Middle Game

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
11.22.2019

We have been talking a lot about attacking and finding active ideas in your games, but very little about how to defend and put up a good resistance when under pressure. Many players train their tactical skills, but very few know that defense can be trained in a similar way. Perhaps this is the reason […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
11.12.2019

A very important feature of the position and one that we should pay special attention to during every game we play is the pawn structure and the changes that it might suffer throughout the game, as your plans should also change with it. The study of the most important pawn formations will not only help […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
09.28.2019

Having active, well-coordinated pieces is all a chess player can dream about. It is one of the most important principles that you have to keep in mind during the game. Always improve your pieces and look for the most active squares they can occupy. Treat your pieces well and they will help you deliver the […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
09.10.2019

Pawn breaks are powerful tools that can change completely the character of a position. Generally, they are known to be freeing moves that help improve our position and are meant to create problems in our opponent’s – weaknesses, dangerous open files, etc. In positions with the isolated queen’s pawn specifically, the typical break that we […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.30.2019

Most chess players are all familiar with the concept of prophylaxis; it is one of the most important elements in the chess battlefield. By definition, prophylactic thinking means “to prevent the opponent’s plans beforehand”. Certainly easy to understand; however, as it happens with every chess concept it is much more difficult to play in practice. […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.26.2019

It is never a good idea to disobey chess principles. Although we live in modern days, where the powerful engines have taught us that in chess the principles or “rules” are not always mandatory, for a human it’s helpful to have an understandable guide on how to play the opening phase. Therefore, the principles are […]

Yury Markushin
07.19.2019
1
Yury Markushin
07.19.2019

Positional sacrifice is a very important topic for those who wish to take their positional understanding to the next level. The importance of positional chess cannot be underestimated. It is a fundamental understanding of the game, it’s core principles and ideas. And it is one of the key reasons why Masters beat club players in […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
07.03.2019

A game of chess goes through many phases and changes. Every strategic game must be complemented by the good tactical vision.  Every good attacking player needs to have good positional skills. It doesn’t matter how great a positional player one is if tactical opportunities are missed. Just the same, there are many good attacking players […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.21.2019

The structure we are going to talk about in this lesson is, in fact, a form of hanging pawns. From a strategic point of view, it represents a weakness for the side having it. However, it can be successfully used in combination with a dynamic play. ***

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.02.2019

In every game we play, trading pieces is inevitable. However, this shouldn’t be done automatically and it is important to choose the right moment and the right pieces to trade. Today we are going to talk about queens and when you should decide to trade them off and when to keep them on the board. […]