As a chess player I decided to write some articles about how to play chess for the beginner and average player. I am not a grandmaster but did play on a competitive level, however I can not stand to study chess theory and pretty much call myself a positional player.

In essence, positional chess play isn't about theory but about practices. With practices I mean 'rules of thumb' you can use when playing to analyse both your own and your opponents game and come up with a plan or a seemingly good move. 

Throughout this blog series I will start with the basic and easy to remember rules of thumb you can use to improve your chess game and organically come up with a plan in the opening.

  • don't move more than two pawns in the opening

When you decide to push pawns too much in the opening you probably end up with a bad pawn structure in the middle game.  You should mobilise your other pieces to your opponent's king faster than your opponent reaches you.

  • don't move the same piece twice in the opening

When you are forced to move a piece twice, generally speaking, this means you'll lose a turn and your opponent might be able to bring a new piece into the game.

  • to take is a mistake

Trading or taking might seem the most obvious move, but to really play it out for an advantage in the long run it is important to keep on adding pressure in the form of attack or defence. This means you will keep your advantage and still keep developing

  • castle as fast as possible and proceed to connect your rooks

It is the safest bet, once you have your rooks connected you know all your pieces are in the game and it is time to look for weaknesses in both your own and your opponents structure.