Winning Chess Tactics

Never play a move that puts you in either of the following emotionally charged situations: Your opponent doesn’t see your trap and loses horribly. He sees your trap and counters in such a way that your position falls apart.

The first type of trap is based on the weakness of the pawns on squares f7 and f2.

These pawns are particularly vulnerable because they are protected only by Kings,

Don’t move a piece twice in the opening.

A gambit is a voluntary sacrifice of a piece or pawn in the opening, with the idea of a lead in development and a subsequent attack as compensation.

Rooks need open files to be effective.

. A White Bishop is said to be fianchettoed if it is placed on g2 or b2. A Black Bishop is fianchettoed if it is placed on g7 or b7. In Diagram 78, the White fianchettoed

With every turn you must ask yourself whether you are Acquiring superior force in some part of the board. Gaining a lead in development. Improving your pawn structure (discussed in Chapter Five, “The Fourth Principle: Pawn Structure”). Gaining space. Let’s see how these questions help in actual opening play.

The player with less space should try to trade some pieces.

Many players fail to appreciate that the positioning of the pawns dictates the strategies available to both sides. For example, if one side has advanced his pawns and thus gained a space advantage, the other side’s strategy might be to trade pieces and decrease crowding in his cramped quarters. If one side’s pawn formation is full of weak pawns, the other side’s strategy might be to attack these weak men.

. If your opponent has a weak pawn (a wound), focus your army on that pawn and make every effort to capture it.

In the endgame, whoever has the most pawn islands loses.

An isolated pawn is considered weak because it has no protecting pawns on either side to give it the support it often needs.

A good pawn is any pawn that exerts a cramping pressure on the opponent and is safe from attack. One type of pawn that fits this description is known as a passed pawn, because it has no enemy pawns in front or on either side. Such a pawn is free to advance unless the opponent assigns one of his pieces the passive task of setting up a roadblock in front of it.

An open position has a minimum number of pawns sitting in the center. Pieces are not blocked and can zip into the enemy

As a result, attacks can be mounted quickly and often. To play an open position, getting your pieces out and your King castled into safety as quickly as possible is of utmost importance.

A closed position is one in which the center is filled with pawns, which block the pieces and force both sides to slowly maneuver around the pawn walls to get their armies out.

Attack where you have most space to maneuver. In closed positions, you must also work hard to create open files for your Rooks.

Knights are often better than Bishops in closed positions.