Editing Chess strategy (section)

== Considerations ==

Chess strategy consists of setting and achieving long-term goals during the game—for example, where to place different pieces—while tactics concentrate on immediate maneuver. These two parts of chess thinking cannot be completely separated, because strategic goals are mostly achieved by the means of tactics, while the tactical opportunities are based on the previous strategy of play.

Because of different strategic and tactical patterns, a game of chess is usually divided into three distinct phases: the [[Chess opening|opening]], usually the first 10 to 25 moves, when players develop their armies and set up the stage for the coming battle; the [[Chess middlegame|middlegame]], the developed phase of the game; and the [[Chess endgame|endgame]], when most of the pieces are gone and kings start to take an active part in the struggle.

=== Opening ===
{{Main|Chess opening}}

A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a game (the "opening moves"). Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as ''openings'' and have been given names such as the [[Ruy Lopez]] or [[Sicilian Defence]]. They are catalogued in reference works such as the ''[[Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings]]''.

There are dozens of different openings, varying widely in character from quiet positional play (e.g. the [[Réti Opening]]) to very aggressive play (e.g. the [[Latvian Gambit]]). In some opening lines, the exact sequence considered best for both sides has been worked out to 30–35 moves or more.<ref>{{cite book | author= Collins, Sam| title=Understanding the Chess Openings |publisher=Gambit Publications| year=2005 | isbn=1-904600-28-X}}</ref> Professional players spend years studying openings, and continue doing so throughout their careers, as [[Chess theory#Opening theory|opening theory]] continues to evolve.

The fundamental strategic aims of most openings are similar:<ref>{{cite book | author=Tarrasch, Siegbert | title=The Game of Chess |publisher=Courier Dover Publications| year=1987 | isbn=0-486-25447-X | author-link=Siegbert Tarrasch}}</ref>
*''Development:'' To place (develop) the pieces (particularly bishops and knights) on useful squares where they influence the game.
*''Control of the {{chessgloss|center}}:'' Control of the central squares allows pieces to be moved to any part of the board relatively easily, and can also have a cramping effect on the opponent.
*''King safety:'' Correct timing of castling can enhance this.
*''[[Pawn structure]]:'' Players strive to avoid the creation of pawn weaknesses such as isolated, [[Doubled pawns|doubled]] or [[backward pawn]]s, and {{cgloss|pawn islands}}.

During the opening, some pieces have a recognized optimum square they try to reach. Hence, an optimum deployment could be to push the king and queen pawn two squares, followed by moving the knights so they protect the center pawns and give additional control of the center. One can then deploy the bishops, protected by the knights, to [[pin (chess)|pin]] the opponent's knights and pawns. An opening may end with  castling, which moves the king to safety, creates a stronger {{cgloss|back rank}}, and puts a rook on a {{chessgloss|center file}}.

Apart from these fundamentals, other strategic plans or tactical sequences may be employed in the opening.

Most players and [[Chess theory|theoreticians]] consider that White, by virtue of the first move, [[First-move advantage in chess|begins the game with a small advantage]]. Black usually strives to neutralize White's advantage and achieve {{chessgloss|equality}}, or to develop {{cgloss|dynamism|dynamic}} {{cgloss|counterplay}} in an unbalanced position.

=== Middlegame ===
{{Main|Chess middlegame}}

The middlegame is the part of the game when most pieces have been developed. Because the opening theory has ended, players have to assess the position to form plans based on the features of the positions, and at the same time take into account the tactical possibilities in the position.<ref>Harding (2003), p. 32–151</ref>

Typical plans or strategic themes—for example the {{chessgloss|minority attack}}, that is the attack of {{chessgloss|queenside}} pawns against an opponent who has more pawns on the queenside—are often appropriate just for some [[pawn structure]]s, resulting from a specific group of openings. The study of openings should therefore be connected with the preparation of plans typical for resulting middlegames.

The middlegame is also the phase when most [[Combination (chess)|combinations]] occur.<ref name=vids2>{{cite web | url=https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Chess-MasterClass-Learn-to-Play-Chess/1192984645 | title=Chess Masterclass: Learn to Play Chess! | publisher=Skillshare.com | access-date=2020-11-09}}</ref> Middlegame combinations are often connected with the attack against the opponent's king; some typical patterns have their own names, for example the [[Boden's Mate]] or the [[Lasker - Bauer, Amsterdam, 1889|Lasker–Bauer]] combination.

Another important strategical question in the middlegame is whether and how to reduce material and transform into an endgame (i.e. {{chessgloss|simplify}}). For example, minor material advantages can generally be transformed into victory only in an endgame, and therefore the stronger side must choose an appropriate way to achieve an ending. Not every reduction of material is good for this purpose; for example, if one side keeps a light-squared bishop and the opponent has a dark-squared one, the transformation into a ''[[Chess endgame#Bishop and pawn endings|bishops and pawns ending]]'' is usually advantageous for the weaker side only, because an endgame with [[opposite-colored bishops endgame|bishops on opposite colors]] is likely to be a draw, even with an advantage of one or two pawns.

=== Endgame ===
{{Main|Chess endgame}}

{{Chess diagram 
| tright
|
|__|__|kd|__|__|__|__|__
|__|__|pl|__|__|__|__|__
|__|__|__|kl|__|__|__|__
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__
|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__
| An example of [[zugzwang]]: The side to move has a disadvantage.
}}

The endgame (or ''end game'' or ''ending'') is the stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. There are three main strategic differences between earlier stages of the game and the endgame:<ref>Harding (2003), p. 187ff</ref>
*During the endgame, pawns become more important; endgames often revolve around attempting to [[promotion (chess)|promote]] a pawn by advancing it to the eighth rank.
*The king, which must be protected in the middlegame owing to the threat of checkmate, becomes a strong piece in the endgame and it is often brought to the center of the board where it can protect its own pawns, attack the pawns of opposite color, and hinder movement of the opponent's king.
*[[Zugzwang]], a disadvantage because the player must make a move, is often a factor in endgames and rarely in other stages of the game. For example, in the adjacent diagram, Black on move must play 1...Kb7 and allow white to {{cgloss|queening|queen}} after 2.Kd7, while White on move must allow a draw either after 1.Kc6 stalemate or losing the last pawn by moving anywhere else.

Endgames can be classified according to the type of pieces remaining on the board. [[Checkmate#Basic checkmates|Basic checkmates]] are positions where one side has only a king and the other side has one or two pieces and can checkmate the opposing king, with the pieces working together with their king. For example, [[Chess endgame#King and pawn endings|king and pawn endgames]] involve only kings and pawns on one or both sides and the task of the stronger side is to promote one of the pawns. Other more complicated endings are classified according to the pieces on the board other than kings, e.g. "[[rook and pawn versus rook endgame]]".