One of the
concepts you’ve certainly heard or come across in your studying is planning. It
is something every coach teaches their pupils right from the start, albeit with
different words. Each move has to have an idea is something each of us has
heard before. And while the level of difficulty of this idea will change with
our chess understanding, this is still the essence of the word “plan”.
A very
popular saying among chess players is that “a bad plan is better than no plan
at all”, so why is so important to always have a plan in mind when you make a
move?
1.Discover the Weaknesses
A chess game
is not just a bunch of random moves played on a board. Victory does not come by
chance. Just like in any other sport, you have to work towards “tricking” and
outplaying your opponent. To do that, you’ll need to discover their weaknesses
and find a way of using them – that is where planning comes in handy.
2.Piece Coordination
Planning is
basically getting your pieces to work towards a common goal. By following a
certain idea, your pieces will cooperate with each other. They won’t be placed
purposeless around the board. When the pieces are coordinated and placed
harmoniously, things will usually go in your favour when you are ready to
strike and cash in on your advantage.
3.Assessing the Position
In order to
come up with a plan, you’ll need to first assess the position. This is a very
important and useful step. It helps you understand your weaknesses and
advantages in the position and points out what you should be playing for.
4.Knowing What to Play
A good
assessment of the position will tell you if your position is better or worse
and if you can press for an advantage or you should be careful and try to fix
your position. It will tell you on which side to play on and what to play
against. Basically, you will know what to do.
5.The Endgame
While the
middlegame can take you to different paths, for example to sharp positions
where planning won’t help and you’ll have to use your calculation skills, the
situation is different in the endgame. Here, you will always need to have a
plan in order to know how to approach different positions.
6.Prophylaxis
Looking for
a plan will not only help you discover what you have to do in a position, but
also what your opponent wants to do. Each side should play with a plan and, if
you are able to guess your opponent’s, you can also try to find the best way to
stop it or slow it down. Prophylaxis is a great weapon and you can only use it
when you understand your opponent’s ideas.
7.Boost of Confidence
When your
opponent is not following the best plan in the position or is not playing
according to the pawn structure, for example, you will know it and try to
punish it. Knowing that something shouldn’t work in a certain type of position
will give you the confidence you need to carry on with your ideas.
8.How to Approach the Position?
Some
positions should be approached with calculation, while others can be played by
concepts. This is an important idea to understand and the first part of
creating a plan – assessing the position will usually help you figure it out.
9.Saving Time
Doing a
short assessment of the position could help you save time. If the position is
wild and full of tactical ideas, you can go ahead and calculate your
possibilities. However, if the position is solid and quiet, the calculation
part can only be limited to a few moves, to make sure you’re not blundering
anything. Otherwise, carrying on with the logical moves of your plan is
probably the answer.
10.Move Sequences
One last thing to remember is that planning doesn’t mean figuring out the game until the end. They are usually stages you go through during the game and they will change with the changes that happen in the position. Plans can be short (2-3 moves) or long; again, this depends on the position you’re in.