superior to a and h pawns. When you’re
trying to decide what pawn to keep or to capture you should give the
preference to the central pawns, since they are more valuable.
In the opening you should not make too many pawn moves, since
every unnecessary pawn move weakens your position. Remember, pawns
do not move backwards! Move only the pawns needed to occupy the
center and to finish the development.
Don’t make a mistake of falling for unprotected pawns and
disregarding developments. Many games were lost that way. You will have an
extra pawn, but what’s good of it if you get checkmated before you can use
it?
Opening is a stage of the game where you should develop pieces
and put the king to safety, not to hunt your opponent's pawns down.
Some notes:
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to what’s stronger
the Queen or Two Rooks or 3 Minor Pieces. Many players
easily give up both rooks or 3 minor pieces for the queen. In fact, either
the two rooks or the 3 minor pieces are typically stronger than the queen.
The only situation when the queen is stronger than the 2 rooks
or 3 minor pieces is when the king is exposed and can be checked with a
queen, attacking and capturing other pieces and pawns.
Always think twice before giving up 2 rooks or 3 minor pieces
for the queen, it’s often a bad idea.
Tarrasch wrote that in endgame difference between the rook and
a minor piece is about 1.5 pawns, and not 2 as
most players think. The difference between 2 minor pieces and a rook is
also 1.5 pawns.
The bishop is generally stronger than the knight: 3.5
pawns vs. 3 pawns, especially if bishop pair is present on the board.
Central pawns are not always stronger that the flank ones. It
is only true in the opening and the middle-game. In the endgame however, an
isolated a-passer is superior to the central pawns.
Note: in our training program we approach the most important
endgames that every tournament player should know by understanding the
concepts and not memorizing the theory.
Credits: The Game of Chess by Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch.
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