Chess Strategy - How To Improve Your Positional Understanding
There are many different skills that make up a strong chess player. Opening knowledge, endgame technique, and the ability to calculate all play an important role. However, one of the clearest ways that more advanced players separate themselves from the rest is through their superior positional understanding - also known as “chess strategy.”
In this article, we will cover what chess strategy is, and how to raise your level of positional understanding to new heights.
What Is Chess Strategy?
The best way to understand chess strategy is by contrasting it with chess tactics.
Tactics involve forcing sequences of moves that either win material or deliver checkmate to the enemy king. Performing well in tactical situations requires being able to spot the tactical ideas when they appear, as well as careful calculation to make sure that the tactical sequence works favorably, no matter how the opponent replies.
Related: Improve your chess tactics with 100 Tactical Patterns You Must Know.
Strategy Kicks In When No Tactics Are Apparent
But what do you do when there are no tactics in the position? That’s where chess strategy comes in. It requires observing the position and coming up with a long-term plan.
Take the below position taken from Tarrasch vs. Blackburne, 1895. It is White to play. Material is equal, and there are no immediate tactics. Even so, White’s position is much better. Before reading further, try to answer for yourself:
- Why is White’s position superior?
- What should White’s plan be?
Advanced chess players may find that question quite easy to answer. Beginners may struggle. That is why positions like these can reveal so much about a chess player’s level of positional understanding.
White is better because:
- White has more space, particularly due to the strong pawn on e5.
- White has more active pieces. For example, compare the scope of White’s light-squared bishop to that of Black’s light-squared bishop.
- Black is weak on the dark squares. Unlike Black, White has a dark-squared bishop.
Taking the time to notice these elements is very helpful when trying to formulate a strategic plan.
In the game, White recognized that to take advantage of his opponent’s weak dark squares, he should re-route his dark-squared bishop to a better square, beginning with 24. Be1!
White’s idea was to bring the bishop to the h4 square, from where it assumes a more active role in targeting Black’s tender dark squares. However, for the bishop to get to h4, it must first go “backwards” to e1. This makes the maneuver more difficult to spot. Be1 only makes sense if it is part of a plan to play Bh4 later.
Thanks to having the right chess strategy, White soon secured a comfortable victory.
For the rest of this article, we will focus on how to cultivate your positional understanding.
Tip #1 - Learn About Positional Elements
Certain elements of chess positions are visible to advanced players instantly but invisible to beginners.
Beginners focus mostly on material. It is the easiest aspect of chess to understand at first. However, at higher levels, material is only one of many positional considerations.
If you want to improve your chess strategy, you need to start noticing these positional factors and learning why they matter.
Here are some of the most important ones:
- Pawn weaknesses - for example, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, backward pawns.
- Outposts and weak squares.
- Weaknesses around the enemy king.
- Control of the center.
- Piece activity - including control of important ranks, files and diagonals.
- Space advantage.
- Passed pawns - which become particularly important in the endgame.
Once you internalize these positional factors, and know which of them are desirable and undesirable, you will be better equipped to steer the game in your favor.
Tip #2 - Review Your Own Chess Games
Reviewing your games after you have finished playing them is vital. There is something to learn from every game - but only if you take the time to seek the lessons out.
First, analyze the game without the help of a computer analysis engine. It is very tempting to turn on the engine before doing your own critical self-reflection - but taking this shortcut means that you miss out on some of the most important benefits of your game review.
Revisit the game’s key decisions - moments where you were unsure what to do, or which seemed to mark a turning point in your fortunes.
- What were you thinking at this point of the game?
- What other options were you considering?
- Would you make a different choice with the benefit of hindsight?
Only after you have completed your own independent analysis should you turn on the engine to see what you may have missed. The engine can be used to fill in the gaps and can show you lines that you had not been able to uncover on your own.
Tip #3 - Study Master Chess Matches
Another excellent way to improve your chess understanding is to study instructive games played by elite chess players. Play through the moves (including the side lines) and read the attached commentary. By doing this, you will get to know how the top players see the game and can bring your own chess understanding a little closer to theirs.
The games do not need to be recent in order to learn from them! One of the best collections of annotated master games of all time is over 70 years old: David Bronstein’s book Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953. This book can be a great addition to the library of advanced chess players.
We have included several more chess strategy book recommendations for players of different levels at the end of this article.
Tip #4 - Work With A Chess Coach
Enlisting the help of a chess coach can drastically accelerate your positional understanding. The right coach can help with everything already mentioned: learning about positional elements of chess, reviewing your games, and studying master games.
A chess coach can examine your games and identify gaps in your current understanding of chess strategy. Then, they can create a training plan that will have the most impact on your specific needs and challenges. This should make your chess training time more effective, leading to faster results.
Related: What To Look For In A Chess Coach.
Tip #5 - Learn The Thematic Objectives In The Openings You Play
One of the best ways to improve at chess strategy is to focus on the types of positions that arise frequently in the openings you play. For example, every strong player who plays the King’s Indian Defense with Black knows about the importance of the f5 pawn break. Every opening has its own thematic ideas. Studying them will be of immense practical value.
Learning the typical plans for both colors and why they are important will help you play the opening and early middlegame to a much higher level.
Next Steps
As you can see, there are many ways to improve your understanding of chess strategy. The above list may seem overwhelming, but it is not necessary to do all of them at once! Pick one or two from the list at a time.
Another way to help your progress is to invest in a chess strategy book appropriate for your level. There are literally hundreds of titles to choose from. Here are three of our absolute favorite chess strategy books for:
- Beginner (under 1000)
- Intermediate (1000 - 1500)
- Advanced (around 1500 - 2000)
Beginner: Chess Fundamentals
Capablanca, the third World Chess Champion, was one of the greatest players in history. He was particularly famed for his positional understanding and endgame prowess.
His book covers many fundamental concepts, including:
- The importance of controlling the center.
- Gaining the initiative.
- How to conduct an attack against the enemy king.
- Endgame strategy.
- And more.
Intermediate: Logical Chess, Move By Move
This book is packed with instructive master-level games, and brings a unique approach. Literally every move is explained! It takes you inside the mind of a grandmaster, explained in a way that is very accessible to improving intermediate-level players.
Advanced: My System
This book is widely regarded an all-time classic for building positional understanding. It provides a comprehensive education in concepts that every strong chess player should know, including:
- Prophylaxis.
- Pawn structures.
- Elements of endgame strategy.
It all adds up to being an essential addition to every serious chess player’s library.