Phases Of The Game and Objectives

Today, we learned the different phases of a chess game including the opening, middlegame, and endgame.

"Chess is 99% tactics" - Richard Teichmann

Chess Phases

Opening

• The first rule in the opening is to develop your pieces.

• Develop your pieces because it helps expand and improve your position, and may lead to an attack.

• Developing your minor pieces first is usually easiest.

• You should always develop all of your pieces.

• Don’t develop your queen too early unless you have a very good reason.

• Avoid moving the same piece twice in the opening unless it gains material or creates a strong threat.

• You can complete development by connecting your rooks or clearing the first rank except for the rooks, king, and maybe the queen.

Middlegame

• The middlegame is the phase between the opening and the endgame.

• There is no clear line between opening and middlegame, and between middlegame and endgame.

• Modern openings often blend smoothly into the middlegame.

• In the middlegame:

  • Try to get a better position.

  • Look to win material.

  • Set up a favorable endgame.

  • Aim to checkmate the enemy king.

  • Keep an active position and defend weaknesses.

• Middlegames are where most of the action takes place.

• Middlegames rely heavily on strategy and tactics.

• By the middlegame, most of your pieces should be developed.

Endgame

• The endgame is when there are fewer pieces on the board—often after queens are traded (but not always).

• Pawns become especially important in the endgame due to promotion.

Tactics and Strategy

• Tactics: short-term sequences to win material or checkmate.

• Strategy: long-term planning and improving piece positions.

• Tactics make up about 89% of chess, strategy about 10%, and other factors about 1%.

• Every move combines tactical and strategic considerations.

Piece Value and Activity

• A piece can increase in value if it becomes very active, attacking, or controlling key squares.

• A piece’s value decreases if it is passive or poorly placed.

Pawn Structures

Thorn / Fawn Pawn

• A pawn on the 6th rank blockaded by an enemy pawn on the 7th, which cannot be captured by any enemy pawn.

Triple Pawns

• Three pawns stacked on the same file.

• Generally very weak in any position.

Isolated Pawn

• A pawn without friendly pawns on adjacent files.

• An isolated queen pawn (isolani) sits on the d-file and can create outposts on c- and e-file squares diagonally forward.

Backward Pawn

• A pawn behind all friendly pawns on neighboring files.

• Cannot be safely advanced without being captured.

Special Concepts

Opposition

• When the kings face each other with only one square in between.

• Direct opposition: kings on the same rank/file separated by one square.

• Distant opposition: kings separated by more than one square.

• Diagonal opposition: kings face along a diagonal (sometimes used to transition to direct opposition).

Support Mate

• A checkmate where a piece delivers mate while another piece protects it.

Fianchetto

• Developing a bishop to b2/g2 (white) or b7/g7 (black), controlling the long diagonal.

Cramped Position

• A position with limited space and poor piece mobility due to your own pawns.

In this position, black's position is cramped, giving him no space to play.

Squares and Promotion

Center Squares

• e4, e5, d4, d5

Side Center Squares

• f5, f4, c4, c5

Corner Squares

• a1, a8, h1, h8 (also promotion squares)

Promotion Squares

• All squares on the 1st and 8th ranks.

• 16 total promotion squares:

  • White promotes on: a8–h8

  • Black promotes on: a1–h1

Promotion Rule

• When a pawn reaches the opposite end, it must be promoted to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.

Piece Classification

Minor Pieces

• Worth 3 points.

• Two bishops and two knights.

Major Pieces

• Worth 5 or more points.

• Rooks, queen, and king (though king is invaluable).