Here are some patterns that you will want to learn.  You can use these tricks to help win your games.

Tip #1. The rook stuck in the corner

Rooks start out in the corner of the board, blocked in by friendly pieces.  This makes them an easy target if your opponent is careless and just leaves them there.

Diagram 1. White to move

In Diagram 1, Black left his rook sitting in the corner, blocked in by the pawns and the knight.  It’s a sitting duck.  White plays Bxb7 and gets to capture the rook for free on the next move.  The rook can’t run away.  Chomp!

This trick also works with a knight:

Diagram 2. White to move

White plays Nc7 and the rook is toast.

Tip #2.  Knight fork against the uncastled king

If the queens are traded early in the game, you may get a chance to pull this trick.  It involves forking the king and the rook with a knight.

1. e4 d5  2. exd5 Qxd5  3. d4 Nf6  4. Nc3 Qe6+  5. Qe2 Qxe2+  6. Bxe2 Nc6  7. Be3 Nb4  8. Nf3 (see Diagram 3)

Diagram 3. Black to move

White missed that Black’s knight was eyeing the c2-pawn.  Black plays 8… Nxc2+ forking the king and the rook.  After White moves out of check 9. Kd2,  Black will play 9… Nxa1 winning the rook.  White can then play 10. Rxa1 but Black has gotten the better bargain (capturing a rook + pawn = 6 points and losing only a knight = 3 points).

Don’t let this happen to you!

Tip #3.  Trapping a bishop with a pawn net

Bishops can move long distances, but sometimes they get hemmed in by their own pawns.  When you see your opponent’s bishop getting stuck with nowhere to run, sometimes you can trap it in a pawn net.

Diagram 4. Black to move

In Diagram 4 look at the white bishop (circled in red on b3):

• It can’t move backwards, since it’s blocked by pawns on a2 and c2.
• Moving to a4 is bad because black’s pawn will take it for free, bxa4.
• So this bishop only has one direction to move.  Black can smother the bishop by sealing off its only remaining escape route:  by pushing his pawn, …c4. White will lose the bishop on the next move.

Don’t let this happen!

These are just a few tips and tricks that can help you win more games.  Until next time, happy games!

–Coach Mike

Chess notation is a way to write down the moves of a chess game so that we can keep a record of it.  We also call it keeping score of the game.  Writing down the moves creates a record of everything that happened in the game.  Here are some reasons why you should learn it:

1. Your game is your creation.  If you want to study your game later (days, months, or even years later) you can do it from the written moves.
2. Chess notation is necessary if you want to study chess, either with books or online.
3. In some tournaments, you are required to make a certain number of moves within a time period (for example, 40 moves in 90 minutes) or you forfeit the game on time.  Writing down the moves is your proof that you made the required number of moves in the allotted time.
4. Also in tournaments, to claim a draw by repetition you must show that the same position has occurred (or is about to occur) three times.  A scoresheet with the written moves is your proof.
5. And it’s also pretty cool to write down your moves.  It sets you apart from the beginners

Board Coordinates

A chess board has 64 squares.  The rows (ranks) are assigned numbers from 1 to 8.  The columns (files) are assigned letters from a to h.  The board is always labeled from White’s point of view, with a1 being in the lower left corner, as shown here:

Diagram 1. The starting position with board coordinates

Things to remember:

• Always use lowercase letters for the board coordinates.  (Capital letters are for the pieces.)
• White’s army always starts on rows 1 & 2.  Black starts on rows 7 & 8.
• The kings start on the e-file.  The queens start on the d-file.
• When setting up the board, always make sure a1 is a dark square, and h1 is a light square.  The old saying is “light on the right”.

Abbreviations for the pieces

Each of the pieces is abbreviated with a capital letter:

• King = K
• Queen = Q
• Rook = R
• Bishop = B
• Knight = N (because K is already used for King)
• Pawn = no letter

Note:  some really old chess books abbreviated the knight “Kt”.  This isn’t done anymore… everybody uses N now.

How to write moves

First you write the letter for the piece, and then you write the square that you’re moving the piece to:

• If you move a bishop onto the square c4, you write Bc4.
• If you move the queen onto the square h5, you write Qh5.
• If you move a knight onto the square f3, you write Nf3. (Remember K is for king, N is for knight!)
• If you move a pawn to d6, you write d6. (Pawns don’t have a capital letter, so  we write d6 all by itself.)

How to write captures

The most common way to write captures is with the letter x.  The letter x is an abbreviation for the word “takes”.

• If your rook captures something on d7, you write Rxd7. (Rook takes d7)
• If your king captures something on h1, you write Kxh1. (King takes h1)

Pawn captures are special.  You write the lowercase letter for the file where the pawn starts out, then the x for takes, then the square that it captures on.

• If your pawn on f4 captures something on e5, you write fxe5. (f pawn takes e5)
• If your pawn on b3 captures something on c2, you write bxc2. (b pawn takes c2)

Check out this diagram.  How would you write all of White’s possible captures?

Diagram 2. White to move

White can make 3 possible captures with the queen, and one with the pawn:

• Queen takes the rook:  Qxa8
• Queen takes the bishop:  Qxh3
• Queen takes the f-pawn:  Qxf5
• Pawn takes the b-pawn:  cxb5

Special situation when two of the same type of piece can move to the same square

Sometimes we run into a situation where two knights can move to the same square.  Or two rooks.  When this happens, we add an extra letter between the piece abbreviation and the destination square to make clear which piece is being moved.  This removes the ambiguity.

Diagram 3. Black to move

Look at Diagram 3. Black is in check.  Black can block by moving either knight to d7.  If we write Nd7 that doesn’t tell us which knight!  Here’s how we write it:

• To block with the knight that’s currently on the b-file, we write Nbd7.
• To block with the knight that’s currently on the f-file, we write Nfd7.

The extra letter, between the “N’ and the “d7″, tells us which knight moved.

Sometimes an extra letter doesn’t help, and we have to use a number instead.

Diagram 4. White to move

In Diagram 4, it’s white’s move.  Black is threatening to play Qxg2 checkmate and White needs to stop it.  White decides to move his rook from e4 to e2, blocking the checkmate threat.  Simply writing Re2 doesn’t tell us which rook we moved to e2.  Both rooks are on the e-file so adding the letter “e” doesn’t help either.  We write R4e2 to show this move.

Special moves

• If your move gives check, you add the + (plus) symbol at the end of the move:  Qxd1+ would mean “queen takes d1, check”.
• Castling on the king’s side of the board is written O-O.
• Castling on the queen’s side of the board (the long side) is written O-O-O.
• Capturing a pawn en passant doesn’t require any special abbreviation, but some chess players like to write “e.p.” after the move.  For example, gxf3 e.p.
• Promoting a pawn when it reaches the back rank is written with the equals (=) symbol to show what piece you’re getting.  For example, a8=Q means white moved a pawn to a8 and made it into a queen.  d1=N+ means black moved a pawn to d1 and made it into a knight with check.
• Checkmate is written with the pound (#) symbol.  For example, Qxh7#. You can also write the word “mate”.
• If white wins, we write 1-0. If black wins, we write 0-1. If it’s a draw, we write ½-½.

Now that you know chess notation, you’re equipped to study and become a stronger player!

For more information about chess notation, here’s a link to the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_chess_notation

Until next time,

–Coach Mike

• What to do when you’re ahead in the point count
• What to do when you’re behind

When you’re ahead (winning)

Two things to remember when you’re ahead:

1. trade pieces as much as you can;
2. then mop up what’s left of your opponent’s pieces and pawns.

It’s easier to win the game if you get rid of your opponent’s resistance first.  So that means trade off pieces.  Here’s an illustration:

Diagram 1. White to move

Diagram 1 is an easy win for White. All of Black’s army is gone.  White is 3 pawns ahead.  Black can only wiggle around with his king while White pushes his pawns down the board to become queens.  Black is helpless.

Diagram 2. White to move

In diagram 2, White is ahead by the same 3 pawns but it’ll take more work to win.  Black has a fighting chance to salvage a draw, if White gets careless and lets Black pick off one or two of White’s pawns.  If you have the White pieces in this position, you want to trade off the bishops if possible.  That will eliminate Black’s strongest defender.  Then you can move in with your king, pick off Black’s pawns, and it’ll be easy like Diagram 1 was.

Diagram 3. White to move

There’s even more stuff on the board in Diagram 3.   White is still ahead by the same 3 pawns, but Black can put up a lot of resistance with two bishops and a rook.  Playing White, you want to simplify and trade pieces to make the win easier.  Since your knight is already attacking Black’s bishop on c6, and knights are equal to bishops in point value (both are worth 3 points – did you remember that?) you can start by taking that bishop with check:  1. Nxc6+.  Black will recapture with the pawn, 1. … bxc6.  And then you can force a trade of rooks by bringing your rook over to give check (2. Re1+).  After Black moves his king away (2. … Kd7) you can trade rooks (3. Rxe8 Kxe8) and you’ve made it look a lot like Diagram 2.  Find a way to trade off the last bishop and the rest will be a piece of cake.

So remember:  when you’re ahead, trade off pieces.  It makes winning easier when your opponent has fewer pieces to play with.

To use another basketball analogy, a 2-on-1 fast break is easier to convert than a 3-on-2 fast break.  And an uncontested layup (1-on-0) is the easiest of all.  When you’re winning in points, remember this.

When you’re behind (losing)

Nobody likes losing.  But hey, let’s be real.  Nobody can win all the time.  There will be times when you fall behind in points.  When this happens, don’t quit playing.  Keep fighting. You’ll be surprised how often your opponent gets lazy, or careless, and makes a mistake that lets you back in the game.

When you’re behind, you want to

• Avoid trading pieces if at all possible.
• Trade pawns instead.
• And look for ways to attack your opponent’s King (giving check).

The first rule makes sense — it’s just the opposite of what your opponent wants to do.  If your opponent offers a piece trade, try to avoid it.  Eventually you may have to trade, but you want to delay this as long as possible.  Resist!  If you show that you’re not going down without a fight, it may frustrate your opponent into making a mistake!  Trust me, it will pay off.

The second rule may seem weird.  Why would I want to trade pawns? The answer is because pawns can become queens.  If you can get rid of most or all of your opponent’s pawns, your opponent may not have enough material left to win.

Diagram 4. Black to move

In Diagram 4, it’s Black’s turn.  White is ahead by a full bishop.  But Black to move can immediately force a draw by pushing his pawn forward.  This forces a trade that gets rid of White’s last pawn.  White can’t avoid it … either he captures the pawn or Black will do it on the next move.  After the pawns are gone, the game immediately ends as a draw, because White doesn’t have enough material to win.  (You can’t checkmate with only a king and bishop.)

Our final position is a little more complicated but the same idea holds true.

Diagram 5. Black to move

You are playing the Black pieces against a much stronger player, and you’re behind by 4 points (a knight and a pawn).  Your opponent has just moved his Knight to b3, trying to trade off your bishop.  Should you move your bishop to avoid the trade?

Normally, avoiding the trade is a good idea since you’re behind.  But you should also look for chances to check the White king. If you move your rook to give check (1. … Rg8+) it puts your opponent in a difficult spot.  Either he moves his king forward (to h3) and you can keep checking him forever with the rook, back and forth between … Rh8+ and … Rg8+.  That will earn you a draw!  Or, if your opponent gets greedy or careless, he might make a huge mistake by playing his king backward to f1 or h1.  Why is that a mistake?

Highlight the next line with your mouse to reveal the answer:

>>>Because you would play 2. … Rg1 checkmate!

So, even if you’re behind, never give up!  As the famous Polish-French grandmaster Savielly Tartakower (1887-1956) once said, “Nobody ever won a game of chess by resigning.”

Until next time!

This week’s lesson is the relative value of the pieces.

Often you can tell who’s winning a chess game by adding up the value of the chess pieces left on the board.  An often-used rule of thumb is:

• Pawn = 1 point
• Knight = 3 points
• Bishop = 3 points
• Rook = 5 points
• Queen = 9 points

(The King is a special case, we don’t count his point value.  Think of him as being worth 1000 points, because if you lose him, the game’s over. )

Look at the following position and let’s see who’s winning:

Diagram 1. White to move

Black has 3 pawns, a knight, and a bishop.  That’s 9 points.  White has only a bishop and 4 pawns.  That’s 7 points.  Black is winning.

By “winning” I mean if both sides play perfectly, Black will probably win.  In games among masters, simply being ahead 1 point (one pawn)  is often enough to ensure victory, although it may be a long grind.  In games among amateurs, usually being ahead by 3 points is enough for the stronger side to prevail.  Keep that in mind as you become stronger, you will need to be more careful about losing pawns and pieces.

It’s kind of like basketball.  If your opponents don’t have a lot of skills, then often you can get away with sloppy dribbling and passing but still win.  But against a skilled team, you’d have to work harder.  And against the pros, you’d never be able to get away with even the slightest hesitation — they’d steal the ball or intercept your passes unless you execute perfectly.

Keeping track of what pieces have been captured, and who’s winning the point count, is a crucial fundamental skill as you grow and become a stronger chess player.

Here’s a harder one.  What about this position?

Diagram 2. White to move

There’s a lot more stuff on the board, so it’s faster if we just compare the differences between the White and Black armies.  Both sides have a queen.  Both sides have both bishops.  White has 2 rooks and Black only has 1, while Black has 2 knights to White’s 1.  So that puts White ahead by 2 points (Rook is stronger than Knight by 2 points).  Is that all?  Nope, we forgot to count the pawns.  White has 7 but Black only 6.  So White is ahead by another point.  That makes the score +3 in White’s favor.

(Does this mean Black is doomed in this position?  Hardly.  Actually I chose this position from a well-analyzed opening line in the Latvian Gambit, just to prove that the point-count doesn’t always tell the whole story.  In this position, Black is behind in material – the point count – but he has a dangerous attack brewing.  This kind of situation happens a lot in chess.  The point count tells us White should be winning, assuming he doesn’t get checkmated anytime soon! Remember how I said the king is worth 1000 points?  Black decided it was worth giving up a few points to put some heat on White’s king.  It’s situations like this that make chess so much fun.

Why is 1 point – one measly pawn – often enough to win?

Diagram 3. White to play

Because white can push that measly pawn all the way down to make a queen!  After which it’ll be checkmate in about 7 moves.

Have fun until next week!