Questions tagged [strategy]
Questions relating to reasoning behind a move, plan, or idea
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Can someone explain the playing style of the great Jose Raul Capablanca?
I have heard that he plays intuitively(maybe based on themes), but can someone give an example?
How did he manage to reach such heights despite his laziness for calculations?
Doesn't that mean even ...
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Why, in this Capablanca game, was this move considered bad?
Regarding this position:
[fen "r2qr1k/pbpn1pbp/1p1p1np1/4p3/1PP5/3P1NP1/PBQNPPBP/R2R2K1 w - - 1 1"]
I have 2 questions:
1)If the game goes 1..c5 2.b5 the engine shows white slightly better but if 1....
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How to proceed with the book "Pawn Structure Chess" by Andrew Soltis?
Should I memorize everything in the book, or use it in some other way?
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How to prepare for a handicap game (queen odds) / strategy?
I made a bet with a non-neglegible stake that I will win a game against a friend without queen. My Elo rating is about 2000-2100, my friend's should be around 1400. Today I played with the black ...
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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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votes
4
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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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Three Pieces in the Attack
As a kid, my coach, an International Master, was repeating "if you have three pieces or more in the attack you can sacrifice without thinking!"
However, don't take this rule too literally!
Chess is ...
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2
answers
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Human analysis for a KRBNNPP against KRRN ending?
This line of play leads to this position:
[White "White"]
[Black "Black to move"]
[FEN "8/rp4p1/1N1nkb2/3n4/6R1/1R6/8/2K5 b - - 1 38"]
StockFish 10+ assures me that Black has a big advantage, but I ...
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3
votes
1
answer
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Opening preparation
I have observed that I can beat the Lichess computer at level 5 most of the time if I use the computer hint function for the first 13 moves (basically the opening). If I do not so, I end up losing 6 ...
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How to play around outposts?
[Title "The knight on f5"]
[FEN "1r1qr1k1/2pb1pp1/2np1n1p/ppb1p3/4P2N/2PP2NP/PPB1QPP1/R1B1K2R b KQ - 5 13"]
I recently played a Blitz game that perfectly underlines my biggest weakness: I don't know ...
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2
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Chess Problem: Reset The 50-Move Rule!
While chess problems and such are usually meant for Puzzling Stack Exchange, I thought that this one should be an exception since it’s more relevant IMHO.
Resetting the 50-move rule, i.e. restart the ...
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Pawn Structure Change in the Pirc - dxe5 or Nxe5?
As black I reached this position in a recent game
[White "Somebody"]
[Black "Ian Bush"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "B07"]
[FEN ""]
[StartPly "23"]
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 c6 5.f3 b5 6.a3 Nbd7 7.Bd3 ...
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Game analysis - Understanding the potential of this queenside expansion
From the game Samuel Reshevsky vs Henrique Mecking in the Sousse Interzonal (1967).
[fen "r2qnr2/1pnb1pbk/3p2pp/p1pPp3/2P1P2N/PPN1B1PP/3Q1P2/1R2RBK1 w - - 0 1"]
1.Na4 Na6 2. Rec1 Rb8 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Qb2 ...
3
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Help with the Sicilian Defence - I need to understand those early pawn moves
Why we often see many pawn moves in the Sicilian Defense? I would imagine that this harms the development of the black pieces. For instance, there is this line:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 a6 ...
21
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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. ...
7
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2
answers
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Isn't the Bogo-Indian just busted with this line?
I know openings often tend not to be busted, and I'm obviously not really suggesting that the Bogo is busted. But I recently played a Bogo-Indian where I just couldn't find any follow up quite early ...
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2
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Why was 3...c5 for black was a bad move?
I played a player ranked about 450 points higher, and I was out-played. I managed to give a fight but was trailing all along.
The player used the English opening and on third move I (black) played c5....
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Going from a winning position to losing one [closed]
I often go from winning positions to losing positions. What could I do to stop doing this?
For an example, take a look at this games of in which I played as Black.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 {0} 1... e5 {4} 2....
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Chess thought process
Can any of the higher rated players here (1500+) talk about their thought process during a game so I can improve my own?
For example, my own process goes like this:
Am I hanging a piece with this ...
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Is there any resource where you can look up a board position and read a number of suggested moves?
Is there any resource where you could just plug in the positions of all the pieces on the board and, for example, see an annotated page where different people or computer-generated bots have analyzed ...
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Why is Bxh6 not preferred here?
[FEN "rnb1k2r/ppppqppp/4p2n/4P3/2PP4/2PB1N2/P4PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 3 9"]
I was just post-analyzing a game of mine with an engine and to my surprise in the position displayed above, it didn't even ...
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Is there a better winning plan from move 37?
From move 37-43 my plan was to convince my opponent to open the position for me with f4. This worked. If they did not oblige then I was going to walk my king to c7 to free up my rook from defense of ...
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French defense: Key ideas on the Winawer
I am beginning to study the Winawer variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4), mainly because the only line I actually know against 3.Nc3 is the Rubinstein (3...dxe4), which is very dry and boring to my ...
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Finding a plan in the Archangels Spanish when white plays Be3 to exchange the dark-squared bishop
Black to play and find a plan:
[FEN ""]
[StartFlipped "1"]
[StartPly "25"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. h3 O-O 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. d3 Ne7 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. ...
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What is the “Gufeld Bishop”?
I have another question I am going to ask and answer.
The other day, I was watching a chess24 video, and GM Jan Gustafsson mentioned the “Gufeld Bishop”. What is the “Gufeld Bishop”?
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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 ...
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Beating the King's Indian Defense: strategic ideas?
I'm a Queen's Gambit player and quite often I find myself against the King's Indian Defense. Usually all the lines of the Queen's Gambit that lead to a closed center with white playing d5 (King's ...
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5
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Programmatic method to determine if a move is passive or aggressive
I'm currently trying to determine if a player on average plays more aggressive or defensive games. To do this I wanted to look at a game from that player, then average the amount of aggressive moves ...
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What are some of the most instructive positional games covered in Agadmator's YouTube channel?
I am on a path to improve my chess and as of now I have phased it out to
tactics
endgames
Tactics I can say with confidence I had good improvement in the last 8 months or so. About endgame, I kind ...
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2
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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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Analysis of a middlegame out of the Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation
What positional considerations must be made in order to come up with a plan for White in this position?
What are the ideas behind the central squares and weaknesses that must be analyzed for both ...
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How do GMs “play the man, not the board”?
How do GMs "play the man, not the board" as some books say? Would that work for club level players or could they use other methods? Prepared variations? Trash talk?
What are the ways one can ...
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Doubt on how move as black after pawn in e5
I am still at the beginning in playing chess, and I often encounter the following situation. Consider this sequence of moves:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 d5 2. e5
Presuming that I am the black player, how do ...
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3
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Knight vs bishop endgame in Fabiano Caruana vs Hou Yifan 2018
I am currently studying the classical game of Fabiano Caruana vs Hou Yifan played in 2018. The game ended in a fighting draw, but for the most part of the ending, starting from move 55 onward (see ...
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2
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Understanding Kh1 and Be3 in the King's Indian Defense Bayonet Attack
In this position (diagram), there have been two games where White played 14.Kh1 followed by 15.Be3, then Qe1 and Bf2.
What is the idea behind 14.Kh1 and the other kingside moves when Black is not ...
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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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3
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2
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Why did Fischer play 17.c4 here?
Why did Fischer play 17...c4 here?
[fen "r4rk1/1q1n1pp1/4b2p/p1pp4/8/Q2NP3/PP2BPPP/R4RK1 b - - 0 1"]
Doesn’t it make the bishop e6 a lot worse? I would have played rfb8 instead, but I am not Fischer....
user20848
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What sort of strategies unfold on this elongated board?
I recently found this incredibly elongated chess board on the /r/gaming subreddit, with this image:
There was a comment thread discussing the potential strategies of playing on this board, with some ...
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3
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About castling “fights”
Today I played as White in an interesting bullet game in which a strange “fight” occurred.
[FEN ""]
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 b6 3. e4 Bb7 4. Bd3 g6 5. Be3 Bg7 6. Nc3 Qe7 7. Qd2 Nc6 8. a3 a5 9. h3 h5 10. Qe2 ...
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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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0
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What are some of the best chess opening moves, for white and black? [closed]
I am wondering the best opening moves are for both white and black, because I have won games with the pawn move 1. d2-d4.
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D5 move closing my bishop activity
I would like to know why playing d5 in these two positions is useful for me (Black).
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3
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To what extent is the openness/closedness of positions determined by white? By black?
Say I am playing as white and I strongly prefer closed positions while my opponent strongly prefers open positions. To what extent do I have control over this? Will the game more likely end with a ...
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What are the benefits and the drawbacks of the Sicilian defense [duplicate]
I am learning to play chess, and I am focusing my attention on the Sicilian defense. Many people says is one of the best openings against e4 when playing with black, and I think also it is a good ...
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1
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Why was 20.Qe3 so good in Botvinnik-Sorokin?
Why was 20.Qe3 so good in Botvinnik-Sorokin?
It doubles the pawns, and doesn’t do much else.
user20848
4
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3
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In the Dutch Defense, why does white play b3 and Ba3?
In the Stonewall Dutch Defense, why does white play b3 and Ba3? Should I try to avoid it, or does it not matter?
[fen ""]
1. Nf3 e6 2. d4 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 d5 5. O-O Bd6 6. b3 O-O 7. c4 c6 8. Ba3
user20848
7
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Is it a good habit for an amateur to always try to play the best move (according to his best calculation and knowledge)?
Is it a good habit for an amateur to always try to play the best move (according to his best calculation), instead of sometimes purporsely play an inferior move hoping that his opponent does not know ...
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