Chess strategy: 10 principles for beginners
Tactics win games, but strategy decides where the tactics come from. Strategy is the art of making good moves when nothing is happening yet: where to put your pieces, which pawns to push, and what to aim for. These ten principles are not unbreakable laws, but following them will give you good positions far more often than not.
1. Put your pieces on their best squares
A piece is only as strong as the squares it controls. A knight in the center of the board attacks eight squares; in the corner it attacks two. Before every quiet move, look for your worst-placed piece and ask how to improve it. Very often the best plan in a calm position is simply to bring a sleeping piece into the game.
2. Control the center
The squares e4, d4, e5 and d5 are the crossroads of the board. Pieces that control them can switch quickly from one side to the other. That is why every sound opening fights for the center, either by occupying it with pawns or by attacking it from a distance. See our openings guide for how this works from move one.
3. Keep your king safe
Castle early, and after castling, avoid moving the pawns in front of your king without a good reason. Each pawn move near the king creates holes that enemy pieces can use. If your opponent's king is still in the center, try to open lines toward it, because an uncastled king is a target.
4. Understand your pawn structure
Pawns decide the plans
Pawns cannot move backwards, so every pawn move changes the position for good. Here White's d4 pawn has no pawns beside it on the c- or e-files: it is an isolated pawn. It gives White space and active pieces in the middlegame, but in the endgame it can become a weakness that has to be defended by pieces.
Learn to recognize the main pawn weaknesses: isolated pawns (no neighbors), doubled pawns (two pawns on the same file) and backward pawns (left behind their neighbors and unable to advance safely). Aim your pieces at your opponent's weak pawns, and avoid creating them in your own camp.
5. Knights love outposts
Outposts
The white knight on d5 sits on an outpost: a square in or near the enemy camp that is protected by a pawn (here the e4 and c4 pawns) and that no enemy pawn can attack. Black's c- and e-pawns have already moved past it, so the knight can never be chased away. A knight like this is often worth more than a rook.
When the pawn structure is fixed, look for holes in your opponent's position and steer a knight toward them, even if it takes several moves.
6. Rooks belong on open files
Open files
An open file has no pawns on it, so rooks can travel along it into the enemy position. Here White's rook controls the open c-file and is ready for Rc7, while Black's rook on f8 is passive. Place your rooks on open or half-open files (no pawn of your own), and double them if you can.
A rook on the seventh rank (the opponent's second rank) is one of the strongest positions in chess: it attacks pawns that cannot be defended by other pawns, and traps the enemy king on the back rank.
7. The bishop pair is an advantage
Two bishops working together cover squares of both colors and dominate open positions. If your opponent gives up a bishop for a knight, try to open the position with pawn breaks so your bishops have long diagonals. With a single bishop, put your pawns on the opposite color, so they don't block it.
8. Trade when you are ahead, avoid trades when you are behind
When you are up material, every equal trade brings you closer to a simple winning endgame. When you are down material, keep pieces on the board and look for complications and counterplay. The same idea applies to space: the side with less space should trade pieces to free itself, and the side with more space should avoid trades.
9. Always have a plan
A plan does not have to be long. "Bring my knight to d5", "double my rooks on the c-file", or "push my queenside pawns" are all plans. Base it on the position: attack where you are stronger, often on the side of the board where your pawns point. A mediocre plan followed consistently beats random good-looking moves.
10. Think about your opponent's ideas first
Before you carry out your plan, ask what your opponent wants. Many games are lost by players who are so busy with their own attack that they miss a simple threat. Prophylaxis, preventing your opponent's best idea before it happens, is one of the habits that separates strong players from beginners.
Putting it into practice
Strategy is easier to learn from your own games than from rules. Play a slower game against the computer (try a 15 | 10 clock), and at every quiet moment, ask yourself which principle applies. After the game, review the move list and look for the moment the position turned. Combine this guide with our tactics guide: good strategy creates the positions where tactics work.