Now that you know how the pieces move, you may be tempted to start playing a chess game. Great! However, there are three main rules you should keep in mind while starting a chess game:

1) Control the center

2) Develop your minor pieces

3) Put your king in a safe spot

Controlling the Center

So why do we need to control the center? Controlling the center is a powerful way to gain control over the game. By taking control of the center, you can set up attacks from behind the center and prepare to checkmate the king. When I say “the center,” I am referring to four squares: d4, d5, e4, and e5. Let’s take a look at an example. Below is a position. Who do you think is better?

*Hint: Try to see who has more control of the center*

If you said black, you would be correct. This is because black has control over all four central squares while white has control of none of them. This automatically puts black at a better position.

Take a look at the below position. Who is better in this one?

As only 2 moves have occurred in the game, it is impossible to really determine the outcome, but I can say with confidence that white is better at the moment. This is because white has control of three of the central squares. Controlling the center is key in chess.

Developing Minor Pieces

The second main rule is to develop your minor pieces. I explained in the last blog-post about minor pieces, so if you have not read that yet, please read it before coming back here.

As the queen and rook are major pieces, we do not want to expose them to the threats of minor pieces. If they are captured, then you will lose a lot of points which may result in you being checkmated easier. That is why you should try to develop minor pieces which are worth less. Developing your minor pieces also allows you to castle which leads into the last of the three main rules.

Put Your King in a Safe Spot

By developing your minor pieces, you will clear room for your king to be able to castle. What is castling? Castling is a cool move which allows you to switch the rook and king’s relative position in order to put your king in the corner, surrounded by pawns and other pieces while simultaneously activating your rook.

There are two types of castling: king-side and queen-side.

Take a look at the below position. This is what the original position looks like.

Now, after a king-side castle, the position would look like this (see below).

As you can see, the king went over to the right two squares and the rook went over to the left two squares. It is important to note that castling is done in one move.

Queen-side castling looks like this (see below).

As you can see, the king has moved over to the left two squares while the rook has moved over to the right three squares.

If you follow these three principles, you can go a long way in chess! Back at my first ever Tennessee State Championship, I only knew the basics of chess being how to move pieces, piece value, and most importantly, the three main rules that I just talked about. Knowing just this, I managed to win 2nd place. Really, if you follow these three rules, it can take you a long way.

The Three Rules of Chess

Three Basic Endings

Piece Value and Minor and Major Pieces