5 Rules of Positional Chess Every Player Must Know

3/15/2015 5RulesofPositionalChessEveryPlayerMustKnow

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5RulesofPositionalChessEveryPlayerMustKnowWrittenbyYuryMarkushinSunday,16November201421:25

Mostchessgamesaredecidedinthemiddlegamewherethemainactiontakesplace.Intheopeningplayersjustdeliverpiecesandputtheirkingtosafetypreparingforanassault.Therearethreemostfundamentalchesselementsthatdecidelevelofaplayer:positionalunderstanding,combinationalvisionandcalculatingability.

Inordertoplaychessatthehighlevelyouneedtopossessallthreeoftheseelements.Thebetteryouunderstandthemthebetteryoucanperformovertheboard.Todaywewillprimarilyfocusonthepositionalunderstanding,thefirstandprobablythemostimportantelementofchessmastery.

Positionalunderstandingistheabilitytoquicklyevaluatethepositionandcomeupwithaplan.Itsuggestsaplayerifheneedstoaimforadraworawin.Positionalunderstandingalsotellsaplayerwhentodefendandwhentoattack.

Aplayerwithagoodpositionalunderstandingcancomeupwithanadequateplanandalsoestimatethechanceofsuccess.Shpilmanwaswritinginhisbookthataplayerwhohasasuperiorpositionalunderstandingwillwinthegamebecausehewontbewastingtimetocalculatebadvariations,butwillonlyfocusonstronglines.

Wewilldiscuss5positionalrulesasformulatedbySteinitz:

Rule1.

Inchess,theattackingsidealwayswins.Ofcourse,thereareexceptionstothisrule.Thedefensivesidecanwinonlyiftheattackingsidemakesaterribleblunderorlosesontime.Inthefirstcase,thedefensivesideandtheattackingsidesimplyswitchroles.

Rule2.

Aplayershouldonlyattackifhispositionissuperior.Ifthepositionisinferioranyattackingattemptswillonlymakeitworth(assumingthecorrectresponsefromtheotherside).Therefore,firstaplayersneedstoimprovehispositionandonlythenattack.

Ifyouhaveasuperiorpositionyoumustattack,otherwiseyouropponentwillrecoverandwillgettheinitiative.

Rule3.

Whenyouaredefendingyourpositionyoushouldtrytokeepthepositionstablebutyourmaingoalsupposedtobestartingacounterattack.However,ifyoustartittooearlyortoolatethegamemaybelost.Timingisveryimportanthere.

InordertodevelopapositionalunderstandingitisnecessarytogoovertheannotatedGMchessgame,andtothinkwhycertainmovesweremade.Onlywhenyouputyourselfinthetheplayer'sshoesyouwillbeabletofullyunderstandtheproblemshewasfacinginthegameandyourwillbeabletoimproveyouownchess.That'sexactlywhatyoucandobystudyingourtrainingcourse.

Rule4.

Therearetwomaintypesofattackinchess:

Tacticallycombinational(meaningthatthereisacontactbetweenthepiecesofbothsides,manythreats,andsharplines).

Strategicallymaneuvering(meaningthatthereisnodirectcontactbetweenthepiecesofbothsides,thegameismoreofapositionalmaneuveringnature,ratherthansharp,calculatedtacticalhits).

Whatapproachdoyouneedtouseinyourgames?Thereisnostraightanswerforthatquestion.Thetypeofattackisdecidedbythetypeofthepositionandpersonalpreferencesoftheplayer.

Rule5.

Theadvantageinthepositionmayconsistofoneundividedadvantageormultiplesmalleradvantages.Thegoalofeachsideistoplayandtoaccumulatesmaller,positionaladvantages,toultimatelywinthegame.Itmakessensetoattackyouropponentintheweakestpointofhisposition.Thatsoundssimple,butmanyplayersdisregardthisruleandfailtowin.

***

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3/15/2015 5RulesofPositionalChessEveryPlayerMustKnow

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LastUpdatedonMonday,17November201410:49

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#1GlenwellMalgas 2014111711:33Awesome,straightonpoint.Icannowsee,whereIhavegonewrongallthetime.ThanxtoYuri,Ihaveallreadyintwogamesonlytoblunderanddrawthelast.Butmistakesaredryingup,yipee!!HopeIcangetmyratingto1900!!

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