What originated as Chaturanga in the sixth century is now renowned as Chess, the tapestry of intellectual prowess. The game initially represented the four main branches of the Indian military: infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots. But now, a standard 8×8 chessboard comprises 64 alternating coloured squares, and the game is played with 32 pieces split equally between two players.

While Chess is an intellectual challenge, winning the game is influenced by a strategic and analytical mindset. This board game is considered a complex maze due to the same. However, as I mentioned earlier, Chess is a series of strategically made decisions.

1. A Quick Glimpse of the Chess Pieces

Chess emerged as a trailblazer in the 19th Century (1862) when the official rules were laid out for the game. The first-ever World Chess Championship tournament occurred in 1886, and Wilhelm Steinitz emerged victor. However, Chess dates back to the 6th century in its originality.

It emerged in Northern India before spreading its reach to Persia, the Middle East, and Europe, eventually conquering the globe. Its foundation is laid upon two terms and six pieces, which are as follows:

1.1. The King

It is one of Chess’s most prominent and vulnerable pieces and manipulates the game entirely. The king can move exactly one square in any direction: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

All the pieces (except the king) aim to checkmate the opponent’s king. This scenario is called a check, but it is not catastrophic. The match can be terminated in various ways, including checkmate, resignation, stalemate, and draw by agreement or impossibility of checkmate, as well as the last king rule, which results in a draw if a player has only a king left and their opponent has insufficient mating material. This predicament is called checkmate and is usually the last word called out by the victor as well.

1.2. The Queen

It stands as a pioneering piece due to its exceptional skill and flexibility. The queen can move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally as far as the player desires (and as long as no pieces are blocking the way). It is the only piece that can move any number of steps and decide the outcome of the sport.

1.3. The Pawn

True to its dictionary meaning, the pawn in a Chess contest is an enticing lure to seize the king. It moves forward one square but captures diagonally. Pawns can quickly move forward two squares for their first move.

1.4. The Bishop

It is considered a “long-range” piece and can guard most of your territory. Bishops move diagonally without any distance barrier as far as the board spans.

1.5. The Knight

It is the most exciting piece of the game due to its unique movement and ambush style. This soldier piece generally moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction (horizontally or vertically) and one square perpendicular to that. Knights are the only pieces that can jump over other pieces and conquer them.

1.6. The Rook

It is structurally similar to a tower and can move straight up, down, left, or right as far as they want. Hardcore rules do not bind rooks and are particularly strong in open positions or at the board’s edges.

2. Chess Rules You Should Be Aware Of

Each player starts with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, and eight pawns. As listed by FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), here are the Chess rules you should be aware of:

1. The player with the white half of the board always gets the first chance.
2. When a piece moves to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, it has to trap that soldier and remove it from the board.
3. If a player has no legal moves and their king is not in check, the game is a draw due to stalemate.
4. You cannot, voluntarily or mistakenly, put your king in check.
5. If a player’s time runs out and their opponent notices, he/she can claim victory.
6. If you touch a piece, you must move it if it is a legal move. If you touch an opponent’s piece, you must detain it if possible.

3. Special Moves in Chess

Aside from stalemate and checkmate, the Chess game has three special moves. These strategies are usually deployed to checkmate the opponent and secure a win quickly. Beware that these special moves have their conditions and should be used cautiously.

3.1. Pawn Promotion

When a pawn reaches the opponent’s back rank (the opposite end of the board), it can be promoted to any other piece except a king. You can choose which piece the pawn promotes. However, historical and regional variations and modern rule changes have introduced complexities and exceptions to this general rule.

Elevating the pawn’s rank to the queen is usually recommended since queens are relatively more potent than every other piece; you receive an added advantage over your opponent.

3.2. En passant

En Passant is a particular pawn capture that can occur in certain situations. When your opponent’s pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands next to your pawn, you can apprehend it. Since the pawn has only moved once, you can attack it.

The primary condition for En Passant is that you can only capture your opponent’s pawn if it has landed next to yours. This strategy cannot be applied to nail a rook or a bishop.

3.3. Castling

It is a special move involving the king and a rook that you could use to put the king in check with a few steps. Castling is the only move that lets two pieces move at once. It allows the king to move two squares toward a rook on its initial square, and then that rook jumps to the square next to the king. These are the conditions you would have to abide by while applying the Castling strategy:

1. The king and the rook should not have moved earlier.
2. There should be no pieces between the king and the rook.
3. The king should not be in check.
4. The squares the king moves through and ends up on are not under attack.

4. Scholar’s Mate Strategy to win Chess in 3 Moves

Though winning a Chess tournament in 4 moves is highly impractical, it is not impossible. You can utilize the Scholar’s Mate strategy to deliver a quick checkmate in 4 moves by tricking your opponent into a witty trap.

In this sequence, Black’s (your opponent) defences are not adequately maintained, allowing for a quick checkmate. You should deploy this crucial strategy at the start of the game by following this pattern:

1. E4: Move your pawn two squares forward to control the forefront of your sport. It opens a pathway for the queen and bishop.
2. Qh5: Move your queen to H5, threatening the vulnerable f7 square.
3. Nf3, Qxf7#: Next, move your knight to F3 and add an attacker (usually a pawn) to the E5 block. Now that your opponent’s F7 is vulnerable use your queen to capture it and achieve checkmate.

It might sound tempting to utilize this strategy and secure a win. However, you should avoid using it in high-level games as your opponent might already know the defence. Never try to use this strategy if you are not playing as White. Suppose your opponent uses it; use the Nf6 to block the queen’s threat.

5. The Quickest Strategy to Win at Chess

5.1. The Fool’s Mate Trap

You can also beat your opponent in two moves using the Fool’s Mate trap. It is one of the most nimble checkmates possible in chess and is generally avoided by expert players. However, you can deploy this strategy to win against your opponent quickly. Here is the sequence of moves followed in the Fool’s Mate trap:

1. White commences the game with f3, rendering the f2 block undefended and vulnerable.
2. You (Black) should proceed with e5.
3. White continues with g4, committing a fatal mistake. 
4. Let your queen immediately reach it with Qh4# and secure a quick win.

Remember that Fool’s Mate is not foolproof and is usually a result of White’s blunder. Since experienced Chess players tend to avoid such catastrophic situations, you might not always get to deploy this strategy.

6. Scenarios in Which Your Chess Game Can End in a Draw

If you cannot win Chess in three moves, you can always try to pull a draw. Though it is better always to try to win at the end, some circumstances naturally lead towards a draw. Moreover, it is a legal and often utilized method of not letting your opponent get the upper hand. These are the four scenarios in which your Chess match can end in a draw:

1. Threefold Repetition: If the same position occurs three times with the same player to move (not necessarily consecutively), the event can be declared a draw.
2. Fivefold Repetition: It is an enhanced version of Threefold Repetition that focuses on prolonging the game longer. You can call this a draw if the player constantly plays the same move and the resultant position isn’t changing.
3. Fifty-Move Rule: If there have been fifty consecutive moves (by both players) without a pawn move or a capture, either player can claim a draw. The seventy-five-move rule is an augmented version of this regulation in which you can claim a draw if there have been seventy-five consecutive moves without a pawn move or detention.
4. Insufficient Material: The tournament results in a draw if neither player has enough material to deliver a checkmate. This typically occurs when both players have only kings left or if one player has a king and the other has a king and a knight or a king and a bishop (without the ability to checkmate).

7. 3 Cunning Traps in Chess

If you cannot pull off a draw or implement the Scholar’s Mate Strategy, you can always try to trap your opponent wisely. While these traps are not always recommended for every game, they are powerful tools for you to have in your repertoire. Here are three cunning traps you should know of:

7. 1. The Siberian Trap

The Siberian Trap is a tactical sequence that can occur in the Sicilian Defense, one of the most popular openings in chess. The trap is named after its first appearance in a game played by Russian world champion Aleksei Suetin against an opponent from Siberia. It occurs after the following moves in the Sicilian Defense:

1. e4 c5: Open with the King’s Pawn Opening and let Black respond with the Sicilian Defense, a popular counterattacking choice.
2. Nf3 d6: Develop your knight and prepare to secure the center. Black generally counters by developing their knight, preparing to open lines for the queen and bishop.
3. d4 cxd4: Advance the d-pawn and aim to challenge Black’s central control. Black will respond by capturing the pawn on d4 with his c5 pawn.
4. Nxd4 Nf6: Capture the pawn on d4 with your knight, putting pressure on the e5 pawn. Black develops their knight to f6, trying to defend his pawn.
5. Nc3 a6: Develop your knight by bringing it to a central square. Black will play a6, creating a haven for their bishop on b7 and potentially preparing a queenside expansion.
6. Bg5 e6: Bring out your bishop and target the knight on f6. Black will respond by playing e6.
7. Qd2 b5: Move your queen to d2 while Black will play b5.
8. O-O-O Qb6: Castle your queenside and protect your king. Black will move his queen to b6 to pressure the b2 pawn.
9. Be3 Qa5: Bring your bishop to e3 and ambush the queen on b6. Black will move his queen to a5 for a queen’s attack.
10. Nd4 Nxd4: Capture the knight on d4 with your knight. Black will answer your move with a similar one.
11. Bxd4 b4: Seize the knight on d4 with your bishop, putting pressure on the b4 pawn while Black will advance the b4 pawn.
12. Nb1?? Qxa2: Your move Nb1 will allow Black to capture the pawn on a2.
13. Bxf6 gxf6: Black will seize the pawn on f6 with his bishop, also attacking the bishop on g5. You should recapture the bishop and open up the g-file.
14. Qxd7#: You can deliver a checkmate with the queen on d7.

7.2. The Fred Defense Trap

It is considered a response against the popular outset strategy King’s Pawn Opening chess move (1.e4) and is more of a defence tactic than a trap. The Fred Defense is named after a famous Chess player, Fred, who introduced a prudent defence against the infamous opening.

It can lead Black to a quick checkmate with only a few moves. However, it is not considered a particularly strong defence at high-level play. Here is how you can implement this trap:

1. Start with implementing the e4 f5 move.
2. White almost usually responds with 2.exf5, capturing the pawn on f5. 
3. You (as Black) should then play 2.Nf6 and attack the pawn on e4.
4. White generally continues with 3.g4 to control the center and strengthen the pawn on f5. 
5. Respond with 3.h5 and immediately check the king, rendering White flabbergasted.

However, if you’re playing as Black, your opponent responds with 2.Exf5, be prepared to follow up with 2. Nf6. You can fend off the trap and continue with your tournament seamlessly.

You can avoid falling into The Siberian Trap by playing more carefully in the opening and avoiding moves like 12…O-O-O. Remember that The Siberian Trap is a high-risk, high-reward tactic. While it can lead to a quick victory, it also involves sacrificing your bishop. If your opponent is well-versed in the sport, you might get entangled in your trap easily.

7.3. The Legal Trap

Philidor Defense is the most common opening in Chess, as it is both practical and tactical. It is a strategic combination of crucial moves that results in a victory in a couple of moves by the Black.

1. e4 e5: White (you) should open with the King’s Pawn Opening and let Black respond symmetrically.
2. Nf3 d6: Develop the knight and prepare to control the center. Black mirrors this by moving the d7 pawn to d6, preparing to open lines for his queen and bishop.
3. d4 Bg4: Advance the d-pawn, open the center, and charge on Black’s e5 pawn. Black responds by capturing the pawn on d4 with their e5 pawn.
4. C3: Play c3 and pounce on the d4 pawn to open lines for the queen and bishop.
5. Nxd4 Nf6: Continue to develop Nxd4 and ambush the pawn on e5. Black will advance his knight to f6, trying to defend the pawn.
6. Bg5 Be7: Move your bishop, pin the knight on f6 and the queen on d8. Black will develop his bishop to e7, breaking the pin and preparing to castle.
7. Qf3 c5: Move your queen to f3 and target the knight on f6. Black will take the opportunity to strike your bishop on g5 by playing c5.
8. Bb5+: Play Bb5+ and pin Black’s knight to the king.
9. Kd8??: The move Kd8 by Black is a blunder that puts his king in a vulnerable position.
10. Qxf7: Capture your pawn on f7 with your queen and immediately deliver a checkmate. Since the Black king has no available moves and cannot trap the queen due to the pin by the bishop on b5, you can secure a win immediately.

The trap hinges on the vulnerability of White’s kingside and the pinned pawn on f7. Since Black sacrifices the bishop on f2 to exploit the weaknesses in White’s position, it is advised to be careful while pulling off this trap.

If you are playing as Black, avoid falling into the Legal Trap by gauging the trap earlier and planning. For instance, after 7. Qb3, you should play Qe2 instead and protect your defence.

8. Winning Word

Chess has transcended the geographical and cultural realms. It continues to be a source of fascination and an intellectual challenge for millions of people around the globe. However, it is discouraged to peer upon the tournament simply as a measure of intellect.

Like every other game, consider chess a frolic sport and keep the spirit of sportsmanship flourishing. Now that you have the answer to your prodding question practice the strategies and tactics discussed above!

Last Updated on February 6, 2024 by Ananya Sreen