Chess Game - Strategy & History

The Chess Game - How to play

The goal and objective of the Chess Game

Your goal is to checkmate your opponent's King. When the King can't move or avoid capture, it is called a Checkmate, and the game is then immediately over. If a King is threatened to be captured, but still has a way to escape, then it is said to be in just 'check'. A King is not allowed to move into check, and if the King is in check he must move out of check immediately. You can't move any other pieces at that time before the King is safe again.
Learn more about how you can move the chess pieces and other rules of the game

Brief history of Chess and the origins of the game

Chess probably originates from Eastern India during the Gupta Empire and that early form of chess was known as Chaturaṅga in the 6th century. Chess is an ancient board game that has been around for many many, years in different versions and evolved to the modern chess-version of today. The basic setup is familiar but the game had four divisions inspired by the military: Infantry, Cavalry, Elephants and Chariotry represented by the pieces that would evolve into the modern Pawn, Knight, Bishop, and Rook. The earliest evidence of chess has been found in the neighboring Sassanid Persia from around 600, where the game was known by the name Chatrang. See the similar names for modern chess in the language table above with chess names in different languages.
Read more about what chess is and how and when it was invented

Strategy for playing chess games

The beginner's mistake is to move before thinking. The best advice for Chess is to think twice and not move in a hurry. Also, try to anticipate the most likely, or the best move the opponent can make in response to your move. When you get a little more experienced you should also start thinking a couple of moves ahead into the game and plan your best responses to the anticipated moves of the other player. If you focus on thinking several steps ahead all the time you will not be able to move too fast and you will avoid stupid moves that enables the opponent to capture your Queen, or similar devastating losses.

The game is not over if you lose your Queen -that's also another beginner mistake. Experienced chess-players value the Queen less than beginners do. When you are a good player and know many different types of games, you know that there are many ways to overcome a lost Queen. One thing to remember is to not waste your 'simple pawns' just because they are cannon fodder at the beginning of the game. View the pawns as potential queens since you will have the ability to trade them into Queens at the end game, if they can reach the opponent's home line of tiles or squares. A lost Queen at the beginning of the game is not as devastating as you might think since the real strength of the Queen comes into play when she can move around more freely -that only happens during the last third of the game -when you also will be able to trade pawns for Queens!

Also try to keep your pawns together in a line. Use their strength in numbers and realize that a solid line of pawns are stronger than the same number of pawns separated with empty squares. That's just a few basic tips. Read more in the terrific strategy guide:
50 Strategies to gain the upper hand over your opponent

CHESS VIDEO - Learn chess - Strategy & Tactics
for mastering the classic game

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Famous Chess Players - Chess Masters

Deep Blue (computer), Paul Morphy, Mikhail Botvinnik, Alexander Alekhine, Bobby Fischer, Jose Capablanca, Wilhelm Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, schackmästare and Magnus Carlsen. Read more about the Top 10 Chess players in the history of chess

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Anthem (Chess) - Tommy Körberg

Chess is also the name of a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA) and lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is built around two chess masters, one American and one from Soviet. They are fighting about a woman. The character of the American chessmaster (Freddie Trumper) is said to be based to some extent on the famous chess player Bobby Fischer. The Russian masters may have been based on Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov.

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