CHESS WORDS WISDOM of You should not trade pieces if you have the initiative Plan your action on the side of your pawn majority Opening the position helps to exploit weak squares A central pawn majority favors the attacker The best number of pawn islands to have is two The fewer pawn islands you have the stronger the structure is Exchanges increase the chances of mobilizing the majority wing The square in front of the backward pawn is the main factor When behind in pieces, trade pawns, but not pieces Having a rook on the seventh rank is worth about a pawn Calculate wide, not deep It is best to leave active pieces where they are Space is usually more important than time The initiative is above everything Releasing the tension reduces your options Tactics flow from superior positions The player playing against the IQP should usually exchange all of the Only calculate when it is essential knights Bishops gain in strength as the endgame approaches You should not mobilize pawn structures that have doubled pawns Calculate the moves that are forcing and tactical first If a move looks bad on general principles, the plan is probably bad The player with an advantage must attack The side with a positional advantage has no need to complicate Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack Knights are often better than bishops in blitz If an attack can succeed with pieces alone, then leave the pawns where A plan is made up of ideas, not moves they are Trying to play the best move and playing to win are not the same It is usually better to have the rook in front of the queen when playing on When faced with a critical position, you have to calculate variations an open file A gambited pawn is equal to three tempi If there are no weaknesses, you do not have an attack With the initiative, miracles can happen Queen exchanges are usually better for the player who is attacking on the Do not ignore your intuition queenside The weak point of the fianchetto position is the h3 (h6) square Take the minimum risk and use the maximum in economy to stop an Complications are good for the side that is losing attack Long analysis, wrong analysis Only defend against direct threats If the move feels wrong, it usually is Bishops and knights rarely coordinate well with each other The fianchettoed bishop is not as good as a pawn is in guarding holes A sudden change into an endgame can throw an attacker off his game Do not win a pawn if it costs you more than two tempi Three useable diagonals are worth a pawn Sharp openings are best in blitz Plans are usually made for just a few moves at a time The initiative is especially important in blitz Any imbalance should give the stronger player an edge To play chess at a strong level, it is essential to play according to sound Wing pawns become more valuable relative to central pawns as material principles diminishes To increase the influence of your fianchettoed bishop, open the center There is no room for mistakes in a king and pawn endgame A temporary advantage must be exploited at once It is usually a mistake to move a pawn on the side where your opponent When you fianchetto one bishop, the other bishop automatically loses a is attacking little of its mobility Try to meet short-term threats with long-term moves Rooks attack best from a distance The first player in an open position to control an open central file will You should not change openings because the opponent is higher-rated generally get the initiative Passive defense can work against rook and knight pawns, but it does not It is usually wrong to remove a piece from an open file to avoid exchanges work against inner pawns Play where you have the advantage An imbalance is a double-edged sword You can usually allow weaknesses in your position in return for good piece Pawns gain in strength as the power of the pieces left on the board de- activity creases The move g3 is usually a more weakening move than h3 There is a difference between blitz and time-trouble A weak square for one player is potentially a strong square for the other Exchange your redundant rook for your opponent’s only rook You cannot consider the white and black squares in isolation when analyz- When ahead pieces, trade pieces, when behind pieces, trade pawns ing a position When you are ahead on pieces, trade pieces (but not necessarily pawns) Color Complex weaknesses are not as important when the minor pieces Connected passed pawns on the 6th rank beat a Rook are gone The more redundant two pieces are, generally the weaker they are to- A support point is only valuable if it is near the action gether When your pieces are coordinated, they develop extraordinary power A lead in development is less important in closed positions If you have the bishop pair, put your pawns on the same color as your An advantage in development leads to other advantages opponent’s remaining bishop Poor development is a key breeding ground for opening traps If you are facing a double fianchetto, try to close the position and gain It is usually a good strategy to put your pawns on the color opposite of control of the center your bishop The knight pair is not a good combination He who fears an isolated queen’s pawn should give up chess Never use a rook to defend a pawn Space is not an advantage unless you can use it beneficially for maneuver- If you have a dynamic advantage, but a static weakness, it might be better ing and for piece play to keep your queen A three-to-two majority is easier to convert into a passed pawn than is a If the rooks cannot penetrate, it is often worth the sacrifice of the ex- four-to-three majority change to force penetration Chess Words of Wisdom The Principles, Methods and Essential Knowledge of Chess by Mike Henebry ISBN: 978-1-936490-32-5 © Copyright 2010 Mike Henebry © Copyright 2011 Russell Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Chess Words of Wisdom was originally published in 2010 by The Chess Press. Published by: Russell Enterprises, Inc. P.O. Box 3131 Milford, CT 06460 USA http://www.russell-enterprises.com [email protected] Contents Introduction xi Passed Pawns 68 Outside Passed Pawns 70 1. OPENING 1 Connected Passed Pawns 70 Pawn Structure 70 WHITE AND BLACK 2 Rams 73 THE CENTER 3 Hanging Pawns 73 DEVELOPMENT 6 Pawn Tension 75 CASTLING 16 Pawn Breaks/Levers 76 OPENING STRATEGIES 21 Pawn Captures 77 Pawn-Grabbing 77 GAMBITS 23 MATERIAL 78 BOOK OPENINGS (THEORY) 28 Material Advantage 78 UNUSUAL OPENINGS 38 Material Balance 80 TRAPS 39 Piece Values/Equivalents 80 TABLE OF EQUIVALENTS 81 2. MIDDLEGAME 43 DYNAMICS 88 PAWNS 44 Dynamic vs. Static 88 Pawn Centers 44 Activity 89 Pawn Play 50 Initiative 91 Isolated Pawns 53 Transformation 93 Isolated Queen Pawns 55 TACTICAL 94 Advanced Pawns 58 Finding Tactics 95 Pawn Majorities 59 Double Attack 97 Minority Attack 61 Forks 98 Pawn Duos 62 Overloading 98 Pawn Islands 62 Tactical Weakness 99 Backward Pawns 63 Tactical Errors 99 Pawn Salient 64 Tactical Themes 99 Pawn Storms 64 Tactical Threats 102 Steamroller 65 Tactics, Positional Play and Strategy 102 Pawn Chains 66 Combinations 104 Doubled Pawns 66 Exchanges 108 Crippled Majorities 68 Traps/Tricks/Swindles/Gimmicks 114 v vi CONTENTS CALCULATION 115 Defending a Lost Position 164 When to Calculate 116 Positional Considerations of Defense 165 How to Calculate 118 Luft 166 Calculation Errors 120 Defensive Exchanges 166 Double-Checking/ Safety Check 122 Material in Defense 167 Candidate Moves 122 Cramped Positions 168 Trees/Variations 126 Center in Defense 169 SACRIFICES 127 Defending Against Steamroller 169 When to Sacrifice 127 Defending Against Pawn Storm 169 How to Sacrifice 129 Counterattack 170 Why Sacrifice 131 Defending Threats 171 Accepting the Sacrifice 133 Defensive Demeanor 171 Finding Sacrifices 133 POSITIONAL 173 Pawn Sacrifices 134 Positional Play 173 Exchange Sacrifices 135 Open Files 175 Positional Sacrifices 137 Semi-Open Files 176 Counter Sacrifices 138 Diagonals 177 Passive Sacrifices 138 Ranks 178 Defensive Sacrifices 138 Piece Protection 178 Intuitive Sacrifices 138 Improving Position 178 ATTACK 139 Sharp Positions 179 Romantic Era 139 Piece Placement 179 When to Attack 139 Advantages/Disadvantages 180 How to Attack 141 Analysis/Evaluation 182 Why Attack 145 Weaknesses 185 Material in Attacks 145 Two Weaknesses 188 Force/Number in Attacks 146 Pawn Weaknesses 188 Where to Attack 148 Weak Squares/Holes 190 Attacking Weaknesses 149 Color Complexes 192 Kingside Attacks 149 Outposts 193 Attacking the King Support Points 195 (Castled Same Side) 151 Critical Squares 195 Wing Attacks/Flank Attacks 151 Coordination/Harmony 195 Opposite-Side Attacks 153 Mobility 197 Tempo of Attacks 154 Bishops 198 Attacking the King in Center 155 Bishop Pair 199 King Hunts 156 Fianchetto 201 Attacking Motif 157 Opposite-Colored Bishops 203 Attack Against Fianchetto 157 Good and Bad Bishops 204 DEFENSE 158 Active Bishops 206 About Defense 158 Knights 206 Active/Passive Defense 159 Bishops vs.