Over the past little while, chess has become an increasingly popular game. Across the world, many kids, teenagers, and adults are taking part in this activity. Thanks to all the technology we have access to in today’s world, we finally have the opportunity to play chess online! Through many popular platforms such as Chess.com or Lichess, chess enthusiasts from all over the world have bonded over the beloved game of Chess.
This may all sound great, but there is one slight problem, which is: chess is a tough and strategic game, and many of us aren’t good at it. Coming from personal experience, it can be quite challenging to enjoy a game in which you are constantly losing. Therefore, I have carefully curated some of the most popular chess openings, gambits, and a few strategies to help you improve your chess game, and overall chess experience. And by the way, if you didn’t already know what a gambit was, a gambit is basically when a player sacrifices some of their material to seek some kind of compensation or advantage.
Here are 3 of the most common and popular chess openings that you should have under your belt (from the white player’s perspective).
The first one is the “Ruy Lopez” also known as “The Spanish Game”. It is very commonly used as a standard opening because it allows for both players to achieve a decent amount of dominance and good piece positioning on the board. The opening moves for this one are: E4, E5; 2. Nf3, Nc6 ; 3. Bb5 . We can see how the bishop on b5 is targeting the c6 knight, putting some pressure on it. After these preliminary moves are completed, the game can go pretty much anywhere for both the white player and the black player.
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The second one is the “Italian Game”. And although it may sound like some sort of Italian mafia organization, this opening really is simple yet effective. The moves are very similar to the “Ruy Lopez” other than one key difference. The opening moves for this one are: 1.E4, E5; 2. Nf3, Nc6 ; 3. Bc4 . Me personally, I find this opening to be slightly better than the Ruy Lopez because in this case, the bishop is covering more squares diagonally and is more ready to attack. It is also targeting the weak F7 pawn near the black player’s king.
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The third one is the “Sicilian Defense”. This opening is played from Black’s point of view. A fun fact about this opening is that it is known to be the most popular form of defense played from Black, at all levels of chess. The move(s) for this opening is quite simple. It is: 1. E4, C5. This diplomatic move played by Black aims to fight for the center of the board while avoiding the exact symmetry from White. This position may lead to a dangerous struggle between the two, where both sides have an equal chance of winning.
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Apart from those three common openings, it can never hurt to know some of the fun gambits too! But one small aspect about gambits is that they can be either accepted or declined by the opponent, almost like an offer. The two that I will summarize for you are the gambits that are accepted.
One of the oldest and most well-known gambits in the chess world is the Queen’s Gambit. It is designed to make one side gain ultimate control of the center of the board. In many gambits, including this one, sacrificing a piece to unlock a hidden advantage is key. In this case, White would be sacrificing their C-Pawn to gain control of the center of the board. The moves for the Queen Gambit (accepted): 1. D4, D5; 2. C4. Although this sacrifices one of White’s pawns, which is risky indeed, it accomplishes the goal of gaining control of the center.
With every queen, there is also a king. The King’s Gambit is another trick/strategy that you can use to outwit your opponent. The overall goal of this gambit is to make some rapid development and eventually initiate an attack towards the opponent’s king. This gambit also has to sacrifice a mere pawn in order to assert a sense of dominance throughout the game. The moves for the King’s Gambit (accepted) are: 1. E4, E5; 2. F4, Fx4.
Now last but not least, here are some final tips to help accelerate improvement in your chess journey.
- Practice
- Solve chess puzzles as much as you can
- Analyze your losses and wins
- Study grandmaster games
- Learn many openings, gambits, and tactics
- When playing a game, always look at least 2-3 moves ahead
- Stay positive and enjoy the journey
Hopefully, after reading this quick post, you will have learned at least one new thing that will really help you become the chess player you aspire to be.
P.S: Here are some funny chess jokes 🙂
- Why do chess pieces look so uninterested? Because they’re part of a board game
- Where did the chess player sleep? In a king-sized bed
- What is the most costly move in chess? The Check
Other sources:
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/most-common-chess-openings-
lack’s%20pawn.https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/10-steps-for-getting-good-at-chess-fast