Chess is a game that calls for logical and deep thinking on the part of the two players. The simple rules of the game and the challenge it poses to the mind and the brain makes it easier for any person to get attracted to this novel game in the first instance.
But how many of us take this game seriously and make it to higher levels? The percentage sharply falls down and it is true that many people who take up chess end up as novices during their lifetime without making any efforts to pursue the game higher or got dejected hearing the same word of “checkmate” more often.
With the advancement of the technology and spread of computers and the Internet to more people, learning chess and improving the chess skills has never been so easy and so fascinating than before. One need not go in search of a partner any more nor allocate any specific time for learning and practicing the game of chess. The answer is online chess. With this online chess, you can just visit one of the innumerably online chess sites, give some basic information related to your skill set in the game and get registered with the site. You can learn the game with interest, challenge the computer or any other player by playing chess online with either of them, as frequently as you can, gain the practice and ultimately you can improve your skill set in the game, or gain expertise in this noble game.
What is that issue that haunts every novice or beginner that he stays put there for a relatively longer time ? Lack of interest and application in the game might be one of the reasons. Lack of understanding might be another reason for the beginners to lose interest in the game.
If one were to avoid losing the game consistently, especially in the early stages, and improve his skill set, he should learn or understand the pieces on the board very well and put them to very effective use. It is in this context that the point system propounded by Swiss mathematician, Leonard Euler, can be of immense use to us.
Each of the pieces allotted to the player at the start of the game has been assigned some values. The invaluable piece in the game is the King, because there is no game without the King on the board. The pawn has been given the least value of one. The bishops and the knights are assigned a value of three. The rook is valued at five, and the powerful queen is assigned a value of nine.
What is the logic behind these notional values for the various pieces in the game? Mobility of the pieces and their unique characteristics is what determines the value of the piece. What is mobility? Mobility of a piece is calculated by assessing how many squares can a piece move to from each of the sixty-four squares in the board. For example, a knight placed at “a1” square can move to just two squares, while the same knight, if placed at “e4” can move to as any of the eight squares around it. The location of the piece at the board determines its relative importance.
Understanding the importance of the pieces, their mobility and the positional importance is very essential for a player if he were to gain expertise in the game. He should try to ensure that he has an upper edge over the opponent with regard to material on the board. For example, a player loses captures two pawns of the opponent, but in the process, loses his rook. Though, numerically he has an extra piece, the mobility of the rook is now lost and he will be effectively “down material”.
A player should understand the importance of the values of the pieces, their positional features, their mobility and such other things and bear in mind the importance of these values. Calculating the value of the pieces and having better control over mobility will help a player understand the game effectively. He would not venture to trade with pieces of higher value to capture opponent’s lower-valued pieces.
Certain Chess Strategies can be found over mychessblog.com as they have a great list of 50 chess strategies.