Battle of the squares

 

While studying the Chessable course The Positional Chess Patterns Manual from IM Alex Astaneh it slowly dawned upon me that squares are the next step in my framework.

Themes are the words, scenarios are the sentences, and the combination of scenarios form the stories.

I focus mainly on the "standard scenarios", whatever they may be if they exist. In my world they exist, and I'm building some sort of framework with it. I assume that in ideal world, a storyteller is free to make up his own scenarios on the fly. But to me it make sense to start with the most frequent "standard" scenarios, in order to don't get overwhelmed my the amount of possibilities.

My biggest revelation lately has been the discovery of "the third duck" AKA the invasion squares.

The invasion squares come in three flavours:

• weak squares
• outposts
• pivot points

They have in common that an enemy pawn cannot chase a piece away from those squares anytime soon. Hence the enemy pawns decide where you can put your pieces, and since the pawns move slowly, the invasion squares move slowly too.

What is more, to alter the invasion landscape, you must alter the pawn landscape. And since the pawns move slow, the invasion landscape changes slow. And you can only build your plans around things that move slow.

This means that the first step of a middlegame plan must be to judge the squares.

White to move

r1b1k1nr/pp1n1pbp/2p3p1/4p3/4P3/2P1NP2/PP2N1PP/R1B1KB1R w KQkq e6 0 2

Invasion squares are d6, f6 and h6

Pivot squares are c4 and g4

State of the square

• A central square is better
• A square that is the most forward is better
• which square has the most concrete advantages?

State of the line of attack (LoA)

• A short road of the attacker to the square is better

Balance

• How is the balance of attackers and defenders of the squares?
• Which exchanges tip the balance?
• Especially the color of the square can play a role. Pawn chains on one color might create weaknesses on the other

Tempo

• Which moves come with tempo?
• How long can you maintain the piece on the square?
• What happens when the piece is traded?

Creation

Can a square be created?

Can it be provoked?

This is the realm of undermining and pawn breaks

How ready are your pieces to make use of the new square?

I guess it will take a few months to fully explore the extend of the battle and then 1.5 year or so to absorb the related patterns. But I'm surely making huge progress!

(To be continued . . .)