The game of chess is a challenge to your mind and exercise to your brain. A worthy challenge that, when conquered or mastered, will make you a better person and help you lead a qualitative life.
What makes this game, played over a square board comprising of 64 squares and 32 pieces distributed equally among the two players, differentiated only by the color of the pieces, so fascinating, exciting and challenging?
In modern days, especially with the onset of the computer, the Internet and the innovative softwares, learning the game and playing the game using the computer through the means of online chess with partners not physically present in front and separated by distance and time, has become the order of the day. But still the fascination and the challenge continues to amuse us.
What is that in this game which makes it the most popular and challenging one among the knowledgable persons even after more than 1400 years since its introduction to the humanity?
Well. One possible reason for this fascination, excitement and the challenge might be the complexity of the middle game, the real battlefield where most of the action takes place and the area on which very little literature is available in relative comparison with the other two stages of the game – the opening game and the end game.
A sound knowledge of the fundamentals, especially at the middle stage of the game, is what differentiates a novice from an experienced player in this fascinating game.
While gaining expertise in the game of chess requires lots of practice with dedication, players in their early stages, or beginners, should keep the following aspects in mind and try to gain expertise by following these basic fundamentals, so that they can have an edge in the complicated middle game.
1. Control over the center of the board
2. Making prophylactic moves
3. Maintaining the initiative.
Controlling the center of the board or atleast having a fair share of the control is one of the essential things that a player should try to achieve and maintain that control for as long a period as possible. Why one should have control over the center? Well. The reason is obvious. By having a piece in the center, one can exercise control over more number of squares. Let me explain it with an example. Assume that you have a knight placed in the first square in “a” file or in a1. That knight can have effective control over two squares – c2 as well as b3. If the same knight is placed in, for example, at c4, how many squares does it have access for? It can have ready access to as many as 8 squares. This reiterates the importance of having control over the center of the board.
You might have heard about prophylactic moves. These moves are ones that are made by a player to counter the possible threats of the opponent, and, as a result, foiling the plans of the opponet and forcing him to change his plan of action. The hallmark of a good chess player is not only to attack the opponent, but also foil the attempts for attack by the opponent. These prophylactic moves can be handy in achieving this objective.
One another useful technique that might help you gain an edge in the middle game is to maintain the initiative. By initiative, I mean keeping the opponent in the defensive for a major part of the time. One can do that effectively by threatening the opponent with checks and threats and also through prophylactic moves, forcing the opponent to alter his plans. By wresting the initiative and keeping the opponent under pressure, you may succeed in forcing an error or mistake from the opponent. However, one should be very careful that in your pursuit to maintain the initiative, you do not end up making a mistake or leave any of your pieces unguarded, so that the opponent might pounce on your mistake and make you repent for the mistake.
There cannot be any specific rules or guiding principles to walk you through in every stage of the middle game, and this aspect is the real source of fascination and excitement to the game.
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- Chess tips: Four things a beginner needs to know in middle game
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