Top 10 Best Chess Strategies For Beginners

Are you a beginner in chess who is looking forward to perfecting your mastery of the game? If so, this is the perfect piece for you. The strategies discussed herein will significantly increase your chances of winning in tournaments and other training sessions. Unknown to many, chess is a game of persistence, strategy, and masterful positioning. As such, those who’ve mastered such techniques have made chess their favorite pastime globally.

The tips highlighted below will come in handy in giving you that much-needed victory during a chess tournament:

1. Control the Center from the Opening to the End

The center is the most critical part of the chessboard. This is because your pieces have access to the whole board if you locate them strategically at the center. Indeed, the best players in the world have attested to this strategy since time immemorial. In their quest to emerge as the undisputed champions, they have mastered the art of ensuring that they use their pieces to add pressure to the center of the board continuously.

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2. Develop your Pieces as Quickly as Possible

Another important strategy that you should master is developing your pieces as quickly as possible. Your pieces are like your army since they are the ones that will ultimately give you the ability to dominate the board. Consecutively, they will play a vital role in enabling you to win the game seamlessly.

Failing to develop your pieces swiftly can be a disastrous mistake. In so, doing, you will enable your opponent to take up more space on the board as they can. Eventually, you will be swapped off the board without even knowing.

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3. Protect your King by Castling

One of the most critical strategies in chess is to protect your king by all means. Therefore, make it your top priority to keep your king in a safe position as you create weakness around the king’s opponent. As you play against your opponent, ensure that you castle your king fast so that it goes away from the center.

Your king will be less vulnerable to your opponents when it is away from the center of the board. Most of the action usually takes place at the center of the board hence making the king susceptible to the opponent. In addition to that, you will also be better placed to bring your rooks to the center as fast as possible.

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4. Try Not to Move the Same Piece Multiple Times in the Opening

This strategy is in tandem with the concept of developing your pieces as fast as possible. By moving your pieces several times, you will be giving your opponent a chance to build his pieces faster than you. However, there are times when you have to move the same piece several times to avoid losing it to your opponent.

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5. Never Move your Queen Too Early

This strategy is especially crucial for beginners. Most beginners have the habit of moving the queen too early to create mating threats on f2 or f7. Since the risks are not real, you may end up losing multiple tempos as you try to salvage the queen back to a safer square.

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6. Connect Your Rooks and Place them on the Open Columns

Most people play chess oblivious of the fact that the rooks are the most difficult pieces to activate. Such a scenario is possible since they can only be moved vertically and horizontally. Moving them isn’t comfortable when there are no open files or columns.
Castling your king early enough will be instrumental in moving rooks much closer to the center. Before starting the game, make an effort to know the column that will be open when the game starts. With that in mind, you will be the first one to take advantage of the open columns using your rooks as the game progresses.

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7. Try to Exchange a Bad Piece Early Enough

One of the best chess strategies lies in the ability to identify a bad piece from the beginning. It is a technique that is vital for all levels, both for beginners and veterans alike. The ability to identify the piece without a bright feature distinguishes between masters and novice players.

For instance, the bishop is usually considered to be a bad piece if blocked by pawns when they’re located in the squares of the same color as bishop. Therefore, you should not hesitate to exchange it with another piece of equal value whenever an opportunity arises. Likewise, the bishop tends to be a better piece than the knights if the position is open. On the other hand, the knights tend to be better pieces when in closed positions since they are the only ones that can jump over other pieces.

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8. Think Critically Before Moving your Pawns

In case you weren’t aware, pawns can only move forward, they can never go back. Having a good understanding of this technique is very vital for players at all levels. Moreover, pawns are the only pieces whose mobility is limited. As such, they are essential in determining the plans and nature of positions that every player should follow.

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9. If an Opening Appears, Wait and Look for a Better One

A great German philosopher and chess player, Emanuel Lasker, opined that a spotted opening should not be confused with the readiness to move. This is classic for most beginners in chess. Most beginners are moved by open chances and are excited to make a move, often with disastrous effects. Conversely, Lasker inspired chess players always to make use of available time before they make a move.

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10. Play with a Better Chess Player

You should make an effort to play an opponent who is either equal to you or better than you in skill and knowledge. Doing so will enable you to enjoy the game too competitive completion and also test yourself. Your opponent’s better judgments and skills will keep you on your toes to mentally stay in the game to its end.

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Opening Choice

Your opening choice is critical when it comes to how the game will progress. Openings are complex. As such, most beginners find making a right opening decision a daunting task. Therefore, you should stick to playing simple chess as a beginner as opposed to cramming some existing theoretical lines.

For instance, all the available openings work differently for beginners and experts. In most scenarios, the majority of the openings requires detailed knowledge of strategic ideas and move-order subtleties. However, you’ll be far ahead of your competitor if you have the following five first principles in mind:

• Establish total control of the center of the board. Especially the e4, e5, d4, and d5 squares.
• Try as much as possible not to move a piece twice
• Develop your pieces continuously to activate cheats
• Keep your king in a safe position. Leaving your king at the center makes it vulnerable to your opponent.
• A knight on the rim is dim. The mobility and scope of your pieces are increased by developing towards the center.
Several principles exist that can guide beginners as they start. Chess openings for beginners should meet the following criteria:
• Should be easy to learn so that you start playing immediately.
• Should give you a comfortable middle game
• Be based on ideas and not wanton memorization of endless theories.

Upon considering these criteria, the Sicilian Defense for Black with

1. C5 e4 and the Italian game for white with
2. Nf 1.e4. Bc4 are natural openings that follow consistent patterns that are quite easy for beginners to comprehend. Below is an overview of both chess openings:

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Chess Tactics Training

The tactics for chess decide the chess game of players at all levels; both novices, and masters. Therefore, it is vital that as a beginner, you master the various tactical points and motifs such as double attacks, forks, pins, and discovered checks. Having a mastery of the tactics is essential as you venture into chess, either as a hobby or as a career.


In your quest to become a good chess player, you should know that every chess master was once a beginner. With patience, the right training and hard work, you’ll perfect your moves and rise above your opponents. Indeed, becoming a master in chess requires determination, sacrifices, and inward motivation. While at it, ensure that you focus most of your energies on mastering your craft and fine-tuning your strategies to match or even be above those of your competition. You’ll have to practice and retain the specifics of middle games, openings, movement, and planning.

Top 10 Best Chess Strategies For Beginners
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