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

2. Chess 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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3. 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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4. 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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5. Exploiting Weakness
Analyze where your opponent’s 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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6. 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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7. 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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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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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11. 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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12. Tactics – The Basic Types
Make Your Opponent’s 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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13. Make His Pieces Less Mobile
Pins
Skewers
Interposing
Zugzwang
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14. Zugzwang
Zugzwang (TSOOKS-vahng), position in which the move makes a worse result
It is German for “tight spot”
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15. More Attacks Than He Can Handle
Fork
Discovered Attack
Double Attack
Zwischenzug (German: “In between move”)
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16. 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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17. 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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18. 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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19. 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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20. 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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21. Remove the Defender Deflection Overloading Overprotecting Decoy
Clearance Sacrifice
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22. Deflection
Deflection is a tactic that lures the opponent’s 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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23. 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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24. 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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25. Decoy
Decoy is a tactic that lures an opponent’s 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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26. 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 Rxf 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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27. 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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28. Analytical Method in Chess Thinking
Before each move, ask yourself:
Does my opponent’s last move contain a threat? If so, deal with it.
Are my own pieces all adequately protected? Has my opponent left a piece exposed to capture for free?
Is my King still safe? Is the opponent’s King vulnerable?
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29. Before Each Move (cont’d)
Did my opponent meet the threat offered by my last move?
Do I still have pieces that need development?
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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30. Before Each Move (cont’d)
Does my opponent have a weakness that can be exploited?
If so, how can the weakness be exploited? Make a plan to exploit the weakness.
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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31. Before Each Move (cont’d)
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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32. Piece Mobility Rules
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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33. Requirements Do the following:
Explain four of the following elements of chess strategy: exploiting weaknesses, force, king safety, pawn structure, space, tempo, time.
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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34. 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:
Do you see the available opportunities?
Do you create strategic advantages when there is “nothing to do”?
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