What is the best move?

If this question could be answered, chess would not be such and incredibly difficult game to master. An article I recently read from the "International Chess School" called "Making Decisions in Chess" has an outstanding set of ideas about how to find the best move on the chess board.

Assuming there are no tactical shots for either side, the best move on the board is the one that improves the quality of your pieces the most and/or diminishes the quality of the opponent's pieces the most.  There are an incredible number of factors to this, but by searching for the move that helps your pieces improve the most and/or hinders your opponent's the most will definitely move any player up the rating ladder. 

The point value (quantitative value) we are taught at the early stages of our chess playing careers (pawn = 1, knight = 3, bishop = 3,  rook = 5, queen = 9) is important to know but material point count is only one of many ideas to look for.  Chess author Jeremy Silman as well as the author of the article I mentioned earlier talk about some other ideas (qualitative value) to look for that can also give one player an advantage over another.

1.  A lead in development (more pieces off of their starting squares than the opponent)
2.  Minor pieces (who's bishops and/or knights are better)
3.  Pawn Structure (existence of isolated, doubled, backward pawns, pawn islands, etc.)
4.  Space (who controls more space in which areas of the board)
5.  Control of open files or key squares
6.  Initiative (who is calling the shots, who is reacting to the opponent's moves)
7.  Control of the center
8.  King safety (from both sides)

The article "Making Decisions in Chess" talks about quantitative and qualitative advantages in chess.  The only advantage I used to look for was a quantitative one (who has a higher material point value).  I would try to achieve a material advantage through some tactical shot.  I lost many games with that narrow minded thinking but that is all I knew until I started reading books and articles.  I have improved from a 1400 rating to a 1700 in just over a year since putting in the work on positional ideas.

The article talks about chess as a series of local battles which I think is a great way to look at it.  Typically in the beginning, both sides should be fighting over control of the 4 central squares (d4, e4, e5, and d5).  One side may choose to allow the opponent to have two of those squares since they can't bring enough force to win them anyway.  The fight is then over the other two, which the player knows it can win.  This is under the idea of looking for quantitative advantages.  Find a square (e5) or an area (kingside) where you are able to bring more forces to bear than your opponent and engage in small battles where you can get a quantitative advantage. 

Next the article explains the other type of advantage one needs to look for in chess games.  Qualitative advantages which are much more difficult to understand than quantitative.  I look over games between masters and wonder why a person that is up a pawn or up the exchange (minor piece and a pawn for a rook) offers a draw.  I used to think a one pawn advantage was enough to win, but that is far from the truth.  Due to the subtle positional features and quality of the pieces on the board a player can be down material and have the far better position. 

The quality of a piece is broken down into four categories by the author of the "Making Decisions in Chess" article. 
1.  Mobility
2.  Positioning
3.  Role
4.  Stability

1.  Mobility - I have a Chessmaster 9000 CD that I used to play quite a bit.  I remember when I would hit the move advice option, it would give the move and tell why.  "This line increases the mobility of your pieces, decreases pressure on your king, or increases the pressure on the opponent's king" were typical explanations.  I didn't quite understand why mobility was so important, but it makes a little more sense to me now.  A mobile piece is one that can quickly get to any area of the board where meaningful action might take place making it a higher quality piece.  I'm involved in more games now where there is pressure in one area of the board, the defense holds, then another area of the board is targetted.  Other factors to consider regarding mobility.  Is the piece pinned to the king, pinned to a piece of greater value, or is the piece tied down to the defense of an important square/pawn/piece?  If a piece is pinned or forced to defend something, it is no longer mobile at all so it's quality is diminished. 

2. Positioning - knights like to be on central support points right in the thick of the battle where bishops, rooks, and queens like to operate where there are open lines (files for rooks and queens, diagonals for bishops and queens).  Get your pieces positioned where they like to be and their quality increases.

3.  Role - pieces would rather be putting pressure on an opponent's position rather than passively tied to the defense of something.  A defensive piece is typically a lower quality piece than one that is offensive.

4.  Stability - a piece is stable if it can not be exchanged or forced to move.  If a piece is well placed and stable, the quality increases because you can count on that piece for several moves.

Pawn structure is an idea I have studied some, but I need a lot more work on it.  I never thought of the collection of pawns as one cohesive unit before, but the article suggests thinking of them that way.  The collection of pawns can increase their quality if they are mobile, well positioned (free of weaknesses), play a positive role (gain space and/or control central squares), and are stable. 

Let's take a look at some of my recent games and my choice of moves. 



Here is a position out of the Ruy Lopez closed variation.  I played fine up to this position I think.  My opponent in this game is a strong player and punished me for my next move.  I can say that at this point my opening knowledge ran out and I did not look for a move that would help my pieces improve the most.  I played b4.  At the time, I thought this would exchange my b-pawn for his c-pawn which should be a good thing.  His c-pawn controlled the central square d4 so removing it seemed like a good idea at the time.  It turns out to be a minor inaccuracy.  How did it help my pieces improve or take away from the gains he has made?  We will see after a couple of moves that it did neither. 

Bishop activity

Bishops have different desires than knights.  Bishops like to operate far from the battle through open lines. 

Diagram #1:  A bishop on the a1 square can be a good place for the bishop depending on several other factors.  It is typically a horrible place for a knight, but the bishop can be very happy there.  It influences 7 squares from there which is not it's best, but two of those squares are central squares (d4 and e5) and three others are in enemy territory (f6, g7, and h8). 


Diagram #2:  Bishops like positions where the central pawns are gone and friendly pawns are not on the same color that the bishop operates on.



Diagram #3:  This bishop will never have any fun because it is inside the pawn chain, the pawns are locked, and the friendly pawns are on the same color as the bishop. 


Diagram #4:  This bishop is outside the pawn chain so depending on other features may still be an effective piece even though the central pawns are locked and friendly pawns on the same color.  It is given the label "bad bishop" though due to friendly pawns on the same color, but a "bad bishop" outside the pawn chain is not always really a bad piece.

 

Diagram #5:  From the central square e4 the light squared bishop can influence 13 squares (maximum activity).  Six of those squares are on the b1-h7 diagonal and the other 7 are along the long diagonal a8-h1.  That does not mean the best square for a bishop is a central square, but that is where a bishop influences the most squares. 



Diagram #6:  As the bishop moves away from the center it can influence less squares (only 11 from f3,  4 along the d1-h5 diagonal and 7 along the a8-h1 diagonal), but there are plenty of cases where bishops are better when placed away from the center.  The bishop on f3 still influences two central squares e4 and d5 and four other squares in enemy territory (h5, c6, b7, and a8).



Diagram #7:  The bishop here influences 9 squares one of which is a central square d5 and three in enemy territory. 



 When placing a bishop, consider where the friendly pawns are, how many central squares the bishop influences from that square, and how many squares in enemy territory it influences. 

Maximize Your Knights

Knowing the conditions your pieces like will help you improve your overall understanding of chess.  First I will write about the knights.  We know that knights have incredible forking abilities which we will see later.  Here I will show why the knight likes to be near the center of the board.

Diagram #1:  The knight's worst location on the board is in the corner because it can only influence two squares.  From a1, the knight only influences two squares, b3 and c2. 



Diagram #2:  Still a terrible place for a knight.  From the a2 square it can only influences three squares, b4, c3, and d1. 


Diagram #3:  The location of the knight on b2 is not good but better than the previous two diagrams since it influences four squares (a4, c4, d3, and d1).  Better is the knight on c3 where it influences it's maximum possible squares of 8 (b1, a2, a4, b5, d5, e4, e2, and d1).  A knight is looking to reach its maximum influence of 8 squares so it needs to be on or between the c-file to f-file and on or between the 3rd rank to 6th rank. 



Diagram #4:  A knight on e5 is usually a well placed knight.  It influences 8 squares, 4 of which are in enemy territory (c6, d7, f7, and g6). 



Knights like to find advanced central support points as homes.  Support point means they are supported by pawns or other pieces and can not be chased away by the opponent's pawns. 

Diagram #5:  The knight is on an advanced support point e5.  The e5 square is in enemy territory so considered advanced (beyond the 4th rank), in the center, and no opponent pawn can get to d6 or f6 to chase it away. 


Diagram #6:  The knight is on a nice square but it is not an advanced support point because an opponent's pawn can chase it away by moving a pawn to d6 or f6. 

Opening basics

Here are the opening guidelines as I have learned through reading books (John Watson's "Mastering the Chess Openings" by Gambit Publishing, Jeremy Silman's "Reasses Your Chess" and Amateur's Mind" and playing many games.  Every player should understand the guidelines but also realize there are many cases where the specific demands of the position will require you to make an exception. 

1.  Play to control the center.  Classical chess suggests occupying the center right away with e4, d4, or c4 for white and e5, d5, or c5 for black.  There are other schools of thought, but it is probably a good idea to learn classical chess first.  The pieces then come into play where they also influence the center.  I look back on my games and ask myself, did I fight as hard as I could for central control  or did I get distracted by some flank maneuver? 

2.  Development refers to moving pieces off their starting squares.  The coordination between pawn moves and piece moves in the opening is of great importance.  We can't just blindly move the knights to the squares they find themselves on the most in the openings (f3 and c3 for white, f6 and c6 for black) because the specific demands of the board might need them somewhere else.  Coordinate means have the pieces and pawns control/influence the same squares, support each other, and allow other pieces room to do the same.  Central squares (e4, d4, d5, e5) and the squares adjacent to those central squares should be your first priority as mentioned in guideline #1.  Pieces like to influence as many critical squares as possible (scope) so fight hard to get them homes where they can do that (without being harrassed by pawns and other pieces). 

3.  King safety should always be on a player's mind.  When a king can be harrassed, there is an increased chance that tactical opportunities can be found.   Conventional wisdom suggests castle the king away under a pawn shelter that has not been damaged (3 pawns on their starting squares on that side of the board).  In many games, that is the case, but one can never ignore the specifics of the position.  If every piece of the opponents army is bearing down on the kingside, castling there because it has an undamaged pawn structure will not work.  The king will be a fighting piece in the endgame but in the opening it needs to be protected. 

4.  Space is a very tricky subject and must be fought for in the opening.  Space is the amount of territory on the board controlled by the armies.  It is usually looked at from the position of the pawns.  The further the pawns move ahead, the more space an army can control.  I don't want to say the army does control that space just because the pawns are forward though.  There is the factor of piece placement which we will get to a little later.  The army with more space tends to have more freedom of movement for its pieces and the army with less space tends to be cramped. 

There is a catch to gaining space.  There is space left behind that could fall under the enemy's control. When a pawn moves forward, it can not move back.  A pawn moving from e2-e4 gained space but left squares that are weaker for the rest of the game.  The f3, d3, f4, and d4 squares can never be influenced by that e-pawn again.  If say the same army's c-pawn moves from c2-c4 the squares d3 and d4  become permanently weak (no pawns can ever control them again).  The opponent may try to control and/or occupy those weakened squares (take the space left behind). 

I have been overrun before in games due to lack of space.  In those games I found myself too focused on trying to keep material equality (pawns worth 1 point, knights and bishops worth 3 points, rooks 5 points, and queen 9 points).  I failed to recognize that my pieces weren't worth their assigned point value anyway due to their lack of activity.  If you feel yourself being squeezed to death, look for piece exchanges (that don't make your situation worse) so that you have less pieces that need room to work, or a pawn sacrifice that will help you break out of the prison.  Give up material to gain activity for your pieces.  Material equality does not mean an equal game!!  There are many dynamic factors (not always measureable such as initiative, activity, quality of your pieces, weak squares, etc.) that contribute to the quality of your position.  You are likely to find the opponent overextended themself and will be tied down defending the space they left behind. 

5.  Piece characteristics.  Knights and bishops are minor pieces.  Knights are short range pieces and need to be right in the middle of the battle to contribute.  They like outposts (squares that can be supported by pawns and/or other pieces and can not be chased away by enemy pawns) near the center of the board.  For example a white knight has an outpost on c5 if it has a pawn on d4 or b4 supporting it and the opponent does not have a pawn that can get to b6 or d6.  Knights influence it's maximum 8 squares between the 3rd and 6th ranks and between the c-file and f-files.  Outside of that area, the knight's powers are diminished.  Understanding this is the key to finding good squares to develop knights to.  Bishops need open diagonals to operate through.  Bishops can influence the most squares from a central square such as d4 (13 squares) but that does not mean it is the best location for a bishop.  Bishops are long range pieces and enjoy being far from the battle on a good diagonal.  They are at their best when the central pawns are gone or at least the friendly central pawns are not on the same color.
Rooks and queens are the major pieces.  Rooks like to occupy open files (files with no pawns on it) or at least half open files (no friendly pawns on it) that extend far into enemy territory if possible.  The queen likes to be on a central square where it can not be harrassed by enemy pieces but in the opening, it is likely to stay behind its pawns and pieces watching over the action.  The queen should be one of the last pieces to develop and typically goes to e2 or d2 for white and e7, d7, or c7 for black where it is free from harrassment and watches over the center.  When you are good enough to break this queen rule, you won't need to read a blog from me. 

6.  Activity and Initiative.  Active pieces control more squares and have more options than inactive pieces.  When active pieces are coordinated in their efforts, the owner of them tends to enjoy a better game.  Initiative refers to the player that is calling the shots.  If you are making threats that are also improving your position that your opponent must react to, you have the initiative.  One move threats do not bestow the initiative however.  Threats that improve your position by piece coordination, increased piece activity, and/or more space is what you are after. 

7.  Avoid the urge to win the game in the opening.  Assume your opponent will see any cheap 3 or 4 move tactic attempts and fight hard to gain "favorable imbalances" (a term that chess author Jeremy Silman mentions over and over again in his books).

**My own experiences are fused in with some of the advice from these chess authors.  Other ideas I have learned the hard way is not to commence any wing attacks until the fight for the center is decided.  It is very tempting to go for an all out attack on the enemy king ("mindless king hunter") but if the opponent defends accurately, you are likely to be left with a losing position.  Assume your opponent will play the best moves and make sure you like where your pieces are placed when they do.  If an attack on the wing does appear to be correct, make sure you have all your pieces in play to make it happen (meaning get your entire army mobilized/coordinated to support that attack).  I can't tell you how many times I have tried to attack on the wing, then noticed my rooks were never in a position to help out.  It rarely works out and when it does, I found it was only due to an inaccurate defense by my opponent, not strong play by me.  Fight for the best course of action on every move rather than hoping your opponent will make a mistake.  If they happen to make a mistake, your pieces will be in a good position to take advantage of it. 

I plan to go back and put in some diagrams to help support the concepts above.  For now, I'll go into some fundamental openings that a player needs to know. 

One of my favorites is Legal's Mate:

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Here is Scholar's Mate:

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Let's take a look at some instructive interesting openings.  Two Knights Defense.

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Hello Chess_Nuts Team

This blog is the location where I will share some hopefully helpful chess ideas and gain feedback for my own chess improvement.