Author: DJCA

9. Rooks belong behind passed pawns.

(Hort) 2. Take advantage of every move.

6. Keep a flexible, sound pawn formation: avoid doubled, isolated and blockaded pawns.

1. every position is capable of being ruined

8. Keep your queen safe

(Fine) 10. Do not sacrifice without a clear and adequate reason, eg.:
* it secures a tangible advantage in development
* it deflects the opponent’s queen
* it prevents the opponent from castling
* it enables a strong attack to be developed

Dynamic positions require energetic play. You must make the most of your own chances, and not just react to threats or coast along until you have to do something.

* KNIGHT: The short-stepping Knight can get left behind if the battle moves away, so the best bet is to keep them in the centre. They are often best placed on c3 and f3 in the opening, although a Pawn on c3 may be needed to support d2-d4. Later, e5 and d5 are useful squares to occupy when they can threaten Pawns on c7/f7 and pinned Knights on c6/f6. They may be driven away from e5/d5 by pawns; best are squares where the opponent cannot – or dare not – chase them with pawns. If Black has moved his Pawns from c7 to c5 and from e7 to e5 then a Knight on d5 can never be driven away, only exchanged for another piece. When this happens, you can try to recapture with another piece which also cannot be driven off. But another good square for a Knight, when pawns are on e4 and e5, is f5: here it threatens the pawn on g7, and if ever Black pushes it away with g6 then a hole appears on h6 for the Knight to hop into, perhaps giving check.

But don’t dither – decide what your basic choices are at the start – narrow it down to the two or three most likely – and decide. [If you know which plan you are following the moves can come fairly easily.] If you get it down to two moves which look equally good, find some other way of deciding between them (most centralising, least forcing for your opponent…). [You know the story of Buridan’s ass, which died of starvation between two equal-sized piles of hay because it never could choose which one to start on].

* Neither be over-impressed by your own threats. An attack by one piece on another is meaningless in itself – it may distract an important defender. Equally, don’t assume that a stock combination or sacrifice works for you in the position you have today – small differences can make it fail. Don’t hope vainly – analyse and find out.