Win Your Chess Games: How to Do it Quickly
03/11/2022
Many games can be won when playing with full concentration from the first move.
I share with you 10 of my shortest wins and the reasons behind them below.
1. Speedy Development
From the start of the game, we try to develop our pieces. Even better if we can get it done quicker than our opponent. And even better if our developed pieces aim at the weak spots in our opponent’s camp.
2. Exploiting Opponent’s Mistakes in Development
When developing your pieces at the start of the game, don’t take your eyes off your opponent’s development. If your opponent’s development is random and your pieces are ready to pounce, a quick win is guaranteed.
3. Opponent’s Unchallenging Development
Sometimes it happens that your opponent’s pieces are coming out from the starting positions, but without the bite/pressure on your position. It gives you free hands to do what you may plan to do!
In the game below, I was able to go freely with my kingside attack without any worry anywhere else on the board.
4. Play with Aim
Having an idea of what you are trying to achieve in any particular position, allows you to find the moves rather easily. In the game below, I chose to play 8. d5 closing the centre down, so that my pieces could concentrate on the kingside attack.
5. Challenge and Weaken your Opponent’s position while Developing Yourself
I always like to develop my pieces so that they lurk somewhere close to the opponent’s camp waiting for the right moment to pounce. Adding more pieces into the picture while provoking additional weaknesses in my opponent’s camp may lead the opponent to falter.
6. Develop Actively and in Harmony
When developing your pieces, try to control lots of squares as well as aim at the opponent’s territory. When your opponent makes a mistake, if your pieces are ready, you will be able to exploit it.
7. Know Your Tactics
Being tactically sharp will help you to find hidden possibilities in your games. It will make it extremely hard for your opponent to defend against them.
8. Develop by Aiming at Opponent’s Camp
If you develop your pieces aiming at your opponent’s camp, your opponent will be forced to solve problems from early on in the game. There could be a few scenarios here – either your opponent will not predict well the long-term damage to their position, or will falter at some point in the game.
9. Develop and Set Traps Along the Way
Even changing the move order in your development to set the trap along the way, may catch a win here or there. The wrong note would be trying to set traps just for the sake of it. The right way is to develop and set traps.
10. Create Weaknesses in Your Opponent’s Camp as Early as Possible and Target Them
In the game below, my opponent’s doubled pawns on the queenside combined with the careless move 8…g6 allows White to target weakness with the immediate effect.
Many games can be won when playing with full concentration from the first move.
I share with you 10 of my shortest wins and the reasons behind them below.
1. Speedy Development
From the start of the game, we try to develop our pieces. Even better if we can get it done quicker than our opponent. And even better if our developed pieces aim at the weak spots in our opponent’s camp.
2. Exploiting Opponent’s Mistakes in Development
When developing your pieces at the start of the game, don’t take your eyes off your opponent’s development. If your opponent’s development is random and your pieces are ready to pounce, a quick win is guaranteed.
3. Opponent’s Unchallenging Development
Sometimes it happens that your opponent’s pieces are coming out from the starting positions, but without the bite/pressure on your position. It gives you free hands to do what you may plan to do!
In the game below, I was able to go freely with my kingside attack without any worry anywhere else on the board.
4. Play with Aim
Having an idea of what you are trying to achieve in any particular position, allows you to find the moves rather easily. In the game below, I chose to play 8. d5 closing the centre down, so that my pieces could concentrate on the kingside attack.
5. Challenge and Weaken your Opponent’s position while Developing Yourself
I always like to develop my pieces so that they lurk somewhere close to the opponent’s camp waiting for the right moment to pounce. Adding more pieces into the picture while provoking additional weaknesses in my opponent’s camp may lead the opponent to falter.
6. Develop Actively and in Harmony
When developing your pieces, try to control lots of squares as well as aim at the opponent’s territory. When your opponent makes a mistake, if your pieces are ready, you will be able to exploit it.
7. Know Your Tactics
Being tactically sharp will help you to find hidden possibilities in your games. It will make it extremely hard for your opponent to defend against them.
8. Develop by Aiming at Opponent’s Camp
If you develop your pieces aiming at your opponent’s camp, your opponent will be forced to solve problems from early on in the game. There could be a few scenarios here – either your opponent will not predict well the long-term damage to their position, or will falter at some point in the game.
9. Develop and Set Traps Along the Way
Even changing the move order in your development to set the trap along the way, may catch a win here or there. The wrong note would be trying to set traps just for the sake of it. The right way is to develop and set traps.
10. Create Weaknesses in Your Opponent’s Camp as Early as Possible and Target Them
In the game below, my opponent’s doubled pawns on the queenside combined with the careless move 8…g6 allows White to target weakness with the immediate effect.