Weak squares, outposts, the bishop pair, pawn majorities and how to make a plan.
Tactics decide games; strategy decides which tactics are available. This is what to think about when there is nothing forcing on the board — which is most of the time.
A square no enemy pawn can ever attack again is a permanent home for a knight. Finding them is a matter of looking at the pawn structure and asking which squares have been given up for good.
The Academy has an interactive drill for exactly this — the position is set up for you, you make the moves on a real board, and it tells you immediately whether you have it. Reading about a chess idea and being able to execute it are different skills, and only one of them wins games.
Two bishops cover both colours and grow stronger as the position opens. The bishop pair is worth roughly half a pawn in a closed position and considerably more in an open one — which tells you when to trade and when to open lines.
The Academy has an interactive drill for exactly this — the position is set up for you, you make the moves on a real board, and it tells you immediately whether you have it. Reading about a chess idea and being able to execute it are different skills, and only one of them wins games.
A four-against-three on one wing will eventually produce a passed pawn. Knowing which side of the board you are stronger on tells you where to play, and that is most of what a plan is.
The Academy has an interactive drill for exactly this — the position is set up for you, you make the moves on a real board, and it tells you immediately whether you have it. Reading about a chess idea and being able to execute it are different skills, and only one of them wins games.
A bishop stuck behind its own pawns is a bad bishop. The cure is to trade it, move the pawns, or move the bishop outside the chain — in that order of preference.
The Academy has an interactive drill for exactly this — the position is set up for you, you make the moves on a real board, and it tells you immediately whether you have it. Reading about a chess idea and being able to execute it are different skills, and only one of them wins games.
The side with more space should avoid trades; the cramped side should seek them. Every trade gives the cramped side more room per piece.
The Academy has an interactive drill for exactly this — the position is set up for you, you make the moves on a real board, and it tells you immediately whether you have it. Reading about a chess idea and being able to execute it are different skills, and only one of them wins games.
Look at the pawn structure. It tells you which files will open, which squares are permanent, and which wing you are stronger on. Then place your pieces on their best squares for that plan. That is the whole method.
The Academy has an interactive drill for exactly this — the position is set up for you, you make the moves on a real board, and it tells you immediately whether you have it. Reading about a chess idea and being able to execute it are different skills, and only one of them wins games.
The ideas on this page can be read in fifteen minutes. Making them automatic takes a few weeks of practice — which is why every section here has a matching interactive drill rather than just an explanation.
No. Every item on this page is a pattern or a principle, not a variation. Patterns are recognised, not recalled, and the way to build recognition is repetition on a board.
Work down this page in order. It is arranged from the most immediately useful to the most situational, so the earliest sections will change your results fastest.
Yes. Every lesson in the Grandmaster Gains Academy is playable free in the browser with no sign-up, and the engine will rate your moves afterwards so you can see where the idea broke down.
197 interactive lessons covering exactly these ideas, free in your browser, no sign-up needed.
♔ Open the AcademyCoaches use Grandmaster Gains to assign these drills and see who actually did them. See the trainer classroom.