Getting your pieces outKnights before bishops, and the queen last. Every move should bring a new piece into the game.

The marked squares are your pieces that have not come out yet: two knights, two bishops and the queen. While they sit there you are playing with half an army. That is what developing means: bringing a piece out, one per move, to a square from which it looks at the centre. Two practical rules that save a lot of pain: knights before bishops, and the queen last.

Develop a piece — and if you can, pick the move that also creates a threat.

Learn to play