Chess lessons › Chess strategy
Making a plan
Read the pawns, find where to play, and move your pieces and pawns there one step at a time.
The idea
Read the pawns, find a target, and bring your forces to it.
- Black’s pawns on c6 and c7 are doubled, in front of Black’s king.
- White pushes the b-pawn at them, with the a-pawn to follow.
- The rook on b1 waits behind the pawn for lines to open.
In a game: In a quiet position, look at the pawns first: they show where the targets are.
How the lesson begins
A plan starts with the pawns, because they change slowly. This position comes from a game Capablanca won against Janowski at St Petersburg in 1914.
Black’s king has castled on the queenside, behind pawns that are not healthy: the pawns on c6 and c7 are doubled. White’s pawns on e3 and e4 are doubled too, but they do a job, guarding d4, d5, f4 and f5 in the middle of the board. So where should White play?
A question
White to move. Where should White make a plan?
Show the answer
On the queenside, pushing pawns at Black’s king.
Right. Black’s king is there, behind doubled pawns. White’s pawns on the a-file and b-file can march up and open lines towards it. The engine’s first choice is b4, starting just that.