Chess Tips, Articles and Guides to Help You Win Chess Games

A game of chess is a complex affair. It starts long before the first move has been played. It starts at home. For chess, the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” are applicable to the fullest. But how do you prepare? For now we will leave the psychological aspect out (and for those needing a shortcut here’s another famous quote, this time from Bobby Fischer: “All things being equal, confidence wins games.”) and we shall concentrate on the more technical aspects of training concerning the three main phases of the game – the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame.

Dynamic vs. Static Play: Here are a couple of the questions we receive most often from our students. “When do I know when to play for an attack? And, when to stay quiet and follow the strategic path?” You can always find the answer to this question by looking at the position you have in front of you. There is no rule that tells you when to do one or the other. But, there are certain things in the position. They usually point to the path you have to follow during your game.

Chess training is different for everybody. Everybody wants to get better, but the goal of a training schedule is not the same for everybody. There is no universal recipe for success; each player has to create their own training program based on their weaknesses. Some players need to improve their positional skills, others their calculation. Some may need to work on their openings, while others should study and get better at the endgame phase.