The Art And Craft of Planning in Chess

Introduction

The middlegame is the most difficult part of the game of chess. Just how do we choose the right plan in the middlegame?
What is the best move? How do we improve our position? How do we turn our opponent's position to bad? Very little has
been written on the middlegame and not much has been said on how to estimate whether the plan we choose is going to be
successful or not. This webpage hopes to improve the reader's chess performance by teaching him how to plan in chess!

Planning in Chess

Most players are so busy thinking up their own moves and concentrating on their own plans that they pay little or no
attention to what their opponent is doing and soon find themselves in a hopeless position. To overcome this fault, one must
remember that in chess it is not the best move that you must seek but 2 best plans - your opponent's plans and then yours.
Each time after your opponent moves, forget about your own plans for a while and concentrate on his move. What is his
plan? What does he intend to do? The earlier you become aware of your opponent's intentions, the easier will it be to meet
them in the best possible way.

All plans in chess can only be based on four things:

1. the 3 Strongest Moves in Chess - check, capture & passed pawn
2. the Existence of a Combination
3. the Pawn Structure and
4. on the Mobility & Cooperation of Pieces
Planning Based on the 3 Strongest Moves in Chess

Fred Reinfeld once said, "The 3 strongest moves in chess are checks, capture and pawn promotion." They are strong in that
if you answer them insufficiently, you lose material. It is therefore important to always run through their possibilities. If
your opponent can make one of these 3 moves, there's a pretty good chance they will be included in his plan. Is there a
check? Can he capture one of your pieces? Can he create a dangerous passed pawn? Any of these 3 can show up while
you're in the middle of the game so don't forget to check for them first.

"It is not a move not even the best move that you must seek
but a realizable plan"- Znosko Borovsky

Best Lessons of A Chess Coach

This series of lessons by the master player and nationally recognized teacher Sunil Weeranatry brings the fundamentals of
strategy and tactics to life and shows players at all levels how to think like a master. Weeramantry is a FIDE Master and
former New York State Chess Champion. One of the most successful chess coaches in the country, he has coached over
thirty individual and team champions in National Scholastic Championships. He served as a coach for the U.S. team in
three World Youth Chess Championships, and currently serves as executive director of the National Scholastic Chess
Foundation.

Planning Based on The Existence of a Combination

In the absence of the 3 strongest moves in chess, we look at the position for signs or signals that indicate the existence of a
combination. At least one of these "T.H.I.E.F.S." signals must be present for a combination to exist.
Trapped pieces
Hanging or undefended pieces.
Inadequately defended pieces or squares. Look for pieces that are defending other pieces.Is it possible to divert,
decoy, or block the defending piece so that the piece it defended is left unprotected? Is back rank mate possible?
Be on the lookout for ways of creating passed pawns by decoying enemy pawns off important files. Look
especially and constantly for enemy pieces performing more than one function. Can such a piece be forced to
fulfil only one of its functions?
Exposed King. Is it possible to increase the pressure by opening up more lines.
Fork possibility - pawn and knight fork.
Same rank, file or diagonal. Look for ranks, files, and diagonals that contain more than one enemy piece. Look for
ways of decoying enemy pieces to the same line (file, rank, or diagonal).
If you see any of these items in a given position, you can start checking if a plan based on a combination is realizable. Don't
forget however to see first if any of the 3 strongest moves in chess can be made - checks, captures and passed pawns. Any
of these 3 can spoil a planned combination.
"The three strongest moves in chess are
check, capture & passed pawn."- Fred Reinfeld

Best Lessons of A Chess Coach

This series of lessons by the master player and nationally recognized teacher Sunil Weeranatry brings the fundamentals of
strategy and tactics to life and shows players at all levels how to think like a master. Weeramantry is a FIDE Master and
former New York State Chess Champion. One of the most successful chess coaches in the country, he has coached over
 thirty individual and team champions in National Scholastic Championships. He served as a coach for the U.S. team in
three World Youth Chess Championships, and currently serves as executive director of the National Scholastic Chess
Foundation.

Meeting Captures
Few mistakes can be more costly in chess than failing to guard against captures. Often times a player is so pre-occupied
with long-range problems that he misses an innocent-looking capture that wins the game instantly. Why are captures
overlooked? Probably because they turn up in positions that seem simple and routine; the players are less alert.
If players acquire the belief that almost every chess positions no matter how simple, has tactical possibilities, then they are
on their way to overcoming the tendency to overlook captures. What features of the position might have helped players see
the danger ahead? The features are King at the center, tangled pieces, open lines, etc. almost similar to the T.H.I.E.F.S.
signals discussed earlier. Players must be quick to recognize these signals.
Once the signals are recognized and the threat of capture is seen the player has to decide how to meet the capturing
threat.There are various ways of meeting the threat of capture. The various methods are A.A.C.C.I.D.M.P.
A llow Capture & counter-attack
A llow capture & capture something else
C apture the attacker
C apture something else with your attacked man
I nterpose
D efend the attacked piece
M ove away or
P in the attacker.
When the threatened capture would cost you material, you must select one of the various methods above which you believe is
best in the circumstance. There are a number of circumstances in which capturing is advisable. The most important are :
when up in material, to gain material or mate, to gain tempo, to preserve initiative, to create a weakness or positional
advantage, to get rid of an attacking piece, to get rid of an obstructing defender & for endgame considerations (always
capture with a view of the endgame).
The Pawn Capture. When one captures a pawn it is necessary to estimate the loss of time and compensation one concedes
to the opponent in the process. The decision is particularly critical when our position is still insufficiently developed. A
center pawn should be taken only when tactical calculation shows that the opponent's immediate threats could be warded
off and no difficulties in development of the pieces are to be expected.; a flank pawn should be taken only when winning it
does not involve a great loss of time or help the opponent open attacking lines with advantage.

"The earlier you become aware of your opponent's intentions,

the easier will it be to meet them in the best possible way." - Ludek Pachman

Endgame Play
Chris Ward explains in easy steps how to handle typical endgame situations. Filled with practical test positions- using your
king, which pawns are most important, keeping your pieces active, making things difficult for your opponent and traps to
avoid. Chris Ward is a young International master on the verge of the Grandmaster title. He has an impressive track record
as a trainer. In 1995 alonehis pupils won a total of 10 British Championships in a variety of age groups .

Sacrificing

Caution must be exercised when sacrificing where there is no chance of mate; if the result is but the gain of a pawn or a
loss of a positional advantage on another part of the board. SACRIFICE TO EXPOSE KING There are many ways in
which a piece sacrifice may be used to break up a castled king position. SACRIFICE ON R7 When a bishop sacrifices on
this square it is known as Greek gift or classic bishop sacrifice. DECLINING THE GREEK GIFT Declining the Greek gift
usually leads to a strong attack as the rook pawn is missing. In a few cases, declining the sacrifice will refute it, especially
if the bishop cannot retreat. GREEK GIFT: HELPFUL FACTORS Factors that make a Greek gift more likely to work
include a bishop on the c1 -h6 diagonal (makes it less likely for the king to escape to h6) ,a pawn on K5 (stops a knight
from going to f6) and on rook on K1 which may later join the attack. GREEK GIFT: DEFENCES AFTER NN5+ After
NN5+, the defender has several defensive tries. Moving to h8 usually loses quickly. Running back with the king to g8 can
be good if h7 can later be defended. Escaping to h6 is often impossible if there is a white bishop on the c1 -h6 diagonal,
because of a powerful discovery. Moving to h6 can sometimes be O.K., especially if there is no bishop. Moving to g6 can
sometimes be the only move, but can sometimes escape. Other common sacrifices include GRECOS mate which involves a
sacrifice on h7, followed by a queen check on h5. Sacrifices on g7 can be dangerous, as the N pawn is the worst pawn to be
missing. Sacrifices on f7 can be dangerous, especially with a bishop on the long diagonal. Sometimes the capture of a pawn
that has moved to KR3 is possible, especially if 2 pieces are attacking that square. A sacrifice sometimes happens after the
defender has played P-KN3 , usually when it is defended only once. If it defended twice, sometimes a double sacrifice on
that square may be possible. An exchange sac on B3 is a possibility on this square. A knight sacrifice may happen here.

"The earlier you become aware of your opponent's intentions,

the easier will it be to meet them in the best possible way." - Pachman

MCO-13 Modern Chess Openings

Completely revised by Nick DeFirmian. The Chessplayer's bible now in algebraic notation. Takes into account every
significant tournament and match game played in recent years, and all important published theoritical work. It contains in-
 depth analysis of every opening currently in use, from the Ruy Lopez, the French Defense,the Sicilian Defense, the King's
Indian, the Nimzo-Indian,the Queen's Gambit and the English Opening, with up- to- the- minute evaluations of all known
variations. Also included is exhaustive analysis of the subtle and enduringly popular older openings(Giuoco Piano, Two
Knights, Vienna), and even the tricky openings that can be refuted only if you know the right moves.

Chess Secrets Home <http://chessdoctor.com/index.htm>

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3 Opening Principles
Challenge the Trespasser
Chess Notation
Doubled Parked
Draws
Eliminate the Defender
Fool’s Mate
Forcing Moves
Gen. Sherman vs. Gen. Thomas
Greek Gift
Horses on the Cliff
Kings Bite
Lady-in-Waiting
Open and Closed
Opening Checklist
Opening Map
Pawn Forks
Pawn Groups
Public Enemy No. 1
Public Enemy No. 2
Public Enemy No. 3
Spend a Week at Work
Walls of Jericho
3 Opening Chess Principles
The following chess principles are considered "the rule",
though each one will have exceptions. Until a beginner learns
when and why he should deviate from them, these chess
principles should be adhered to religiously.
Develop your chess pieces! Beginning chess players need to
see their knights, bishops, rooks, and queen as soldiers
sleeping in the chess "barracks" on the back rank. Not until
they are moved off of the back row (or rank) will they be
able to fight the enemy.
Attack the center four squares of the chessboard! As you
learn how each of your chess pieces and pawns captures,
you need to be sure and attack e4, e5, d4, & d5 at least as
many times as your opponent does. Don't rush your chess
pieces to the outside files (a,b,g, & h) until the center of the
chess board is sufficiently threatened. The most frequent and
most violent attacks in chess will either come through the center
of the chess board or will come as a result of a center that
wasn't attacked enough times.
Protect your king! Always remember that despite all of the
many, many chess components that will demand your attention
during a game of chess, all of them are secondary to checking
your king's safety before every move. Normally, the king
needs to be removed from the center of the chessboard,
where the action is most furious, by a special move called
"castling". When castling in chess, the king moves two squares
toward either rook, and that rook "leap frogs" over the king
landing on the square next to him. This is the only time in
chess when the king can move two spaces in one turn on the
chessboard.
Several conditions must be met in chess before you can castle.
First, this must be the king's and rook's first move of the chess
game. Second, there can be no chess pieces sitting on the
squares between the king and the rook. Third, none of the
three chess squares involving the king (the square he starts
on, the square he passes over, and the square he lands on)
can be in check (threatened by an opposing piece).
Challenge the trespasser.
When a knight, bishop, or any enemy piece trespasses on
your half of the chessboard, especially in the center, you
must confront him soon by attacking him, trading with him,
or driving him away. Don't allow his threat to chess squares
in your camp to continue. As play goes on, your opponent
will try to infiltrate other chess pieces into your camp protected
by the first piece that trespassed. Stop this cancer from
spreading by opposing any and every piece that enters your
territory. Don’t give your opponent a foothold in your
domain by letting one of his pieces establish an outpost that
can be used as a springboard for an invasion.

Chess Notation
There are many types of chess notation, but the simplest
one is the one we will use. First, turn your chess (or checker)
board so that the right hand corner of the board, as you and
your opponent face it, is the light color square. If the squares
are white and green, then the right hand corner of the
chessboard is white. If the squares of the chessboard are red
and black, then the right hand corner is red. When setting up the
chessboard, right is light!
Next, set up your chess pieces. If you don't know how, I
recommend that you purchase a cheap chess set (usually
$5.00 from Wal-Mart) and follow the directions. You may
have a friend that can help, or you can borrow a chess book
from the library. When setting up your chess pieces, remember
to place the queen on her own color. This means the white
queen goes on the fourth square from the left on the back
row nearest to the person playing the white chess pieces.
This will be a white square. The black queen will be on the
fourth square from the right of the person playing the black
chess pieces - a black square.
We now have to label the ranks (rows of squares running
left to right) and the files (rows of squares running "up and
down" or from one chess player to the other) on the
chessboard. Ranks are labeled with numbers, and files are
labeled with letters. You can actually write the numbers and
letters on the chessboard much like the board game "Battleship".
Your ranks are numbered from the white side of the
chess board to the black side. The row with the white queen
and the other white chess pieces on it (not pawns) is rank #1.
The white pawns are on rank #2. The black queen and the
other chess pieces are on rank #8.
The chess files are lettered "a" through "h". As the chess
player playing the white pieces looks at the chess board, the
white queen is on the "d" file, while the white king is on the
"e" file.The bishop to the right of the king is on the "f" file,
while the bishop to the left of the queen is on the "c" file of
the chess board.
Just as in "Battleship", chess squares have a first name and
a last name. The first name of each chess square is the letter
of the file they're in, and their last name is the number of the
rank they are on. This helps us correctly identify the movements
of each chess piece. Since the letter is given first when naming
a chess square, what name would you give to the chess square
on which the white queen starts the game? That's right, d1,
because she sits on the intersection of the "d" file and the first
rank. The black queen sits on d8 to start the game. Chess
notation is dependent on this system.
When we notate or write down the moves of a chess game,
we simply write down the name of the square that the chess
piece WAS on and the name of the square that the chess
piece is GOING TO. If we were to move the white pawn in
front of the white king two spaces ahead, the move would
read e2 - e4. The hyphen means the word "to". This signifies
that whatever chess piece was on e2 now has moved to e4.
This system of chess notation has proven to be the least
confusing to my beginning chess students over the years.
A typical layout of a notated game will look like this:
Betty Jo Bob
White Black
1. e2 - e4 e7 - e5
2. f1 - c4 b8 - c6
3. d1 - h5 g8 - f6
4. h5 x f7 #
The "#" sign means checkmate (chess game over). Sometimes
a "++" sign is used and means "game over" also. A single
"+" means check (king is attacked by an enemy chess piece).
The white queen has checkmated the black king in the above
chess game. She has threatened to take the black king (check),
and he is unable to escape from his position on the chessboard
(mate). The king cannot take the white queen for the king
would then be in check (threatened) by the white bishop.
A king can never put himself in check in a game of chess!
In the short form of chess notation , we will add the letters
B, N, R, Q, and K before the chess notation to identify which
chess piece is being moved. Each letter replaces the first move
and hyphen in the chess notation. The bishop uses the letter B,
the knight uses N, the rook uses R, the queen uses Q, and the
king uses K. No capital letter in chess notation indicates a pawn
is being moved. Moving the white knight from g1 to f3 in chess
short form notation would read Nf3. When a capture takes place,
we use the letter "x". For example, exd5 means that the pawn
on e4 just took the piece or pawn on d5.
So, you should now be equipped to read and understand
the next lesson on chess, and begin writing down (notating)
your own chess games as you play them. Taking the time
and effort to write down your chess moves will accelerate
your learning tenfold!
When you notate a chess game, you can go over it by yourself,
with a friend, or pay to have it analyzed by an experienced
chess teacher. As your knowledge grows, you can review
your own chess games learning where your mistakes lay and
why they are mistakes. A notated chess game offers continual
lessons that otherwise would have been lost forever!
Double Parked
Did you ever have someone block your car with theirs?
Or have you ever known anyone to stop in the middle
of a doorway to start a conversation with someone
forcing you to stop and ask to be excused so that you
could get through? Then you can relate to this tip.
One of the most obvious signs of an inexperienced
player is the common blunder Bd3 before d4 for
the white pieces (Bd6 before d5 for the black pieces).

The bishop blocks the d pawn from developing and

requires a second move by the bishop before it can
be free - a needless loss of time.
The bishop can move to b5, c4, or e2 prior to playing
d4, but it shouldn't move to d3.
Be polite to your teammates! Don't get in each other's
way while rushing to develop your pieces!
Draws
There are three possible outcomes to a chess game:
win, lose, or draw. A draw means that the game was
tied and that neither player won.
Stalemate is one of the three kinds of draws. A player
can draw by any of the following ways:
1. stalemate 2. fifty-move rule 3. three fold repetition
Stalemate occurs when it is one player's turn to move
but he has no legal move. For example, if it is white's turn,
and he has only his king which is located on h1 while black
has a queen on f2 and a king on g8.
White is unable to move even though it is his turn. It is
against the rules of chess for the king to put himself into
check. So, this game is a draw, by stalemate, and neither
player wins despite black having a huge material advantage.
The fifty-move rule is achieved when there are no pawn
moves and no captures for fifty consecutive moves. If a
pawn move or a capture takes place, then the count resets
to zero and begins again. Upon reaching fifty - which must
be verified by writing down your moves or having a
tournament director witness it - either player may claim
a draw.
This usually takes place when two players have only a
piece or two left and are unable to achieve mate.
The three fold repetition rule says that if the exact same
position occurs on the board three times during a game,
either player may claim a draw.
Sometimes this situation is forced - perpetual check is one
example - and other times this is stumbled into. Again, this
situation must be documented to be enforced.
To better understand the application of this rule, you must
be able to take pictures of the board three different times
during a game and have the resulting pictures turn out identical
to each other.
Most often, this situation occurs after consecutive back
and forth moves where two players are trying to attack,
retreat, attack again with the same move, retreat again, etc.
Eliminate the defender.
Many times you can win a chess piece by first attacking it and
then attacking any piece defending it. When you take the
piece whose job was protecting the first piece, your play
results in leaving the first chess piece en prise, or unprotected.
You may now be able to capture the first piece free and clear.
Fool's Mate (Two-move mate)
This mate is aptly named as it ignores the basics of the
opening principles. It results in a two-move mate for
black. Here it is:
1. f4 e6 2. g4 Qh4#
Believe it or not, this really happens. I've seen it a number of
times in my lifetime.
The Scholar's Mate (four-move mate) is demonstrated in
article entitled “Chess Notation."
Forcing Moves

Forcing moves are those moves on your part which do

not allow your opponent the freedom to choose his
reply. Because of your threat or pending threat, your
opponent is limited in his responses.
This is good for you as your opponent may be absorbed
in his own plans and miss making the correct response to
your threat resulting in material, position, or time.
If you attack an opponent's undefended piece, you
force him to move, trade, or intervene with another
piece depending on the relative value of the pieces.
Should your opponent ignore your threat, he loses a
piece.

By making forcing moves, you give your opponent

an opportunity to respond incorrectly.

General Sherman vs. General Thomas

Most inexperienced players are quicker to go onto the
attack than they are to stay home and play defense. A
balance is necessary, of course, but with many players
the scales of time spent forming strategy are usually
tipped in favor of the attack.

While one must attack to have any hope of winning,

inexperienced players frequently leave gaping holes in their
defense while attacking, subjecting themselves to severe
counter attacks.
In the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman was
famous for cutting loose from his supply lines and going
on the attack (Sherman's March to the Sea). Living off
the land, he could advance an army of Union soldiers
without worrying about the enemy destroying his supply
lines. Yet, General Grant only allowed this march on
condition he send a respectable force back from Atlanta
to Nashville in order to defend the North from a Confederate
army on the loose.
General George Henry Thomas, however, was firstly
concerned about defense and protecting his inexperienced
recruits. Thomas' troops were never unprepared for a
surprise attack (Mills' Springs - first Union victory), were
never destroyed even when outnumbered (Chickamauga -
Thomas' men saved the Union army from total destruction),
and always prepared thoroughly before attacking (Nashville).
Though both styles have merit, Thomas' victory at Nashville,
was the only battle where a Confederate army was
annihilated, rendering it useless for the remainder of the
war. His crushing attack came only after his well-prepared
defense had allowed him the luxury of building up his resources
so that he could over power his foe and maintain his
attack once started.
Inexperienced players would do well to consider the
merits of resisting the fame that comes from being an
attacker, and cultivate a love for defense that paves the
way for balanced, secure attacks void of lethal enemy
counter attacks. Remember the age old quote, "Offense
sells the tickets; defense wins the game!"

Greek Gift (submitted by National Master Corey Russell)

Almost everyone has heard of the Trojan Horse which housed
soldiers, and a city took it in (they didn't have to).While the city,
Troy, was sleeping, it was overrun with enemy soldiers that
emerged from the giant horse.
In chess, the idea is similar. A "greek gift" move is a "gift" of
material (pawn, bishop, rook, queen, etc.) that isn't really a
gift at all. If a person takes a "greek gift", then the other person
gets more in compensation (a mating attack, long-lasting initiative,
etc.). Another chess term for a Greek gift is a "sham sacrifice".
A sham sacrifice is when one chess player sacrifices material,
but will get it back or mate shortly if the opponent takes.
Horses on the cliff.
Don't place your knights on the outside file of the chessboard
unless you have a specific need for such play. His usual power
of attacking eight squares on the chess board at one time is
cut in half on the outside of the board. Compare the number
of squares the knight can threaten from f3 as opposed to h3.
Play your horses away from the edge of the chess cliff.
Kings bite.
The king appears mighty weak in the early stages of chess
play because of his limited range of travel and his vulnerability
to the attack of other chess pieces. However, as play goes
on and pieces are removed from the board by out right capture
or trade, the king's ability to capture becomes more and more
important. We will see that even in the middle stages of a
chess game that the king can help turn an offensive threat
against him into a weak play by using his ability to capture.
Lady-in-Waiting
Develop your other chess pieces first before you send the
queen into combat. If you move her highness out before the
other pieces (in chess, pawns are not considered pieces, so
the word "pieces" refers to knights, bishops, and rooks), you
give your chess opponent an opportunity to develop with
tempo by attacking the lady general. You lose time trying
to develop your other chess pieces by having to relocate your
queen. Chess is a game of time, and wasted time leads to
missed opportunities. Just as in baseball you have only so
many chances (outs) to accomplish something (runs), in chess
you have only so many moves to gain control of squares on
the board that will limit your opponent's movement. Don't
fritter these opportunities away by letting your chess opponent
take pot shots at your queen with his knights, bishops, and
rooks forcing her to move again and again. Your queen should
come out after most of the other chess pieces are developed
and offer them support. Yes, she can be the powerful offensive
leader on the chess board, but often she is better off letting
the less valuable chess pieces go first into enemy territory
and give them her support from the home side of the chess
board. Let your chess queen be a lady-in-waiting.
Open and Closed
Paul Morphy championed the open game, characterized
by an exchange of some of the center pawns. Playing e4
on white's first move followed soon by d4, usually results
in pawn exchanges that open files. Open files tend to lead
to an action filled game with pieces deploying rapidly along
these open "roads".
The closed game normally results from white playing d4
first. If black follows with d5, white cannot answer with
e4 because the square isn't protected. Since the exchange
of pawns doesn't result, no lines ("roads") are opened and
pieces can't easily and freely move about. This restricted
set up is called a closed position.
Closed games are usually more complicated than open
games. Beginners would do well to cut their teeth on e4
openings until they acquire confidence handling chess
fundamentals. When ready for a more complicated test,
players can bite into games starting with d4.
Opening Checklist
Before you use the checklist, first play a game of chess and
notate your moves. With the following checklist you will be
able to do your own limited chess analysis of the beginning
portion of your chess game or someone else's.
In the first ten moves of your chess game you should accomplish
the following seven items: Move both center chess pawns
(d and e file) and move at least one of them two squares
(this will take you 2 moves); develop both knights (2 moves)
and bishops (2 moves) off of the back row of the chess board;
castle - usually with the rook on the "h" file (1 move).
Beginning chess players will do well to adhere to this checklist
legalistically. Eventually, they will encounter situations in chess
games that will teach them when it is necessary to forget this
approach, but these chess situations should be the exception
and not the rule. I still follow this checklist in my own chess
games and have now for over thirty years.
One example of an exception to this chess checklist is when
you have a chance to win an opponent's piece. Go ahead
and take the piece; then return to completing your chess
checklist. Another exception occurs when your chess
opponent tries to mount a quick mating attack. You must
make the necessary moves to defend against the threat
and resume your chess checklist when possible.
Opening Map (submitted by Candidate Master Daniel Waite)
One of my coaches encouraged me to develop an "Openings Map"
that would script out what I would do against various openings.
I would suggest the same.
My 1.e4 Opening Map is a simple to use format that allows me
to play solid but relatively off beat ideas.
Sicilian 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 (or most other moves) 3. Bb5.
French 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 (I've also played with 3.exd5)
Caro-Kan 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 followed by
c3, Nd2, Bf4, Nf3, et. al.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 and head for a King's Gambit. I play Bc4 first
because the idea is to get the other guy to commit before playing
f4. Thus, no pet KG defenses. Then again, if the Ruy Lopez is
working well, there is no reason to switch. The array of possible
defenses to the RL is almost infinite, so I never took the time
to learn it. Plus, it doesn't really fit my grind and slash style.
1.e4 d5 (You're on your own for this one. Since the Center Counter
is my favorite defense, I wouldn't want to give something away.
The one thing I can say is that every book I have on the subject
is full of too many holes. Lots of possibilities here for an enterprising
student.)
Pawn forks.
Look out when placing pieces in the pawn fork formation,
two spaces apart on the same rank (row of squares running
from left to right). Be sure a pawn won't move and attack
both pieces at the same time.

Consider the following:

1. e4, e5 2. Nf3, Nc6 3. Nc3, Nf6 4. Bc4

This scenario, where white's bishop is sitting directly in front

of its knight on c3, lends itself to a popular pawn fork. Black
now plays 4 ... Nxe4, apparently losing the knight for a pawn.
However, after 5. Nxe4, Black replies with the pawn fork d5!
Though this only regains material equality, the psychological
blow is real. White is taken out of his plan and forced to
improvise with a new game setting.
Throughout the game, be wary of these little land mines. They
can grind your attack to a halt and shift the advantage to your
opponent. Or, they can give you the sudden break you've
been looking for if your opponent steps into your pawn fork
trap.

The major threat from a pawn fork comes from forgetting

about it when you're dealing with weightier matters. Yet,
constantly looking for and successfully executing one pawn fork
can turn your chess play into victory.
Pawn Groups
After you have battled hard, traded pieces, and fought for
position, you often reach the end game even with your
opponent. You each have some pawns, a piece or two,
and your king. Or perhaps you simply have only your king
and several pawns.
Is there a way to gain an advantage with your pawns over
your opponent? The answer is yes. However, your seed
must be sowed AHEAD of time if you're going to reap the
benefits at the harvest.
In the end game, pawns create powerful advantages due to
their ability to promote, that is, turn into any piece (except
for a king or another pawn) upon reaching the 8th rank. If
you have more pawns than your opponent, if one of your
pawns is advanced along a file to the point where no enemy
pawn can stop him by capturing him, or if your pawns are
generally further advanced enabling them to reach promotion
quicker in a foot race, you have created an important advantage.
But there is also a lesser known way to ensure that your
pawns are of maximum value to you in the critical end game
stage.
Keep your pawns in as few groups as possible!
What in the world is a pawn group? Well, when you start
the game you have one row of eight connected pawns.
This is one group.
If a pawn is captured, then that file becomes "open", void of
any of your pawns. This open file creates two pawn groups,
one group on either side of the file.
Say that you are playing the white pieces, and your e pawn
captures your opponent's d pawn. It, in turn, is captured
by black's e pawn. Your open e file now divides your pawns
into two distinct groups: those on files a-d and those on files f-h.
The pawns within each group can move to protect another
pawn or two that is also in that group. The f pawn, for
example, can move to f3 to protect the g pawn should it
advance to g4.
Can the f pawn protect the d pawn in like fashion? No,
because there is an open e file that separates them.
Suppose that not only the e pawn was gone but the c pawn
was also gone. How many pawn groups would there be?
Three is correct! You have two pawns (a & b files), one
pawn (d file), and three pawns (f-h files). Additionally,
the d pawn is especially weak because it is all alone.
It is called an isolated pawn.
So what is the point here? What's the significance?
Okay. Let me use an illustration. As I am writing this, I
am at a zoo (near Orlando, Florida). I'm driving the bus
for our school's summer day camp field trip. I'm sitting
at a table in the outdoor eating area watching 26 kids try
to fend off three mooching peacocks running loose and
bent on joining the group for lunch.
Would it be easier for the workers to help guard the
children if they were all seated together or if they were
spread out over three separate locations?
Together, of course. The further apart they are, the harder
it is to keep running from one group to the next.
This is exactly the way it is in chess with pawn groups.
The more you have, the harder it is for the workers
(pieces) to protect them from the enemy pieces.
The secret to having as few pawn groups as possible
is to constantly check them throughout the game. Ask
yourself, "Will this move result in an increase in the
number of my pawn groups?"
Don't get radical and sacrifice a piece in order to
prevent creating an extra pawn group. Just add this to
your list of things to check every time you make a move,
and you'll find your pawn structures at the end of the
game will help you withstand enemy threats a little better
as you march your pawns to promotion and victory!
Public Enemy #1 - Running a Red Light!
Picture a traffic light in your mind. What color is the top light?
Red, right! And what color is immediately below that?
Yellow, correct! And, of course, green is the last color.
Now what do you do every time that you come to a red
light? You stop, of course. And that is exactly what you
should do every time your opponent makes a move in a chess
game - STOP! DON'T MAKE A MOVE until you have asked yourself
WHY DID HE MAKE THAT MOVE? The yellow light indicates that
caution should be taken when you play chess before you
plunge ahead with your next move. The green light in a
chess game indicates going ahead with your attack plan,
unless you need to use the next move first for defense in
order to stop your opponent's attack. When you play
chess, the traffic light is the number one requirement
to use after each and every move of every chess game.
This may seem elementary, but many good players ask
themselves these questions MOST BUT NOT ALL of the
time when they play chess, leaving a great feast available
for you on the few moves where they forget. Many an inroad
has been made into enemy territory by capitalizing on your
chess opponent's lack of concentration. To double the
strength of this chess tip, simply apply these questions to
your own chess game when it is your turn, and your opponent
will immediately have fewer opportunities to infiltrate your
territory and play chess on your half of the board. The last
of my chess tips says, "Discipline yourself to ask these three
questions after every move by your opponent:
1) Red Light - Stop! Why did he make that move?
2) Yellow Light - Caution; Be Careful! Is his move a threat
to me somehow?
3) Green Light - Go! Can I proceed with
my plan of attack or do I need to stop his threat with my next
move? "
Public Enemy #2 - All Offense and No Defense!
The old sports saying, "Offense sells the tickets; defense
wins the games," accurately portrays the trap that many
fall into as they play chess. Caught up with the "rush" that
comes from "going after the kill," many chess players forget
that the player which they are hunting also has a gun and is
out HUNTING THEM! You'll win many of your chess games
simply by playing defense against an offensive-minded
player and waiting for an opening to occur. You have to be
ready to switch quickly from defense to offense, but the
wait will be worth it. Thinking defense will help you win
games by taking advantage of the offensive-minded impatience
of others, it will help you to develop your own defensive
skills, and it will help curb any offensive impatience that you
may have, bringing your chess game into a strong and deadly
balance. Remember then the second of my chess tips: a chess
game is always made up of BOTH offensive and defensive
concerns, and that offensive strategies should be timed to
coordinate with a solid defense.
Public Enemy #3 - Lack of Development!
You have 7 pieces (plus 8 pawns) with which to do battle
when you play chess. They are soldiers that start the game
in the barracks, asleep on the back row of your chessboard.
GET THEM OFF OF THE BACK ROW! They need to be out on
the battlefield to be effective. Do your opponent's
pieces pose a threat to you in a chess game when they are
never moved off of the back row? Of course not! So, give
yourself an immediate advantage over many players by
heeding the first of my chess tips: take the time to develop
your pieces off of the back row BEFORE you mount an attack.
Spend a Week at Work
When you go grocery shopping, you usually end up
spending some of your hard earned money. After you
return home, you need to spend a week at work in order
to earn enough money to go shopping again.
This situation is so similar to capturing pieces on the
chessboard that it's almost eerie. Whenever I take an
opponent's piece, I usually "spend" some of the good
position that I've established. The capture requires me
to extend the capturing piece out away from the protection
of my other pieces, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Or,
it may double two of my pawns on the same file causing
awkward congestion.

Don't get me wrong; capturing an enemy piece outright is

worth the loss of position, temporarily, unless your
opponent has set you up to take the piece on purpose.
He could be removing a defender from your king by
offering a "sacrificial piece" in order to pave the way for
an attack. Be sure to double check this.
Now that the opposing piece is captured, check and see
if you have any other immediate attacking possibilities.
If not, return home and "spend a week at work in order
to earn enough money to go shopping again".
Your long term prospects have improved; your short term
prospects have worsened. Your opponent now has the
next move. He can press the attack for a while. You must
take some time and make sure that your defenses are not
left open for a counter attack as a result of your capture.
Bolster your defenses, finish developing your pieces, castle
your king, make sure all of your pieces are defended to
avoid forks by your opponent; these are ways to "spend
a week at work" so that when your position is again solid,
you may, again, go on the attack taking advantage of your
superior forces.
In a nut shell, capturing material may result in weakening
your position. Take the next few moves to play defense
and fix any weaknesses before resuming your attack. This
limits your opponent's counter attack possibilities while you
are in a weakened positional state.
Chess Walls of Jericho
Definition: chess "wall" pawns - the pawns at f2, g2, and h2
in front of white's castled king (0-0) on g1; pawns at a2, b2,
and c2 in front of white's castled king (0-0-0) on c1. Black
pawns of the same letter (f7, g7, etc.) on the 7th rank are
black's chess "wall" pawns. Don't move the chess "wall"
pawns in front of your castled king without strong reason.
The chess "wall" pawns are the line of defense closest to
your king and need to be intact in order to delay an assault
by your chess opponent.. Moving them out away from the
king creates empty chess squares between them and the
king, room that an enemy chess piece may occupy or influence.
Avoid capturing enemy chess pieces and pawns with these
chess "wall" pawns if the capture can be done with one of
your chess pieces (knights, bishops, rooks, or queen). If you
must capture with one of these pawns, remember that you
now have an open a file, or road, directly into your king's
chamber. You must now station chess pieces near enough
to this breach to prevent enemy infiltration. This may slow
down your attack having one less chess piece available for
offense.

OPENING DISASTERS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF

DEVELOPMENT

Have you ever wondered why Grandmasters of chess often take

40 to 50 moves to come to a conclusion in their games when it
takes us club players or recreational players not more than 20
moves to finish our games sometimes? Or in another case, why
is it that when a master is pitted up against an amateur the master's
greater experience often wins out against the amateur in a relatively
short amount of moves? These are the questions I hope to answer
in this first Chessdoctor instructional Article.

There's no way around this: Development is of paramount importance

in the game of chess. Without it chess doesn't exist. As Nimzovich
so eloquently stated, "To be ahead in development is the ideal to
be aimed for." Therefore, I found it fitting to use a Nimzovich game
in describing some of these principles. There are 2 different ways
to be ahead in development. One way is to have more pieces off the
back row than your opponent in the same number of moves. The
other is to have more pieces in a certain area of the board at a given
time than does your opponent. If white has a queen, two rooks, down
the f-file, and a knight on e4 and g5, and a bishop on b2 and b3 un-
hindered on their diagonals while black's forces are out twiddling their
thumbs on the queenside, then white has an advantage in development
on the kingside. "To be ahead in development (in either of these 2 ways)
is the ideal to be aimed for."

Here's a warm-up game play by Nimzovich himself (the pioneer), against

Alapin back in 1911. This proves that Nimzovich didn't just preach, he
practiced and won game after game.

White: A. Nimzovich GM
Black: S. Alapin GM

Karlsbad, 1911

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. exd5

This is the Classical French System Exchange Variation. White achieves

fine development, but unfortunately after 4...exd5 the game is equal and
will most likely draw with decent play on both sides. Therefore more
common is 4. Bg5 striving for an advantage and to create some differences
in the position. (after 4. exd5 exd5 the positions are identical, no differences=
no advantage.)

4...Nxd5?!

Very dubious. GM Alapin strives to create a difference in the position all

right, but it's much to his disadvantage. Now white has ideal development
(both the center pawns are moved out or exchanged thus development is
easy to achieve) AND he has extra space. The d4 pawn is most unpleasant
for black, therefore c5 must be played to break the center up. The other
drawback is that it locks in the c8 bishop thus restricting development.

5. Nf3

Practicing his principles, developing a new piece with each move while
avoiding an immediate 5. Nxd5 which would once again equalize.

5...c5

Not positionally sound at this time. 5...c5 is a worth while move, but not
at the expense of losing significant tempo. Better was Nxc3 followed by
c5.

6. Nxd5!

An accurate retort. The reason Nimzo plays this is because black can't
equalize with exd5 because then the inevitable isolated d5 pawn would
be a problem. If 6...exd5 then 7. Bb5+! (striving to exchange the light-
squared bishops to make black's defensive task of the future d5 pawn
harder) Nc6 8. 0-0 Be6 9. Re1 Be7 10. Be3 and white would have good
play against the coming d5 isolated pawn. Therefore, the next move is
positionally forced unfortunately.

6...Qxd5 7. Be3

Developing a new piece while threatening dxc5. White playing very

logically thus far and is comfortable with his development.

7...cxd4 8. Nxd4 a6?

Now GM Alapin makes a big mistake. This only serves as a loss of

time. Wing pawn advances, unless required or proven NOT a loss of time,
are very bad. This is no exception. This is to prevent Bb5+. He could've
done the same thing with a useful developing move 8...Nc6!. He commited
a cardinal sin in the opening, an unneeded wing pawn advance! If anyone
would pounce on this error it would be Nimzovich.

9. Be2!

He's sacrificing the g2 pawn for more development! Nimzovich intends

to castle to the queenside to protect his king. Nimzovich enjoys the extra
time he has to develop more of his forces in order to attack.

9...Qxg2??

Yuk! The queen is the only piece black has developed. From standard
opening principles we know that the queen isn't a good piece to develop early.
So that's a problem he has to deal with already. But now he moves the queen
a seond time instead of developing a new piece and getting his king to
safety! For this, he should surely be punished.

10. Bf3!

Nimzo activating his bishop without loss of tempo, protecting his rook, and
attacking the black queen again all in one swift stroke!

10...Qg6 11. Qd2

Developing his queen and preparing to castle queenside. When asking

yourself if white has compensation for a whole pawn lost, remember to also
ask yourself how much more development do I have? After Qd2, white
is winning the opening race 4-1. He has a 3 piece advantage in the same
number of moves. It seems black stopped in the middle of the race to drink
some orange juice!

11...e5?

This pawn was also moved once already too! Why move it again? It
attacks the d4 knight, but as Nimzovich shows, not even attacking a knight
can stop him from developing. 11...Be7 should be the only move considered.

12. 0-0-0!!

Brillance. This is very simple on principle, yet very profound. White is

sacrificing his knight for development. The horse's death will not be in vain,
he is a martyr! The d-file is decsive. White's artillery is lined up and
primed toward the uncastled black king. This brilliant sacrifice also follows
the principle that when you're ahead in development you should strive to open
the position. This does just that.
12...exd4

Black's a rich man. At least he'll die witha a full stomach.

13. Bxd4 Nc6??

Loses on the spot. Once again the only move to be considered was 13...Be7.

14. Bf6!!

Once again, a brilliant shot! This opens the d-file and the bishop itself
influences d8. Isn't this insane? White's lost a knight for a pawn and another
pawn earlier. He's down a full piece and now he sacrifices another. Both a
pawn and the queen can take this. In order to be a good chess player you
must calculate variations. Sure, anyone can load up a Fritz or Chessmaster
and see that this move is their recommendation, but for YOU to do this
you needed to calculate and do the hard work to play a move like this. Why
can't black take the bishop? 14...gxf6? 15. Bxc6+ (eliminating defender of d8)
bxc6 16. Qd8 mate. Also 14...Qxf6 must be calculated, 15. Rhe1+ Be7
16. Bxc6+ Kf8 17. Qd8+!! Bxd8 18. Re8 mate. How many people could
really see this when some computer recommended Bf6? I bet quite a few
club players even would miss Qd8+ leading to mate even if that position was
handed to them! However, to see that while you're at move 14 sacrificing
a bishop is very hard for some people unless you're an experienced master
who has a feel for what the position requried and can calculate the details.

14...Qxf6 15. Rhe1+ Be7

Finally this move is played, but now it's too late.

16. Bxc6+ Kf8 17. Qd8+!! Bxd8 18. Re8 Checkmate

Wow. The master of teaching principles showing he's mastered using them
too! This is just one game that shows the importance of development and
this was between two Grandmasters! What is a Grandmaster was pitted up
against a typical club player? The next game I go over is a master vs.
an amateur.

Note: These players play chess at my chess club and indeed one is a master
and the other is an amateur. However, as they've requested not to mention
their names all that's really important is that one player plays like a master
and the other like an amateur.

White: Master
Black: Amateur

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5

This is the Ruy Lopez. So far both sides have developed with the best of
opening principles. This opening retains white's development initiative the
longest. This is the best way to threaten the black e-pawn (development
with attack principle). White can attack the e-pawn in many different ways
such as 3. d4 the Scotch, however this develops a piece. Note that this
is more of an annoying threat that is constantly lurking as opposed to an
immediate one because Bxc6 cannot be played immediately to win the pawn
since Bxc6 dxc6 Nxe5 Qd4! threatens the black knight and the e4 pawn.
However, the Bxc6 threat must be attended to and watched the entire time.

3...Ne7?!

An amateur move. This reinforces the c6 knight in case of Bxc6 but the best
move is 3...a6 which has proven to be a wing pawn advance that doesn't lose
time in the opening due to attacking the bishop and forcing it to move as well
for the 2nd time.

4. 0-0

The master castles here to gain total freedom of opportunity for his undertakings
in the center.
4...d6

A good defensive move. This blocks in the f8 bishop, but it's pretty much
forced after Ne7.

5. d4

White is attempting to open the game a la opening principles as well as

freeing up all his other pieces for development. This is also in accordance
with developing with attack. This threatens 6. dxe5 winning a pawn as
well as 6. d5 which attacks the pinned knight.

5...Bd7

The best defensive move was played by the amateur. He saw the d5
threat. 5...exd4 was way too giving. As it is, black has a cramped but
solid game.

6. Nc3

Simply developing a piece. Also possible is 6. c3.

6...f6?

In some variations this is a correct way to make e5 granite. However,

here it's a typical amateur-type mistake. White is the better developed,
this invites white to open the game which the master happily does.

7. dxe5!

Opening principles galore. Tempting, but not the best, is 7. d5?!. This is
in direct accordance with the principle that you must open the game when
you have a lead in development.

7...Nxe5 8. Nxe5!?

Very important exchange. This frees the d1-h5 diagonal for the queen
to take into account black's weakening f6. The master's experience is
shining through in many colors.

8...fxe5

This looks a little amateurish, but it's the best. The pawn formation is
better after this capture, and after 8...dxe5 9. Bc4 and black has
even more problems than with the d-capture. Also, the other "semi-
alternative" 8...Bxb5 loses to 9. Nf7! when black's forced to eliminate
the possibility of castling and then white recaptures the bishop.

9. Bc4

Putting the bishop on the obviously important diagonal.

9...Qc8!

The move by the amateur really surprised me here. This is an excellent

move! The idea is to neutralize white's c4 giant by playing 10...Be6.

10. Qf3!?

The master develops the queen and threatens Qf7+. Superficial is

10. Qh5+?! g6 11. Qf3 Be6 12. Qf6 Bxc4 13. Qxh8 Bxf1 and black
has equalized!

10...Be6

The only move.

11. Bxe6

The master is forced to make this unhappy exchange. 11. Qe2, 11. Bb3
and 11. Be2 all lose a tempo for white. As Nimzovich stated, "Exchange
with the subsequent gain of tempo."

11...Qxe6

Now it seems that black has neutralized white's attack! There's nothing
concrete here for white. The only pieces developed are the queen and
knight. In fact, white's only slightly better hear. Black has no weaknesses
and his position is solid. However, white has a lead in development and a
better bishop therefore a slight plus.

12. Nd5

Why does the master move a piece for the second time instead of developing
with 12. Bg5 or something like that? The master has his reasons! As a matter
of fact it's probably the best move. The reason is because he wants to force
the knight exchange. After 12...Nxd5 and 13. exd5 the pawn on d5 disrupts
black's piece communication! In essence his camp is divided now into
two parts.

12...Nxd5

This seems forced. After 12...0-0-0 13. Bg5 Re8 14. Qb3 (Threatening
Nb6+ winning the queen) then 14...Nxd5 and 15. exd5 is forced anyway.
Therefore, either way the exchange of knights will be forced disrupting
the black piece communication.

13. exd5 Qg6?

The error that loses the game. Much better was 13...Qd7 when the
game would most likely continue with 14. Qe4 Be7 15. Bd2 0-0 16. Rae1
Qf5!? (here white only has small advantage due to good bishop and
e4 square) 17. Qxf5 Rxf5 18. Re4 Raf8 19. f3 and the white rook can
travel anywhere on the board.

14. Qb3

This protects c2 and attacks b7. This forces black to make a decisive
weakening move.

14...b6

After the text Black has a disadventageous pawn position which considerably
weakens c6 and the c-pawn. Before we awfulize black's play let's examine
the alternatives. 14...0-0-0 15. Be3 Kb8 16. Qa4 a6 17. b4! with a big attack.
Or 14...Rab8 15. Qa4+ and white wins the a-pawn. Therefore Black's
response seems best. Now that a static disadvantage has been created, the
master can ignore it and play for a different goal for a while.

15. Qb5+

Indeed, he does just that. He's ruining black's castling opportunities.

15...Kf7

The best square. Black hopes for 16. Qd7+ Be7 17. Qxc7? Rhc8! completing
development.

16. f4!

The master prepares Qd7+ by opening lines for attack to use ALL the
force in the attack. The master saw the immediate Qd7+ wouldn't be as
potent because how much damage can a queen do by herself? Therefore,
black continues development!

16...exf4

The other alternatives are just as bad as this! 16...Kg8? 17. fxe5 dxd5
18. d6! threatening Qd5+. If 16...Qxc2?? 17. Qd7+ Be7 18. fxe5+ Kg8
then 19. Qe6 is mate. Lastly, if 16...e4 17. f5! Qf6 18. Qc4 Qe7 then
19. Be3 and white can prepare the final crushing blow whenever it
pleases him.

17. Qd7+ Kg8 18. Rxf4 h6

It's good that the amateur is thinking about flight squares for his king.
For instance if 18...Qxc2?? then 19. Qe6 mate and the king has no where
to go. A better alternative probably was 18...Re8.

19. Bd2!

Intending Bc3 to attack g7 once again. White's attack is overwhelming

all because of the earlier Qg6? with a forcing of the queenside weak
squares which allowed penetration by the queen.

19...Qxc2??

Ouch. Don't go pawn hunting when you territory is being flooded!

Better was 19...Kh7.

20. Bc3

You can cut the tension in this position with a knife.

20...Qg6 21. Raf1

White's threatening 22. Rg4. If 21. Rg4 immediately, then Qf7 is

just fine for black.

21...Kh7

Black didn't see the threat. But 21...h5 is no better.

22. Rg4 Qe8?

Hoping to exchange queen's but impossible. Better was 22...Rd8.

23. Qxg7+! Bxg7 24. Rxg7 Checkmate

A beautiful finish by the master. The amateur has made some

good progress, but it takes a thourough understanding of development
(among other things) to become a master. Hope you enjoyed the article.
The next one is on attacking the Castled King!

ATTACKING THE CASTLED KING!

Hi everyone! Welcome back to "Chess Battle Strategy". In this article we will study the basics of the principles involved in attacking
the castled king and how to employ them in our own games. You will learn about ideas like "When your position warrants an attack",
"What factors we should take into consideration in planning the attack", "How to lure king defenders away", and "How to spot
combinations." The attack is one of the most exciting aspects of chess. Until the 20th century, almost ALL high-level chess games
were played in order to impact the audience with the most beauty and most viscious attacks possible. Who wouldn't get pleasure from
making a sound sacrifice who nobody expects for a decisive attack that leaves your opponent breathless? :) However, to burst a few
bubbles, we must note that many attacks were "incorrect" in that day and age because the position did not warrant the attack. In other
words, not until Steinitz came along with new positional ideas did! we find out how to perform the most successful attacks. It's
illogical to think we can put most of our major pieces on the queenside and then attack the opponent's king on the other side of the
board with a knight and a bishop. There is much planning that needs to be involved. For instance all our pawns, open files, major
pieces, minor pieces need to work together to be the most effective. Chess is a team game!

What kind of position warrants an attack on the king and what factors should we take into account when planning for an attack?

1. You must have (or be able to create) a lead in development on the side of the board that the opponent's king is on. In other words
you must have more attackers than he has defenders otherwise he can defend everything you throw at him. A queen is the most
powerful chess piece on the board, but she cannot hassle a king who has a whole army defending him.

2. Also, you must have a space advantage. If you have a space advantage, by default your opponent has less space. And if you have a
space advantage you automatically have more active pieces. What I mean by space is the amount of squares you control on the
opponent's side of the board (i.e. the first four ranks for white or the last four four black). Why are open files so important? Because a
rook back in the barracks can attack many squares in the opponents territory. A knight outpost? Aha! Space. Open bishop diagonals?
More space in the opponent's territory!
3. You must have better center control. You must control the center squares by balancing the pressure on the center or by influencing
it MORE than your opponent. The reason? Because if you don't control the center squares your opponent can simply place pieces
there where they stand actively and can both attack AND defend. So that brings easy defense and counterattack into the mix.
Something that can easily spoil a good looking attack. Therefore you must at the very "least" control the center AS much as your
opponent. The most dominating attacks have the attacker dominating the center as well! And that's no accident. Strive to control the
center!

4. You must ask yourself if you can create open lines by advancing pawns on the kingside. Pawns are the most effective attackers.
None of the flashy pieces can stand in their way. A good old-fashioned pawn storm always brings fright into the defenders eyes.
"Where do I place my pieces? How can I stop them from being driven back? How do I stop him from opening a file at my king?"
Those are some of the questions the scared defenders ask when confronted with a flow of peasants coming at his majesty. If you're
castled on the same side as your opponent you must ask yourself if any pawn moves will weaken your own king. If so, then your
attack will be primarily executed with your pieces (i.e. Rook lifts are more common).

These principles are of "paramount" importance in executing a successful attack. Let's see how they work in action in games and how
we can put them to work in our own games. This first game is a recently-played one by one of the best attackers in history (arguably
THE best). This, of course, is Garry Kasparov. No stranger to any of we chess enthusiasts. He "had" to have been a successful
positional player in order to play all the dominating attacks he's been known for.

Before we examine this great game, a word about combinations. When I initially read Silman's "Rules of Combination Recognition" I
was skeptical at the simplistic view. But in my tournament practice I have found that I've done those same things unconsciously!

Rule 1: Look for undefended pieces

Undefended pieces are subject to double attack. For instance a queen could attack a piece while making a mating threat for instance.

Rule 2: Look for inadequately guarded pieces (Equal attackers and defenders)

Here's where the tactics decoy and deflection come about. If you can "lure" a piece away from a pieces defense when there's equal
pressure, then you should be able to win it!

Rule 3: (The most important) Spot a weakened king

This means looking for when we can create an open king situation (usually via sacrifices) or when the king has very few defenders.
Whenever a king is currently wide open, checks are possible. Aside from checkmate, the check is the most serious threat in the game.
Therefore, as long as many checks are possible so are tactics involving the double attack. Sometime we need to sacrifice a piece in
order to get the king to the opened situation. Once it's there however we can use all the tactics associated with the open king to get our
material back and in greater amounts!

If one or more of these rules is present there's "got" to be a combination in the position no matter how hidden. I admit I have been
unconsciously using a system like this all throughout my tournament career without even realizing it! Kudos Mr. Silman and many
other writers who originated when a combination can exist.