Most useful chess axioms - Chess and Board Game Strategy

Two Plus Two Forums Sports and Games Chess and Other Board Games

Most useful chess axioms

Post Reply Subscribe

...

01-03-2013 , 06:11 PM

Noir_Desir

veteran

Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,333

As a contrast to the other thread, here the one for rules that are actually true most of the time.

I start with two John Nunn classics:

-LPDO: loose pieces drop off

-Invite everyone to the party.

Quote

01-03-2013 , 07:29 PM

TexAg06

veteran

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2,475

Those are definitely good ones. Here are a couple more I can think of.

-Rooks belong behind passed pawns.

-Development above material.

-"Checkers is for tramps" -Paul Morphy

Quote

01-04-2013 , 03:50 AM

wlrs

adept

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 989

-don't make unnecessary pawn moves in endings (especially pawn endings)

Quote

01-04-2013 , 06:39 AM

Vempele

adept

Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 841

-Do make the necessary pawn moves in endings (especially rook endings)

Quote

01-04-2013 , 06:49 AM

Noir_Desir

veteran

Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,333

That reminds me of the anecdote of a chess player complaing with Tarrasch himself that he lost a rook ending because he put his rook behind a passed pawn, as prescribed by the man himself. Tarrasch answered that the student had only followed half of his advice, which was meant to be:
"put your rook behind passed pawns, unless it is bad."

Quote

01-04-2013 , 06:50 AM

wlrs

adept

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 989

more of an corollary than an axiom imo

Quote

01-04-2013 , 06:55 AM

wlrs

adept

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 989

Ignoring the haters -here's some more

(sorry ND for ruining your thread)

-put your pawns on the opposite color of your bishop
-edge passers are huge in knight endings
-outside passed pawns are huge in most endings

Quote

01-04-2013 , 10:07 AM

YouKnowWho

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6,985

Not really an axiom, but might help Tex:

“Modern Chess is too much concerned with things like
Pawn structure. Forget it, Checkmate ends the game”
(Nigel Short)

Also, if you cannot calculate some line, think about hippos. Works every time!

Quote

01-04-2013 , 12:10 PM

TexAg06

veteran

Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2,475

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouKnowWho

You're not kidding man. Great advice.

Quote

01-05-2013 , 10:54 PM

#10

Sholar

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 6,357

1. There are no axioms, only concrete variations.
2. Push passed pawns.
3. Don't take the poisoned pawn.
(There are better ways to express 2/3 in German/Dutch, I believe.)

Bishops and pawns on opposite colors is one of my favorites because I can remember the moment when I realized that it was about restricting the opponent's king mobility, not one's own bishop. Also related:
4. When playing with the bishop pair against a single bishop, put your pawns on the color of your opponent's bishop (anticipating the exchange of bishops).
5. (In rooks and pawns endgames): An active rook is worth a pawn.

Quote

01-06-2013 , 05:36 PM

#11

leofric

grinder

Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 470

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sholar

5. (In rooks and pawns endgames): An active rook is worth a pawn.

Which also helps explain another axiom - "All rook endings are drawn"!

Quote

01-08-2013 , 10:08 PM

#12

NajdorfDefense

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 17,563

Push passed pawns.

rooks behind passed pawns.

The passed pawn is a criminal, and must be kept under lock and key!

Quote

01-08-2013 , 11:20 PM

#13

airwave16

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 6,218

my favorite one that we used to say back in high school was "don't suck."

Quote

01-09-2013 , 03:17 AM

#14

Do it Right

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 3,890

Not sure there's any common phrasing of this but a little piece of useful and not so common knowledge is the king vs knight opposition. Placing the king on a diagonal seperated by one square from a knight (eg king on e2 vs knight on f4) requires the knight take at least 3 moves to give a single check. An oddly helpful knowledge bit in rushed endgames.

Quote

01-09-2013 , 10:31 PM

#15

Sholar

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 6,357

Quote:

Originally Posted by Do it Right

a diagonal separated by one square from a knight (eg king on e2 vs knight on f4) requires the knight take at least 3 moves to give a single check

This is also very useful for arranging knight maneuvers in the middlegame. I think about this all the time in my games (maybe this is a sign I spend too much time thinking about where to put my knights).

Another knight axiom: they are poorly placed "defending each other". They do no such thing; they just get in each other's way.

A classic piece of endgame chess geometry: king needs to be within the "square" of the pawn to catch it before it queens.

A real axiom: keep the opposition. If you can't, keep the distant opposition (typically: move your king to the same color as the square of the opposing king).

Quote

Post Reply Subscribe

...