The Everything Chess Basics Book (21 page)

Position after 16. Qb8+.

Position after 16. ... Nxb8.

Position after 17. Rd8 mate

Problems

Diagrams are also useful for positions for the student or interested reader to solve. These include positions from games where a combination will bring about a dramatic change in the position. They also include composed problems where the solver is asked to find a checkmate in a specified number of moves.

Other composed problems will ask the solver to find a winning series of moves.

For the following diagrams, you are asked to find checkmate in one move. Answers are given after the problems.

White to move and checkmate. Answer: 1.Na6 checkmate.

Black to move and checkmate. Answer: 1. ...Qb2 checkmate.

Game Scores

There are score sheets and score pads available at any tournament and for sale in stores and through the United States Chess Federation. You use these to write down a game in progress. The score will look somewhat different from those you see in magazines and books, but this is only because score sheets line up the moves in neat columns, rather than spread them out in a paragraph.

In a typical score sheet, there will be two sets of numbered double columns for a total number of four columns. The left-hand column is for White’s moves. The column at the right of that one is for Black’s moves. The third column is for later White moves. You will notice that they are numbered, continuing from the bottom of the first column. The last column is for later Black moves.

The game you have been looking at was played in 1858 at a Paris opera house during a performance of Rossini’s
Il
barbiere di
Siviglia
. Paul Morphy, a young man from New Orleans and the strongest player in the world at the time, handled the White pieces. The Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard consulted to come up with Black’s replies.

The extra information asked for at the top is good to have in a tournament. Who played the White pieces? Who played the Black pieces? What were the ratings of the players? Where and when did the tournament take place? Pairing numbers and other information you may not understand are usually of interest only to the tournament director. There are lines below for the result of the game, which is a good bit of information for anybody intending to use the score of the game to know. Turn the page for a look at an official chess score sheet.

Chapter 7
Basic Strategy

Now that you know how to play chess and how to read and write chess, it is time to learn how to play chess with a reasonable degree of skill. This will also allow you to appreciate the skill and artistry of the masters. Anything beyond that is subject to talent and/or lots of structured work and play.

Principles to Follow

Before getting into the specifics of good play, we’ll begin with a few general principles to follow during a game. These will help you in determining what move or plan to choose.

• The safety of both kings is the first priority.

• Greater force generally defeats lesser force.

• Control the center and you control the game.

• Control more squares and your opponent is smothered.

• Develop your pieces early and often.

• Long-range pieces need open lines to function well.

• Healthy pawns mean a healthy game.

• Whenever possible, operate with threats.

These are enough to start with. So let’s look at them one at a time.

King Safety

The primacy of king safety is inherent in the rules. If your king is not safe, he may become trapped, and that means you lose. At the same time, you cannot win if your opponent’s king remains safe. You must do something to trap the enemy monarch in order to win. So this principle is double-edged. It gives you a hint of what to keep in mind at all times during a chess game.

Your King

The first part of the principle implies safety for your own king. So the question becomes, “How do I make my king safe?” At the start of the game, he is surrounded by a queen, a bishop, and three pawns. Your king is in no immediate danger there.

The trouble starts with the other part of the principle. You begin the game by getting your pieces ready for an assault on the enemy king. But to do that, at least some of your pieces and pawns must necessarily leave the side of your own king. When that happens, he is no longer as safe as he was at the start of the game.

Castling

One of the best ways to ensure king safety is to tuck your big guy in a corner by way of castling. With three pawns in front of him and a rook by his side, and often a knight or even a bishop in the vicinity as well, your king has a good chance of maintaining reasonable safety for some time.

Both kings are reasonably safe for the time being. It will be hard to storm such secure castles.

Later in the game, this fortress may be broken down and your king may have to leave. But as long as you make sure that doesn’t occur until a number of pieces have been exchanged via capturing, you should be all right.