The
main goal of the first ten moves is to get
all your pieces ready. This means to put them where they belong. Get the
attacking pieces ready to attack. Get the supporting
pieces into good supporting squares. Hide the king.
The following diagram shows good squares
for all of the pieces.
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8
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7
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6
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5
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4
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3
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2
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1
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a
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b
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c
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d
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f
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g
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h
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Of course, the pawn structure will make some squares better than others. The things to notice about this diagram are these:
- Keep the rooks on the first rank, not the third.
- Move the knights toward the center, not away.
- The king must be castled.
- Don't let the queen roam around in the middle.
You must develop quickly. If you waste time, a good opponent will get ahead of you. And the person who develops the quickest can usually win. So what does this mean for you in the first ten moves? It means:
- Don't move more than three pawns.
- Don't move any piece more than once.
Develop knights and bishops
first. Then castle. Get the queen to the second rank. Then move the rooks
to good supporting squares. Once you've done these things, you are through
the opening and into the middle game.
Tips for the opening:
- If attacked, defend by developing another piece.
- If you can develop a piece with an attack, do so.
- Let the other guy trade first.