Questions tagged [strategy]
Questions relating to reasoning behind a move, plan, or idea
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How do I learn to understand the middlegame?
I am trying to train tactics as well as my general understanding of the beginning/middlegame. I spent a good bit of time understanding endgames, per chessmaster recommendations and those I can ...
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What are pros and cons around banning castling?
Vladimir Kramnik has proposed on chess.com that castling be banned for the good of the game.
What are the kinds of objective points that might be made for & against this idea? Based on these, do ...
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6
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Strategy in middlegame from boring positions
I get into these rather vanilla, or as I call them, boring positions. Not much is happening tactically, and I can't fathom what the right course of action should be strategically.
Here is an example....
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What should I do when I have no ideas and no strategies?
I'm really a beginner in chess, and I just know the rules. So many times in the game I have no idea what should I do. None of my pieces are in danger and I don't have any strategies.
What should I do ...
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What do modern chess players understand about the game that previous generations did not?
In an interview, Garry Kasparow stated that each generation of chess players knows more about the game than the previous one. He applies this thought concretely to the question of who is better - him ...
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2
answers
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Demystifying Seirawan-Kasparov 1983 king and pawn endgame
I am currently studying the Tarrasch Defense 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5, and naturally I've stumbled upon many Kasparov games as he frequentloy and quite successfully employed this opening throughout ...
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Is chess a solved game?
Chess is a zero-sum game of limited decisions. The number of possible moves at any given point, and the number of possible states of the board, are all finite.
Tic-Tac-Toe, is one of the easiest ...
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How to learn chess if you're still a 3-digit rating after a few years
I know how all the pieces move and I've learned about castling and en passant. But all I do is play online against other people and get wrecked because I don't know how to "play."
I make ...
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votes
4
answers
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How can I prevent checkmate in this position?
It is White's turn to move. How can White avoid a checkmate?
[FEN "8/1kpP2q1/1p2P1p1/1P3pP1/5p1K/5P2/6P1/R7 w - - 0 1"]
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Is preventing an opponent from castling considered an advantage?
All else being equal, if you have forced your opponent to move their king, thus preventing castling, would that be considered an advantage?
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What should you do when opponent opens with excessive pawn moves?
As a beginner I'm not spending much time studying openings (there are so many!) but trying to work on opening principles.
One principle I've read is not to move too many pawns in your opening moves.
...
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What are the reasons why I should not try to take a Knight with my Bishop if it'll result in doubled pawns?
For instance, in the Ruy Lopez, after
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
why shouldn't I take the Knight?
4 Bxc6 dxc6
Now Black has a doubled pawn.
It isn't a very popular line of play, ...
- 6,162
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votes
4
answers
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What is the theory behind center control?
Center control is an important aspect of playing chess, most openings are built around controlling the center, but why? Is center control really that important for winning a game?
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What is the Dorfman method in chess?
On various occasions in commentaries or interviews, e.g. during the World Championship commentary with Peter Svidler and Anish Giri, I've heard the Dorfman method being mentioned. I then learned that ...
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When is castling needed?
I am a rookie in chess. I can't understand why castling is needed.
In what scenarios is castling useful?
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Playing the French Defense Exchange Variation
In the French Defense Advance Variation, 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 ..., there are some clear game plans for both sides, areas where you want a pawn break, where you want to attack, etc.
However, in the ...
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Why doesn't Lichess' Stockfish suggest this bishop sacrifice?
I arrived at the following position in an online game after the opponent left a queen hanging.
[FEN "r1b2r2/pp1p1ppk/2n1p3/6B1/2P5/5N2/PQ3PPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 16"]
In the game, I played 16. Bf6 with ...
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3
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What are white's plans in this Scotch Gambit position?
I'll skip the long explanation, but it's not uncommon for me to reach the following position as White out of the opening:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 Bxb2
(...
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10
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How to minimise your opponent's fun in a game?
I play numerous online chess games and in this question I am self-centred: I play for two purposes:
to win the game, or when winning is unlikely, to draw the game.
to improve my chess skills, which ...
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5
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What is 'space' on a chessboard?
I know, I know, this sounds like a ridiculous question, but bear with me.
As an example of my lack of understanding, let's take the advanced variation of the French defense.
[title "Advanced ...
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Should you always try your best (play as if your opponent is a grandmaster)?
Should you always play with your "best" skills no matter how (un)skilled your opponent is?
Is there a situation where intentionally not playing to the best of your abilities is a good strategy? Like, ...
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4
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I was up a piece but could not win. What went wrong?
I lost this game and I am not looking for a computer analysis, but what approach should I have taken instead? The game continued 1. Rxd4 Rb7 2. Rxc4 dxc4 3. a4 b4 4. Bd4 Rd7 5. Bb6 c3 6. Rb1 Rd5 7. ...
21
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3
answers
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How to deal with an opposing pawn storm?
During some recent games I played, I have lost because my opponent advanced their pawns very far, attacking my pieces and forcing them to retreat. In some cases the pieces became trapped as well. ...
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2
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The Game of the Century - why didn't Byrne take the rook after he forked Fischer?
I'm guessing that there's a pretty simple explanation for this, but I can't seem to see it.
[White "Donald Byrne"]
[Black "Robert James Fischer"]
[fen ""]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d4 O-O 5....
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Assessing an early c4 against white's Stonewall structure
I made a horrible decision as black in a game, and I do not understand why it's incorrect.
[fen "rn2kb1r/pp2pppp/1q3n2/2pp4/3P1P2/2PQPN2/PP4PP/RNB1K2R b - - 0 1"]
I played c4, Stockfish considers ...
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Can the Scotch Game really give White chances to get an opening advantage?
If I remember well, Kasparov once said that, besides the Ruy Lopez, the Scotch Game is the only serious attempt for White to get an early advantage in the opening after 1.e4 e5. Is that true?
The ...
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To what extent should you prevent your opponent from castling?
I normally try to prevent my opponent from castling if possible, by forcing their king to move or keeping an attacking piece on a diagonal or file.
I tend to make this a priority, giving up the ...
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3
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What is the best strategy for an amateur to last as many moves as possible against a GM?
As an amateur chess player, I have been pondering this question for quite a bit now:
In case of an amateur playing against a Grandmaster, what strategy would lengthen inevitable defeat?
I am ...
19
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7
answers
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How can one get the best possible result against a player of very different strength?
I (about a 1500 player) once took White against a 2100 player, and played a Queen's Gambit. I lost of course, but the other player complimented my play. He said, "You played well for about 20 moves, ...
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Who has the advantage at this point in the game?
I was playing the following game and at this point I thought black had the advantage but upon thinking about it for a little while was not sure.
At this point in the game who has the advantage and by ...
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2
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Do grandmasters think on every move?
While watching Hikaru's Streams/YouTube (GM Chess Twitch Streamer), he's no doubt extremely impressive when it comes to recognizing patterns that win him material and forced mates in like 7+ moves. ...
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19
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9
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What is positional play in chess?
I have played chess so many times, understood tactics (pins, discovered check, overloading, deflection, skewer), but I never understood clearly the positional play. I have noticed not many tutorials ...
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Why is Carlsen being praised for his tie-break play, when Caruana made several game-losing moves?
I followed the three games live on chess24.es (for live commentary from GMs) and chess.com (for actual real time computer analysis).
As per my understanding:
Game 13 was mostly balanced until 19... ...
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11
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Why do titled players always play online (blitz) speed chess?
If you have been to an online chess server, you will notice that almost all titled players always play quick games (3 0) at a max.
On the other hand, if you go to tournaments, it needs cool thinking ...
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Was this “caterpillar” strategy a good way to advance my pawns?
I recently played an endgame as Black in which I thought up a silly, but effective, to advance my doubled pawns. Here is the relevant part of the game.
[FEN "8/6p1/2p2kp1/1p1p4/p2P2K1/P1P5/1P6/8 ...
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Study endgame first before studying opening? Is it true?
While looking for and comparing suggestions that will help me to improve in chess, I have noticed that some people and some chess book authors suggest that you should study the endgame first.
Some ...
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Why does the engine dislike white in this position despite the material advantage of a pawn and other positional factors?
After a trade that sacrified a bishop and a knight for two pawns and a rook, the game reached the following position: (White to move.)
[FEN "2r2qk1/1b1n1pb1/p4n1p/1p4p1/4P3/1BN2P2/PPP3PP/R2Q1RK1 ...
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Is game analysis based on "squares" instead of "pieces" of any value?
Most all analysis I've seen in chess focuses on pieces development, and not the development of unoccupied spaces. Is there any value in analyzing game play in this way, and if so, how is this done?
...
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How do I promote my pawn when the king blocks it?
I was playing ChessEndGames and ran into this position (white to move):
[fen "5k2/8/4PK2/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
I can't get my pawn to promote. As soon as I do e7, black follows with Ke8. If I do Ke5,...
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Why would you want to trade pieces?
To preface this, I am very new to chess. I knew the rules for years but I started actually taking the game more seriously and learning strategies just over 2 weeks ago.
One thing I consistently see in ...
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4
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How to play as adult attacking Chess player against young chess prodigies
I'm an expert-level chess player, who enjoys playing dynamic chess, but I am struggling against young chess players (ages between 8-16), who have lower ratings. How can I improve my score against this ...
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9
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Is pawns supporting pawns a good opening strategy?
For my opening strategy in most chess games I play, I usually move my pawns forward two, then one in an alternating strategy, until I have a sort of WWW shape with my pawns. That way, if anyone takes ...
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6
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Why would a player throw a game?
So I am kind of new to chess and I have been playing online. I have been playing for a year and I consider myself a mediocre player, not too good and not too bad. Recently I got this invitation from ...
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Why do Chess GMs need coaches?
Today chess.com did an interview with Carlsen's coach.
Someone like Carlen or Anand, why do they still need coaches? Their Elo is higher than their coaches, they can use engines to analyze the games, ...
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When are pieces worth more (or less) than their nominal value?
Which are the most common situations in which pieces are worth more/less than their value, in point?
For example, I know that a protected Knight on 6th rank (3rd for Black) of columns d and e may be ...
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What is a pawn hook?
On my question (Why is 11. .. h6 such a bad move?) someone commented that I should read about the concepts of hooks. One definition that I found was:
A hook is an advanced pawn which can be exploited ...
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Understanding Kramnik's play in game 1 of Candidates 2018
The position I'm studying is the middlegame part of the game 1 of Berlin Candidates 2018 between Kramnik and Grischuk, which Kramnik won with the white pieces.
In particular, I'm interested in ...
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15
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2
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endgame with single Bishop or single Knight?
If given the choice should I opt for an endgame with a single Bishop or a single Knight? I understand Bishops increase in value in the endgame but is the disadvantage of covering only half the squares ...
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What is the strategic significance of the English Opening?
I enjoy playing the English opening, pushing my pawn to c4, and trying to out flank my opponent. But I have a hard time, outside of playing normal lines, understanding the advantage it gives, and why ...
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