Four simple steps to improve chess skills
Chess is one game in the world that can be compared with the life. The battle between the two kings in the board of chess is akin to the battle faced by a person in his day-to-day life with the opponent called Time. This unique similarity with the life and the challenges the game poses to a person’s mind is the primary reason for the worldwide popularity for this game, which, first played earlier in the 6th century AD is still very popular and would be there as long as humanity exists in this universe.
Many of us realize the importance of the game of chess and out of curiosity, learn the game with great interest and enthusiasm. Mere learning the game will not be sufficient to explore the depth of the game. One needs to gain expertise in the game, practice more, learn and implement new strategies and tactics in order to gain control over the board. It is here that many of us lack the strength or will power, and having failed to win the games in the early days, get dejected and fade out without becoming masters in the game.
Practice makes perfect – this saying fits for this game as well. One needs to play more number of games, learn from the mistakes and ensure that such mistakes do not recur – to gain expertise in the game. Playing with a same partner or just a group of players might not help you gain expertise, as you tend to anticipate the routine approach of the opponent. One needs to play more number of games with different kinds of players to gain expertise. How is this possible in this fast-paced world where finding a partner to play the game and allocating specific time for the game is becoming next to impossible for many of us? It is here the boon of Online Chess and Computer chess comes to our rescue. Thanks to the advancement of the technology and the patronage of our computer engineers, playing chess has been made much easier through the concept of online chess. Anybody with a computer and Internet connectivity can learn the game of chess, and start playing the game either with the computer or with other players available in dedicated online chess sites.
Each player or novice in the game should know and master chess vocabulary. The common concepts like castling, check, checkmate, enpassant, mobility, material, and such other concepts that are frequently used in the game of chess should be learnt and understood by the player. Knowledge of these concepts, their meaning and the importance will make it easy for the player to understand what is mentioned in the tons of books and material available on the game of chess. Without understanding the concept, there is no point in reading chess books written by grandmasters and experts in the game.
The game of chess typically has three distinct stages entwined together. The three stages are the opening game or opening stage, the middle game and the end game. It follows the same order. As a novice, one should understand each stage and should appreciate the difference and importance of each stage. A thorough understanding of the end game, especially the various strategies deployed in the end game, will help a player realize the importance of each piece in a better way. Typically, in the end game, the number of active pieces in the board will be relatively less and more open spaces. How the pieces move around, deploy effective tactics and corner the opponent king, or instead safeguard the king from opponent’s onslaught – all these are part of the endgame and one should take special efforts to learn the intricacies of the end game. A better understanding of the endgame will help a person gain expertise in the game.
The fascinating part of the game is the middle one, where each player, having laid the foundation work of opening up the pieces and occupying the strategically vital points, will deploy tactics and strategies to weaken the opponent and gain material advantage.
As a novice, one needs to play more games with different kinds of players, using the power of Online Chess, learn the chess vocabulary, and understand as well as appreciate the different stages of the game. Reading more chess-related books and trying to play out grandmasters’ games also will help in fast tracking the learning process.