The posts in this archive are listed in chronological order to make it convenient for you to start with the earlier posts and work your way through to the later posts.
One of the first chess strategies that every beginner needs to learn is how to checkmate the opponent. So many beginners’ games end as a draw simply because the superior side doesn’t know how to turn an overwhelming material advantage into a checkmate. I faced the same problem when teaching my children how to play …Continue reading: Chess Tactics – How to Checkmate with King and Queen vs. King
Today’s article is about the rules of checkmate. Checkmate is the object of the game. The object is not to have more pieces than your opponent; it is not to play the most beautiful game; it is to checkmate your opponent’s King. Checkmate occurs when the King is in check (hopefully your opponent’s King) and …Continue reading: How to Play Chess – Rules of Checkmate
One of the first things a new chess player must learn is how to finish off the checkmate when you have won the game. Often this boils down to one of the basic checkmates: King and Queen v. King, or King and Rook v. Rook. I previously gave some rules about how to checkmate with …Continue reading: King and Rook v. King Checkmate Patterns
One of the elementary mates that every chess player ought to be familiar with is the mate with King and two Bishops against King. This mate is of less importance than King and Queen v. King or King and Rook v. King because it rarely comes up in practical play. But it is good to …Continue reading: Two Bishops v. King Checkmate
One of my readers, Phil, has asked this question: Can i win with a knight and king against a king? The short answer is, “no.” The long answer is a little more interesting, and has a surprise in it. First, let’s look at what happens when you try to checkmate a lone King with a …Continue reading: Checkmating with a Knight