Skip to content
TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • TCW Academy
    • iChess
    • Chess-Teacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman Chess Lab
    • Foxy Chess
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
    • Rules Chess Strategies
    • Improve My Chess
    • Others
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

10 Reasons to Play with a Plan

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
11.20.2020
Category: General Information
Tags: finding a plan, how to find a plan, Plan, planning chess game,
10 Reasons to Play with a Plan

One of the concepts you’ve certainly heard or come across in your studying is planning. It is something every coach teaches their pupils right from the start, albeit with different words. Each move has to have an idea is something each of us has heard before. And while the level of difficulty of this idea will change with our chess understanding, this is still the essence of the word “plan”.

A very popular saying among chess players is that “a bad plan is better than no plan at all”, so why is so important to always have a plan in mind when you make a move?

1.Discover the Weaknesses

A chess game is not just a bunch of random moves played on a board. Victory does not come by chance. Just like in any other sport, you have to work towards “tricking” and outplaying your opponent. To do that, you’ll need to discover their weaknesses and find a way of using them – that is where planning comes in handy.

2.Piece Coordination

Planning is basically getting your pieces to work towards a common goal. By following a certain idea, your pieces will cooperate with each other. They won’t be placed purposeless around the board. When the pieces are coordinated and placed harmoniously, things will usually go in your favour when you are ready to strike and cash in on your advantage.

3.Assessing the Position

In order to come up with a plan, you’ll need to first assess the position. This is a very important and useful step. It helps you understand your weaknesses and advantages in the position and points out what you should be playing for.

4.Knowing What to Play

A good assessment of the position will tell you if your position is better or worse and if you can press for an advantage or you should be careful and try to fix your position. It will tell you on which side to play on and what to play against. Basically, you will know what to do.

5.The Endgame

While the middlegame can take you to different paths, for example to sharp positions where planning won’t help and you’ll have to use your calculation skills, the situation is different in the endgame. Here, you will always need to have a plan in order to know how to approach different positions.

6.Prophylaxis

Looking for a plan will not only help you discover what you have to do in a position, but also what your opponent wants to do. Each side should play with a plan and, if you are able to guess your opponent’s, you can also try to find the best way to stop it or slow it down. Prophylaxis is a great weapon and you can only use it when you understand your opponent’s ideas.

7.Boost of Confidence

When your opponent is not following the best plan in the position or is not playing according to the pawn structure, for example, you will know it and try to punish it. Knowing that something shouldn’t work in a certain type of position will give you the confidence you need to carry on with your ideas.

8.How to Approach the Position?

Some positions should be approached with calculation, while others can be played by concepts. This is an important idea to understand and the first part of creating a plan – assessing the position will usually help you figure it out.

9.Saving Time

Doing a short assessment of the position could help you save time. If the position is wild and full of tactical ideas, you can go ahead and calculate your possibilities. However, if the position is solid and quiet, the calculation part can only be limited to a few moves, to make sure you’re not blundering anything. Otherwise, carrying on with the logical moves of your plan is probably the answer.

10.Move Sequences

One last thing to remember is that planning doesn’t mean figuring out the game until the end. They are usually stages you go through during the game and they will change with the changes that happen in the position. Plans can be short (2-3 moves) or long; again, this depends on the position you’re in.

Want to learn how IMs plan the game?

IM Boroljub’s Finding the Winning Plan applies his long experience in strong tournaments, as well as distilling the cream of his chess research findings, systematically training you in all of the middlegame planning methods used by masters of the past and present.

finding-winning-plan

Get Finding Winning Plan 60% off

Find this post useful? Share it?
Become a Chess Player You've Meant to Be!
TCW Academy is the fast, fun & convenient way to become a MUCH better chess player.
Join Academy Today!

Related Posts

  • 5 Steps to Chess Master Decision Making5 Steps to Chess Master Decision Making
  • 5 Steps to Finding a Plan5 Steps to Finding a Plan
  • rook and bishopRook and Bishop vs. Rook Endgame
Related Products
5 1 vote
Article Rating
Login
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Join the FREE Road to 2200 Masterclass (and learn how to Attack Like a Chess Master)
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
TheChessWorld.com
http://pogonina.com/
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us [email protected]
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2023 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz
wpDiscuz