Chess

For the beginner chess players, studying the wide variation of attacks, strategies, defenses, tactics, and the hundreds of chess openings seems to be a job for superman. When learning those many available lines for the opening, you must first create a strong understanding to those simple chess openings that can be beneficial in your first series of chess plays.

When learning chess opening, you do not need to memorize opening lines because you will just get confuse when you play against other chess player. What if your opponent did was different from what you have memorized? So, then you will get messed up and will result to an early lost of the game. First and foremost, what you should do is to understand the basic principles of the chess openings. In this way, you can vary your opening moves into a more effective way that is best suitable for the particular situation. The basic opening principles can even provide you with good general guidelines about the game play in the opening and can even help you to establish a more strategic advancement.

The first principle of chess opening is the maintaining control of the central squares of the chess board. The center squares are the actually most important part of the chess board so controlling it can give any chess piece more mobility and a lot easier access at any part of the chess board. Attacking in the center part is proven to be more effective also. In this way, the opening can be turned into a strong battle between the two contrasting players.

Then, another chess opening principle is to keep your King into safety at all cost. The objective of the game is to capture the opponent’s King, thus, the main target of your opponent is your King so you must keep your King safe at all times to be able not to lose the game immediately. It is simply the same with you, if you see that the contrasting King is open and vulnerable to attacks, you must grab that chance to create a very strong sequence of attacks to be able to capture his King and win the game. This kind of faults (King’s safety faults) often results to a quick checkmate. This is why, most chess players are using castling at the opening game so that they can keep their King safe and far from the center board because it is very hard to attack the King that has been castled.

Another chess opening principle is to develop all your chess pieces early and bring out those key pieces to create a strong positioning at the opening game. The chess player who can position his chess pieces early could have a great advantages of making the first attack and to battle first before the opposing player is ready, thus, their strategy may somehow shaken that can result to fierce battle. However, even though you are making your own positioning, you must be able to adapt your moves too into your opponent. In this way, you will not miss any of his plans and make your own counter attacks too.

To many people, it may seem that the game of chess is nothing but a mere sport, an idle amusement or a pastime sport. However, the game of chess, which is being played since the 6th Century A.D, has much more to offer to a person than just a sport.

A broad definition of the game of chess is revisited here once again to have a better understanding of this board game.

“The game of chess is a trial of skill between two parties, in the alternate use of equal means of a specific character, for the attainment of certain ends.”

The words “trial of skill” mentioned in the definition is a clear indication that the game of chess is a fair game and there is no room for outside influence, chance, or luck in the game.

The words “in the alternate use of equal means of a special character” refers to the fact that each player is provided with equal number of similar pieces, the difference being just the color of the pieces, and each player is allowed to move the pieces only once at a time.

The goal of the game is to corner the opponent’s King and claim victory by saying Checkmate.

In order to claim victory in a game of chess, one has to display attention, concentration, analysis, planning, decision-making, patience and execution of a series of moves aimed at cornering the opponent’s King. Lack of any one of the above-mentioned qualities might result in a mistake or miscalculation and ultimately result in a loss of the game.

If we apply the same analogy to the life, some interesting similarities come to light that might help us explain the popularity of this fascinating game since the 6th century.

A small mistake, or a miscalculation, or a sudden rush of blood is all that is required to change the course of a person’s life. Many of the virtues that are needed for the game of chess are equally important in a person’s life as well. In that way, the game of chess is more related to the life and can teach invaluable virtues of concentration, patience, analysis and decision-making, which will shape the character and life of a person.

Chess is not a difficult game to learn, in the first instance. One needs to understand the relative strengths of the different types of pieces and their capabilities, as well as the basic rules governing the game. As one starts playing the game, he or she will start gaining experience and skill in the game and indirectly develop the traits of attention, concentration, patience and such other virtues.

One problem is finding a partner to play chess. Here the technology comes to the rescue. Online chess is the answer, where the barriers of time and distance are eliminated. The game of chess is so popular across the world that at any given point of time some people will always be available in the internet waiting to play the game. Even if you cannot find any one person, you can test your skills with the computer.

Playing chess online is one of the boons to the chess-loving fraternity who can use the Internet effectively to enhance their skills, make new friends, share new ideas and in the process, improve their quality of life and character.

Chess opening refers to a series of moves made by the players in the initial stages of the chess game that will pave way for the game to progress further involving threats, sacrifices and captures in the pursuit of gaining control over the game and saying “checkmate” to the opponent’s King.

What is the need for a series of moves in the opening stages? Can it not happen in a single move from one player over the other player? Chess is not a game of dice or any other game involving chance or luck and as such, there is no possibility of winning over the opponent in a single move. The effectiveness of the chess openings and the subsequent tactical ploys, involving effective planning and careful execution, ultimately determine the fate of the game.

In a game of chess, each player is provided with a set of sixteen pieces, and the pieces are arranged in a set order. The most important or primary piece in the game of chess is the King and it is the only piece that stays in the board right from the beginning until the end of the game. In other words, the King is the only piece that cannot be removed from the board, since the removal or capture of the King culminates in the end of the game. This King is situated in the first rank, in the case of white pieces, and in the eighth rank, in the case of black pieces. The second rank, in case of white pieces, is occupied by the white pawns, while the seventh rank, in the case of black pieces, is occupied by the black pawns. Except the Knights, no other pieces in the board, including the King, are allowed to hop over another piece or another square occupied by a piece. This makes it clear that the objective of the game of chess of saying checkmate to the opponent’s King cannot happen in a single move. The least number of moves that might be required to say checkmate to the opponent is not less than three, if not more.

The objective of the game of chess is to make the opponent commit a mistake or two that might help you to seize the opportunity and launch an attack on the opponent’s King and ultimately strive to say checkmate. The logical conclusion of a game of chess involving equal number of pieces with equal strength and capability to both the players is none other than a draw. But the mistake of one player as a result of a wrong calculation or lapse of concentration might allow the other player to say checkmate to you.

It is in this context that chess openings play a vital role. A series of moves from both the players are required before any meaningful attack on the opponent is launched convincingly. The second rank in the case of white pieces and the seventh rank in the case of black pieces provide the cover to the major pieces, the queen and the King that are stationed in the back rank. Opening up the pawns, bringing the major pieces to the center and gaining control over the vital squares are some of the features of a typical chess opening carried out in the early stages. Chess openings provide the platform for the middle game to start effectively and function efficiently in the pursuit of capturing the opponent’s pieces and claim victory on the opponent.

A player, who is about to make his first move – in this case the player opting for white pieces, is provided to choose any one move from the available 20 alternatives. But all the 20 alternatives need not provide the desired result which includes providing safety to one’s King and preparing to launch a counter attack. Only some of the 20 alternatives are effectively used for chess opening in a game.

Chess is a challenging board game that requires a lot of thinking on the part of the players. The one predominant quality of the game of chess that helped this ancient game, played since the 6th Century, survive the travails of time and technology and still fascinate people across the world to take up this game is its fairness. In other words, there is no room for chance or a hand of god or luck to win in a chess game. The only possibility that can help you achieve success in the game is through an accident – an accident that results from the mistake of the opponent.

A mistake is possible in the game of chess due to inattentiveness, lack of understanding, lack of skill, lapse of concentration, pressure of time, and other emotional disturbances. This mistake on the part of a player is the passport for success to the opponent. This signifies the importance of not making mistakes in the game of chess to ensure that the word ‘checkmate” is not uttered to you by the opponent. Irrespective of your level in the game of chess, be it a novice, or a budding chess player, or a champion, or a grandmaster, attention is very essential for success in this game. The trait of giving importance to attention and not getting distracted with other aspects, which one should display while playing chess, helps him in his life to a greater extent.

What is attention? and how one can maintain high level of attention throughout the game?
Attention is defined as nothing but concentration of cerebral activity on a certain object. This concentration is essential in the game of chess. More so, to assess the position of the pieces in the board, the threats to one’s pieces and the opportunities to attack the opponent’s pieces, and such other things. This attention has twin benefits. Not only will it help have a better understanding of the game on hand, but also, in the process helps you to gain more knowledge about the game and recall this position at a later date in a different context and might help in taking the appropriate decisions.

If one were to improvise his skills on the game of chess and elevate himself to higher levels, he should not do any mistake in the game of chess and gain more in confidence and skills. In order not to make any mistakes, he need to concentrate on the game more and pay attention to the pieces on the board, assess the position and take steps not only to avoid making mistakes but also to latch on the mistakes made by the opponent.

It may not be out of context to point out that people with serious absent-mindedness have been suggested to take up the game of chess to help them get rid of this absent-mindedness. Research has shown that playing chess helped them overcome this problem of absent-mindedness.

The role of attention in the game of chess is best summarized by one of the grandmasters of Chess N. Grekov. In his words, “Chess demands…. a prolonged, a constant concentration of attention. It is quite clear that one can well achieve a winning chess position, but then …. as a result of relaxing the tension or failing to pay attention even for a second, turn a won game to a lost one. An essential pre-condition of perfecting one’s chess is to fight this failing.”

To many of us, the word “chess” refers to a board game played across a square board having 64 squares in alternate colors distributed across eight rows and eight columns by two players sitting opposite to each other with the board placed in front of them. Each player is provided with a set of 16 pieces comprising eight major pieces that include two rooks, two knights, two bishops, a Queen and the King, and eight minor pieces in the form of pawns. One set of pieces will preferably be in white color, called White pieces, and the other set of pieces would be referred to as black pieces. The objective of the game as understood generally is to capture the opponent’s King and say checkmate.

This is the general notion of the game. A little introspection into the game reveals that the pieces provided to each player at the beginning of the game have some different characteristics and unique capabilities. The pieces also follow some basic clearly defined rules and regulations with regard to movement across the board. Adhering to the rules of the game, which are very simple and can be grasped in no time, anyone can start playing the chess game.

One more thing most of the people might know about the game of chess is that it is one of the oldest games played since the early 6th century. Despite being played since the early 6th century and more popularized since the 15th century in Spain, the game of chess still attracts the fascination of many people across the world.

Now, coming back to the game, we found that each player is provided with the same set of pieces at the beginning of the game. There is no difference in the characteristics based on the color of the pieces. No player is allowed to make more than one move consecutively. In other words, both the players are provided with equal opportunities to make the moves. In each move, only one piece can be moved, castling being the only exception where two pieces exchange squares in a single move. The pieces are allowed to move only across the open squares or unoccupied squares. There is no question of jumping over the pieces, only exception being the Knight, which might hop over a square even if the square is occupied by another piece.

Misconceptions and myths surround the game of chess more than the ideal aspects of the game that can provide more sheen and shine to a person’s character and life.

At the start of the game, each player is provided with equal number of pieces. In other words, equilibrium is there at the start of the game. When each player is provided with same number of pieces and has equal powers or capabilities at his or her disposal, how can one corner the opponent’s king and say checkmate. The only possibility must be a mistake on the other player. If both players play to their skills and do not make mistakes, all that can happen is sacrifices and captures of the pieces excluding the King. That leads to the conclusion that the logical outcome or objective of the game is only a draw and not checkmate. CHECKMATE is only an accident in the game resulting from a player’s mistake and cannot be a logical outcome.

Some ignorant people might decry the game of chess as an idle amusement fit for the old people, while some others give the stamp of an intelligent sport. Chess is not just an idle amusement or an intelligent sport. It has more to offer for a person’s life and that can be only experienced and felt.