Playing Against an Outpost

  In the diagram White has an outpost on e5, but Ne5 can always be met by …Nxe5 and after recapturing with the pawn, White’s outpost is gone. White needs to bring another piece to bear on e5, so White to move would play 1.Bg5 and follow it up with Bh4 and Bg3. If on the other hand Black is...

The Bishop Pair Versus Bishop and Knight

Steinitz's Elements

Permanent advantages 1. Material advantage 2. Bad king position 3. Passed pawns in the middlegame 4. Weak pawns for the opponent 5. Strong and weak squares 6. Pawn islands 7. Strong pawn center 8. Control of a diagonal 9. Control of a file 10. Bishop pair 11. Control of a rank Temporary advantages 12. Bad...

Training Notebook 08.16.2007

08.15.2007 Play Standard Game Played and analyzed my G/60 ICC ST Tourney game 08.16.2007 Study Strategy Reviewed through page 24 of Chess Strategy for Kids don’t mind the title…the book is highly recommended by Dan Heisman, and it ensures that you have all your chess fundamentals in place. Key...

The Good and the Bad Bishop

According to Pachman, the value of the Bishop can usually be assessed by the following rule: The Bishop has good working power if its own pawns are posted on squares of the opposite color, assuming that the pawn formation cannot easily be altered. As a rule, each side will try to place their pawns on a color...

Ruben Fine's Thirty Rules of Chess

TEN OPENING RULES 1. Open with a center pawn. 2. Develop with threats. 3. Knights before Bishops. 4. Don’t move the same piece twice. 5. Make as few pawn moves as possible in the opening. 6. Don’t bring your Queen out too early. 7. Castle as soon as possible, preferably on the Kingside. 8....