Chess Training for Amateurs

The Program The following system is geared towards adult beginners with an ELO rating of 1200-1800. It is a modified version of Irina Mikhailova’s schedule which she used at the Petrosian Chess School. [1] I have left the schedule flexible so that it can be modified based on the time you have to...

Triangulation

Triangulation refers to a King maneuver which aims to lose a tempo, and leave the opponent with the move. (Dvoretsky) The d5 and d7 square are in correspondence. White in this position can easily “lose” a tempo and place his opponent in zugzwang. 1.Ke5! Kc6 2.Kd4 Kd7 3.Kd5 White has acheived...

Key Squares

Key squares are squares whose occupation by the King assures victory, regardless of whose turn it is to move. (Dvoretsky) White to move is a draw. It is important to note that a pawn on the 4th rank or below has 3 key squares, whereas a pawn on the 5th rank or higher has six key squares. A Pawn on the 5th...

Pawn Breakthrough

The following is a classic pawn breakthrough that creates a passed pawn for the most advanced side. The key things to keep in mind is that this breakthrough will only work for the side that is most advanced and both the breakthrough and defense begin by moving the middle pawn. White to move and win 1.b6!...

Update to the Generic Training Schedule

After a few days using the Generic Training Schedule, I have a few minor modifications to adapt it to better fit the needs of the club level chess player. The original ChessOK article was geared towards 2000+ level players who have different needs than beginners. One major difference between experts and...

Chess Training

In my quest for chess improvement, I have stumbled upon Markgravitygood’s excellent chess improvement blog. I recommend that you checkout his post on the generic training schedule, which is based on an article by chess trainer GM Irina Mikhailova on chessOk. Mark’s post is exactly what I was...

« Older Entries Next Entries »