Chess
Online Chess Board Game
The history of chess goes back 1,500 years. Today, chess is a popular board game that is played between two players. The winner is the one who checkmates the opponent.
Nowadays, online chess has been adapted thanks to the utilization of Internet servers that pair up individual players according to their rating.
What’s more, chess combines strategy, tactics, and logical thinking, so let’s learn more about it!
From Ancient Boards to Online Battles: The History of Chess
Chess was developed in India 1,500 years ago and was known as chaturanga. After that, chess entered Persia and the Islamic world, which later caused it to reach the southern and western parts of Europe.
The earliest known European version is the Lewis Chessmen. However, as soon as chess got to Europe, its rules started changing. Once the game got to Spain and Italy, its rules became modernized.
However, it wasn’t until the second half of the 19th century that modern tournaments became popular. The first one was held in 1886, when Wilheim Steintz defeated Johannes Zuckertort.
Later on, in the 20th century, the modern competitive chess spread globally. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) was the first one to organize the World Chess Championship in 1948.
But with the digital transformation, the traditional chess board game received an online version. The first online chess games appeared in the 1970s, and after the victory of Deep Blue over Kasparov, chess adopted computer analysis that gave players the opportunity to train their skills and become better.
Timeless Popularity of Chess
Chess has remained popular for centuries. This is because of its cultural significance, involvement in arts and media, and increased interest through international tournaments and online platforms. Let’s learn more about this!
Rise of Competitive Chess Tournaments
Chess tournaments go back to 1851 when Howard Staunton decided to organize a competitive match. After London’s tournament success, the popularity of chess tournaments soared, not only in Europe but also in the world.
Around 30 years later, in 1886, the world got its first world championship in chess when Steintz emerged as a winner. This is where chess entered a whole different era and became more organized and competitive.
Chess in Popular Media and Entertainment
Chess is recognized as a symbol of intelligence, strategy, and intrigue. More precisely, chess is included in numerous movies, TV shows, video games, and even literature.
Usually, the movie industry represents chess as a metaphor for the battle between the good and the bad, order and chaos, or intelligence and ignorance. In literature, chess is used to represent various philosophies.
Why Chess Remains Relevant in the Modern World
As chess is a game of strategy, its importance holds up even today. Thanks to the complexity of the game, chess is used to boost problem-solving and critical thinking, which is useful even in real life.
Also, chess supports cognitive abilities, improves memory, and boosts concentration. It even promotes logical thinking and creativity.
Fundamentals of Chess
Regardless of whether you play online or in person, chess rules are the same. So, let’s briefly go over its fundamentals so you can learn how to play this popular game.
Objective of the Game
Chess’ objective is to checkmate your opponent. Basically, you attack the king so that the other player has no legal moves left. However, you are not allowed to leave your own king under attack or use your king to attack or capture the opponent’s king.
Setting Up the Chessboard
1.
- Pawns go in the second row
- Rooks are placed in the corners with the knights next to them
- Then, you put the bishops
- The queen is set on her matching color, i.e., white queen on a white square, black queen on a black square
- The king goes to the square that’s left
Movements of Chess Pieces
2.
You can move onto the opponent’s pieces when capturing, defend your own pieces, or control important game squares.
- The king moves one square up, down, left, right, and diagonally.
- The queen can move in one straight direction for as long as she doesn’t cross any of her pieces.
- You can move the rook forward, backward, left, or right up until it hits another piece.
- Bishops move diagonly, on the same color as theirs, for as long as you want as long as it doesn’t cross another one of your pieces.
- Knights can go forward and backward two places and then one square to the right or left. They’re the only ones who can cross other pieces.
- Knights can go forward and backward two places and then one square to the right or left. They’re the only ones who can cross other pieces.
Capturing Opponent Pieces
3.
Capturing opponent pieces refers to when you remove your opponent’s piece from the chessboard and place your own in that square.
Castling, En Passant, and Pawn Promotion
4.
Castling occurs when you place the rook on a square crossed by the king. Basically, this rule allows you to move the king two squares on one side and then move the rook from that side to the right next to the king. However:
- It needs to be the very first move of the king and the rook
- There can’t be any pieces between these two figures
- The king can’t be in check or pass
En Passant is a rule that refers to the pawns moving two squares forward on the first move and landing on the side of the opponent. The other pawn can capture it by passing it by. However, this rule can only be done immediately after the first pawn moves forward.
Lastly, when a pawn goes all the way to the other side of the chessboard, it can become any other piece except for the king.
Check, Checkmate, Stalemate
5.
Check is a term used when the king is attacked by another piece. However, you mustn’t move the king into check.
Top 5 Chess Strategies
You can implement some of the most popular chess strategies for beginners and pros. Here’s more about them.
Italian Game Strategy
The Italian Game Strategy is played with white chess pieces. Basically, both sides try to gain control over the center with e and d pawns, along with bishops and knights. More precisely, you put the white bishop on c4 to aim for a weak f7 square and attack the king before the castling.
However, the blacks attack the middle with d5 and move the rooks to central spaces, resulting in an advantageous position.
The Sicilian Defense
The Sicilian Defense is the best response to white’s e4. This strategy gives blacks a huge advantage during the opening, allowing blacks to attack. This strategy creates an imbalance and boosts the game’s thrill.
Queen’s Gambit
Queen’s gambit refers to sacrificing a pawn so that a player can have control over the chess online or in-game board. If the blacks accept the gambit, the whites should reply. This strategy frees up the bishop to attack the pawn again while giving the pawn on d4 an additional defender.
King's Indian Defense
The King Indian Defense is an opening strategy, depicted with the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6. This strategy creates an idea that the blacks let the whites build a strong pawn center and then attack them by using pawns and other pieces.
The Ruy-Lopez Opening
The Ruy-Lopez Opening starts with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5. Basically, the whites develop kingside pieces and prepare to castle short. The Bb5 move is there to help you attack the black knight on c6.
In this strategy, the whites control the d4 and e5 squares and threaten the black pawn in e5 by attacking its only defender.
Tips for Chess Beginners
Now, let’s go over some of the most effective tips for chess beginners!
Avoid Making Unnecessary Pawn Moves
One of the things you should consider is to avoid making unnecessary pawn moves. Instead of just moving the pawns, take some time and think through your next move. Observe the chessboard and see what the best strategic approach to the game would be.
Develop Your Pieces Before Attacking
Developing the pieces is crucial for each chess game’s beginning. This means that you need to place them on the board in the shortest amount of time possible.
Practice Games Against Bots or Beginners
Ultimately, you can practice online against bots or beginners so that you can develop a playing strategy, gain an edge, and train your skills.
Pro Tips for Advanced Players
Aside from the above-mentioned tips, more advanced players can do the following:
Exploiting Weaknesses in Opponent’s Position
You need to review the game and see how the game changes with each piece your opponent moves. Learn how your opponent thinks with every move they make so you can come up with a counter-attack move.
Exploiting Weaknesses in Opponent’s Position
If you understand the vulnerabilities in the king’s position, you’ll be able to employ strategies such as creating threats, initiating powerful attacks, analyzing the opponent, planning strategic moves, and more.