Chess Basics: Chess Opening Strategies

If you want to improve your chess game you need to understand chess opening strategies. You need to learn basic ideas to ensure you have a successful game.

While it is very important to be familiar with different openings as you will see them often, it is more important to understand the principles behind the moves that make up all of the different openings. If you know all the reasons behind the moves, Read the rest of this entry »

The F.I.D.E. Laws Of Chess

Preface

The Laws of Chess cannot cover all possible situations that may arise during a game, nor can they regulate all administrative questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by studying analogous situations which are discussed in the Laws.

The Laws assume arbiters have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute objectivity. Too detailed a rule might deprive the arbiter of his freedom of judgement and thus prevent him from Read the rest of this entry »

Chess Basics: Kings

Kings really don’t have a value in chess because they are priceless. If the king goes down you lose the game. So while they might not be the most powerful piece in regards to movement and attacking prowess, their safety should go above any and everything in a chess game. Read the rest of this entry »

Chess Basics: Queens

Queens are the most powerful piece in chess. They are worth 9 points and can move diagonally or horizontally as far as they can travel without hopping over pieces. A queen moves the same as a bishop and a rook combined which makes your most important Read the rest of this entry »

Chess Basics: Rooks

Rooks are one of the most powerful pieces in chess. Rooks are worth 5 pawns or 5 points, depending on what you are reading.

The main thing you need to know about rooks is that they work best on open files, meaning that vertically and horizontally if there are no pieces in the way, the rooks fair much better. The rooks are only as good as the number of squares they can cover Read the rest of this entry »

Chess Basics: Bishops

Bishops are worth 3 pawns or 3 points and can travel diagonally as long as they can travel without hopping over pieces. Bishops work really well in open space. If there is not a lot of action in the middle of a chess board and the bishops have long diagonals to attack and defend, they will be much Read the rest of this entry »

Chess Basics: Knights

Knights move much differently than any other chess piece and because of that make it a very important piece. The value of the knight is 3 pawns or 3 points. That is the same value as a Read the rest of this entry »

Chess Basics: Pawns

Pawns are the weakest piece in the chess game but because there are 8 of them, they work very well together and any chess player must be able to understand Read the rest of this entry »

The Origin of Chess
The Origin of Chess Is Obscure: Where did chess come from? Was it invented by a single person or did it evolve over time? Many eminent chess historians have been fascinated by these questions. While there is considerable controversy over the facts, the most widely accepted scenario is that chess appeared in India around 600 A.D., was adopted in Persia around 700 A.D., and was absorbed by Arab culture around 800 A.D. The Arab / Muslim influence was responsible for its later introduction into other cultures. Read the rest of this entry »