Chess strategy is concerned with the evaluation of chess positions and with setting up goals and long-term tactics for future play. During the evaluation, a player must take into account the value of pieces on the board, pawn structure, king safety, positioning, and control of key squares and groups of squares (e.g. diagonals, open-files, dark or light squares, etc.). Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ... In chess, the pawn structure (sometimes known as the pawn skeleton) is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. ...

The most basic is to count the total value of pieces on both sides. The point values used for this purpose are based on experience. Usually pawns are considered worth one point, knights and bishops three points each, rooks five points (the value difference between a rook and a bishop being known as the exchange), and queens nine points. The fighting value of the king in the endgame is equivalent to four points. These basic values are modified by other factors such as position of the piece (e.g. advanced pawns are usually more valuable than those on initial positions), coordination between pieces (e.g. a pair of bishops usually coordinates better than the pair bishop + knight) or type of position (knights are generally better in closed positions with many pawns while bishops are more powerful in open positions). This article needs to be wikified. ... In chess, the endgame (or end game or ending) refers to the stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. ...

Another important factor in the evaluation of chess positions is the pawn structure or pawn skeleton. Since pawns are the most immobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and largely determines the strategic nature of the position. Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such as isolated, doubled or backward pawns and holes, once created, are usually permanent. Care must therefore be taken to avoid them unless they are compensated by another valuable asset, such as the possibility to develop an attack. In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn for which there is no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. ... In chess, doubled pawns are two pawns of the same player residing on the same file. ... In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind the pawns of the same color on the adjacent files and that cannot easily be advanced. ... This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. ...

Values of the pieces

Main article: Chess piece point value

Material advantage applies both strategically and tactically. Generally more pieces or an aggregate of more powerful pieces means greater chances of winning. A fundamental strategic and tactical rule is to capture opponent pieces while preserving one's own. In chess, the chess pieces are often assigned certain point values that help determine how valuable a piece is strategically. ...

Pawns, bishops and knights are called minor pieces. A knight is about as valuable as a bishop, but less valuable than a rook. Rooks and the queen are called major pieces. Bishops are usually considered slightly better than knights in open positions, such as toward the end of the game when many of the pieces have been captured, whereas knights have an advantage in closed positions. Having two bishops is a particularly powerful weapon, especially if the opposing player has lost one or both of his bishops. The knight moves in an L shape. ... A bishop (♗♝) is a piece in the board game of chess. ... Staunton chess pieces, left to right: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king. ...

Three pawns are more likely to be useful than a knight in the endgame, but in the middlegame a knight is often more powerful. Two minor pieces are stronger than a single rook. Two rooks are stronger than a queen, but not by much. Initial placement of the pawns. ...

One commonly used simple scoring system is:

Piece	Value
Pawn	1
Bishop	3
Knight	3
Rook	5
Queen	9

Under a system like this, giving up a knight or bishop in order to win a rook ("winning the exchange") is advantageous and is worth about two pawns. This of course ignores such complications as the current position and freedom of the pieces involved, but it is a good starting point. In an open position, bishops will be more valuable than knights (a bishop pair can easily be worth 7 points or more in some situations); conversely, in a closed position, bishops will be less valuable than knights. The king is infinitely valuable since its loss causes the loss of the game. Staunton chess pieces, left to right: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king. ...

Positioning

All other things being equal, the side which controls more space on the board has an advantage. More space means more options, which can be exploited both tactically and strategically. If all of one's pieces are developed and no tactical tricks or promising long-term plan is apparent, he could try to find a move which will enlarge his influence, particularly in the center. However, in some openings, one player will accept less space for a period of time to set up a counterattack in the middlegame. This is one of the concepts behind hypermodern play. The Queens Indian Defence is a hypermodern opening Hypermodernism is a school of chess thought which advocates controlling the centre of the board with distant pieces rather than with pawns, thus inviting the opponent to occupy the centre with pawns which can then become objects of attack. ...

Defending pieces

It is important to defend one's pieces even if they are not directly threatened. This helps stop possible future campaigns from the opponent. This approach has an antecedent in the theory of Aron Nimzowitch who referred to it as "overprotection." Similarly, if a player spots undefended pieces of the opponent, he or she should take advantage of those pieces' weakness.

Exchanging pieces

Main articles: chess piece point value, The exchange, minor exchange In chess, the chess pieces are often assigned certain point values that help determine how valuable a piece is strategically. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... In Chess, the minor exchange refers to giving up a bishop for a knight (or, more recently, giving up the stronger minor piece for the weaker). ...

To exchange pieces means to capture a hostile piece and then allow a piece of the same value to be captured. As a general rule of thumb, exchanging pieces eases the task of the defender who typically has less room to operate in.

Exchanging pieces is usually desirable to a player with a definite material advantage, since in the endgame even a single pawn advantage may decide the game.

When playing against stronger players, many beginners attempt to constantly exchange pieces "to simplify matters". However, stronger players are often relatively stronger in the endgame, whereas errors are more common during the more complicated middlegame.

Note that "winning the exchange" has a special meaning as mentioned above: winning a rook for a bishop or knight. This article needs to be wikified. ...

Specific pieces

Pawns

Main article: pawn structure

In the endgame, passed pawns, those which cannot be hindered by enemy pawns from promotion, are strong, especially if they are advanced. A passed pawn on the sixth row is roughly as strong as a knight or bishop and will often decide the game. (Also see isolated pawn, doubled pawns, backward pawn, connected pawns). In chess, the pawn structure (sometimes known as the pawn skeleton) is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. ... Whites b, c, and e pawns are passed. ... Promotion is a chess term describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches the eighth square into the players choice of a queen, knight, bishop, or rook. ... Whites b, c, and e pawns are passed. ... In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn for which there is no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. ... In chess, doubled pawns are two pawns of the same player residing on the same file. ... In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind the pawns of the same color on the adjacent files and that cannot easily be advanced. ... Whites pawns on the a, b and, c files are conneced, and whites g and h pawns are connected. ...

Knights

Main article: knight

Knights are easily chased away with pawn moves. Therefore it is important for knights to be placed in "holes" in the enemy position where they cannot be attacked by a pawn. Once such a hole is identified, a knight should be maneuvered to that location. A knight on the fifth rank that cannot be attacked by a pawn is a strong asset, and the same knight on the sixth rank is roughly equal to a rook. Unless there is a good reason for it, knights shouldn't be placed at the edge or corners of the board because they control far fewer squares. The knight moves in an L shape. ...

Bishops

Main articles: bishop, fianchetto

A bishop always stays on squares of the color it started on. This is not a big concern for a player who still has both bishops, but once one of them is gone, the squares of the other color are more difficult to control. When this happens, pawns should generally be moved to squares of the other color. There, they don't block the bishop, and enemy pawns directly facing them are stuck on the vulnerable color. A bishop (♗♝) is a piece in the board game of chess. ... In chess the fianchetto (Italian little flanking) is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward. ...

If there is no obvious good square for development of a bishop, one can consider a fianchetto: pawn g2-g3 and bishop f1-g2. This forms a strong defense for the castled king on g1 and the bishop can often exert pressure on the long diagonal h1-a8. After a fianchetto, one should not give up the bishop too easily, because then the holes around the king can easily prove fatal.

To decide whether a knight or a bishop is more powerful in a given position, several aspects have to be accounted for: if the game is "closed" with lots of interlocked pawn formations, the knight will be stronger, because it can hop over the pawns while the bishop is blocked by them. A bishop is also weak if it is permanently blocked by his own pawns, which are arrested on the wrong color. In an open game with action on both sides of the board, the bishop will be stronger because of its long range. This is especially true in the endgame, if passed pawns race on opposite sides of the board, the bishop will usually win over the knight.

An endgame in which the parties have bishops that live on different colours is almost always drawn, even if one side is two pawns ahead.

Rooks

Main article: rook

Rooks are powerful on half-open files -- files which don't contain pawns of one's own colour. Rooks on the seventh rank can be very powerful as they attack pawns which can only be defended by other pieces, not by other pawns, and they can lock in the enemy king. A pair of white rooks on the seventh rank (or black on the second rank) is often a sign of a winning position. Staunton chess pieces, left to right: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king. ...

In the endgame, if there is a passed pawn which is a candidate for promotion, the rooks, both friend and foe of the pawn, generally belong behind the pawn rather than in front of it, see Tarrasch rule. Tarrasch stated the rule that rooks should be placed behind passed pawns — either yours or your opponents. ...

Queen

Main article: queen

Queens are the most powerful pieces in a chess game. They are extremely versatile and can threaten many pieces at once. For this reason, checkmates involving the queen are much easier to achieve than those without. Because the loss of a queen usually results in the loss of the game, it is generally wise to wait to develop a queen until after the knights and bishops have been developed. It is important, however, to remember that the loss of a queen does not always result in the loss of the game. Queens can move like any piece except knights (and they can't castle). Some people would want to exchange queens, others would not (see exchange of pieces). Queen. ...

King

Main article: king

During the middle game, the king mostly stays in a corner behind his pawns. Moving these pawns should be avoided because that weakens the king's position. However, as the rooks leave the first row, there is a danger of an enemy rook invading the first row and mating the king, so sometimes it is necessary to move one of the pawns in front of the king to counter these mate threats. Staunton chess pieces, left to right: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, and king. ...

In the endgame, the king becomes a strong piece. With reduced material, mate is not an immediate concern anymore, and the king should be moved towards the center of the board.

Quotes

• "Strategy requires thought; tactics requires observation." - Max Euwe
• "When you see a good move wait - look for a better one." - Emanuel Lasker
• "We adapt to see who we can master next." - Rakim

Machgielis (Max) Euwe (last name is pronounced /ø:wə/) (May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess Grandmaster and Mathematician. ... Emanuel Lasker (December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German World Chess Champion, mathematician, and philosopher born at Berlinchen in Brandenburg (now Barlinek in Poland). ... Rakim (full name Rakim Allah, born William Michael Griffin Jr. ...

See also

• Chess tactics
• Chess terminology

In chess, a tactic refers to a short sequence of moves which limits the opponents options and which results in tangible gain. ... This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. ...

Further reading

• John Nunn: Understanding Chess Move by Move, Gambit 2001. An International Grandmaster explains the thinking behind every single move of many world-class games.
• Jeremy Silman: The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions into Chess Mastery, Siles Press 1999. A chess teacher analyzes and corrects the thinking of advanced beginners.
• James Eade: Chess for Dummies. This is a comprehensive guide for beginners.

•   Yasser Seirawan (2005). Winning Chess Strategies. Everyman Chess. 1-85744-385-3. 

John Denis Martin Nunn (born April 25, 1955) is an English chess player and mathematician. ... The title Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ... Jeremy Silman (born August 25, 1954) is an American International Master of chess. ...

External links

• 64 Commandments of Chess by Bruce Pandolfini
• Chess Strategy, Second Edition (also at Gutenberg-project), and Chess and Checkers: the Way to Mastership by Edward Lasker
• The Blue Book of Chess; "Teaching the Rudiments of the Game, and Giving an Analysis of All the Recognized Openings" by Howard Staunton
• Chess Strategy, free lessons on basic elements.