As a chess teacher, I’ve spent countless hours trying to figure out how to make my students stronger players. However, my goals don’t end there. I also do my best to instill a love of the game and an appreciation of its beauty into everyone I deal with. Though true chess mastery requires an enormous dedication of one’s time and resources, achieving a rating in the range of 1800-2100 is very doable, and is within the reach of almost anyone.

How does a player reach this apparently lofty 1800-2100 goal? Hard work is the generic answer, but the first thing I learned when I began coaching is: FEW PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO INVEST TOO MUCH TIME INTO THE STUDY OF CHESS. I quickly realized that giving out homework was the best way to lose a student since their busy lives (work, relationships, hobbies, children, etc.) prevented them from dedicating themselves to the game (let alone take time to agonize over homework!).

This led me to create “thinking shortcuts” – techniques that allow a student to understand various facets of chess with a minimum expenditure of time. In addition, the “well rounded” approach I espouse enables these students to grasp the importance of chess history, and to appreciate the subtleties of master chess (which offers endless pleasure when going over top quality games).

After someone first learns the rules of chess, he needs to concentrate on just a few basic things:

1) Develop ALL your pieces.
2) Master a few “overkill” endgames (K & 2 Rooks vs. long K, K & Q vs. long K, K & R vs. lone K, etc.).
3) Seek to grasp basic tactical themes.

All three of these things are critically important. If you don’t use all your pieces, tactical possibilities won’t present themselves as often as you might like. And who wants to wipe an opponent out, go into an endgame with 2 extra Rooks, and stare helplessly as you realize you don’t have a clue how to finish him off?

After this initial phase, I pretty much insist on tactics, tactics, and more tactics – but NOT to the exclusion of other areas of chess thought. Ignoring basic positional ideas as you move up the ladder in favor of pure tactics is a MISTAKE: you end up basing your entire winning “strategy” on tricks, have no idea how to build up a position (tactical possibilities usually arise from a strategically superior situation), and are ignorant of the game’s deeper artistic merits.

Stressing tactical concepts to the beginning player, I look over his games and comment on positional ideas too. Some might be over his head, but the concepts stick with him subconsciously and, via endless repetition, are eventually understood, embraced, and utilized.

TACTICAL TRAINING:

1) Expose the student to basic tactical motifs such as the weakness of f2/f7, backrank mates, pins, forks, etc.
2) Make him play gambits that highlight these patterns. For example, as White I endorse 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 when the student gains an appreciation for flash attacks against f7, the dangers of not castling quickly, and the usefulness of rapid development.

I recommend lots of blitz games at this point, because these speed up your sight of the board and, through direct experience, force you to confront many tactical truths in a fun and energetic way.

When a player enters the world of more serious chess competition (perhaps with a new rating range of 900-1200), I begin to make use of the shortcuts mentioned earlier. First on the “must learn” list is: GREED IS GOOD!

Let’s break this down a bit. Here are the concepts surrounding GREED IS GOOD:

1) Don’t hang your pieces or pawns! Even exchanges (i.e., Knight for Knight or Rook for Rook, etc.) are fine, as are sacrifices with a clear goal in mind. But “Doh! I didn’t see that!” is never acceptable.
2) Your opponents WILL hang pieces and pawns. Make sure you accept these tasty gifts! The majority of your games will be won simply by taking his stuff without mercy.
3) When playing a tournament game, decide on the move you feel is best and write it down BEFORE playing it. Then, pretend your choice is played and ask, “In this position, does he have any checks? Can he take any of my men?” Doing this religiously will help you avoid game ending blunders, so make it a habit.

Once I see that a student is holding onto his stuff with greater regularity, I move on to a new tactical shortcut: ALL TACTICS ARE BASED ON UNDEFENDED PIECES, A WEAKENED KING, AND/OR A DOUBLE ATTACK.

Many so-called teachers would have you look for tactics in all positions, which is a waste of time. Instead, look for undefended pieces, a weakened King, or a double attack. If none of these things exist, there CAN’T be a tactic. If one or more of these things DO exist, then go to red alert: a tactic might be screaming for you to notice it.

In Diagram One there can’t be any tactics since all the pieces for both sides (except the Q-Rooks, which are so far away from the action that nothing can reach them) are protected and both Kings are safe. If you looked for tactics here you would be confused and helpless. In this kind of “normal” position, basic strategic understanding is now imperative or you’ll play poorly.

DIAGRAM ONE: NO TACTICS

IIn Diagram Two (White to move), our tactical rules make us believe that many possibilities are waiting to be mined.

DIAGRAM TWO: THE TACTICAL METER IS OFF THE CHART!

Black’s King (in diagram two) is still in the center and therefore vulnerable. To make matters worse, Black’s Knight on e4 is unprotected, as is the Bishop on b4. And finally, the a8-Rook is also an accident waiting to happen. White can win a pawn by 1.Bxf7+ Kxf7 2.Qb3+ (a double attack against b4 and the Black King), but why settle for such a small prize? A greedier move is 1.Bd5 with a double attack against two unprotected pieces. And finally, 1.Qd5! is a triple attack against a8, e4, and f7!

I spend many lessons bashing this undefended pieces/double attack idea home, and never stop reminding a student of it as months or even years go by.

Once a student has a firm grasp of my tactical shortcut and understands all basic tactical themes (pins, forks, etc.), I begin to push the thinking techniques from HOW TO REASSESS YOUR CHESS and THE AMATEUR’S MIND. I also make sure they understand various key endgame positions/concepts such as Lucena, opposition, etc. (all found in the beginning of HOW TO REASSESS YOUR CHESS). Remember: Balance (acquiring knowledge of openings, strategy, tactics, and endgames) is important and helps form the base for greater improvement in the future, and for reaping greater artistic pleasure from the game over your lifetime.