People have been enjoying playing chess for hundreds of years. All those years of experience mean that we now have a very clear idea about what usually works and what usually doesn’t work.

When you're playing a game of chess it's REALLY IMPORTANT to get the first moves right. If you can do that, it makes the rest of the game so much easier.

RULE 1: START BY MOVING A CENTRE PAWN TWO SQUARES

RULE 2: BRING OUT AT LEAST ONE KNIGHT

RULE 3: BRING OUT A BISHOP

RULE 4: MAKE YOUR KING SAFER BY CASTLING

Some players find it helpful to remember the letters CNBC *

Here are some other tips to help you win more games:

KEEPING YOUR KING SAFE

Before you are able to castle, the f2 and f7 squares are weakest on the board, since they are guarded only by the king. So watch out for attacks on these squares.

After you have castled, try to keep THREE UNMOVED PAWNS in front of your King early on in the game. These three pawns are like a wall that your king can shelter behind. Later in the game, to avoid the danger of the famous BACK-ROW CHECKMATE, move one of the pawns one square to open an escape hole for your king.

* In chess notation, we use K for King, N for Knight, B for Bishop, R for Rook, Q for Queen, 

0-0 for castles kingside, 0-0-0 for castles queenside, x for takes, + for check

QUEENS AND ROOKS

These are your most powerful attacking pieces, but they are usually at their best later in the game, when the board has been cleared a little and they can find room to manoeuvre safely, without being harassed by enemy knights, bishops and pawns.

SO DON'T BRING YOUR QUEEN OUT EARLY IN THE GAME WITHOUT A VERY GOOD REASON. The queen is far too valuable and will tend to get chased round the board by weaker enemy pieces, losing time and possibly running into danger.

DON'T TRY TO BRING YOUR ROOKS OUT BY MOVING THE PAWNS IN FRONT OF THEM. Again, the rooks are too valuable and will get chased or captured by enemy bishops and knights. The rooks are usually the LAST pieces to come out. They “like” to move along the BACK RANK to attack using OPEN FILES (these are lines which are not blocked by your own pawns). This is another reason why you should usually CASTLE quickly.

DEVELOPMENT

• Moving pieces forward, out of the back row, is called DEVELOPING them.
• Develop your pieces to good squares, in or near the CENTRE of the board.
• Don't move pieces TWICE in the opening without a good reason. 
• Try to move ALL your pieces ONCE before you start moving something a second time.
• The player who gets ALL the pieces out first will usually be the first to be able to launch a successful attack.

PAWNS

Pawns are the least valuable members of your team, but if you use them cleverly they can be of great help to you. Here are some ideas about using pawns:

• Pawns can’t move BACKWARDS, so be careful about moving them FORWARDS!
• Every pawn move creates a weakness.
• In the first few moves of the game, try to move only those pawns that you need to move to let your bishops out.
• Use your centre pawns to guard the important squares in the middle of the board. As in football, the team that controls the “midfield” usually controls the game.
• Don't move the pawns at or near the side of the board without a good reason.
• Doubled pawns are weak, since they can’t guard each other, but they do create open lines for the rooks to attack along.
• TRY NOT TO LET THE PAWN-WALL IN FRONT OF YOUR CASTLED KING BE BROKEN UP.

Don't forget that all these rules are actually only TIPS to help you survive the first few moves. There will be many times when you will want to break these rules, perhaps to win a piece, or even to get checkmate. In chess you have to take your own decisions (and learn from them).

Finally, remember that you have an opponent! Don’t be so wrapped up in your own plans that you forget to look to see what your opponent is up to!