Learning to Play Chess at Our Apartments by The Villages

Chess is one of the oldest and most challenging strategy games on the planet, with some historians dating its first appearance to India circa 600 A.D. On the surface, the rules of chess are fairly simple. Each player gets sixteen pieces in either black or white; eight pawns, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, a queen, and a king. Each type of piece has different rules that govern how it moves over the 8x8 grid that the game is played on. The goal of chess is to trap the enemy’s king with your pieces, a condition called a “checkmate.” While the overview may seem simple, many people have devoted decades to studying and mastering chess, and chess grandmasters can decimate an average player in only a few moves.

However, everyone had to start somewhere, so there is no reason to feel discouraged. Keep these tips in mind to help improve your chess game at your PepperTree apartment home:

• Play with a strategy in mind – Try to plan your plays several moves ahead, and try to guess what your opponent may do in response so that you can best counter his or her attacks.

• Use your Queen – The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board, so don’t be afraid to use it aggressively (unlike the King, which must be kept safe).

• Practice with both sides – Playing on both black and white sides of the board will help you keep an open mind and identify new strategies.

• Take control early – Use mobile knights and pawns to control the center of the chess board

• Learn special moves and gambits – Chess is a game of attacking and countering, so learning classic moves like castling, en passant, or the Ruy Lopez opener can only help your chances of success.

By using these tips and strategies, you can soon elevate your chess game and hone your critical thinking skills. Best of all, you can do all that right from your spacious PepperTree apartment home. To learn more about our apartments by The Villages, fill out a contact us form or call our leasing office today.