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. But what do we mean by a chess strategy?
Chess play can be divided broadly into strategy and tactics. Tactics refer to the exact moves required to win material (a pawn or a stronger piece) or gain a particular objective. Strategy, no the other hand, tells you what to do with that extra material or what objectives you’re aiming for.
A strategy might be thought of as a plan, and might be thought of without thinking of particular moves. A strategy can usually be put into words; tactics usually requires thinking of a line or lines of moves.
Chess strategies might include any of the following: 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 best 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 chess player who wants to begin to take the game seriously, as it covers the basic chess strategies essential to a good foundation.