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Bait your opponent by a leaving a piece unprotected. Intimidate your opponent with superior positioning. Think several moves ahead. Examine the entire board. Be patient.
Intentionally leave one of your pieces unprotected, or at least make it appear unprotected, to trick your opponent into making a rash move. Baiting is the one of the most basic strategies in chess, but also one of the most consistently successful. The "Legal Trap," for instance, involves sacrificing one's queen in order to place the opponent's king in checkmate with minor pieces. Many of the most complex strategies and sequences in chess are sophisticated forms of baiting. Make sure you've played out every possible follow up move in your head before putting one of your pieces at risk. Even if your opponent has more pieces on the board, you can neutralize their advantage by getting your strongest pieces into clear, well-guarded positions. A good example of this type of placement is to set up one of your rooks at the "7th rank" (one row before the end of your opponent's side of the board). From there, the rook is able to keep the enemy king from escaping, all while picking off your opponent's minor pieces and being free to advance or retreat as needed. The "Blockade" is another fundamental defensive play that relies on cunning placement rather than capture or evasion. Setting up a blockade is as simple as blocking the path of your opponent's pieces so that they can't advance. While the opponent struggles to get around the blockade without losing valuable pieces, you can use your dominant position to lure them into danger, or escape danger yourself. Superior positioning can discourage your opponent from following through with their plans and force them to play the game you set for them. If you're careful and don't leave any obvious openings, you may psyche your opponent out and put them on the defensive. Controlling the board is often preferable to simply having more pieces. It's not enough to simply move one piece, with no thought to the consequences it could have multiple turns down the line. Winning strategies require forethought, and are often devised half a dozen moves or more in advance. Do your best to predict how your opponent will logically respond to the moves you make, and adjust your tactics accordingly. Look over the options they have as well as your own. Try to "X-Ray" the board. X-Raying refers to a skilled chess player's ability to see where his or her pieces may be in a good position to attack or defend along a continued plane of movement, beyond the most immediate openings. Learning to X-Ray the board can help teach you to be more forward thinking with your moves. Take as much time as you need each turn to decide on a move that will have the most beneficial outcome. Never move a piece without first having an attack or escape plan ready. In order to determine your best course of action, you'll often have to look at the playing field as a whole, rather than just the squares around the piece you intend to play. A broader perspective will let you spot hazards and openings you might otherwise have missed. Pay particular attention to the position of you and your opponent's king and queen pieces, as well as pieces they seem to be moving with clear purpose. If you're being judicious and weighing your options, you'll be able to thwart your opponent's plans while carrying out your own. It can help to be able to identify whether a game is "open" or "closed." When a game is open, it means that many of the crucial squares near the center of the board are unoccupied, whereas these spaces reach gridlock in a closed game. Certain pieces, such as the bishop and queen, will have an advantage in open games where they have more room to maneuver. In closed games, pieces like the knight and pawn shine, as they can capture in close range and move around and in between stationary pieces. Chess operates on the principle of action and reaction. Analyze your opponent's movements closely. Ask yourself what you would do if you were in their position. Don't get in a rush to win. This is especially critical during the final stages of the game, where you will be eager to score a checkmate but may be overlooking critical mistakes. When played seriously, chess should take a while. You should be prepared to survey the board, take inventory of your pieces and form a new plan of action every time your turn comes up. Sometimes, the winner will be the player that can think ahead and outlast the other. Don't move pieces around haphazardly whenever it's your turn. Think over your options at length and only move when you've decided on the best strategy. If you're preparing to make a move as soon as your opponent sets a piece down, you're not giving yourself enough time to assess the current situation, and it could cost you the game. A single game of chess can sometimes take days, months, or even years to complete.