𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱
𝗕𝘆 “𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿” 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗲 𝗭𝗲𝗲𝗼𝗳𝗼𝗿 (𝗮𝗸𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿)
I travelled interstate recently and had a lot of idle time. To make good use of it, I stayed glued to the Lichess app on my phone and ended up playing more chess in the past seven days than I probably have in my entire life. So permit me to rant for a minute, philosophically, about chess.
𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗺
Becoming good at chess is a skill, and like any skill acquisition paradigm: learning to code, exercising to get in shape, etc, practice makes perfect. Don’t be discouraged by your early losses; it does get better. Since October 2025, I committed to playing lots of chess puzzles (Puzzle of the Day, opening puzzles, etc.) and occasionally watched strategy videos on YouTube or within the app. Most importantly, I learned from my mistakes by observing the winning moves, approaches, and tactics of opponents I lost to.
𝟮. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
For a beginner, time to think is precious because your understanding of best practices is still at its infancy. So I give myself the best leverage available by only playing Rapid 15+10 games. That’s 15 minutes per player, plus 10 seconds added after every move. The quicker you move (without blundering), the more your total usable time stacks up. I also only play opponents ranked within 100 points above or below me, so we’re fairly evenly matched.
𝟯. 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸
As of January 29, 2026, my Rapid rating sits at 1325 after 77 games (fluctuating between 1285 and 1340). My record—32 wins (42%), 4 draws (5%), and 41 losses (53%)—reflects the journey of an "experienced novice." I dey try small small.
𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗮𝗿
Chess is war, and in war, attack is often the best form of defense. Always attack. Dictate the flow of the game by making moves that force your opponent to defend. That increases your chances of checkmating. Also, don’t stay idle during your opponent’s turn. Put yourself in their shoes, predict their most likely move and your response, so you use less time on your own turn and your +10 seconds per move stacks up positively.
𝟱. 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
I stick to the classic 1. e4 opening, with slight diversions when opponents come out gun-blazing with audacious attacks. It is better to have deep knowledge of one system than to be a "jack of all trades, master of none." As mastery increases, you can diversify, but for now, specialization builds confidence.
𝟲. 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
When facing a highly skillful opponent, play for "liquidation." Prioritizing piece exchanges reduces their attacking firepower and increases your survival odds by transitioning into simplified middlegame - endgame, where their tactical complexity is limited.
𝟳. 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹
Control the "real estate" by building pawn pyramids toward the center. This puts opponents on the back foot. You can also build pawn pyramids on either side as the game allows. But be selfish, deny your opponent the chance to do the same and establish their own central structure. Use piece exchanges strategically to break their momentum.
𝟴. 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝗸𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
Aside from beautiful positional play, it’s great to activate your bishops on long diagonals, or short diagonals covering multiple directions. While bishops and knights are theoretically equal, I personally value Knights more highly. Their "L-shaped" trajectory is unpredictable and can leave opponents "shockingly blindsided" and unable to plan multiple steps ahead
𝟵. 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆-𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
A rook-rook or rook-queen battery on an open file is extremely potent. Aligning these heavy pieces allows you to deliver crushing blows to the enemy's position.
𝟭𝟬. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿
When you decide to give up a game, resign honorably instead of abandoning it and letting your time run out. Repeated unsporting behavior can get your account restricted or banned.
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