Learning chess strategies and tactics will take time. And a good way to start is by reading as much as you can about chess. Learn from the masters, try to find out what they were thinking when they made that crucial move and more importantly, embed it in your mind so that it can be retrieved when you need it in a similar situation. If you want an example check out Legal’s Mate. An average player would never had invented such an fantastic move. Nevertheless, having seen the mechanics of it, he can now use the same strategy or apply it to other comparable situations. It is more likely too that you will never let the same thing happen to you. That said, the study of chess strategies will never make up for the lack of imagination.

Many players believe that a chess strategy when carried out is a spontaneous creation brought on by a spark of genius. They are however, more likely to be triggered by an opponents error or weak play. Remember, when applying a chess strategy that nothing must be left to chance. Do not assume an opponent will play along with you because this is what you have planned. Your opponent must have no options left open unless it is to sacrifice a piece or position to stifle your strategy. In this case your tactic may have been stopped in its tracks but you have still gained an advantage. Obviously you had taken this into account in your planning hadn’t you?

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