Any chess player who wishes to learn to defeat his opponents consistently must learn the basic chess strategies that have stood the test of time.  Chess learning can be divided broadly into strategy and tactics.  Tactics refer to opportunities to win material or gain a particular objective; strategy tells you what to do with that extra material or what objectives you’re aiming for.  It is commonly acknowledged that the player who has a plan – who operates according to sound chess strategies – will perform better than the player who conducts his game without a plan.

Chess strategies might include any of the following categories:  endgame strategies, middlegame strategies, opening strategies, what to do with extra material, pawn strategies, or how to conduct an attack on your opponent’s king.  One can even include meta-strategies, such as how to learn tactics, how to think at the board, clock management, etc.

One of the very earliest strategies that any chess player will learn is what to do when you are ahead in material.  What do you do with that extra pawn or piece?

The first thing to recognize is that the advantage of a pawn is often enough of an advantage to win the chess game.  One way to make the most of a material advantage is to increase that advantage by making even exchanges.

“Even exchanges?” I hear you ask.  Think of it this way, if you have 8 pawns and your opponent has 7, you have roughly 14 percent more material than your opponent.  If each side gets rid of 6 pawns through even exchanges, you now have 2 pawns to 1, or 100% more material than your opponent.  The rule is this:  when you’re ahead in material, all other things being equal, increase your material advantage by reducing the material on the board through even exchanges.

Of course, “all other things being equal” hides a multitude of opportunities for the player with less material.  As one master I know said once, “chess is a difficult game.”  Which is what makes it fun!

One of the best chess strategies is to add to your library of good chess literature.  If you’re just starting out in chess — and even if you’re an intermediate player — one of the best books to give you a good foundation is Learn Chess: A New Way For All.  The book  covers all the basics for the beginning player (including the rules of chess and chess notation), a good section on tactics, opening strategy, and suggestions for ways to progress to advanced chess knowledge.

This is a must-have book for any serious chess player, as it covers the basic chess strategies essential to a good foundation.

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