Chess strategies

The following is a list of some of the more general strategies in the game of chess. Obviously, such a list is not even close to exhaustive, and entire books are devoted to some of these themes by themselves.

Controlling the center of the board

The center of the board is the most important area to control. In general, players with control over the central squares can launch successful attacks or place their opponents in a bind. Traditionally this is achieved through placing pawns in central locations (d4 or e4 for white). However modern play beginning with Nimzovitch has shown this can also be achieved with pieces.

Spatial control

The more squares a player controls, the more options his pieces have. One way to evaluate the amount of space, or squares available to a player, is to compare the number of squares attacked by his pieces and his opponents'. Effective use of pawns to deny good outposts for the opposing pieces while creating good squares for friendly pieces is often a key strategic goal.

Time

A player can gain an advantage in time by efficiently involving and coordinating all of his pieces. A common way to gain an advantage in time is to develop (i.e., move out from the starting positions) pieces and pawns before the opponent does. If one player manages to start an attack with all of his pieces before his opponent can get his pieces into the game, the attacker is effectively playing a piece or two ahead!

King safety

As the King's capture means the loss of the game, protecting the King is paramount. For this reason, good players castle in virtually every game. Castling provides the King with a shield of pawns and shuttles it to the side of the board, where it is relatively safe. Finding ways to destroy the pawn shield, or to keep the King in the center where it can be attacked, are useful strategies.

Creating Weak Pawns

Pawn structure, also known as pawn formation, plays an important role in chess. Players strive to maintain strong pawn structures while trying to create weaknesses for their opponents. Weak pawns can then serve as the focus for an attack. In general, weak pawns are those that are

• Isolated pawns; they don't have a pawn on either file to their sides, and are thus unable to be protected by other pawns.
• Doubled pawns; two pawns are on the same file, so that they can't defend each other. Tripled pawns (three on the same file) are even weaker.
• Backward pawns; they have not advanced as far as their fellow pawns, and thus can't be defended by them.

Jeremy Silman, a famous chess writer and coach, argues that these pawns should not be automatically considered "weak" without taking into account some of the other positional factors relating to them. For instance, if an isolated pawn is placing strong pressure on the opponent's position and cannot be easily captured, it would not be considered weak.

Doubling Rooks

Rooks tend to be most effective when placed on open ranks or files. Placing both Rooks together on a rank or file with no pieces in between is a powerful method of attack because each rook defends the other.

Recommended Reading

How to Reassess Your Chess by Jeremy Silman