Middle Game
By pushing the pawns, weak squares are inevitably created in our position. It is very important to know how to correctly use and even create them in your opponent’s camp in order to win the game. Before moving further, we will first define what a weak square is – it is a square that can […]
Most chess players have a general idea of how to play the opening. However, they have problems understanding the middle-game strategies because it is not very straightforward and does not have a simple “opening idea” of developing pieces, putting the king to safety, etc. After reading this article you will learn seven most important principles […]
In our previous article on this subject, we wrote about the characteristics of the exchange sacrifice, dividing them in two groups. Sacrifices are done in order to attack the opponent’s position and in order to defend from our opponent’s threats. Let’s review our list from our previous article. ***
The exchange sacrifice is one of the most fascinating themes in chess. It is not a mating combination, nor a temporary sacrifice to get back the material within a few moves. It’s a deep positional sacrifice that changes the character of the position. The pieces acquire the true value for what they do on the […]
Positions in which an isolated central pawn appears are a common element in chess. In this article, we will look deeper into the advantages of this pawn structure and how to exploit them. First of all, to know how to play these positions (no matter what side you’re on) we must understand certain concepts about […]
Continuing our series of strategy and middlegame articles we are going to dedicate this issue to the pawn formation known as ”hanging pawns”. *** See the next diagram. **
You must have heard a million times that a queenside pawn majority is usually preferable, as it gives you a significant strategic advantage. But why is it better and how should you play in order to increase your advantage? It is common knowledge that a queenside majority is dangerous in the endgames, but, many times, […]
In today’s article, we will take a look at some of the very simple middlegame ideas that many players ignore. Chess is a game in which every little detail counts. The higher level a player gets the more “details” they understand and pay attention to. For example, at the beginner’s level, the doubled pawns are […]
The pawn structure is a factor that primarily decides how the game will progress. In order to play chess at a high level, it is necessary to understand the fundamental pawn formations that arise from the openings. GM Andrew Soltis has classified major pawn formations into 22 main categories depending on the opening played. In […]
In the first part of this article, we have discussed how to play against the doubled pawns and exploit their weakness. It is very important to remember that they are not always weak and there are situations when doubled pawns represent an advantage. ***
