Chess Strategies in the Opening, Middle Game and Endgame

Opening strategy:

- develop or place your pieces on useful squares where they will have superior mobility and maximum control

- control the central squares allowing you to move freely and making your pieces mobile while placing your enemy on a cramped position thereby restricting his piece mobility and delaying his development

- know where and when to castle and assess the overall situation before you even castle, ask yourself "Am I gonna be vulnerable to attack after I castle?", or "Will I castle later?" or "Is it safe not to castle at all?", this needs good judgment to examine the possibilities

- remember, pawns can not retreat or go back, so don't make weak pawn moves. Look for your opponent's weakness on pawn moves in the opening and utilize it to gain advantage or pace

- it pays to study the openings and its variations, sometimes your game is similar and if you happen to have studied or played combinations leading you to a win or gain in material, the better chances for you in winning the game

- if you are playing the White pieces, exploit the initiative and make good use of the advantage of "dictating" where you want the game to lead into



Middle game strategy:

- look for weak spots, exploit and attack it

- in a crowded position, if there's a way to open a file, do it and control it

- in a open position, setting up an attack on both the opponent's kingside and queenside can be a good strategy or focusing on one side can be better

- decoy strategies involve pretending to attack on one side but the overall impact or effect is really attacking the other side

- look for the overall situation on the opponent's kingside and queenside, if you find a weakness or opening, take advantage of it

- if you find a good spot to position your pieces to allow you to make way for a later attack, make good use of it

- if you are attacking, don't take your defense for granted, defensive aggression is the key

- make sure that your attacking forces are sufficient enough to overpower the opponent's defensive pieces, you may end up losing a piece and your attack leads to a failure

- if the opponent queen is restricted in mobility, setup a trap or attack on the side where the opponent queen is helpless

- if you can simplify or make exchanges such that you can predict an advantage on the endgame, do it

- sometimes a sacrifice would lead you to weaken the opponent's defense, thus, allowing your troops to gain mobility and setup for a decisive blow



Endgame strategy:

- pawns and pawn structure is crucial in the endgame, be careful of your pawns while looking for your opponent's weak pawns or pawn structure and exploiting it

- connected pawns are generally better than isolated pawns, but isolated pawns are also vital for a win

- find and exploit a way where you can win by means of a free and unobstructed pawn ready for a promotion

- the queen is generally the choice for a pawn promotion, but in some cases depending on the situation, other pieces than the queen could be better

- be careful of making exchanges, taking into consideration of what's left for the mating piece combinations

- the king is now a strong piece, position it in an advantageous square or on a profitable side

- some king moves and king positionings lead to a draw or a loss instead of a win, so carefully calculate and predict the final outcome

- know when and when not to move a pawn, sometimes the king or a piece should be moved first before a pawn to contribute to a winning strategy

Chess Tactics part 2 - Undermining, Overloading, Deflection, Interference

UNDERMINING:

Undermining is a chess tactic in which the guard or defender of a piece is captured leaving the piece undefended or underdefended

Also called Removing the Guard or Removal of the Defender

Pieces used: Any piece



OVERLOADING:

Overloading is a chess tactic in which a defender is given another defensive job and thus leaving vulnerabilities

Pieces used: Any piece



DEFLECTION:

Deflection is a chess tactic forcing an enemy piece to leave the square, row or file

Pieces used: Any piece



INTERFERENCE:

Interference is a chess tactic accomplished by placing a piece to block the opponent's defending piece

Pieces used: Any piece except the King

Chess Tactics part 1 - Fork, Pin, Skewer, Battery, Discovered attack

FORK:

A fork is a chess tactic that employs one piece to attack two or more enemy pieces at the same time

Pieces used: Any piece


PIN:

A pin is a chess tactic which prevents the movement of an enemy piece because it exposes the king or another more valueble piece

Pieces used: bishop, rook, queen



SKEWER:

A skewer is a chess tactic that attacks two opponent pieces in a file, rank, or diagonal

Also called thrust, reverse pin

Pieces used: queen, rook, bishop



BATTERY:

A battery is a chess tactic that involves a formation consisting of two or more pieces on the same rank, file, or diagonal

Pieces used: queen, rook, bishop



DISCOVERED ATTACK:

A discovered attack is a chess tactic where in one piece is uncovered or moves out of the way of another attacking piece resulting in discovered check, discovered checkmate or with mate threat, discovered attack or check with capture, or double check

Pieces used: any combination of pieces