Tips to Beating Chess Computers

Are you an avid player of chess? If you want to beat chess computers, there are ways to do it. However, you must understand how computers think and work so that you can predict the things that it might not spot and the parts that computers are good at that makes them a better player.

A computer can easily decide who is ahead of the game. Computers use scoring algorithms and the most common figures are: double pawns – 0.5 pts, isolated pawns – 0.5 pts, backward pawn – 0.5 pts, queen – 9 pts, rook – 5 pts, bishop – 3 pts, knight – 3 pts, pawn – 1 pt, and the king between 41-200 pts. Computers consider these piece values before making any move. Your available moves should be more than that of the computer. If you can place your pieces well and make certain attacks, pins, and passed pawns, you can add more points to your score. Computers automatically compute its score against yours. If the result is negative, it means that you’re winning the game.

Computers already have a database for openings like that of Sicilian Defense, Queen’s Gambit, Giucco Piano, and Ruy Lopez. If you stick to the openings database of the computer, it will not have a hard time in figuring out your moves. Choose an unusual opening which is not possibly included in its database. The computer will already use up too much time in searching its database. Learn about the unusual moves like Hippopotamus Defense.

When you’re in the middle of the game, the computer can configure 30-40 moves for each possible move. For instance, you plan to sacrifice your queen because you calculated that within 3 moves, you can get checkmate; you plan to use other pieces that branch out from such move. This is risky especially if you’re dealing with advanced computers but some computers might fell for such tricks.

Computers use transition tables to remember the best lines from precious searches. You must avoid repetition because the recent position is still stored in the computer’s memory. By doing so, the computer will search other moves that consumes more time.

The database of computers contains 3-5 piece endgames. Try to avoid exchanging off the pieces not unless you’re quite sure that it can help your position. Keep the branching factor high for each move so that the computer will do shorter searches.

Here are extra tips for you:

1.Try the slow kingside attack. You can use the Stonewall for the opening move and gradually use your forces to make kingside attacks. Avoid using standards moves; instead, try to use unusual move orders.

2.Play positionally. If you’re a positional player, this trick might work. Play naturally.

3.Keep closed moves. Use the slow system of double fianchetto and wait for the right moment to break using c4 or f4.

If you don’t want the computer to beat you, then don’t play computer chess. Still, if you think you’re capable of beating chess computers, make use of these helpful tips.