CHESS PRINCIPLES

“IN CHESS , LOGICAL THINKING IS MORE VALUABLE THAN INSPIRATION .”

~PURDY

Strong chess is played according to sound principles. Specific (and general) knowledge is
required. Following is a comprehensive and concise collection of practical, Master-proven chess
ideas, maxims, and tips to help you strengthen your chess and win more games.

Highlight and periodically review the guidelines you find most beneficial, then apply these
winning ideas, maneuvers, and techniques in your games.

Principles of Attack
“There are two types of sacrifices: correct ones, and mine.” ~Mikhail Tal

 UNDERSTANDING, not memory, is the essential key to chess success; the chess player who
understands why will consistently defeat opponents who know only how. Play by sound general
principles adapted to the specific requirements (offensive opportunities and defensive
necessities) in each position.
 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.
 Respect all opponents, but fear none.
 Expect to win, whenever the opportunity arises. Opening, middlegame, or endgame. Win by
attack or by attrition. Remember, checkmate is the goal!
 To find the best moves, and avoid becoming intimidated or overconfident, play the position on
the board, not the opponent.
 Patience is the by word 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.
 Try to gain a material or positional advantage early, and increase it. Improve your position with
every move, and accumulate small advantages.
 Be aggressive! Attack opponents’ weaknesses! Play forcing moves (checks and captures, and
threats to check and capture.
 Attacks are only justified, by existing or potential weaknesses. Avoid useless checks and
premature attacks that waste time and scatter pieces.
 Play with a series of sound, flexible plans. Plan early and continuously. Base plans on 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).
 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”).
 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.
 Stay calm, relaxed, and focused during each game (tension and panic rout logical thought.)
 When even or ahead, play hard. When behind, play harder!
 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.
 Do not relax and become overconfident and careless when ahead. Apply the “killer instinct”
throughout the game.
 Focus on playing your best, rather than only on winning. Play your best, and the wins will come.
 Have a sound and specific purpose every time you touch a chessman, try to improve your
position with every move.
 Every piece and pawn in a chess game should do useful work.
 When you find a good move, always look for a better one!
 Play according to the OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES and DEFENSIVE NECESSITIES in each position.
 Seek the initiative (ability to create threats.)
 The most consistently effective strategy is to win with minimum risk, avoid risky variations and
speculative lines of play, unless behind. When ahead, play for the certain win, even if slower.
 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 counter play by
minimizing his tactical opportunities.
 Seek chess “bargains”. Try to gain more than you relinquish on every move.
 Avoid playing moves which help your opponent.
 Hinder your opponent when possible.
 In every chess 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.
 Keep the normal values of the pieces in mind (Queen-9, Rook-5, Bishop-3+, Knight-3, pawn-1),
and 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.
 The sequence of moves is often important, in a series of exchanges, capture with the lowest-
value attacker or defender first, unless an alternative capture is clearly more advantageous.
 Chess is not Solitaire, sound chess begins with respect for your opponent’s ideas, moves,
threats, and ability.
 To win chess game, you must first not lose it, avoid mistakes, such as leaving pieces emprise
(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!
 Determine the purpose of each move by your opponent, ask yourself: “What is the THREAT?”
and “What has ("HANGED in the position?” Concentrate on offense and attacking, but recognize
and answer all threats.
 The two most common (and often fatal) mistakes in chess are moving too fast and overlooking
your opponent’s threats, “sit on your hands” until ready to move.
 Search for multipurpose moves, and recognize possible multiple purposes of opponents’ moves.
 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).
 TACTICS decide all chess games. Successful tactical play involves recognizing, creating, and
attacking weaknesses to win material and to checkmate. Always be alert for tactical
opportunities and threats.
 Examine every possible check and capture for both sides! On each move.
 Look for frequent TACTICS:
1. Superior force
2. Pins
3. Skewers
4. Knight forks
5. Double attacks
6. Discovered attacks
 Look for less frequent TACTICS:
1. Overworked defenders
2. Vital guards
3. Removing defenders
4. Deflecting defenders
5. Sacrifices
6. In-between moves
7. Vulnerable back rank
8. Interference
9. No retreat-Trapping pieces
10. Desperado
11. Zugzwang
12. Queening combinations
13. Underpromotion
  Play COMBINATIONS, sequences of forcing tactical moves, often involving a temporary sacrifice,
which lead to a tactical or positional advantage.
 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.
 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 or
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., open lines for
attack, expose the enemy King, remove key defenders, simplify to a winning endgame, etc.).
 Accept opponents’ sacrifices, unless clearly dangerous.
 Remember the three special moves in chess: castling, pawn promotion, and capturing en
passant.

The Defense Mechanism

 King safety is always paramount; avoid exposing your King to attack. Protect your King at all
times.
 Keep pieces and pawns defended. Unguarded pieces and pawns are targets.
 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.
 Defend only as required, and avoid cramped and passive positions.
 Defend actively, rather than passively. When attacked, consider counterattack first
 Be certain that your defenders are not pinned, overworked, unstable, or too valuable.
 Defend against short-term threats with moves that promote your long term goals.
 Proper timing is often the key to effective defense, defending too soon dissipates the initiative,
defending too late is ineffective.
 Always consider the six possible ways to parry a threat:-
1. Counterattack
2. Capture the attacker
3. Pin the attacker
4. Interpose
5. Guard
6. Move away
 Defend as economically and permanently as possible, and remember that a pawn is the
cheapest defender.
  Close lines, and keep lines closed, when defending your King.
 When in check, always consider all three escape methods, capture the attacker, interpose, or
move the King, do not automatically move your King.
 Exchange pieces when cramped (for freedom) or under attack (for safety).
 Exchange passive pieces for your opponent’s active pieces, unless behind in material.
 Avoid unnecessary exchanges when behind in material.
 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; provide your castled King a safe flight square.
 Play difficult positions with determination, and seek counterplay.
 Faced with loss of material, lose the least possible (“desperado”).

Opening Principles
“The foundation of the opening is crucial; it is the base upon which the whole building must rely.”
~ Aron Nimzowitsch

 Remember: a chess game begins on the first move!

 In the opening (first 10 to 15 moves of a chess game), work to:
1. Control the center;
2. Develop all pieces to effective squares;
3. And safeguard your King.
 Every move in the opening should contribute to one or more of these three opening objectives;
if it does not, it is probably weak or an outright mistake.
 The purposes 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.
 Open by advancing a center pawn two squares on the first move.
 Try to establish an Ideal Pawn Center (both center pawns safely at least on the fourth rank), and
support your pawns with pieces.
 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, 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.
 Develop each piece to its most effective square, strong, safe squares on which your pieces have
scope, mobility, and aggressive or defensive prospects.
 Aim your pieces at the center, the opposing King, and at weak points in your opponent’s
position.
  Develop all pieces in the opening.
 To facilitate castling, develop pieces first on the side where you intend to castle
 Develop minor pieces (Knights and Bishops) first; usually, develop the Knight before the Bishop
on each side, since the best squares for Knights are usually known earlier.
 Do not block your Bishops’ diagonals, especially with pawns.
 Neutralize (restrict, oppose, or exchange) opponents’ fianchettoed Bishops, especially when
aimed at your King.
 Develop Rooks to open files (or files likely to become open), especially central files.
 Develop the Queen, but not too early, and usually close to home to avoid harassment by
opposing minor pieces and pawns.
 Move each piece only once in the opening, do not waste time (tempi) moving the same piece
multiple times, leaving other pieces undeveloped.
 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).
 Castle early, usually on the Kingside.
 Do not disrupt your King’s pawn shelter by moving the pawns in front of your castled King
without a clear, sound reason.
 Prevent your opponent from castling, if possible.
 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) in the opening to gain
a lead in development, control the center, seize the initiative, and open lines for attack, for fun,
and to sharpen your tactics.
 If you accept a gambit, expect to play some defense, and he prepared to return the extra
material to improve your position.
 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.

MiddleGame Strategies
 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).
 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 seventh 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 the exchange of attacking pieces, except to eliminate important defenders.
 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, and then determine the moves necessary to reach that position.
 An attack on a wing is usually best met by a counterattack in the center; close the center before
embarking on a wing attack.
 When Kings are castled on opposite wings, pawn storms to open lines toward both Kings are
the usual method of attack.
 Successful attacks are based on weaknesses in the opponent’s position, identify and target
specific weaknesses to attack.
 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.
 Open lines (with pawn exchanges and sacrifices or, if necessary, piece sacrifices) when
attacking; close lines when defending.
 Try to expose and restrict the opponent’s King, move your pieces into its vicinity, then
penetrate with your pieces to weak squares around the enemy King.
 Attack with several pieces, rather than only one or two.
 When attacking, play forcing moves (checks, captures, and threats to check and capture) to
limit, and increase the predictability of , your opponent’s replies.
 When meeting a threat with an in-between move, make certain that your threat equals or
exceeds your opponent’s.
 Play to MAXIMIZE your advantage, win all game you safely can.
 Be prepared to exchange one advantage for another more favorable (e.g., exchange a Bishop
for a Knight to double an opponent’s pawns in front of his castled King).
 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, backward)
pawns.
 Make exchanges which give your opponent weak pawns.
 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 (trade pieces) when ahead to make the win easier and more certain. Complicate the
position when behind.

Endgame Principles
 Endgame goals are to: 1) checkmate the enemy King, 2) promote pawns, and 3) create passed
pawns.
 In the endgame, sound, mobile pawn structures and an active, aggressive King lead to victory.
 PLANNING is especially important in the endgame, since King Position is usually critical and
pawn moves are irreversible.
 The minimum mating material against a lone King is a King and Rook.
 To win an endgame with only pieces remaining, you must normally be at least minimum mating
material ahead.
 Activate your King (usually centralize) early in the endgame, for both offense and defense, and
maintain an aggressive King position throughout the endgame.
 Learn and apply endgame fundamentals: “queening square,” opposition, triangulation, and
zugzwang.
 Seize and maintain the opposition in K + P endgames, the opposition determines whether the
game is a win or a draw.
 Avoid moving your King outside the “queening square” of opposing passed pawns.
 Keep your Rooks active in the endgame.
 Place Rooks behind passed pawns.
 Bishops of opposite colors are drawish in the endgame, since they can be sacrificed to prevent
a solo opposing pawn from queening.
 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.
 Every pawn is a potential Queen, and every new Queen was once a passed pawn, do not lose
pawns carelessly.
 Develop queening threats on both sides of the board; the enemy King is not elastic!
 CREATE and ADVANCE passed pawns at every safe opportunity, and promote passed pawns to
new Queens as quickly as possible.
  To promote pawns, advance unopposed pawns first, especially those farthest from the
defending King.
 An offside (away from the Kings) pawn majority can produce a winning passed pawn, either a
new Queen or an effective decoy.
 Capture or blockade opposing passed pawns early, before they threaten to queen.
 If an opposing passed pawn reaches the sixth rank, strong measures should be taken
immediately!
 If you are only one pawn ahead in the endgame, exchange pieces, not pawns, save your
valuable pawns for promotion to Queens.
 When behind in the endgame, exchange pawns, not pieces, eliminate your opponent’s
potential new Queens.
 Kings lead pawns to queening in a K + P(s) endgame.
 In a K + P endgame, a King on the sixth rank ahead of a safe pawn on the same file (except a
Rook file) is a certain win.
 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.
 Be alert for endgame tactics, especially sacrifices.
 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 mating material.
 Avoid stalemating your opponent, leave him moves when his King is not in check.

50 Bad Chess Habits

Bad chess habits cause many discouraging losses. Following is a list of 50 common bad chess
habits:
 Playing too fast and being impatient. (sound chess requires time)
 Neglecting to castle.
 Failing to develop all pieces early.
 Moving the same pieces multiple times in the opening.
 Underestimating the importance of controlling the center.
 Expecting to win in the opening, and playing premature attacks.
 Unwise pawn-grabbing at the expense of development and position.
 Giving useless checks and making idle threats.
 Relying on opponents’ errors or inferior moves.
 Making hasty or careless moves. (“I’ll just see what happens”)
 Making unsound trappy moves. (“Hope he doesn’t see it”)
 Attacking with only one or two pieces.
 Exchanging pieces or pawns without a specific, sound purpose.
 Creating weaknesses in your position. (exposed King, unguarded, pinned, forkable pieces and
pawns, weak pawns, holes in pawn structure)
 Overlooking opponents’ threats. (Not asking after each of your opponent’s moves, “What is the
threat?”)
 Missing tactical opportunities. (Not asking after each of your opponent’s moves, “What has
changed in the position?”)
 Losing material carelessly. (Neglecting to ask before each of your moves, “Is this move safe?”)
 Believing a significant early material deficit can always be overcome.
 Not keeping accurate account of material at all times.
 Being mentally lazy. (not looking far enough ahead, not anticipating opponents’ best defenses
to your threats)
 Having no systematic method of searching for a move.
 Failing to analyze each position accurately and completely.
 Not analyzing the consequences of all possible checks and captures, for both sides , on each
move.
 Not planning. (playing only move-to-move)
 Inflexibly persisting with inappropriate or faulty plans.
 Becoming so involved in your own plans and threats that you ignore or underestimate your
opponents’ plans and threat.
 Not playing adequate defense. (not breaking pins early, not keeping all pieces and pawns
defended, walking into Knight forks, aligning your King or Queen with enemy pieces, not
considering all possible defenses to threats)
 Ignoring or discounting positional possibilities. (open files and diagonals, outposts, Rooks on
seventh rank, strong or weak pawns) for both sides
 Ignoring or underestimating the value of pawns and the importance of pawn play (passed
pawns, pawn majorities, pawn exchanges and sacrifices, weak pawns, holes in pawn structure)
 Being too passive. (blocking pieces with pawns, always retreating rather than advancing or
counter attacking when threatened)
 Being unwilling to trade Queens.
 Always accepting sacrifices.
 Never playing sacrifices.
 Not creating, protecting, and advancing passed pawns quickly in the endgame.
 Not activating your King early and using your King aggressively in the endgame.
 Playing the opponent, rather than the position on the board.
 Becoming intimidated and playing too cautiously or passively against stronger opponents;
becoming overconfident and playing carelessly against weaker opponents.
 Concentrating on staying ahead of your opponent on the clock more than on the board.
 Not relaxing by taking frequent mental breaks during a game.
 Always playing to win, even when only a draw is realistic.
 Resigning prematurely.
  Agreeing prematurely to draws.
 Becoming overconfident and careless in winning positions.
 Carelessly allowing losing opponents to achieve stalemate.
 Not recording and reviewing your own games.
 Not studying chess regularly.
 Not trying new ideas, even in casual games.
 Playing only weaker opponents.
 Becoming emotionally upset after losses instead of learning a pertinent lesson to improve your
future play.

To improve your chess immediately, select five applicable bad habits from the foregoing list and
begin to remedy them promptly.

Good Habits
 To improve your chess game, combine STUDY and PLAY: study and play, study and play, study
and play.
 Divide your study time: Opening-30%; Middlegame-50%; Endgame-20%.
 As you improve, you will learn the values and develop skill in exploiting, first pieces, then
pawns, and finally squares.!
 Always play “Touch-Move”, never take back a move; it is against the rules of chess and
detrimental to your improvement.
 Avoid having a favorite piece.
 Learn chess notation, then record and review your games.
 Play stronger players frequently, and learn from them, playing stronger players strengthens
your chess.
 Learn and play standard openings and defenses which suit your style, whether tactical or
positional.
 Play both King- and Queen-pawn openings, and play gambits occasionally.
 Specialize in only a few openings and defenses.
 In serious games, play openings and defenses you know well; practice other openings and
defenses in casual (“skittles”) games or against a computer.
 Remain calm and alert throughout a chess game, take occasional mental breaks to ease the
tension.
 Emphasize playing your best, rather than considering winning all important.
 Enjoy your WINS and learn from your LOSSES! Learn at least one lesson from each loss defeats
are great teachers.
 Chess is the game of kings and the king of games, but for perspective, remember chess is only a
game.

Summary
Chess knowledge is chess power! The preceding helpful guidelines represent the accumulated
practical wisdom of countless chess Masters over the centuries. Learning and applying the
foregoing guidelines will strengthen your chess game. Apply them consistently and
appropriately but not automatically, for exceptions exist, and you will win more games.

"CHESS HOLDS ITS MASTER IN ITS OWN BONDS , SHACKLING THE MIND AND BRAIN SO THAT THE INNER
FREEDOM OF THE VERY STRONGEST MUST SUFFER." , ALBERT EINSTEIN