middlegame - tag
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 […]
Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. This is a very popular saying that’s even more popular among chess players. As good as you get, you can’t help but lose a game from time to time or draw a completely winning position which, to be honest, sometimes feels just as bad as a loss. Defeat is […]
King’s Indian Defense is one of the most popular replies for black against white’s 1.d4. It is the perfect weapon for the active player who likes to be aggressive and is not afraid of complications. The opening is well-known for the dangerous attacks that black can start on the kingside, which has produced many brilliant […]
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. […]
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 […]
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. […]
Equal Chess Positions: The engines really don’t care about us, humans, who have to play a position that they happily evaluate as equal. Feed it a symmetrical position with equal material and no apparent weaknesses and it will tell you it is “just equal,” sometimes even a “dead draw.”
The pawn majority is an important concept in chess and it refers to the side of the board where you have more pawns than your opponent. The main plan in this type of structure is to find the right moment to advance the pawns, gain more space and cramp your opponent’s position. However, as it […]
Won Positions are said the most difficult ones to win. And I believe many of you can relate to this saying. No matter how big the advantage, there are opponents who just won’t give up and will put up stubborn resistance. Not only that, but our brain sometimes seems to be on their side as […]
Chess Engine and Databases: One of the most important tasks every chess player needs to do in order to improve his level is to analyze carefully his own games, regardless of the result. Analyzing your own games has existed forever. Mikhail Botvinnik was one of the most notable world champions to recommend this practice as […]
