KING SAFETY King safety is the most important factor. It does not matter if you are pieces ahead, if your exposed king can’t fend off an attack. Often it is important to look at king safety in conjunction with material.
MATERIAL Material is the second most important factor after king safety. A common turning point in a game is when a player loses material for no compensation. Material should be respected, a pawn down in a quiet position for no compensation is generally objectively lost. (i.e. lost with good play by both sides.)
TIME The more open the position is, the more important time tends to be. The more closed the position is, the less important time tends to be. Hence, if you are ahead in development, open the position up, especially if they are uncastled. If you are behind in development, keep the lines closed.)
MOBILITY Mobility is the amount of freedom your pieces have. Your total mobility will depend on control of open lines and the centre. To what extent your pieces are obstructed will also influence your mobility. Knights, bishops and queens, increase in mobility as they approach the centre. The value of controlling a square, is inverse to the value of the controlling piece. A rough guide might be per square (with pawn = 100): pawn 8, knight 4, bishop 3, rook 2, queen 1
SPACE The more advanced your pawns are, the more space you have. Space has nothing to do with piece position, it is based on the pawn skeleton. The side with move space TENDS to may more mobility. If you have very little space your position is `cramped’.
PAWN STRUCTURE This involves the total of both sides pawn strengths and weaknesses. Factors such as good and weak pawns, strong and weak squares, passed pawns etc. need to be taken into account.
INTERACTION OF FACTORS The 6 basic positional factors: (king safety, material, time, mobility, space, pawn structure) interact with each other in different ways. The importance of relative factors varies considerably, though king safety and material, tend to be the most important ,in that order.
KING SAFETY /MATERIAL One or more sacrifices may be useful in decreasing the opponent’s king safety. Returning sacrificed material may help to beat off an attack. Assessing whether a sacrifice is worth a long term attack is one of the most difficult chess decisions.
KING SAFETY /TIME A lead in development can lead to a quick attack on the opponents king. The side that completes development first may be able to attack the king, particularly if it is uncastled.
KING SAFETY /MOBILITY The side with more mobility will generally find it easier to attack the king. They will generally find it easier to bring over more pieces than the defender.
KING SAFETY /SPACE The side with more space will generally find it easier to attack the king. An advantage in space on the side of the board where your opponent’s king is may allow you to bring more pieces to attack than the defender can defend with and increase the probability of a successful attack.
KING SAFETY /PAWN STRUCTURE A sound pawn formation around the king will assist defence while weak pawns and weak squares near the king will greatly assist the attacker.
MATERIAL /TIME It is sometimes plausible to sacrifice a pawn or 2 in the opening in exchange for a lead in development. A pawn is considered to be worth about 3.5 tempi. A pawn sacrifice in the opening is called a gambit. It is unlikely that time alone will be sufficient compensation for more than one or 2 pawns.
MATERIAL /MOBILITY Control of important open lines and other advantages in mobility may be compensation for a pawn or two.
MATERIAL /SPACE The more pieces there are on the board, the more important space is a factor. Even the exchange of one piece may help alleviate a cramped game, though there are many instances where it is good to exchange when you have more space.
MATERIAL /PAWN STRUCTURE If material and other factors are equal ,then the side with the better pawn structure is generally winning. Weaknesses in the opponents pawn structure are often worth a pawn, or maybe two, but rarely more unless other factors such as king safety become important.
TIME /MOBILITY Usually the side which has more development has an edge in mobility. Development can be compared by counting how many moves each player needs to connect rooks.
TIME /SPACE Having less space can often be compensated by having more time in some cases.
TIME /PAWN STRUCTURE A weaker pawn structure can be compensated by more development in some cases.
MOBILITY /SPACE Generally the side with more space will tend to have more mobility as well.
MOBILITY /PAWN STRUCTURE A weaker pawn structure can be compensated by greater mobility in some cases. Whether more active pieces compensate for a weaker pawn structure, is a common issue.
SPACE PAWN /STRUCTURE A weaker pawn structure can be compensated by greater space in some cases.
INTERACTION OF >2 FACTORS The factors are king safety, material, time mobility, space and pawn structure. It is difficult to generalize how more than 2 of these factors interact.
PLACING PIECES WHERE THEY ARE HARD TO ATTACK Apparently Botvinnik once said of Petrosian that he places his pieces so that they are hard to attack. There are 4 ways to escape capture: (1) Move away (evade.) (2) Block (only against a line piece) (3) Defend (4) Capture the attacking piece The more valuable a piece, the more important evasion is, which requires mobility, and the less important defending the piece is. The less valuable a piece, the less important evasion is, which requires mobility, and the more important defending the piece is. The shorter the range of the piece, the more important blocking is. Defending any type of piece will negate a king attack.
KING In the middlegame, blocking is the main form of defence, if no pawn barrier is available, then pieces may have to fill the gap. Sometimes the king EVADES by walking to another part of the board. Controlling squares near the opponent king can be valuable in the long or short term.
QUEEN Evasion is best, defence of a queen is only useful indirectly. In some cases.
ROOK Defence against a queen attack is O.K..
BISHOP OR KNIGHT Defence against a queen or rook attack is O.K..
PAWN Defence will be best in most cases.
GENERAL AVOIDING ATTACK FROM KING Queens can't be attacked by king. For other pieces increase the distance from their king. e.g. In some rook endings it is good to put the rook on the edge of the board.
QUEEN Keep lines blocked. ROOK Keep ranks/files blocked. BISHOP Place on opposite colour. KNIGHT Place 2 squares away diagonally. PAWN Place on a strong square, or place on a square it is difficult or undesirable for a pawn to reach. On an open board, a rook or bishop can attack any square (of same colour for bishop) in 2 moves, in 2 different ways. [nd5 versus Maroczy bind] As the number of moves allowed to reach a square is increased, the number of ways a piece can reach there, is increased geometrically.
MAXIMISING ABILITY TO ATTACK To maximise a pieces ability to attack, increase its mobility. One guide to ability to attack a specific square, is the number of moves in a row it takes to reach that square.
GAME PHASES A game of chess is said to pass through a maximum of 3 phases. These are the OPENING, the MIDDLEGAME and the ENDGAME. Not all games pass through all 3 phases. Some games end in the opening and many finish in the middlegame.
TRANSITION These phases are sometimes blurred and it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when a transition from one phase to another happens.
*GENERAL CASTLING Which side to castle on can be an important strategic decision. The kings tend to be safer when castled on the same side.
KINGSIDE CASTLING Only 2 pieces need to be moved beforehand. The king is moved further from the centre than if castled queenside. This is better in the middlegame, but worse in the endgame. All pawns in front of the king are protected.
QUEENSIDE CASTLING 3 pieces need to be moved beforehand. The king is moved closer to the centre than if castled kingside. This is worse in the middlegame, but better in the endgame. The queen rook pawn is unprotected, which may cost a tempo later in defending it.
UNCASTLED KING The rooks may be disconnected. The king may be closer to the centre, bad for the middlegame, good for the endgame.
DELAYING CASTLING Generally the principle of castling quickly is good, but there may be reasons for delaying castling. One is you may first wish to see which side your opponent castles on.
CASTLING ON OPPOSITE SIDES Castling on opposites tends to lead to games with pawn storms on both wings. Before castling it may be worth estimating whose attack is likely to open lines first. This will depend on the pawn formations.
EN PASSANT The en passant capture can be important to stop he defender closing lines with pawns. This may keep a diagonal open and open several files. In some instances, the en passant capture can be met with a defensive knight recapture.
VALUES OF PIECES Chess literature generally gives the a similar value to the different pieces. This is based on the average mobility of a piece and also on experience. pawn = 1 knight = 3 bishop = 3 rook = 5 queen = 9 Slight variations in this values occur from position to position.
MINOR PIECES The knights and the bishops are worth about the same, though each tends to be better in different types of positions.
MAJOR PIECES The queens and the rooks are known as the major pieces.
KINGSIDE AND QUEENSIDE The kingside is the right hand side of the board. i.e. the e -h files. The queenside is the left hand side of the board. i.e. the a -d files.
ENPRISE To move a piece `en prise’ is to move the piece where it can be taken for nothing or captured by a weaker piece. This may be a blunder or well thought out trap.
BLUNDER Is a very bad move. A blunder is often an oversight, in which an opponent’s move has been entirely overlooked. Some blunders are miscalculations or errors of judgment. As Tartakower once said, “All the blunders are there, waiting to be made.”
CAPTURES Captures or capturing sequences are critical moves and lines to examine. When captures and recaptures are possible on the same square, the side with more units controlling that square will take more units, but how useful this is will depend on their values.
RECAPTURE Is a capture on a square where a capture has happened on the previous move.
*EXCHANGES In general, it is bad to exchange a well placed piece for a badly placed one. There will be factors involved in determining whether an exchange is good or not.
PIECE EXCHANGES WHEN WINNING The winning side is usually benefited by piece exchanges. For example, if one side is a piece ahead, the ratio of material will increase as pieces are exchanged.
PAWN EXCHANGES WHEN WINNING The winning side should generally avoid pawn exchanges. A few pawn exchanges may be needed to open lines. The winning side usually tries and keeps pawns on both sides of the board.
EXCHANGES WHEN LOSING The losing side should usually avoid piece exchanges. For example, if one side is a piece ahead, the ratio of material will increase as pieces are exchanged. The losing side should generally try and exchange pawns, especially all the pawns off one side of the board.
EXCHANGES AND SPACE The side with more space should generally avoid exchanges, as the pieces of the side that is cramped tend to get in each others way.
EXCHANGES AND TIME The side with more development should generally avoid exchanges, as they will probably steer towards an attack on the king. Whether a player with a middlegame initiative should exchange depends too much on other factors.
EXCHANGES AND PAWN STRUCTURE The side with a better pawn structure should generally exchange pieces as weak pawns and weak squares usually become weaker as the endgame nears. Some planning may need to be given as to what pieces should be exchanged.
ATTACK (TACTICAL) A situation where a unit can be captured by another unit. The first unit is considered to be `under attack’, regardless of whose move it is.
ATTACK (STRATEGICAL) A situation where one side is progressing towards an objective (often the opponent’s king.) An attack may also occur on the side of the board where there is no king. The target of this attack is often the opposing pawn structure.
ATTACKER The attacker is the side that is attacking (whether tactical or strategical.)
DEFENDER The defender is the side that is defending (whether tactical or strategical).
OBSTRUCT/BLOCK No piece can move to a square occupied by a unit of the same colour. Rooks, bishops and queens (the line pieces) are prevented from moving further along a line by a unit of either side. In itself, an obstruction is always negative.
CONTROL A piece controls a square if it can capture an opposing unit that moves to that square. This is usually the squares that the piece can move to, but not always, as in the case of pawns. CENTRE Usually applies to the very 4 centre squares (e4, d4, d5, e5). Can apply to a lesser extent to the surrounding squares (c3, c4, c5, c6, d6, e6, f6, f5, f4, f3, e3, d3). The pawns in the 4 centre squares can dictate the nature of play.
OPEN CENTRE This is when there are no pawns on the 4 central squares. Games with open centres tend to be dominated with piece play and few pawn moves. Tempi is very important.
CLOSED CENTRE This is when there are 3 blocked pawns on the central squares. Games with closed centres tend to be dominated with maneouvering and well planned pawn breaks. Tempi is less important than in open positions.
STRONG AND WEAK `Strong' applies to an effective, useful, positive element. `Weak' applies to an ineffective, negative element. What is weak for one side is strong for the other and vice versa. These terms are often applied to the position of the king, any other piece, a pawn, a square or a line. (e.g. a weak 7th rank)
WELL PLACED PIECE The ideal square for a piece is one where it is. (a) Mobile. (b) Difficult to attack, especially by a weaker unit. (c) Protected. (d) Cooperates with other pieces. (e) Attacks tied down pawns (or pieces). (f) Can redeploy to another effective square. (g) Has a eye on the opponent’s king. It is rare to meet all these requirements ,but even meeting the first 2 will often mean a piece is well placed.
OUT OF PLAY When a piece is irrelevant to the major issues of a position, often being on the wrong side of the board or being in an immobile position.
*INITIATIVE This is a fairly abstract notion. The player who has the initiative is the one who is controlling the game, usually with direct and indirect threats. The initiative is an advantage that grows like a snowball. Sometimes material or a positional factor is sacrificed for the initiative. If the sacrifice is inadequate, the Initiative will die.
INITIATIVE AND WINNING MATERIAL Sometimes you will have the initiative and you will have the opportunity to win material, often a pawn. Winning the material may be O.K., but sometimes it will lose the initiative. Defending pieces tied down may be freed. You should try and keep the defender tied down as much as possible. Whether in attack in defence, you need to know when to be patient.
COUNTERPLAY With the initiative, a good maxim is to destroy counterplay. Whether in attack in defence, you should try and keep pieces active.
WILD POSITIONS A wild position is one with many tactical possibilities, perhaps too many to be calculated. Sometimes both kings are under attack simultaneously.
QUIET POSITIONS A quiet position is one in which both kings are safe and there are no immediate attacking plans. Both sides should try and gradually improve their position for the inevitable tactical melee.
SIMPLE POSITIONS Simple positions are not positions easy to play. They refer to endgames or late middlegames which often depend on positional play.
COMPLICATED POSITIONS A complicated position is one in which there may be many tactical and positional continuations for both sides.
BALANCED POSITIONS A balanced position is one in which opposing factors are balanced e.g. kings castled on both sides opposing pawns on the same file material exactly equal
UNBALANCED POSITIONS An unbalanced position is one in which opposing factors are unbalanced e.g. kings castled on opposite sides, opposing pawn majorities, material unbalanced, even though in theory even (e.g. knight v bishop, Queen + Pawn v. 2 rooks etc.
COUNTERPLAY This is attacking in one part of the board when the opponent is attacking in another.
*SACRIFICE The sacrifice is a key idea in chess, and is something that can break the deadlock in a position.
COMPENSATION This is what you try and get in return for a long-term sacrifice. Judging whether compensation for a sacrifice is sufficient or insufficient, can be quite difficult.
PAWN SACRIFICE Sound pawn sacrifices are quite common, as often positional plusses outweigh the value of a pawn. A pawn may be sacrificed for time, mobility better pawn structure, a better king position, or a combination of the above.
SEVERAL PAWN SACRIFICES Positional plusses may just compensate, for a 2 pawn sacrifice, but you usually need an attack on the king to justify this.
MINOR PIECE SACRIFICE Positional plusses plus a pawn is often enough to compensate for an exchange sac. A long range attack against the king is even better.
ROOK SACRIFICE It is rare for a queen sacrifice to be sound, unless there is a quick mate. The defender will usually have enough material to beat off a long range attack.
QUEEN SACRIFICE It is rare for a queen sacrifice to be sound, unless there is a quick mate. The defender will usually have enough material to beat off a long range attack.
*POSITIONAL SACRIFICE a positional sacrifice is one in which no material is sacrificed, but some kind of positional concession is made. Hopefully, some kind of compensation will be received in another area. Some examples are: Making a weakening pawn move Exchanging off a bad opponents piece
STRONG AND WEAK SQUARES A strong square is a square that can never be attacked by an opponents pawn (excluding repaired pawns). Strong squares may be especially useful in the centre. Often the best of all are strong squares near the opponents king. Strong and weak squares are the same thing, it just depends which side of the board you are sitting on.
BLOCKADE SQUARE The square in front of an isolated pawn is a strong/weak square and can be called the blockade square. Blockading passed pawns is particularly useful. Remember Nimzovitch, “Restrain, blockade, destroy!”
OUTPOST/PIECE ON STRONG SQUARE A strong square can be called an outpost. Placing a piece here will make it difficult to attack. Outposts are especially useful for knights and bishops.
GOOD PAWN A `good' pawn is a pawn which can be defended by another pawn. This may be done by either moving it, or by moving another pawn to support it. In the start position all the pawns are `good'. As pawns move, they tend to lose their flexibility.
WEAK PAWN A weak pawn is a pawn which cannot be easily defended by another pawn. This means that if it is attacked, then it must be defended by pieces, which means that the pieces then are tied down. Types of weak pawns are isolated pawns, doubled (or tripled) and isolated pawns and hanging pawns. (Doubled pawns are not in themselves weak.)
ISOLATED PAWN This has no friendly pawn on either adjacent file. It can be referred to as an isolani. The square in front of it is weak.
DOUBLED PAWNS This is when there are 2 friendly pawns on the same file. They may or may not be isolated as well.
TRIPLED PAWNS This is when there are 3 friendly pawns on the same file. This is relatively rare.
BACKWARD PAWN A backward pawn has one pawn adjacent to it, but cannot advance safely because the square in front of is controlled by an opposing pawn.
BACKWARD PAWN ON OPEN FILE Backward pawns on half-open files tend to be weaker, if there are rooks/queens on the board.
HANGING PAWNS This is when there are two friendly pawns on adjacent files, and neither has a friendly pawn on an adjacent file. If they are on the same rank they may control many squares, but neither is defended by a pawn. If one moves, the other may become a backward pawn.
ARTIFICIALLY ISOLATED PAWN An artificially isolated pawn is a pawn which has at least one friendly pawn on an adjacent file, but in practice is isolated, as it cannot be supported. They are sometimes lost quite quickly.
LOOSE PAWNS These are pawns which are not technically weak, but have lost some of their flexibility. Often applies to pawns in front of the king. Moving the rook pawn will leave knight 3 undefended.
PAWN ISLANDS Pawns can be divided into groups whose members are not separated by more than one file. One large pawn island is easiest to defend. Two pawn islands may be best for winning purposes.
DISCONNECTED PAWNS Pawns may not be isolated, but may be separated by several ranks and have trouble supporting each other.
REPAIRING PAWNS The pawn structure is changed whenever a pawn makes a capture OR a pawn is captured. Pawns may become weak, or formerly weak pawns may become good.
DISSOLVING PAWNS One way of removing the weakness of a pawn is to exchange it for an opponents strong pawn.
PAWN CHAIN A chain is when 2 or more pawns are connected on the same diagonal ,then all pawns are defended, except the rearmost one. Several pawn chains may join.
ATTACKING FRONT OF CHAIN If the front most pawn of a chain is exchanged, then it may be replaced by a strong square.
BASE OF CHAIN If the rear most pawn of a chain is exchanged, then no strong square is gained and a new weakened pawn is created.
PAWN WEDGE This a chain that controls a lot of space. An example might be a white pawn chain with its front on the 6th rank.
PHALANX When 2 (or more) pawns are side by side, then 4 (or more) squares in front of them are guarded. When either pawn advances it will be defended by the other. This is the most flexible pawn formation.
PAWN MAJORITY A pawn majority is when one player has more pawns on either wing than the other. Eventually he may be able to create a passed pawn on that side of the board. Some majorities are much easier to mobilise than others.
PAWN MINORITY A pawn minority is when one player has less pawns on either wing than the other.
MINORITY ATTACK This is when you advance pawns on the side of the pawn where you have a pawn minority.
PAWN CENTRE A pawn centre is the formation of pawns that occupy the centre squares.
CHESSBOARD A chessboard can be divided into corner squares (4) side squares (28) all other squares.
LINES There are 3 types of lines on a chessboard. There are RANKS (the vertical rows.) There are FILES (the vertical columns.) There are DIAGONALS. A line is OPEN if there are no pawns on it. A line is CLOSED if there are one or more pawns on it.
DIAGONALS. Every square on the chessboard (except the corner squares) are intersected by 2 diagonals. The diagonals are never the same length, hence a diagonal is either a SHORT diagonal or a LONG diagonal. An open diagonal is a diagonal with no pawns of either side on it.
RANKS AND FILES There are 8 (horizontal) ranks. Except for the 7th and 8th ranks, ranks tend not to be as important as the files. There are 8 (vertical) files.
OPEN FILE An open file is a file with no pawns of either side on it. Files are harder to open than other lines because a capture by or of a pawn is needed. Rooks are generally well placed on open files.
HALF OPEN FILE A half open file is a file with one pawn of either side on it. (Or 2 or 3 if the pawn is doubled or tripled). Rooks are generally well placed on half open files, especially if no open files are available.
ENTRY SQUARES An entry square is the first square of an open or half-open file. This is the square you may contest control of a file from.
CONTROLLING ENTRY SQUARES Controlling an entry square may stop the opponent from contesting an open file. The knight controls the entry square.
PENETRATION A rook may sometimes move down a file and move laterally on the 6th, 7th or 8th rank.
SINGLE OPEN FILE In these positions control of a file can become quite important. The bishop controls the entry square.
KNIGHTS AND HALF-OPEN FILES Advancing a knight to the most advanced square on a half open file can be a good plan.
CLOSED FILE Closed files are the hardest lines of all to open as a pawn on a file either has to make a capture or be captured. Pawn exchanges can be used to force open a file, provided the defender cannot push past. Advancing or exchanging pawns opens diagonals and ranks. A line can sometimes be kept closed by pushing past with a pawn.
DOUBLING ROOKS Sometimes it is possible to prepare doubling of rooks by moving one rook up a file, because the opposing rook dare not exchange as you will recapture with an improvemnet in pawn structure.
TRIPLING MAJOR PIECES If rooks are doubled, then placing the queen on the same line increases their strength. This is called a powerhouse.
WRONG ROOK Often a player has the choice of which rook to move to the first square of a file. It has turned out so often that it would have been better to move the other rook so often that a term `the wrong rook’ has been invented.
RIGHT ROOK The rook moves to the file that allows the other rook to move to the other open file. The king rook is immobile, but has the merit of : (1) guarding f2. (2) preparing advance of f pawn. (3) when e rook is taken its not check. The right rook depends on the availability of open and half open files. When there are less than 2 open or half-open files the choice becomes more difficult. It will depend on what files are likely to become opened.
COORDINATE This is a general term to indicate how well pieces are working together. They may be combining to attack the same point. Rooks and queen can combine on the same rank/file. Bishops and queen can combine on the same diagonal. Pawn and bishop/queen can combine on the same square.
COMPLEMENT 2 pieces that carry out functions with little or no overlap.
KING The mobility of the king is worth about 4 points, but is a very vulnerable piece. The king can move to 3 squares from a corner, 5 from a side and 8 from any other square.
QUEEN The queen is worth 9 and is the most mobile piece, though its value in attack is limited due to its high value. A queen may be involved in line combinations (pins/skewers/discoveries etc.). The queen's mobility increases as it moves towards the centre.
ROOK Rook is worth 5 and is a fairly mobile piece. A rook may be involved in line combinations (pins/skewers/discoveries etc.). The rook can move to 14 different squares from any square on an open board. A rook increases in value as the endgame approaches.
BISHOP Is worth 3 and can travel fast from side to side, but can only move on squares of one colour. A bishop may be involved in line combinations (pins/skewers/discoveries etc.).
BAD BISHOP A bad bishop outside a chain pawn chain may be more mobile than if it was inside a pawn chain.
LINE PIECES Queens rooks and bishops move an infinite distance along a line, bounded only by the edge of the board. They can be obstructed by a unit of either colour. They all take a maximum of 2 moves to get to reach a square on an empty board. A rooks can do this in 2 different ways A bishop the same (unless corner squares are involved) and the queen ,many more ways.
KNIGHT The knight switches colour every time it moves. The knight moves a minimum of 2 squares and a maximum of 8 possible squares. It takes 4 moves to get to side to side and 5 moves from corner to corner.
KNIGHT CAPTURES A knight can take the pawn in 2 moves in the following cases: 4 squares away 2 pieces 2 squares apart diagonally cannot be forked by a knight. 2 pieces, 1 square apart diagonally, with one on the corner, cannot be forked.
KNIGHTS TOUR In this position, move the knight The knight cannot capture a pawn or move en prise. (The pawns are moving down the board.)
KNIGHT AND SQUARES A knight on the edge is usually weak due to lack of mobility, unless en route to somewhere better.
KNIGHT ON 1ST RANK Usually weakly placed here. When retreating to this rank, rooks are often disconnected. In some cases, retreating here may be part of an effective redeployment.
KNIGHT ON 2ND RANK Usually weakly placed here. In some cases, moving here may be part of an effective redeployment.
KNIGHT ON 3RD RANK May be good for blockading passed pawns and helping defend the king.
KNIGHT ON 4TH RANK May be well defensively placed and may redeploy to an offensive square.
KNIGHT ON 5TH RANK May be a strong attacking post.
KNIGHT ON 6TH RANK May be a strong attacking post. May control the opponents entry squares of open and half-open files.
KNIGHT ON 7TH OR 8TH RANKS Usually weakly placed here, despite having advanced deep in the opponents position. In some cases, moving here may be part of an effective redeployment.
KNIGHT ON OUTPOST A knight on a strong square may be well placed, depending on its position relative to the centre, the opponents king and how well it co-operates with other pieces.
EDGE SQUARES Squares such as g7, h7, g8 and h8 tend to be too close to the corner to be often effective. Sometimes a move to one of these squares may lead to an effective redeployment.
PAWN Unlike any other unit, a pawn can never move backwards. Every time a pawn moves, squares it guarded can never be guarded by that pawn again. Never make a pawn move without a clear reason. Prefer to move a piece as a waiting move.
PAWN DRIVING AWAY PIECES A pawn move may drive way pieces A pawn move may guard squares. A pawn move may be weakening.
PAWNS AND PINS A pawn move may prevent a pin. A pawn move may create a flight square. A pawn move may guard a piece/pawn.
PAWNS AND SPACE A pawn move may gain space. A pawn move may free own pieces. A pawn move may block opponents pieces.
PAWN MAJORITIES A pawn move may prepare to create passed pawn. A move may advance a pawn that later becomes passed.
PAWN ON SECOND RANK A pawn here has maximum flexibility, though here it may obstruct your own pieces.
PAWN ON THIRD RANK A pawn here is basically in a defensive situation. A middlegame position in which 2 pawns are adjacent on the third, is sometimes called a hedgehog.
PAWN ON FOURTH RANK A pawn here has made a significant gain in space and may control central squares.
PAWN ON FIFTH RANK A pawn here has gained a lot of space and may help cramp the opponent. Squares left behind may be subject to counterattack.
PAWN ON SIXTH RANK Here a passed pawn is very strong and threatens to advance to the seventh. If not passed, can sometimes cramp the opponents game.
PAWN ON SEVENTH RANK Here a pawn is very strong and may be worth a piece.
PAWN CAPTURES Whenever a pawn makes a capture, the pawn structure is radically altered. Pawns may become doubled, or undoubled, isolated or rejoined, space may be gained or lost, weak squares may be created or removed. The kingside and the queenside are identical except for the positions of the king and queen. Because of this, it is assumed that both sides are castled kingside.
CAPTURING TOWARDS THE CENTRE The above is a good rule. Pawns that capture towards the centre have the power to control more central squares. Rook pawns that capture towards the centre double the number of squares they control.
*TWO PIECES 2 different types of pieces combine in a variety of ways.
TWO KNIGHTS These can complement O.K., but can be poorly placed if defending each other and don't combine to attack well.
TWO BISHOPS Two bishops complement other very well, as between them they cover all the squares of the board. Their weakness is that they cannot defend each other or combine to attack the same point. Particularly with rooks or queens on the board, they are sometimes stronger than 2 knights or knight and bishop hence, `the advantage of the 2 bishops.' Don't exchange a bishop for a knight if it gives the opponent 2 bishops, unless there is something else to be gained.
KNIGHT AND BISHOP These can complement each other by covering squares of both colours but don't combine attack and defence so easily.
ROOK AND KNIGHT These complement and combine in both attack and defence well.
ROOK AND BISHOP These complement and combine in both attack and defence well.
TWO ROOKS 2 rooks combine very well in both defence and attack.
QUEEN AND KNIGHT These complement and combine in both attack and defence well.
QUEEN AND BISHOP These complement and combine in both attack and defence well as they combine on the same diagonal.
QUEEN AND ROOK These complement and combine in both attack and defence well. Sometimes they can combine on the same rank or file.
PIECE UNCO-ORDINATION There are numerous ways in which pieces can be blocked. Rooks, bishops and queens can be obstructed on a line. A knight is only obstructed by pieces of its own colour.
OBSTRUCTED PAWN A pawn is obstructed by any piece of either colour.
TRAFFIC JAMS A piece may block a piece, which is blocking another piece.
OPEN POSITION An open position is one in which there are few blocked pawns to hamper the mobility of the pieces.
CLOSED POSITION A closed position is one in which there blocked pawns which hamper the mobility of the pieces.
PLANS Planning can either be short-term or long-term.
SHORT TERM PLANNING Short term plans often range from 2-4 moves and include ideas such as driving back a well placed piece or exchanging off a well placed opponent piece. A plan possible in many positions is to improve the position of your worst placed piece by moving it towards a good or best square. A plan may involve preparing a pawn advance to gain space, create a passed pawn or open lines. A plan should be a simple one that cannot be foiled.
UNPINNING Having a pinned piece ties down 1 or more of your own pieces. Unpinning helps to activate your pieces.
UNBLOCKING A plan may involve freeing a blocked piece.
UNTYING Having a piece defending another unit restricts activity of that piece. A piece may be freed in a number of ways; including moving the attacked piece, protecting the attacked piece with a pawn. ,blocking the attack.
DEFENDING defensive+attacking plans create a weakness in opposing pawn structure create weakness in opposing king position repair own pawn structure strengthen defensive position control of lines versus weak pawns with weak pawns
LONG TERM PLANNING Long term (or strategic) planning may be preparing for many moves ahead. Planning is often aimed at reaching a favorable ending. Certain pieces or pawns may be exchanged, or certain pawn formations induced (or avoided) for advantages that might not materialize for many moves to come. An important aspect of planning ability is judgment, which takes much experience to develop highly.
OPENING LINES Ranks, files and diagonals can be opened in different ways. Pawns may be captured, exchanged or sacrificed to open lines for queens rooks and bishops. Opening lines against the opponent king is very important.
PRINCIPLES AND MAXIMS Some principles are very abstract and may apply in many situations. Others are much more concrete and specific.
The saying `there is an exception to every rule' is very apt here. There is an exception to every principle, except where the saying is a truism. Some principles will have far more exceptions than others.
A principle may apply to only one phase of the game, or to several.
Some principles are conventional wisdom which has existed for centuries while others can be acquired by common sense. Others have been made popular by well known authors and famous players. Some of the strong players who introduced many of today's dogmas were Steinitz, Lasker and Tarrasch.
Some principles are similar and tend to support each other, while others even contradict each other. It is important to determine the relative usefulness of relevant principles. Priorities are very important in chess.
What you understand by these principles will depend on how you think and what your experience and study. The more experience you have, the deeper your understanding of principles will tend to be. Remember though, it is not the quantity of what you know, it is the quality of your understanding that counts.
Usually it is good for inexperienced players to follow principles (especially in the opening) unless there is a good reason not to. Stronger players can safely break the rules more often, though probably more often than they should. Principles are often of two forms: do this or don't do that.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES Keep your pieces active- Whether winning or losing, keep your pieces in play Tie your opponents pieces down. - Always unpin. A pinned (or tied) piece is in itself a disadvantage, Free several pieces by unpinning as soon as practicable. Co-ordinate your piece - try to reduce the amount pieces obstruct each other .and encourage opponent to obstruct theirs Achieve harmony in your position Have your pieces and pawns work as a team, and find the hidden harmony in the position. Don't take unnecessary risks Don't exchange a position you know is good, for one that might be good. Anticipate the best move - Don't jump to conclusions - Make the most of your chances - Destroy counter chances - Don't waste time - Place pieces on good squares Move a piece to its best possible square, ideally where it is mobile, hard to be attacked and where it co-operates with everything else. Never move pawn without clear reason, as pawns can’t go backwards. Have a clear simple idea behind each move, if the idea is vague, then move is likely to be bad. If upon replaying a game, and you can’t remember why you played a move, your idea behind it was vague. Try and get the most out of each move.
POSITIONAL MISTAKES Like tactical mistakes, positional mistakes vary in consequence, but not so greatly. One mistake might be a liability in the short term, while another might not show up for many moves - for example, till the endgame. It is useful to call the later strategic mistakes.
A move which does nothing wastes time. Time is important in all phases of the game, not just the opening. A move amy be OK, but there amy be another more efficient way. Comparing the relative usefulness of similar moves can help make a choice.
A move may disrupt harmony between your pieces. pieces amy unnecessarily obstruct each other or be obstructed by pawns. Sometimes it is useful to keep pawns unobstructed. A piece may be placed on a bad square, where it is lacking in mobility or is out of `play'.(relative to where the action is). Pieces amy not combine effectively. searching for harmony in your position (and disharmony in your opponents) can help positional play.
Because a pawn cannot move backwards, every pawn move is weakening! In the initial position the pawns are at their greatest flexibility. A pawn moving one squares leaves 2 formerly guarded squares unguarded (rook pawns only one). Always see what squares you are leaving unguarded when you move a pawn.
Moving pawns in front of your king may leave him vulnerable. If you cannot find anything to do, do not move a pawn without a good reason. Most players make too many pawn moves.
Keep your king safe. Positional mistakes which weaken your king position have the most dramatic consequences! Sometimes you need a couple of pieces defending your king as well as a pawn barrier.
Playing a good game requires a balance between caution and boldness. Many slight errors are inevitable and it takes much experience to play well positionally. Fortunately though, you can usually make a fair number of positional errors and still have a reasonable game. One large tactical blunder can be worse than dozens of positional ones. Sometimes one error can turn a winning game into a lost one. It is worth noting that small positional errors tend to increase the likelihood of making a tactical mistake.
Learning from your mistakes can be an important way to improve. Make as many mistakes as you can (provided you don't know that they are mistakes), but don't repeat the same mistake twice! You are condemned to repeat a lesson until you have learned from it. The key is to understand how and why the mistake happened.