Chess Tip Of The Day

ChessBase and Chess Assistant have functions to show you in what lines your future opponent scores well and in what lines he scores badly. It is very easy to be tempted to play a line in which your opponent has not done well. However, it is also quite dangerous. If you know nothing about the line, you will be in dire straits if your opponent deviates at a point where you did not expect it. Christian Kongsted, How To Use Computers To Improve Your Chess

Pawns in front of the castled king should not be touched unless absolutely necessary, and at least one piece should remain on guard (when castled on the kingside, for example, a knight on f3/f6 serves well). Samuel Reshevsky, The Art Of Positional Play

One of the basic principles of chess strategy is to exchange one's less-active pieces for the opponent's more-active pieces. Steve Mayer, Bishop v Knight: The Verdict

The value of playing an opening variation against an opponent who is an acknowledged expert in that field is very debatable. It is rather like using a new ball in cricket -  more likely to take a wicket quickly, but easier to hit for six. Michael Stean, Learn From The Grandmasters

When playing versus the isolated pawn, try to exchange minor pieces - particularly knights - and retain at least one pair of rooks. Alexander Baburin, Winning Pawn Structures

Practice shows that, for the sake of creating a connected pair of pawns at d5 and e5, a sacrifice of material is often fully justified. Alexey Suetin, Plan Like A Grandmaster