Learning to play Chess is one thing, and winning is another.
It takes a lot of practice and several losses to win a chess game. And, if you’re an ambitious chess player, you need to do more than just knowing a few aggressive chess openings.
You need to know effective winning strategies. Here’s a list of 5 winning strategies for beginners to defeat their enemies in no time.
5 Strategies to Win Chess Games
- Develop Pieces in the Opening
Everybody will tell you to begin with an opening strategy and start attacking in the middle game. What nobody will tell you is that you can’t attack randomly in the middle of the game if you haven’t developed your pieces accordingly.
Be careful when playing the opening. Keep a vision and plan beforehand. Don’t wait for your enemy to show their strategy. Plan before your enemy can think about any plan.
Make an elaborate plan of your attacks in your mind, and only then settle down with an opening. Next, gradually develop your pieces. How to do that?
Developing pieces means bringing the pieces towards the center of the board and positioning them in good spots. Always aim to settle your pieces/pawns from where they have the opportunity to do their best.
Most importantly, don’t keep your pieces on squares from where they can’t move. For instance, you can move your bishop only when the pawns on their diagonal paths have been played before.
Also, be smart; don’t try to forcefully develop any pieces, especially the queen and the rooks.
- Study Variations and Lines of Common Openings
There are a few openings that you will come across more often than you expect. Some of the openings are:
- Ruy Lopez
- Sicilian Defense
- King’s Indian defense
- The Italian Game’
- Queen’s Gambit
Each of the above opening strategies has many variations and lines. Don’t fret! Most of them are available online, even on Wikipedia. So, try to play out the variations and popular lines by yourself.
Don’t forget to pick a few opening strategies and master them before the tournament. If you get to play white, then you can play the strategy that you know best. It can get challenging if you get black.
So, pick the common strategies and get well acquainted with the most popular lines. This way, you can predict your enemy player’s moves and manipulate the game towards a win.
- Play Lesser Known Openings
There are many openings and lines that aren’t popular anymore but were extensively played in the past. A few of the less popular opening strategies are:
- Czech Pirc
- Budapest Gambit
- Icelandic Gambit
- Dunst Opening
- Alekhine Defense
Try to know the moves and variations of these opening strategies. If you’re playing white in any tournament, you can begin the match with one such opening.
Most beginner chess players are only acquainted with common, contemporary chess openings. So, when they encounter such strategies, they get nervous and play all the wrong moves.
Playing a lesser-known opening has always been a successful winning strategy. It will not only take your enemy player by surprise but also provide you with the advantage of calling the shots in the middle game.
This way, you can play an aggressive game without putting your mind through hurdles.
- Use Lesser Known Tricks
A well-prepared chess player knows all the necessary tricks and tips to sail through the game. But, a smart player knows best other than playing every weapon they have in their store.
So, be a smart player. Don’t go with the tricks that your enemy player is well versed with. For middlegame, En Passant is the perfect chess trick.
First of all, this is a pawn trick. Many chess players assume pawns to be harmless creatures on the board. This provides you with an opportunity to take your opponent by surprise. In addition, you can disrupt your enemy’s pawn structure and have the upper hand in the center.
Secondly, this is a rarely played chess trick. If you go through the games played by the grandmasters, which your opponent studied thoroughly, chances are you won’t find many uses. So, many players don’t think it’s important enough to learn.
This is how playing lesser-known chess tricks can increase your chances of winning a game. One of the most underrated chess tricks is Zugzwang. It’s the best for endgames.
- Always Keep a Back-Up
Chess is nothing less than a mafia movie. Some piece/pawn is always lurking around the corner to capture your pieces/pawns.
No matter how much you prepare, you will be attacked ruthlessly. So, it’s best to always have backups when developing a piece.
In simpler words, try to keep options available to reply to your opponent’s moves. If they capture a piece of yours, you must have another piece or a pawn to take revenge.
So, here are the 5 strategies to defeat your opponent and win the game. Read them attentively, grasp the information, and then prepare.
Remember what Bobby Fischer said: “Chess is war over the board. The object is to crush the opponent’s mind.”
To conclude, no matter how much you prepare, it’s always less during the action. So, prepare hard.
All the best!
