Total Chess

Dynamic tactics occur when an attack involves more than one of the opponent’s pieces. They are the most common tactics in chess. They happen all the time, if you know what to look for.

1) Fork

A fork tactic happens when one piece attacks two pieces at the same time. While the opponent is busy moving or saving one piece, you can capture the other piece. He cannot save both. When one of the forked pieces is the king, there is no choice about which piece to save. The king must get out of check. To find a fork tactic, look for one piece that can attack two pieces at the same time. Every piece can do a fork, even the king, but it happens most often with a queen, a knight or a pawn.

Direct tactics occur when an attack involves only one of the opponent’s pieces.

They are the easiest tactics to learn and use.

1) Single Threat

A single threat happens when one piece attacks one of the opponent’s pieces, or gives check, or makes a threat. It may be a checkmate threat or a threat to use another tactic. It is usually easy to defend against a single threat, but not always. The opponent may not see it, but you cannot count on that. A single threat is best when the opponent has no good way to defend.

Board strategy means making your overall position better. A better position leads to better moves, and better moves leads to a better game. You should always try to make your position better, and try to make the opponent’s position worse.

There are three parts to the chess strategy to make your overall position better. The three parts are interchangeable. You can trade an advantage in one area for an advantage in another area.

Piece strategy means making your pieces better. Better pieces lead to better moves, and better moves lead to a better game.

What is a better piece? A better piece is a piece that is well placed on the board, or a piece that works well with other pieces.

Pawns are the least valuable pieces on the chess board. So, are pawns important? Yes! Every pawn could turn into a queen. When you capture one of the opponent’s pawns, you never have to worry about that pawn becoming a queen.

When the opponent captures one of your pawns, you have one less chance of promoting to a queen. Watch out for your pawns early in the game, and your pawns will watch out for you later in the game.

In the opening, many different moves are possible. You cannot memorize them all, but you can learn the opening systems you would like to play. An opening system is a specific type or style of opening, and the ideas and the strategies that go with it.

Each opening system has its own typical moves and typical positions. Once you learn and understand an opening system, you will be able to play it much better.

All opening systems follow the three basic opening strategies: develop your pieces, control the center, and castle your king. However, they may use different methods to accomplish these goals. Opening systems fall into three main categories.

This endgame might seem simple, but it is not. There is a lot of strategy.

If you have the pawn and you can promote it to a queen, then you will win. If the opponent has the pawn and you can stop it from promoting to a queen, then you will draw.

Often, the deciding factor here is who has the opposition.

There are three more ways to draw, but they do not happen very often.

They are more common with advanced players than with beginners, and they are more difficult to recognize and harder to decide.

In the opening, many different moves are possible. You cannot memorize them all, but you can learn the opening systems you would like to play. An opening system is a specific type or style of opening, and the ideas and the strategies that go with it.

Each opening system has its own typical moves and typical positions. Once you learn and understand an opening system, you will be able to play it much better.

All opening systems follow the three basic opening strategies: develop your pieces, control the center, and castle your king. However, they may use different methods to accomplish these goals. Opening systems fall into three main categories.

Now that you know about strong pawns and weak pawns, you are ready to learn about pawn advances and pawn exchanges. The pawn structure changes every time you or the opponent moves or captures a pawn.

Naturally, you want the changes to be in your favor, not in the opponent’s favor. Always consider the changes to the pawn structure before you make a move. Try to make your pawns strong and make the opponent’s pawns weak.