Posts

How to checkmate with a Queen and a King

Image
Checkmating your opponent is the ultimate goal in chess, and understanding different checkmating patterns is essential for victory. Among these, the checkmate with a queen and king combination stands as a fundamental yet powerful method. In this article, we'll explore the intricacies of executing checkmate using a queen and king, offering insights and strategies to help you secure victory on the chessboard. 1. The Power of the Queen:    The queen is the most versatile and powerful piece on the chessboard. With its ability to move in many directions, the queen can control vast areas and exert pressure over crucial squares, making it an excellent tool for setting up checkmate. 2. Controlling Escape Squares:     In order to successfully checkmate with a queen and king you need to control the escape squares of the opponent's king.     By narrowing down the available moves for the enemy king, you increase the likelihood of a successful checkmate.   ...

How to Evaluate Chess Positions

Image
     Chess is a game of strategy and intellect, where victory depends on the ability of a player to evaluate positions accurately. Whether you're a novice or an experienced player, mastering the art of evaluating chess positions is essential for making informed decisions and achieving victory on the board. In this article, we'll look into the key principles and techniques that will help you evaluate chess positions effectively. 1. Material Balance One of the basic aspects of evaluating a chess position is observing the material balance. Material translates to the value of the pieces on the board, with each piece having a standard value of pionts.   To see more about the the value of each chess piece check this post   Link  Evaluating whether you are ahead or behind in material can provide an important insight into the inner workings of the game.   Unless you are able to create sufficient counterplay, being down a queen or a rook usually spells the end ...

Guidelines to follow in order to make good moves in chess.

Image
    Before a player attempts to move a piece, several foundational principles must be considered.        In the following sections, we'll dive into each of these considerations, providing insights and strategies that players of all levels can employ to enhance their decision-making process when making a moves in chess.       These principles serve as a checklist that help players make optimal choices. When making a move in chess. The criterias on the checklist goes as follows: 1. Does this move improve the activity of my pieces?     Before making a move always consider the state of your pieces. Evaluate the activity of your pieces. Are they well-placed, will moving them result in activation or underdevelopment, can they be improved?       An example of this can be seen in the position above, where the black knight is under attack and can move to various squares but the only move that gives black advantage is movi...

Important chess strategies that will help you win more games.

Image
    Getting better at Chess involves a combination of strategic thinking, tactical awareness, and consistent practice. Here are some strategies to take you chess skills to the next level: 1. Control the center with pieces    Controlling the central squares with your pieces makes them more active and gives you more mobility and influence over the board. Try to occupy the central squares with your pawns and pieces.   Observe the example above. White has moved his pieces to the center thereby exerting pressure on the black pieces while also controlling the center and freeing up space for his other pieces. 2. King safety: Ensuring the king's safety by castling early in the game. This puts your king behind pawns and pieces, reducing vulnerability to attacks as well as the risk of mate  Take for example the position above. White's king is castled to safety but black on the other hand has his king open and exposed to different kinds of attacks on the files and dia...

Chess tips to remember when in time trouble

Image
One of the most painful experiences in chess is when you are in a winning position, but lose on time. After reading this article the rate at which you lose on time will be noticeably reduced because today we'll be looking at chess tips to remember when in time trouble. 1. Give checks      During a time scramble always remember to give checks this distabilizes your opponent's plan therefore, he has to waste time thinking on how to answer the check.      Take for example the position above, there are lots of winning ideas white can implement to checkmate the black king, but when low on time there is only one strategy that wins for white and that's is to give checks. Giving checks makes the person playing black unsure of what to which leads to further consumption of his time.    2. Make definite moves        When you have low time on the clock always remember to make definite moves.              ...

Best/most popular sites to play chess

Image
  The world of chess is expanding due to that there are several popular and reputable websites to play chess online some of which are: 1.  Chess.com      Chess.com is one of the biggest and well known online chess platforms it offers a wide curriculum of features which include, live chess games, puzzles, analysis, lessons, tournaments and lots of others. Chess.com has a massive community of players ranging from beginners to grandmasters. 2 . Lichess.org     Lichess is a free open source online chess platform which is known for it's easy to navigate user interface and a large player base. It offers a lot of features like chess puzzles, game analysis and analysis board and it go access to the chess database. Lichess is generally free to use and is backed up by donations from the community 3 . Chess 24      Chess 24 is another well known online chess platform which offers live chess games, training videos, puzzles, t...

LICHESS vs CHESS.COM (pros and cons)

Image
   In the world of online chess platforms, lichess and chess.com are two of the most outstanding names. Both platforms offer a handful of features to accommodate chess players of all levels, but they differ in various ways which is to compel users to move from one platform to the other. In this article we will discuss the pros and cons of both websites, which helps players decide which platform suits them most. Lichess - pros 1. Open source and ad free      Lichess is a completely free and open source platform which has zero ads. This gives lichess and upper hand when compared to chess.com 2. Unlimited access to chess tools     All chess tools on lichess e.g Game analysis, puzzles, training games, Chess database etc. Are available to users without any subscription fee.   This level of unlimited access is very appealing to players who are seeking improvement without without breaking the bank 3. Chess tournaments and Arena s ...

How to play the "RUY LOPEZ"(THE SPANISH OPENING)

Image
  The Ruy Lopez, otherwise called the Spanish Opening, is one of the most well known and persevering through chess openings. It emerges after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. The Ruy Lopez centers around controlling the middle, fostering the pieces amicably, and planning for major areas of strength for an on the kingside. Here is a general aide on the best way to play the Ruy Lopez: 1. Control the middle : As White, begin with the standard opening move 1.e4, expecting to control the focal squares e4 and d4. By controlling the middle, you gain areas of strength for a for future piece improvement and going after open doors. 2. Foster the knights : Play 2.Nf3, fostering your knight to f3, and circle back to 3.Bb5, fostering your bishop to b5. This move flags the beginning of the Ruy Lopez. The thought behind Bb5 is to nail black's knight to c6 to their ruler, which comes down on the e5 pawn. 3. Get ready to castle : In most Ruy Lopez lines, White plans to castle kingside. Go on with...

How to play the "EVANS GAMBIT"

Image
  The Evans gambit is a forceful and strategic chess opening that emerges after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4. In the Evans gambit, White forfeits a pawn to open lines and make going after possibilities against black's situation. Here is a general aide on the most proficient method to play the Evans gambit: 1. Control the center : As White, begin with  the standard opening move 1.e4, expecting to control the focal squares e4 and d4. By controlling the middle, you lay the foundation for future piece improvement. 2. Foster the pieces : Play 2.Nf3, fostering the knight to f3, and circle back to 3.Bc4, fostering the bishop to c4. The Italian Game is in this manner translated to a typical position. 3. Offer the pawn penance : After 3.Bc4 Bc5, play 4.b4, offering the pawn penance. The thought behind the gambit is to open lines for the bishops and make going after possibilities against black's situation. 4. Bishop withdraws : After 4.b4, Dark is probably going to acknowl...

How to play the "ITALIAN GAME"

Image
    The Italian Game is an exemplary chess opening that emerges after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. It expects to control the middle and foster the pieces amicably. Here is a general aide on the most proficient method to play the Italian Game: 1. Control the middle : As White, start by playing 1.e4, having a special interest in the focal squares e4 and d4. By controlling the middle, you gain serious areas of strength for a for future piece improvement and going after valuable open doors. 2. Foster the pieces : Play 2.Nf3, fostering the knight to f3. This move safeguards the pawn on e4 and plans to help the pawn on d4. Accordingly, black regularly plays 2...Nc6, fostering their knight to c6. Presently, play 3.Bc4, fostering the bishop to c4. This move upholds the e4 pawn, eyes the f7 square, and plans to palace kingside. 3. Fianchetto or move bishop to to d3 : After 3.Bc4, you have a decision of going on with the conventional Italian Game or deciding on a cutting edge appr...