General Rules to improve your chess game

Today I am going to discuss some general rules briefly which ultimately useful in improvising your chess games. I have defined those rules by my experience, reading some expert’s books and discussing with my chess friends.

I am giving those rules to my students in three different categories.

I) Rules for Tactics:

• Always look for undefended piece of your opponent but don’t leave yours
• Consider all immediate checks and Intermediate checks (Source of most latent defence or attack)
• Try to count all relevant captures.

If you follow above rules, your tactical awareness will improve dramatically.

II) Rules to reduce blunders:

• Most important but missed by almost chess amateurs at different levels that is observing opponent’s last move
• Before move ask your self that are you giving some material free to your opponent? This type of mistake often seen at kid’s level or below 1500 players.

I am not claiming that by following above rules you will stop to make blunders but definitely you can drastically reduce those mistakes.

III) Rules in Endgame:

• Look for plans not for move for example first visualise position you would like to get then make a plan. I am sure you will definitely find good moves.
• Elimination: This method works very fine in endgame where you eliminate bad candidate moves one by one and remaining move can be played.
• Centralisation of your king.
• Be careful before exchange your pieces, for example you are exchanging a rook when you are a pawn down in the opposite you missed chance to exchange the rooks and game went to draw.

Here I have not given rules for opening which are easily available. Here you can add something which you got from your experience which may be useful to our amateurs’ community.