A style of play emphasizing capture of strategic squares and prophylactic moves.
Mikhail Botvinnik, José Raúl Capablanca, Tigran Petrosian, and Anatoly Karpov are towering examples of positional players. The 'philosopher of positional play' was Aron Nimzowitsch, who expounded his approach to the game in works like My System, Chess Praxis and Blockade, and was a great player in his own right.
