64 chess commandments

ONE of the most informative materials sent to me by my readers is this one from Engr. Ed Beronio, which gives guidelines on how to play the game. It is instructive and I urge every chess player to carefully consider each of them.

1. Develop your pieces quickly 2. Control the center 3. Put your pieces on squares that give maximum space 4. Develop the knights toward the center 5. A knight on the rim is dim.



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6. Don’t take unnecessary chances 7. Play aggressive 8. Calculate forced moves first 9. Always ask yourself “Can he put me in check or win a piece?” 10. Every move should have a purpose 11. Assume your opponent’s move is his best move 12. Ask yourself, “Why did he move there?” 13. Play for the initiative 14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can.

15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces 16. If you’re losing, look for counterplay 17. Don’t play unsound moves unless you are losing badly 18. Don’t sacrifice a piece without good reason 19. If you are in doubt of an opponent’s sacrifice, accept it 20. Attack with more that just one or two pieces 21. Do not make careless pawn moves.

They cannot move back 22. Do not block in your bishops.

23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing 24. Try not to move the same piece twice in a row 25.

Exchange pieces if it helps your development 26. Don’t bring your queen out early 27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook 28. Develop rooks to open files 29. Put rooks behind passed pawns 30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common.

31. Don’t let your king get caught in the center 32. Don’t castle if it brings your king into greater danger 33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king 34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color 35. Trade pawn pieces when under attack 36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material.

37. If your opponent is cramped, don’t let him get any freeing exchanges 38. Study openings you are comfortable with 39.

Play over entire games, not just the opening 40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often 41. Study
annotated games and guess each move 42. Stick with just a few openings with white and black 43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost 44. Show your games to higher-rated opponents and get feedback from them.

45. Use chess computers and databases to help you study 46. Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often

47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations 48. Try to double rooks or queen on open files 49. Always ask yourself, “Does my next move overlook something simple?” 50. Don’t make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent’s threat 51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent’s piece.

52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View the whole board 53. Write down your move first before making that move if it helps 54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines 55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings 56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play 57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble 58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in.

59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight 60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up
endgame 61. Have confidence in your game 62. Play in as many rated events as you can 63. Try not to look at your opponent’s rating until after the game 64. Always play for a win.