A few basic tips to improve your chess game

If you are like me you enjoy playing chess but hate losing more often than you win. For me at least, winning often seemed more of an accident than skill. Well, having many hours of trial and error, studying moves my opponents made, looking at what I was doing, etc. I came up with a few basic ideas on how to improve my playing skills.
In the beginning, there was the middle
The first moves of the game are essential to your strategy. They can also be the hardest to decide. From my experience, I have found that controlling the middle of the board is a good way to start. Whether the game takes place on the left side of the board or the right, taking control of the middle will allow you to be ready and in control of how the game pans out. Put your pieces in the middle, protect them as best you can, and gain a better feeling of control.
Pushing past the defenses
Once the game is a few moves in, it is time to start the push to kill the king. Chasing the king around with a single piece only to put it into a place where it is little use is not a good idea. However, a single piece can be extremely powerful in the right place. Look at the chess board. Divide it in half so your pieces are on one side and your opponent's are on the other. Try to get one of your pieces past that middle line in a place where it is well protected. By getting your piece firmly in your opponent's territory you are hindering how and where they can move, making it easier
The King can be more than a weakness
The King, as you know, is what decides a win or loss in chess. Generally it is a good idea to keep him protected. Placing a few pawns in front of him is a good defense and will buy you more time to take your opponent's King. However, when there are fewer pieces on the board, the king can be used to influence and threaten pieces. Send it past your pawns and and you can influence how your opponent moves his pieces. It is a bit more risky, but can win games.
I can't write an entire book on chess strategies in this article, but hopefully these few basic tips will help you out some. If you do want something longer to teach you how to become a better chess player, go to http://kudu02.bestnet05.hop.clickbank.net/