How to win at chess: principles every beginner should know
6 min read ·
Chess has deep strategy, but most games between beginners are decided by a few simple things: who controls the centre, who gets their pieces out first, and who leaves a piece hanging. Fix those and you'll win far more games, against people and against the computer.
This guide covers the opening principles, the checks to make before every move, and how to finish a game once you're ahead.
The rules on Puzzimo
- You play white and move first. Tap a piece to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted square.
- All standard rules apply: castling, en passant and promotion (you choose the piece).
- Checkmate the computer's king to win. Stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and insufficient material are draws.
Opening principles
- Take the centre. Start with a centre pawn, e4 or d4. Pieces in the centre reach more squares.
- Develop your pieces. Bring out knights and bishops early, and don't move the same piece twice without a reason.
- Castle early. Castling tucks your king away and connects your rooks.
- Don't bring the queen out too soon. She becomes a target and you lose time moving her again.
Check before every move
Most games are lost to a single oversight. Before you move, ask three questions:
- What is my opponent threatening with their last move?
- After my move, is any of my pieces undefended and attackable?
- Do I have a check, capture or threat of my own that's better?
Basic tactics
- Fork: one piece attacks two at once. Knights are especially good at it.
- Pin: a piece can't move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it.
- Skewer: like a pin, but the valuable piece is in front and must move, losing the one behind.
- Discovered attack: moving one piece uncovers an attack by another.
Converting an advantage
When you're ahead in material, trade pieces (not pawns): the fewer pieces left, the more your extra material counts. Then push a passed pawn towards promotion, and learn the basic mates with king and queen and king and rook against a lone king, so a won game doesn't slip into a draw.
Watch out for stalemate: if the computer's king has no legal move and isn't in check, the game is a draw. Always leave it a square until you can give checkmate.
Practise
Puzzimo runs its own chess engine. It looks one move ahead on Easy, two on Medium and three on Hard, always following captures to the end. Only checkmates are ranked, and quicker wins score higher: your score is 200 minus the number of moves you made.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best first move in chess for beginners?
1. e4 or 1. d4. Both take the centre and open lines for your bishops and queen, which makes the rest of the opening easier.
How do I stop losing pieces?
Before each move, check what your opponent's last move threatens and whether your move leaves any piece undefended. That single habit prevents most blunders.
Why did my winning game end in a draw?
Probably stalemate, threefold repetition or the fifty-move rule. When you're far ahead, make sure the opponent's king always has a legal move until you can checkmate it.