Attitude Check: You’re Not A Chess Player If You Don’t Have These

Dr. Purushothaman
October 3, 2013

What makes chess games so fascinating is that you will employ a myriad of moves for the win. The catch: When one strategy works for one tournament, there’s no assurance that it will work on another! Ideally, one has to determine the perfect technique suited for him|her self. You can do this by trial and error. A blending of various techniques can result in a style that matches the player’s personality. Irrespective of their favorite winning moves, all chess players share a generic group of attitudes that will assist a win.

One crucial element is the player’s ability to focus. When you forget to concentrate, you’re likely to lose. There are some player who over-think what trick they will pull next that they do not observe their adversary’s moves carefully. In fact at times, even an adversary’s move is over looked or not considered well.

Guarded concentration has to go hand in hand with some futuristic thinking. You should play with a plan in mind. However, this does not require that a player conforms to the plan to an extent that he|she forgets to adapt to situations.

Find time to analyze your opponent, his mind and his moves. Smart players always position their pieces for a reason. Delving into the adversary’s mind and envisioning the plan even before it has been completely formed enables a player to hold the reins of the game. This also gives the player a calm state of mind while the opposing player is reduced to complete bewilderment!

That all pieces are valuable is a way of thinking that is vital to chess players. The pieces are assigned a rank and corresponding points. The least valuable, pawns are assigned 1 point each. Knights and bishops are ranked higher, and each is equivalent to 3 points. Then come the Rooks valued at 5 points and finally, the most powerful Queen has 9 points. Keeping these values in mind helps a player to come up with a strategy for the game. The Queen is valuable indeed and yet, two Rooks can do more harm than a single Queen can. The King, which is the deciding piece can move only one square in any direction. Except for the king, you can afford to lose other pieces – if you foresee that the loss will gain you an advantage. Take time to determine whether sacrificing the piece is indeed advantageous for you.

Having a foresight of the endgame always pays in the long run. For example, between a knight and a bishop, the latter can move more squares across the board. Still, if the game necessitates the sacrifice of the bishop, then you call the shots. There are so many things that can happen during the game. Good chess players know how to react smartly and deal with each situation as it comes along. It takes more than a positive attitude to improve at the game. You need constant practice too. Incorporate the qualities mentioned in this article and you shall see even a far greater improvement in your matches.

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