Continued from Getting to Know Your Chess Board.
The Numbers and Letters of the Board
To develop this skill, label the edges of your board with a small piece of “sticky” note on each edge square.
The two top and bottom opposite sides will be labeled the letters A – H. The other two opposite sides will be labeled the numbers 1 – 8.
Be sure that the letters go across from left to right, and the numbers are going up, not down each of the sides. It will look similar to a chart. Each square will have a number and letter value, such as “A8”, which should be the very top upper left square. If this matches, then your board is labeled correctly.
How to Use the Numbers and Letters to Develop Strategies
Keep in mind that there are a total of 64 squares on the board, so this will take quite a bit of study. You can develop strategies by creating entire rounds of play and writing each square’s identity for every move during that particular play. Study the play until you’ve memorized each piece’s destination by number and letter.
Your board can also be divided into regions called “wings” and a “middle” to help you develop strategies. The wings are Right and Left and the Middle contains the four middle squares of the board. The middle squares are very important in that they enable many advantages when your pieces are located there. From the middle, the opponent’s King is normally a straight shot, and you may be able to get a checkmate if the play goes right.
TIP: Sometimes you can find pre-written strategies by chess experts that may help you to develop your skills. It depends on what type of person you are as to whether these will help or not. Some players do well by studying methods of others, and some are better at creating and memorizing their own strategies. This is completely up to you, and your preference.
Study your board often, and soon you’ll be a terrific chess player and a worthy opponent for any player. By Candice Pardue.