The game of Chess can be divided into three basic stages. Opening, middle game, and endgame.

The real "game" happens in the middle game. The endgame is just a matter of tying up loose ends and should generally be played perfectly by any player with a certain level of experience (someone at my level should be able to play an endgame as well as a grandmaster).

The opening, however, determines what kind of a game you'll be playing. The primary focus of the opening is to develop your pieces better and faster than your opponent, so that when you get into the middle game, you're prepared for your attack.

Most Chess players learn a wide variety of "book" openings, which have been tried and tested by master level players. When you start getting into tournament play, you'll want to memorize a number of these openings, but for casual play, it's more important to learn the principles behind strong opening play.

Follow these tips, and you'll do much better in the opening.

Three Goals of Openings

In the opening, there are three basic goals: tempo, material, position. You want to maximize all three while minimizing all three for your opponent.

Here are some definitions.

Tempo: Time. Every time you waste a move, you're essentially giving a tempo to your opponent. Tempi can be counted in terms of how many pieces you have developed (out of their starting places and in a good location for your attack and defense).

Material: Number and value of pieces. Of course you want to have a stronger army than your opponent. While there's no scoring in Chess, here's a good guideline of how valuable the pieces are: Pawns (1), Knights (3), Bishops (3), Rooks (5), Queen (9).

Position: Often the location of the pieces on the board is just as important or more important than their numbers. You definitely want to get a good position.

There are ten basic tips you can follow to help maximize all three.

One

Don't bring your queen out too early in the game. The queen is the most valuable piece, so you can't afford to lose it early in the game. Also, a vulnerable queen can be chased around the board by enemy pieces, costing a lot of valuable time. Each time your opponent can develop a piece while making you move a piece more than once, he gains a tempo.

Two

Don't move the same piece twice, if you can help it. I mentioned that a bit above, but it warrants further discussion. When you develop a piece, try to do so in only one move, put it where you want it, and leave it alone until you're done with development. The last thing you want is to keep moving the same pieces while your opponent puts a lot of different pieces in play.

Three

Set goals, and build up to them. If you want to attack, pick a side of the board on which to attack (kingside or queenside) and position your pieces for this attack. If you're playing more of a conservative, defensive game, set up as strong a defense as you can.

Four

Keep your pieces connected, and use them in combination. All your pieces working together will do much more than all of them working alone.

Five

Talk to your pieces. It seems strange, but ask your Bishops and Knights what squares they'll do best on. This way of thinking gives you a different perspective on the game, and makes you consider the position in a unique manner.

Six

Try not to move any pawns other than center pawns, unless there's a very good reason to do so. The pawns in the center are stronger and need to be developed first.

Seven

Watch for weaknesses at all times. If there's a weakness on your side, repair it. If there's a weakness on your opponent's side, attack it. Always try to make your opponent's weaknesses worse, or if he has none, try to create one.

Eight

Watch out for traps. If your opponent does something you don't understand, or that seems like a mistake, look over it carefully. He might be trying to pull you into a trap.

Nine

It is frequently (but not always) a good idea to castle early on. That brings the rook into play at the center of the board, and tucks the king away safely in a corner.

Ten

Most importantly, always think each move through carefully. Try to think as many moves ahead as possible. Imagine what kind of position you'd like, and figure out a way to get it.

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