Plans
So far, the following plans emerge:
Flank attack
- keep the center closed
- clear pivot point
- pawn storm
- sac a piece
- exchange defenders
Preconditions:
- ahead in development
- keep your king save
Restraint
- block mobile pawn
- take squares away
- prevent enemy outpost
Pawn structure
- prevent damage
- repair damage (solve isolani or backward pawn)
- inflict damage (enemy). Especially as side effect of a beneficial trade
- prevent reparation (enemy)
Bishop pair
- get it. But not at any cost
- keep it. But not at any cost
- open the position
- attack on the squares of the missing bishop
- put your pawns on the other color
What is the goal of absorption here? To recognize the salient cues and to retrieve a plan accordingly. Every plan has its standard scenarios. Only then it is possible to consider moves that comply with the plan.
ReplyDeleteTime usage during a game is a clear indicator whether you have a plan. In my last tournament, I clearly failed in the flank attack department. I know a few plans, but not enough. Without a plan, it is impossible to judge whether a move should be made. Looking for moves without a plan is unacceptable. I might even better to toss a coin, since that doesn't take so much time.
Capablanca’s “rules” regarding the Bishops and the color of the squares for the pawns.
ReplyDelete[Ref. Techniques of Positional Play: 45 Practical Methods to Gain the Upper Hand in Chess, by Valeri Bronznick and Anatoli Terekhin, © 2013, New in Chess. Technique No. 6: IV. Which colour of squares for the pawns? For & against Capablanca’s rules.]
“Capablanca established the following guidelinesfor the placing of the pawns — we shall restate them, slightly modified so as to avoid any misunderstandings:
“1) if our opponent has a bishop but we do not, we must put our pawns on squares of the same colour as the opposing bishop (thus if our opponent has a light-squared bishop our pawns should be on light squares, if his bishop is dark-squared, they should be on dark squares).
“2) But if we have a bishop, then the pawns should go on squares of the opposite colour, it does not matter whether our opponent also has a bishop or not.
“Of course these rules must frequently be subject to modifications according to the concrete demands of the position.”
GM Suba also has a “rule” about bishops and pawns:
“Bad bishops protect good pawns.”
For the sake of completeness, there are 4 techniques devoted to restricting bishops in the book mentioned above.
ReplyDelete“As this chapter progresses, we shall study similar related techniques for restricting the efficacy of opposing bishops. Two special cases — the barrier Pe4/Pf3 and the “bishop cage” — will be followed by the more general Technique No. 5, in which a pawn phalanx confines the opposing bishop to a specific corner of the board or eliminates it from the struggle. Finally, in Technique No. 6 we shall shed some light on Capablanca’s rule, which is based on the fact that both one’s own pawns and those of the opponent are capable of impeding a bishop.”
The first three restricting techniques are:
Technique No. 3 I. The pawn barrier Pf3/Pe4 or Pf6/Pe5
This pawn formation restricts an opposing bishop on the long diagonal.
This technique is on the threshold between restricting the bishop and the knight.
Example: Capablanca-Vidmar, 1927
FEN: r4rk1/1b3ppp/5n2/p3p3/Pp2P3/1B3P1P/1P4P1/R1B1R1K1 b - - 0 23
Technique No. 4 II. The ‘bishop cage’ after ...Bxc3! b2xc3
Example:
FEN: 6k1/8/3p4/2pP1p2/2P2P2/2P1B3/8/6K1 b - - 0 1
Technique No. 5 III. Capablanca’s motif: immobilizing the bishop
The idea is as follows: generally with the aid of the pawns it is possible to shut the bishop into one particular corner of the board. Then, based on the superior forces at your command, you try to take the initiative on the opposing flank.
Example: Capablanca-Roy Black, 1916
FEN: r2qr1k1/2pnbppp/p2p1n2/1p1Pp2b/4P1P1/2P2N1P/PPB2P2/R1BQRNK1 b - g3 0 14
The fourth technique was given above.