Improve Your Chess Techniques with Online Chess Strategies Classes

Posted by IchessU on July 2nd, 2015

It takes a lot of practice and commitment to become a good chess player. Strategy is one of the most important aspects that any serious chess player needs to develop. In fact, strategy is half of what makes a winning game.

Chess strategy is the evaluation of different piece positions and the setting of goals/long-term plans for your future play. It is different from tactics (the other half of a good chess game), which requires observation of the way the opponent's pieces are moving. According to World Chess Champion, GM Max Euwe, "Strategy requires thought; tactics require observation."

The thought process behind chess strategy often involve careful thought and evaluation of various other factors like the relative value of the pieces, king safety, piece positions, pawn structure, and control of squares. Chess strategy serves as your game plan, and it should involve ways by which you can manage the development of your pieces and the entire army, while taking into consideration the game play of your opponent.

There are many ways to improve your chess strategy. Taking online classes is a good way to immerse you in learning and be under the tutelage of game masters, themselves. While casual playing can also improve your skills, you will learn more from experienced players who are higher up in the ranks and have seen all kinds of plays within their chess careers. They can pass on great knowledge to you and teach you strategic methodologies that you can use to develop your own.

Chess strategy transforms your chess army into a single, cohesive unit, rather than an autonomous group of 16 pieces, minding their own squares. With strategy, the chess board takes on a different dimension in which 64, once meaningless squares, now take lesser or greater importance, depending on where your pieces are at any point of the game.

Strategies can range from selecting a good opening to knowing which side of the board you are playing on, and determining your most important pieces. A the start of your chess career, you may be able to come up with a good enough strategy to beat your opponents, but to get better, you need to learn how to fluidly switch between two or more strategies, in order to find the best approach to address the peculiarities of each game. Strategies should therefore be seen as your own set of best principles--principles that can help you coordinate attacks while dealing with compromising positions and situations.

About the author:

Albert Fishman has been involved in teaching chess since 1996 and is part of the IchessU coaching staff.