Note: It is almost impossible – if not totally impossible – to formulate such rules without having inherent contradictions. Nor is any one of these rules always applicable.
Outcomes Principle
1. If you believe the position is won, then don’t make a move that results in a drawn or lost position. If you believe the position is drawn, then don’t make a move that results in a lost position.
Forced Mate
2.1 Mate your opponent on the move if you are able to do so. Conversely, don’t make moves that allow your opponent to mate you on the move.
2.2 Initiate a forced mate if you are able to do so. Conversely, don’t make a move that allows your opponent to initiate a forced mate.
Forced mate means that there are sequences of moves that that lead to mate considering all possible responses. This pertains to demonstrable mates meaning that it is not only a position with a decisive advantage where one can speculate that best play must lead to mate, but a position where it is possible to enumerate all possible mating lines.
To be enumerable requires that each move must either be a check or that the opponent’s responses are so limited that it is still possible to enumerate all possible mating lines.
2.3 If you can force mate, then do so in the most efficient manner possible. Conversely, if your opponent is forcing mate, then make moves that poses the most challenges for your opponent.
Material Principles
The term compensation refers to material, spacial, temporal, static, and/or dynamic compensation.
3.1 After your opponent captures material, make moves that optimizes your compensation.
3.2 If your opponent initiates a forced sequence that leads to the capture of material, then make moves that optimize your compensation for the material.
3.3 Capture material on the move if your opponent is unable to gain adequate compensation. Conversely, don’t allow your opponent to capture material on the move without adequate compensation.
3.4 Initiate a forced sequence that leads to material gain if your opponent is unable to gain adequate compensation. Conversely, don’t make a move that allows your opponent to initiate a forced sequence that leads to material loss without adequate compensation.
Positional Principles
4.1 After your opponent makes a positional gain, make moves that optimize your compensation.
4.2 If your opponent initiates a forced sequence that leads to a positional gain, then make moves that optimizes compensation for that gain.
4.3 Make moves that lead to a positional gain if your opponent is unable to gain adequate compensation. Conversely, don’t allow your opponent to make a positional gain without adequate compensation.
4.4 Initiate a forced sequence that leads to a positional gain if your opponent is unable to gain adequate compensation. Conversely, don’t make a move that allows your opponent to initiate a forced sequence that leads to a positional gain without adequate compensation.
Flexibility Principles
5.1 Make the move that is most flexible or the move that gives your opponent the fewest options.
5.2 Avoid moves that result in having to move the same piece or pawn twice.
5.3 Given a choice between moves that achieve the same objective, either choose the move that is most flexible or the move that gives your opponent the fewest options.
Strategic Principles
6.1 Make moves that are consistent with your strategic objectives.
6.2 Make moves that advance your strategic objectives in the most flexible and efficient manner possible.
6.3 Make moves that most limit your opponent’s ability to achieve their strategic objectives.
Meta-Strategic Principles
M.1 Play more common openings and variations
M.2 Play opening variations one has studied or which leads to structures that are familiar
M.3 Play moves that are likely to transpose to familiar variations
M.4 Play moves that align strategically with studied variations
M.5 Play moves that increase your average rating-adjusted probability of winning
Opening Principles
O.1 Give precedence to simple transpositional moves unless there is a rationale to avoid them.
This rule generally pertains to move order within the first few moves.
For example, perhaps you always open with 1. d4 as white. In response to 1. … d5 you play 2. c4. But in response to 1. … Nf6 you play 2. Nf3. You start a game with 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3, and then your opponent plays 2. … d5. You should consider 3. c4 since you would have played 2. c4 after 1. d4 d5.
However, there are exceptions. For example, perhaps you start a game with 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6. You could respond 3. Nf3, which is consistent with 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4, but based on the actual move order, you might choose to prefer to play 3. cxd5 in this case.
As can be seen from the above, the decision is a tradeoff between what might technically be considered a superior move versus a move that leads to a familiar position. The former is more critical for strong players. The latter is more important for mere mortals.
For example, you might play 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 to avoid specialized lines after 3. cxd5. Then 4. dxc4 is the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, which can also be reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 dxc4, 4. e6 is an Orthodox Queen’s Gambit, which can also be reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6, and 4. c6 is the Slav Defense, which can also be reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 c6.
The above is a guideline for selection of candidate moves during a game or while you are working on your opening repertoire. There will be many exceptions based on move order.
O.2 Make the logical follow-up move.
For example, 1. b3 d5 and now 2. Bb2 is virtually always played as the logical follow-up to 1. b3.
After 1. b3 d5 the position with 2. Nf3 is most common per my chess computer. But this always occurs from the move order 1. Nf3 d5 2. b3. 2. Nf3 is not the logical follow-up to 1. b3.
This rule can also apply after the opening phase.
Moves to Avoid
A.1 Avoid moves that allow forced checkmate (corollary of 1.3)
A.2 Avoid moves that allow a double-check
A.3 Avoid moves that allow a discovered check
A.4 Avoid moves that allow the forced loss of a piece without adequate compensation
A.5 Avoid moves that allow a discovered attack on a piece
A.6 Avoid moves that allow a second attack when a piece is already threatened
Beliefs About Chess
B.1 You can play very strong chess without playing perfect chess.
B.2 There are many positions where the second or third best move is perfectly fine for most players.
Corollaries to the Above
C.1 In a position that you believe is won, don’t make a move that allows your opponent to repeat or force a repeat of the same position with the same side to move. In a lost position, make moves that repeat the same position with the same side to move if possible. (Corollary to 3.1)
C.2 Don’t make a move that advances your opponent’s plan while sacrificing your own. (Corollary to 3.4)
C.3 If you believe you have a won position, and you must queen a pawn to win, then make a move that leads to the shortest sequence of moves that forces the queening of the pawn without changing the outcome of the position. Conversely, if you believe you have a lost position, and your opponent must queen a pawn to win, then make a move that requires the longest sequence of forced moves to queen the pawn.
C.4 If you believe you have a won position, and two moves lead to the same position with the same side to move, then make the move that leads to that position in the fewest possible moves.