Chess Strategy Tips

Chess is an amazing game that requires skill and concentration. Many people play chess just for the fun of it but others play for the competition. There are many chess tournaments designed to give players a chance to show off their skills. The game looks simple and is played on a square chessboard with an eight-by-eight grid containing 64 squares.

Each player has sixteen pieces to play with at the beginning of the game. Normally, one set is white and the other is black to keep them separated. The goal of the game is to get the opponents king in what is called "checkmate", which means it is under attack and there is no where to move to be safe.

It sounds simple but without the right strategies you can find yourself in checkmate more often than being the one who wins the game. Here are a few tips and strategies that can help you win more often.

·        Take the time to learn what the pieces are and how much each one is worth. Sometimes you have to give up men in order to take men and if you give up men of lesser value than what you take you will be ahead of the game.

·        Plan out your strategy in order to protect your king. The goal of the game is to protect your king and get checkmate on your opponent's king. If you keep this in mind from the beginning it will help you plan out your moves better.

·        Watch each move that your opponent makes and think about how each one will benefit them. This will help you to counter their moves because you will be able to see through their strategy.

·        You can get an upper hand on the game if you take control early in the chess game. Controlling the center four squares will usually prove to be very beneficial. Keep this in mind when planning out your strategy.

·        Learn when it will be beneficial to loss pieces for the good of the game. For example, if you can give up a piece in order to take one from your opponent that is worth more in value, it would be worth the sacrifice.

·        Before moving any piece consider how moving it will affect that particular piece later in the game. If the piece is already in a good position, then you may want to reconsider and move another piece.

·        Be alert and pay attention to the game at all times. If you get careless it could cost you the game. Sometimes it only takes one bad move to give your opponent the advantage.

Using these chess strategy tips can help to improve your game and give you an advantage over your opponent. Of course, nothing beats practice so, play every chance you get and you will see a big improvement in your game.

Lisa is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses. Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company, public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com

Everyone Has an Inner Saboteur - Making Your Saboteur Your Chess Partner, Part 2

If you didn't read my previous article about the Shadow/Saboteur, then I recommend you do so.  This way, the coming paragraphs will make a lot more sense.  I hope that you were able to watch a few Star Wars movies and take down some inner notes on this notion of having a "shadow" or "saboteur."  What I want to talk about here is the HOW TO --of making your saboteur your chess partner!  You see, you cannot run from you shadow, and if you try to do so, as Anikan did (he thus became Darth Vader)--it only grows stronger and stronger until it can overpower you completely to the point where you lose everything of true value to you!  Anyone who has ever experienced an addiction at one time or another can completely understand what it is to feel powerless in their lives.  But when you fully understand the saboteur archetype and learn to use it as a friend, ally and what I have heard it called before..."chess partner," you will be able to make decisions clearly and with conviction.  This in turn will bring much happiness and peace of mind to your day to day life!

Again, remember, your Saboteur is synonymous with your RELATIONSHIP to the World!  It will always bring up issues related to low-self esteem, as well as fears that block you from your own Empowerment and Success!  Here a few ways to make your saboteur your "chess partner:"

1. Your saboteur is mirror that reflects your fears of taking responsibility for yourself and what you are co-creating.  It is most connected to your ability to survive in the physical world. One way to silence this archetype is through acts of COURAGE.  For example, lets say you have been a lawyer for over 25 years but deep down you always knew you wanted to be a an Entrepreneur; the courageous next step is to JUST DO IT!  Don't delay any longer.  This is one sure way to make your saboteur your ally.

2.  Another way to make your saboteur your 'chess partner' is to always follow your Intuition.  Now, some of  you may not fully get what that means but think of it this way, when your mind is telling you one thing out of fear or worry but your heart tells you something different, like leaving LAW to pursue your passion for being your own boss...that's your intuition speaking.  I am a professional marketer, and i have learning to use my intuition in my field every day and this is extremely powerful!  When I place an ad with conviction and with intuition...it always pulls!  Your intuition is never wrong.

3.  Another core problem with the saboteur--when you see it negatively in your life is in the fear of change.  When you fear change your feel it deep in your gut, called your solar-plexus.  This is not just about changing your home or car, its about those BIG changes like firing your boss to go create your own product, or getting married to the man/woman of your dreams!  Changes that will effect you for the rest of your life!  Change that requires you to respond in a more positive way to new opportunities that will help create and deepen your life and spirit for living!  The key here is to learn to EMBRACE change, and invite it into your life.  Now most people will not do this until their back is up against the wall-- which is why most people run the other way and try to hide from their shadow.

Change is like hope, it is a very good thing--and it is one of the most powerful ways to make your saboteur your chess partner.  NEVER ALLOW YOUR FEAR OF CHANGE TO STOP YOU FROM REACHING YOUR GOALS!

Now, go forth and conquer, be determined not to stand in the way of all that being a leader, husband, wife, sibling, lover, believer, daughter, son, has to offer you and others!  Make your saboteur your chess partner, sitting right across the table from you.

Cheers,

Cynthia Farsadi retired from the Makeup Industry in Hollywood, CA at the age of 28. She now teaches others how to set up their own businesses, working part-time from home and making more in a month what most people make in a year!

To Find out MORE go to: http://www.ARealOpportunityForWealth.com

Book Review of the Tao of Chess by Peter Kurzdorfer - Reveals Tournament Poker Principles

Peter Kurzdorfer has been a Chess Master since the early 1980s. He is the coauthor of The Everything Chess Basics Book with the U.S. Chess Federation and is the former editor of Chess Life magazine. In The Tao of Chess: 200 Principles to Transform Your Game and Your Life, Kurzdorfer shows how the complex game of chess can reveal underlying truths that one can adapt from the chessboard to every aspect of life, even to the no-limit hold'em tournament poker table.

Here are a few of Kurzdorfer's competitive thinking insights, with each followed by my poker tournament translation:

1. "Attacking a well-prepared opponent on the fly will rarely work in any sport or game." Page 57.

In a no-limit tournament, the all-in bet provides a player with a significant advantage. But, sometimes this advantage can be overused, leading to a false sense of security or superiority. If you repeatedly attack a smart, observant opponent, that opponent will adjust. It is then only a matter of time before an ill conceived all-in bet will lead to big trouble.

2. "The initiative is an advantage. Take it whenever you can, and take it back when you don't have it, if at all possible." Page 60.

"We know that if you want something to happen, you need to make it happen. And the way to make something happen is to go after it aggressively." Page 102.

"The best way to psych out an opponent is to always play the strongest moves." Page 213. And,

"Fortune favors the brave...At least one reason why this is so is that defending is such a distasteful activity for most players." Page 219.

In practically every situation in hold'em poker, the aggressor is favored to win the pot. Thus, it is almost always preferable to bet or raise rather than call. When betting or raising are not feasible options, then the best next option is to fold. Becoming the table captain, or alpha player, is the goal. This position is achieved through relentless aggression.

3. "Completing a hugh task becomes possible when it is broken up into many connected little tasks. In other words, a journey of a thousand miles is carried out one mile at a time." Page 129.

Playing in a poker tournament is an undertaking of mammoth proportions. There are literally thousands upon thousands of considerations about factors such as hands, opponents, odds, levels, and more. These many factors intertwine to create an endless stream of situations. And, each situation then requires the selection, from a menu of several, of the one best option. This is indeed an elephant way too big to eat in one bite. Even just the thought of winning a tournament can be overwhelming.

When overwhelmed, there is a mental fallback position. Remember that poker is a game of decisions. Winning poker is achieved by making one good decision at a time. And, that is all that is required. One good decision at a time, time after time.

4. "Every dog has his day. Don't ever think you can win without effort." Page 160.

We all know about dogs in poker. They are the hopeless, longshot hands held by an opponent. Hands that probably should never have even been played. But, there they are, anyway. Sucking-out on the river to win our rightful pot. It is maddening. It is the stuff that puts otherwise sound players on tilt.

And, therein is the challenge. And, therein is the meaning of winning against all odds, too. Or, at least against all hardships. This is not a time for whining and self pity. This is a time for redoubling our committment to winning.

5. "Be on the alert at all times for opportunities in any game that you play. They come up when least expected." Page 173.

The windows of opportunity in a poker tournament occur during the play of a hand. These windows open unnoticeably, and close quickly and permanently. If a player is not informed, observant, and decisive, the opportunity will be missed. The lost opportunity might take the form of failing to raise against weakness, and thereby winning a pot right then, as opposed to losing it later. Or, many of the other moves in poker that are timing dependent.

6. "The hardest game to win is a won game." Page 192.

The greatest disappointment in tournament poker: to become the bubble boy, after being chip leader. And, the second greatest: to place second, after being chip leader. Indeed, winning a won tournament seems to be a major accomplishment in and of itself. I suggest that you read Kurzdorfer's book to learn how to overcome this hurdle.

7. "Anything that does not pertain to the position in front of you is extraneous thought: eliminate it." Page 205.

Distractions. There is no room in any form of competition for mental distraction or loss of focus. Of course, to maintain one's focus for hours at a time during a tournament while under pressure and duress is one huge objective. Especially, when you are competing on-line at home. So, learn the art of concentration. And, enlist any necessary aids, like disabling your email while you play.

8. "Think along strategic lines when it is your opponent's turn and along tactical lines when it is your turn." Page 207.

In other words, always pay attention to the action. Especially when you are not in the hand. The information you gain will help to shape your strategic plan. Then, as opportunities present themselves during the play of a hand, you can execute the tactical moves to advance your strategy.

9. "Patience...All strong players possess this virtue in abundance...", page 214.

Every poker player has had the importance of patience drilled into their heads, over and over. For some players, patience is synonymous with self denial. For others, patience is an exercise in self discipline. Regardless of how you define patience, the result is the same. Patience is the ability to wait, and wait, and then wait a whole lot longer, to play only the right hand at the right time.

There is to be discover in Kurzdofer's book an important universal truth about competitive thinking. It is this: regardless of the sport, whether it is chess, bridge, poker, martial arts, video games, or whatever, there are only a few fundamental rules for achieving a winning mind set. And most, if not all, of those rules can be found in his book.

R. Steve McCollum is a long time hold'em player. You may read many more of his sit 'n' go tips, tactics, secrets, and strategies at http://www.SitnGoHoldemPoker.com And, his poker book reviews at http://www.PokerBookReviews.info

6 Tips on Building a Chess Strategy

When coming up with a strategy to playing any game you need to keep important things in mind. This includes knowing where each piece can and cannot move to and many other key things. In this article I will give you key things to note when coming up with an effective chess strategy.

When the game starts, do no hold back and save your pieces for the end. Get them out aggressively keeping in mind the reason behind that move. As you play, keep on developing your pieces to reach your goal which could be cornering a king or queen.

The pawns are your guards in chess; they protect your queen and other important pieces therefore if you don't protect them you will lose all of them. When this happens you have no security and you end up losing the game. With this in mind, protect these weak pieces which in turn will keep your queens safe because two queens are stronger than a single queen.

To be able to move and capture most pieces, take control of the four centermost spaces. If your pieces are in this area you have an advantage over your opponent and you can easily move to his side and attack his Queens or Kings.

In a tricky game like chess you will need to plan ahead of your opponent. Even before it's your turn to play ask yourself what if my opponent moves here? What will be my next move? Make sure you also have a plan B in case he goes the other way. Analyzing the game ahead of time and remembering his previous moves will keep on top of the game.

When playing, you have to know which pieces are most valuable in terms of points. The pawns which hold the least value are equivalent to 1 point. Bishops and knights are equivalent to 3 points each. The rooks are 5 points while the most valuable Queen is equivalent to 9 points. In this game the king does not hold any point because he cannot be sacrificed.

Most people usually focus on getting the opponents piece. Little do they know that it is a set up, or that move will give your opponent an advantage. To avoid this, search the whole board while analyzing why he left that piece for you to take. If you notice the trap he has set, leave the piece where it is because it is not worth it.

If you realize you are doing well and all your pieces are in good position or you have been cornered in every possible way do not relax. For you to eventually win you will need to move those pieces from the good position to the end therefore you need to think. Relaxing and thinking you are in control is a recipe for losing. Think of where you could move because when you relax the mind cannot spot opportunities.

As you play chess, the key is to stay alert and remember these basic ways and improve your strategy.

For more tips and tricks about Chess please visit http://www.mychessblog.com

Chess Player Joke

Paul was a passionate chess player. He was reading a lot of chess books and analyzed his own games at home,  which he had played in the chess club before. He hoped to improve his game by learning new chess strategies.

One day he was again deeply immersed mentally in a chess position, which originated from a club game.

Suddenly somebody knocked at his door.  He did not expect any visitors, went slowly to the door and opened it.

In front of him stood a woman of a religious sect. He saw that right away as she had a bible in her hands and looked at him a bit strange. Then the woman asked him. "Brother! Are you saved?"

The chess player has been deeply immersed in thought and was shocked at first, but recovered fairly fast and said with a glorified smile.

"Oh, yes, oh, for sure, of course I am saved!" Paul answered. "I wanted to castle one move later, but my opponent had a surprising move. His knight hit f7 and attacked my queen and the rook at the same time. I lost the exchange and a pawn after that and thought that I was lost. But after that, my opponent played too risky, made a mistake and blundered away his rook. The game finally was a draw and I was saved. It was like a miracle! Yes! I was saved!"

The woman had a very confused expression on her face and didn't understand what he was talking about. She turned around and left him utterly confused.

Become a Chess Player at http://www.expert-chess-strategies.com

Chess Rating Calculation in FIDE (World Chess Federation)

You may know the name of the famous chess player Garry Kasparov who hit the highest rating in the history of FIDE at 2849. You may also know that the FIDE rating is calculated by the Elo system. But do you know how?

The Elo System

The system is named after Dr. Arpad Elo who improved the original one developed by Kenneth Harkness. It has been in use in the USA since 1960 and was taken on by FIDE in 1970. The system is twofold:

1. It shows how strong the player is: Player A rated 2400 is stronger than Player B rated 2300.
2. It also calculates the results of a game, tournament, or event as numerical Elo results. Originally designed as a chess rating system, nowadays it is also being used in a number of other sports and computer games.

The Main Elo Idea

Each chess player has chance to win a game. The stronger player, the more chances to win. FIDE uses a special winning probability table for a game which is based on the rating difference between the two opponents. If the rating difference between the two is 0, each player has equal chances to win, and his or her winning probability is 0.50. If the difference is 100, the stronger player has the winning probability 0.64 while the weaker 0.36. Please remember 100, 0.64, and 0.36.

Let's imagine that Player A rated 2400 and Player B rated 2300 are to officially play 100 games. The rating difference being 100, the expected result for Player A is therefore 0.64 and for Player B 0.36. And now the main idea... If Player A is really playing as strong as 2400 and Player B as 2300, at the end of the event Player A will score 64 and Player B 36 for sure. If Player A scores only 55 (but not expected 64) and Player B 45 (more than expected 36), the Elo system will change their new ratings. The system uses the K-factor which is necessary for rating calculation.

The K-factor

The K-factor is assigned to the player, and its possible values in FIDE are 10, 15, and 25 as follows:
- 25 for players new to the rating list, until they have completed events with a total of at least 30 games.
- 15 for players with a rating under 2400.
- 10 once the player has reached 2400 and been registered for at least 30 games. Thereafter it remains permanently at 10, even if the player's rating is under 2400 at a later stage.

Calculating the Rating Change

The current rating of the chess player changes after each game. The one-game Rating Change depends on:
- The player's K-factor.
- The player's score (1, 0.5, or 0).
- The player's Expected Result for a game.

Example 1. With the K-factor 10, Player A rated 2400 defeated Player B rated 2300.
The Rating Change for Player A is therefore calculated as this:
K-factor x (Result - Expected Result)
10 x (1 - 0.64) = 10 x 0.36 = 3.6

Example 2. With the K-factor 10, Player A rated 2400 lost to Player B rated 2300.
In this case, the Rating Change for Player A is calculated as this:
K-factor x (Result - Expected Result)
10 x ( 0 - 0.64) = 10 x (- 0.64) = - 6.4

Example 3. With the K-factor 10, Player A rated 2400 made a draw with Player B rated 2300.
The Rating Change for Player A is now calculated as this:
K-factor x (Result - Expected Result)
10 x (0.5 - 0.64) = 10 x (- 0.14) = - 1.4

Conclusion

The new rating of the chess player is calculated based on the rating change. Updated, the FIDE rating list is available online on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October.

Bohdan Vovk is a chess supporter, and chess rating calculation is one of his hobbies. He runs a handful of websites and is the Author of an elo calculator and some other products.

Chess For Beginners - Chess Strategy and Tactics Using the Middlegame

Many beginners put too much emphasis on learning chess openings, only to be frustrated when their opponent doesn't follow the book moves. Others will spend time studying the Endgame only to find they rarely get there. More often the Middlegame in chess is overlooked, but is one that can help make up for a lack of openings knowledge and give you the edge in the Endgame.

How do you define the Middlegame in Chess?

The Middlegame is typically the part of a chess game after the Opening has been completed. For example, once you have developed your pieces, Bishops and Knights, the King has castled and your Rooks have line of sight on the back row. You now have a solid foundation on which to position your pieces for attack, or defense, if you prefer.

The careful positioning of pieces to restrict the movement of your opponent or force them into making an error will give you the edge. This is where chess strategy really comes in.

You can practice the Middlegame in chess by playing against a computer, set to a low skill level. You can either start from the beginning of the chess game. Or, if you're using a program such as Fritz, start from the end of a chess Opening from its database.

Now you should focus on a single chess square, somewhere near the opponents King. Your objective is to control this square either by occupying it or by threatening it with at least two of your chess pieces.

Whilst at the same time not allowing your opponent to attack or occupy the square.

When moving your pieces try to ensure that no chess piece is left unprotected and try to not be drawn from your objective by taking an opponents piece unnecessarily.

This will get you in the habit of planning how to maneuver you chess pieces with a set objective in mind. Getting you over the beginner's habit of reacting to your opponents move without a solid plan in mind.

The goal in chess is to checkmate the opponents King but before getting to this point there are many mini goals that need to be reached. Also reaching this goal can be done in a variety of ways, this is why chess strategy and tactics are so important. If we played in the same way each time, our chess game would be predictable and we would be beaten easily. Therefore we need to vary how we play. To consciously achieve this we need to have a plan. It doesn't need to be complex, but the method above will help you see how you can create these plans simply and easily before each chess game.

Once you learn how to successfully control a single square, without being distracted, try the same but controlling two squares on the chessboard. From this point you will then be able to move to controlling a square from where you can attack the King. Passing into the Endgame in control of the chessboard and a decisive advantage.

Sean Clark is a Vice President of the British Federation of Correspondence Chess and runs the Learn to Play Chess with Fritz chess blog which has many more tips and tactics on chess for beginners.