Thursday 21 June 2012

Lesson 16: Opening

strategy - building up a formation and structure in your army.
Golden Rules (in order of importance)
  1. Make sure ALL your key pieces are defended by a backup piece (e.g. bishops defended by knights), even when they are not being threatened (as this saves time when they do begin to be threatened and builds up a strong structure). if possible avoid having a backup piece defend two pieces at once
  2. Immediately neutralise any pieces that come onto your side of the board by chasing it or exchanging it.
  3. Simplify when ahead in material or when faced with a spacial disadvantage
  • TEMPO: 
    • Develop using threats of attack (do multiple things at once)
    • in the beginning, avoid move the same piece twice.
  • POSITIONS:
    • Try to maintain at least one pawn in the center.
    • Keep knights off the end files and onto good outposts. 
    • keep pawns from blocking your bishops - if they do then trade them off.
  • PAWNS: Open with a center pawn & Make as few pawn moves as possible  (and every time you do make sure the pawn structure remains strong -Remember, pawn structures are key as they can not go back).
  • KNIGHTS: develop before bishops
  • BISHOPS: better than Knights in Open games but Knights are better than Bishops in Closed games (use and trade off as appropriate)
  • QUEEN: Do not bring your Queen out too early in the game (It should be one of the last pieces to be developed)!
  • KING: should Castle as soon as possible, preferably to the King side - this will provide King Safety until the end game where the King comes out to do the fighting.
  • ROOK: one should be free to defend the BACK Rank as soon as all other pieces are now developed and the King is castled in the corner. Place your other rooks either in an open file where there is a hole created by the enemies pawn structure and nothing behind it - ready to penetrate behind enemy lines, OR behind an advancing pawn, be it your own or an enemies, in order to protect your advancing pawns or prevent your enemies pawns advancing

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