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Chess Strategy and Tactics: A Blueprint for Effective Plans
by Joseph L. Bell
2011

Chess Strategy & Tactics

Strategy
Tactics Ways to find a Plan
The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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What is Strategy ?
Strategy: Strategy in Chess is the

planning of how to get various kinds of advantage in the game. Tactics: Types of moves that can result in an advantage, if the opportunity exists to use it
Tactics flow from a superior position.
- Bobby Fischer
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Elements of Strategy
Common elements of Strategy are: 1) Exploiting Weakness 2) Force 3) King Safety, 4) Pawn Structure, 5) Space, 6) Tempo, and 7) Time.
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Exploiting Weakness
Analyze where your opponents position

is weak and your pieces can take advantage of that weakness:

Unprotected pieces Two attacks on a piece defended once Poor King safety Pawn structure weakness

Develop a plan to exploit the weakness.

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Force
The relative power of pieces on each

side (usually evaluated by total point value of the pieces) OR Using more pieces to attack than your opponent can bring to defend a key square.
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King Safety
King safety means assuring that your

King is in a safe place. Castling is a way to increase King safety Later in the game, creating a space for your King (called a Luft, which is German for air) prevent back rank checkmates Regularly review the safety of your King
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Pawn Structure
Pawn structure is the arrangement of

pawns on the board Pawns that are isolated, doubled or backward are weaker than other pawn structures. Pawn chains are stronger Openings in the pawn structure either allow or prevent attacks: Read the pawn structure to identify likely attacks
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Space
Space is the squares that your pieces

control More space makes it easier to put pieces in position for an effective attack Less space can make it more difficult to defend against an attack

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Tempo
Tempo refers to moves. Being ahead in

tempo gives your pieces more mobility. Forcing your opponent to react can lead to an advantage in tempo In a pawn race to promote to a Queen, one tempo can decide the game

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Time
Time can refer to tempo, or to Time

Control A player with much less time to complete the remaining moves for a time control can be under time pressure

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Tactics The Basic Types

Make Your Opponents Pieces Less

Mobile Give More Attacks Than Your Opponent Can Handle Remove the Defender
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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Make His Pieces Less Mobile

Pins
Skewers Interposing Zugzwang

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Zugzwang
Zugzwang (TSOOKS-vahng), position in

which the move makes a worse result It is German for tight spot

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More Attacks Than He Can Handle

Fork
Discovered Attack Double Attack Zwischenzug (German: In between move)

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Fork
White plays 1. g5+, and the only move for Black is 1. h5. Then With forks the King and Rook with 2. Be2+ Kh4 3. Bxd1. Knight forks are more common, but the Queen, Rook, Bishop and Pawn can also create a fork by attacking two pieces with one move.

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Discovered Attack
White has a discovered attack on the by moving the White Bishop to expose the threat from the White Rook on d1. 1. Bxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rxd6

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Double Attack
White plays 1. Rg8, with a double attack on the King (called double check). The only legal move for Black is 1. Kxg8, and Black has no answer to 2. Rg1# checkmate.

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Zwischenzug

(TSVEYE-shun-tsook)

German for "intermediate move", is a

tactic where instead of playing the expected move (commonly a recapture of a piece that the opponent has just captured) an immediate threat is made that the opponent must answer, then the expected move is played.

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Zwischenzug
After White played 1. dxe5, Black plays 1. dxe5 and expects White to play 2. Qxd8.
Instead, White plays 2. Bxf7+, and Black is forced to play 2. Kxf7, and Black loses the Queen to 3. Qxd8. From the Sicilian Magnus Smith Trap

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Remove the Defender

Deflection
Overloading Overprotecting Decoy Clearance Sacrifice

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Deflection
Deflection is a tactic that lures the opponents main defending piece away from what is being defended. The Black Queen on e7 is overworked, defending both the Knight on f6 and the Bishop on a3. 1. Bxf6 Qxf6 2. Rxa3

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Overloading
Overloading is a chess tactic in which a defensive piece is given an additional defensive assignment which it cannot complete without abandoning its original defensive assignment. The White Bishop is busy with the threat from the Black Bishop on f3. Adding the Black Queen on h3 is too much for White.

1. Qh3 2. Bxh3 Ne2# OR 1. Qh3 2. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 3. Kh1 Qxh2#

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Overprotecting
Overprotecting is using more pieces

than are needed to protect a square. This tactic can prevent your defenders from being removed, or create opportunities for a defender to attack.

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Decoy
Decoy is a tactic that lures an opponents piece to a square that is bad for the opponent. Playing 1. g5+ decoys the Black King to g5, since there is no other legal move. 1. g5+ Kxg5 2. Qf4# The Black Pawns on g6 and h5 prevent the Black King from escaping the checkmate.

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Clearance Sacrifice
Clearance Sacrifice is a tactic that sacrifices one of your pieces to clear the way for an attack by some of your other pieces. White could fork the King and Queen if his own Queen was not in the way, so it is sacrificed. 1. Qxf5 Rxf5 2. Ne6+ K-(any) 3. Nxc7 Rxf1+ 4. Rxf1

White ends up with a Rook and Knight vs. a Bishop for a won endgame.

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Visualize Checkmate Patterns

Back Rank Mates
Try to cover every flight square Consider killing defenders at any cost Practice: Solve direct-mate problems
If the student forces himself to examine all moves that smite, however absurd they may look at first glance, he is on the way to becoming a master of tactics.
Cecil Purdy, International Master
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Analytical Method in Chess Thinking

Before each move, ask yourself:
1. Does my opponents last move contain

a threat? If so, deal with it. 2. Are my own pieces all adequately protected? Has my opponent left a piece exposed to capture for free? 3. Is my King still safe? Is the opponents King vulnerable?
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Before Each Move (contd)

4. Did my opponent meet the threat

offered by my last move? 5. Do I still have pieces that need development? 6. Can I move a Rook to an open file, especially the d- or e- file? Is it possible to double up Rooks or a Queen and Rook on a useful open file?
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Before Each Move (contd)

7. Does my opponent have a weakness

that can be exploited? 8. If so, how can the weakness be exploited? Make a plan to exploit the weakness. 9. What could my opponent do to stop my plan? Is it easier for my opponent to stop the plan than it is for me to launch the plan?
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Before Each Move (contd)

10.Does the move I plan to make

overlook something very simple such as the loss of a piece or checkmate?

Methodical thinking is of more use in chess than inspiration.

Cecil Purdy, International Master

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Piece Mobility Rules

1. 2.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Look for opportunities to create, maintain, and increase your piece mobility. Central control is not an end in itself. Be prepared use central control to strike out from the center into the enemy position, including into corners where the King lurks. Grab open files for Rooks and Queens. Put Bishops on open diagonals and a longer diagonal is usually better. Maneuver Knights in or near the center. In the opening, keep your Queen at home unless there is a compelling reason to move the Queen like a winning attack. Get the Queen in the middle of the fight once other pieces are developed.
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Requirements
5. Do the following: a. Explain four of the following elements of chess strategy: exploiting weaknesses, force, king safety, pawn structure, space, tempo, time. b. Explain any five of these chess tactics: clearance sacrifice, decoy, discovered attack, double attack, fork, interposing, overloading, overprotecting, pin, remove the defender, skewer, zwischenzug.
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Strategy and Tactics

Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do; strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do.
- Savielly Tartakower, Grandmaster
On the chess board, and in your life:

1. Do you see the available opportunities? 2. Do you create strategic advantages when there is nothing to do?
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