5 best ways to improve your chess skills

Let’s face it, chess isn’t the easiest game, it requires your complete attention and concentration. One wrong move and you might end up losing. For some people, chess might just be a ‘game’ but for some, this is a serious thing. Before playing chess, there are four things that you NEED to know. While you’re playing chess, you need to

-          Command an army

-          Sharpen your mind

-          Outwit your opponent

-          And Lastly, have fun.

Chess is the game that has been challenging some of the greatest thinkers of the world. It’s a tough game but nevertheless, once you know how to play it. You will have A LOT of fun. Here are 5 best ways to improve your chess skills:

•   Identify your style:

When playing chess, you need to understand that there are two kinds of people; Attackers and defenders. What you have to do is decide which one YOU are. Once you know your strengths, you will have a proper direction. You can follow your game up in that direction and you never know, you might end up winning from an 80-year old chess grandmaster (just saying)

•  Take control of the center:

If you’re learning how to play chess, you’ve probably been told to be careful about the center of the board. What that means is that the four squares in the center of your board are the most important squares. You should have complete control over them. Once you have those four squares on your side, you will be able to move your pieces where ever you want.

P.S: Don’t leave your king in the middle of the board for too long. It would give your opponent the edge to attack one of your important pieces.

•  Take care of all your pieces:

One of the reasons chess players fall is because they don’t have attention to all the pieces. They are too focused on saving one piece that the rest are in trouble and they don’t even know. Never make that mistake. Concentrate on all your pieces. They’re not just present there for lying around. They are there for being played with so play with them. Save any piece that is being saved and move on towards the next.

•  Protect the Queen!

Most people are in a hurry to move the queen out so they start attacking, which is wrong. The smart thing to do is let your opponent think you’re being stupid by not letting your queen into the loop but as a matter of fact, you’re just waiting for your opponent to develop his pieces before your move your queen.

•  Calculate your moves:

Chess is unpredictable but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t predict your opponent’s next move. You should always be four or five moves ahead of what’s on the board. This skill develops with time but keeps playing and you’ll get there.

Speaking of predicting moves, there’s this new app with the name of Chessential, that will help you evaluate your best possible next move. It’s completely reliable and works like a charm!