A game of
chess goes through many phases and changes. Every strategic game must be
complemented by the good tactical vision.
Every good attacking player needs to have good positional skills.
It doesn’t
matter how great a positional player one is if tactical opportunities are
missed. Just the same, there are many good attacking players who commit basic
mistakes when it comes to playing a quiet, positional game.
In order to become a strong and complete player, one must incorporate all types of positions in his training routine and give special attention to the parts that he likes to train less (for example, strategy), as here is where the voids usually are.
But these
are not the only changes that happen during a game.
Secret 1: The pawn structure
Beside
constant or occasional switches between positional and tactical play, another
element that rarely stays the same throughout the whole game is the pawn
structure. Here we must underline the importance of studying in depth the most
common positional motifs and types of structure.
Secret 2: Weaknesses
There are
many complex structures (often seen over the board, too), such as the isolated
pawn or the hanging pawns, that are many times misunderstood. They are known as
weaknesses, hence something bad that shouldn’t happen in our games. However,
things are different with some structures and they can prove dangerous and
sometimes pleasant to play with. It all depends on the piece coordination and
the situation on the board.
Secret 3: Small advantages
Another
point to remember during the game is that small advantages can and should be
switched for something better for us or for a bigger one. Most of the times, if
a player has a small positional advantage he will try to hang on to it and
eventually convert it and win the game.
Secret 4: Trading advantages
While this
can sometimes be done, we should always be on the look for trading our
advantage for a bigger one or one that’s easier to convert. For example, the
bishop pair is an important advantage, but sometimes not enough to penetrate
the opponent’s defense and win the game. We should always keep open the option
of trading one of the bishops for a better/ winning endgame.
Leave your
comment in the comment section down below.