40 Recommendations for the Novice
1.No one has been able to study chess in its entirety, not even the World champions, but everybody can play and receive a lot of enjoyment from it.
2.Play in chess takes place on a board, divided into 64 squares, half of which are light and half dark.
3.Before the battle commences the pieces and pawns occupy the following positions:
4.The winner is that one of the two players who is able to announce:'check and mate(checkmate)' to the king of his opponent.
5.The rules of how the pieces move can be learnt by anyone who wishes to play within the space of an hour.
6.Friendly games of chess should be played at rapid tempo, say 15 minutes on the clock for each player. Half an hour per game is most convenient and a fair rate for creative play
7.As in other forms of sport, a chess duel should consist of a small series of games, best of all mini-matches of four to six games.
8.Not more than two hours need be spent on such a mini-match. The bitterness of defeat will always be forgotten at the joyous moment of victory.
9.In the initial position any pawn has the choice of moving forward one or immediatly two squares: only the knights can jump to the left or right, ending up in front of the rook's or bishop's pawns (the knight is also allowed to jump over the pieces or pawns of the opponent's army).
10.The most popular beginning of the game is to move two squares with the pawn (White always begins) in front of the king (e2-e4) if you like an attacking game. However, this is somewhat dangerous because tactical complications can arise almost immediatly.
11.After the opening move of the king's pawn, not only can the knights but also the queen, the bishop next to the king and the king itself (of course not all at once but one of the pieces at the player's discretion) can now make a move: the king-one square forward (to e2), the queen and bishop to any diagonal square (e2,f3,g4 and h5, and e2,d3,c4,b5 and a6 respectively).
12.The king's knight, besides going to the squares in front of the bishop's and rook's pawns (f3 and h3 respectively), can now also go square from where the pawn has just moved (e2). But whereas the bishop will move along the light-squared diagonals all the game, the queen, once she has gained more space, can move any number of squares in any direction, and the king-in any direction but only to a neighboring square.
13.On the first move it is better to play the pawn in front of the queen (d2-d4) but better still is to play the king's knight towards the centre, occupying the square in front of the bishop's pawn (Ngi-f3).
14.By then advancing one square the pawn in front of the knight's former square (g2-g3) and then placing the bishop on the pawn's square (Bf1-g2), one can thus build the 'King's House'. Black can also use this method of course.
15.By castling kingside, whereby the king jumps two squares to the right (from e1 to g1) and then the rook in the corner is moved over and placed on the king and placed on the neighboring square (from h1 to f1), one can complete the erection of a very solid defensive post for the king. Castling in this manner is written 0-0.
16.Castling on the left is also possible when the space and between the queen's rook is clear and neither the king nor the rook have moved. The king jumps from e1 to c1 and the rook from a1 to d1. This is written as 0-0-0.
17.The opponent will not be able tp prevent you from employing this technique of building the 'King's House' and, in order to breach your defences, he will now need to display a great deal more sharpness, resourcefulness, will-to-win, imagination etc., than after the popular but very risky (for novices) 'King's Pawn Opening' (e2-e4).
18.After completing the defensive line for your king you can advance the pawn in front of your queen one square (d2-d3), boldly preparing to attack with the queenside pawns or even with the king's pawn alone.
19.After the 'King's House' has been established you do not need to hurry to bring into battle the rook or the bishop and knight on your queenside-the bishop and knight are active even in their initial position while the rook in the corner should patiently await the opening of the horizontal and vertical lines.
20.The queen should also be in no hurry to leave her initial position. She ccan perhaps be allowed to move to the king's former square (Qd1-e1) but only if the advance of the king's pawn needs support from the rear.
21.All our pieces of advice are equally good for both for the white and the black pieces and, of course, when the forces of the two sides come into contact, the players commanding the actions of their chess armies themselves can, as they think best, introduce modifications to these basic strategic plans.
22.In quiet positions the strongest piece is the queen since she moves any number of squares in any direction. The knight is roughly equivalent in strength to the bishop but the rook is rather stronger than the bishop and is clearly superior to the knight.
23.Two knights and a bishop are roughly equal to the queen but two bishops and a knight are slightly stronger than a queen.
24.Two rooks are superior in strength to a queen but only if they are actively placed and their actions co-ordinated.
25.On the scale of comparative values, three pawns compensate approximately a knight, four a bishop, five a rook, and nine a queen. The king cannot be captured (checkmate ends the game) and is therefore of infinate value.
26.A pawn that has crossed the chess equator (the middle of the board) acquires a special privilege. If it wishes it can remove an enemy pawn from the board but only immediately after the latter has completed the 'double step' as only allowed in the initial position. In so doing the attacking pawn moves to the imaginary square where the opponent's pawn would have been had it made a 'single step' and the opponent's pawn must be removed from the board. This method of one pawn taking another is called 'taking en passant'.
27.On reaching the last rank a pawn has to move off the battlefield and make way for another piece of the same colour, at the player's choice-queen, rook, bishop or knight, irrespective of the nuber of similar pieces already in the player' possession.
28.If there are no pawns and pieces remaining on the board except a lone queen or rook on your side, it is easy to announce 'checkmate'. It is slightly more difficult with just two bishops, very difficult with a bishop and a knight and impossible with two knights unless the opponent makes a blunder.
29.The 'King's House' can be breached in three stages: first, by attacking with pieces to weaken the pawn screen, then by attacking with pawns to to create a breach in the defences and finally mounting a decisive offensive and piece invasion.
30.An attack can always be successfully parried or weakened if the attacking pieces are carefully exchanged.
31.You should not bring into play only your favorite piece but should seek a plan of action by which the pieces make moves in turn, creating a unified group in attack and defence.
32.In the initial stage of study it is desirable not to move all the pawns around the king whereas it is useful to advance pawns in the centre and on the opposite wing, creating greater space for your pieces and taking away safe squares from the opponent's pieces.
33.As the stronger pieces disappear, the role of your king grows since it has less to fear. And when there are only pawns left on the board, the king can (and must) boldly go and attack the key squares of the board. In short, move in any direction towards the opponent's pawns if it useful and/or necessary-to the support or your own pawns.
34.As the number of pieces is reduced, the role of the pawns grows and therefore one should be careful if and how to exchange them.
35.Pawns are capable themselves of breaching any defensive wall and should therefore not be given for nothing.
36.For the sake of a rapid attack one can sometimes give up a pawn and, in excpetional cases, to win an extra move, while your are attacking, one may not begrudge a knight or a bishop.
37.For the sake of opening a diagonal for a bishop or a file for a rook it can sometimes be useful to give up one pawn.
38.Only when the position with a mating finish can clearly be seen should you pluck up courage and fearlessly sacrifice a rook or even your queen.
39.You should not continue playing in a position in which, by your own personal evaluation of the situation, there are no real hopes of saving the game. It is better to admit defeat, congratulate your opponent on winning and immediately offer him a new return game. In short, it is better not to await the bitter words 'check and mate'.
40.It is impossible to learn the openings from books but, by combining practical play with theoretical study, one can gradually understand the basic strategical plans and tactical ideas concealed behind the 'pages of opening moves' and the vast number of opening variations recommended in books taken from the tournament games of masters and grandmasters.
Taken from the book "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by David Bronstein and Tom Furstenberg