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Notes on the first part of Nimsowitsch's My System

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Answer
The seven elements of chess strategy   The center, open files, play on the 7th and 8th ranks, the passed pawn, the pin, discovered check, the pawn chain, and exchanging.  
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Center   The four squares in the center: e4, d4, e5, d5  
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Development   Strategic march of the troops toward the border (between 4th and 5th rank).  
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Developing pawn moves   Pawn moves are not developing in themselves, but they can be a move that helps development.  
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Demobilising   Pawn moves can demobilize pieces. Your pawns need to be placed to prevent that.  
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Wasted pawn moves   Any pawn move that does not support your center or attack your opponent.  
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The ideal in the opening   A lead in development.  
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Developmental exchanges   Exchange with a gain of tempo, allowing you to develop with an attack that forces a double piece move by your opponent.  
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Pawn grabbing   There is no time for pawn grabbing in the opening. Develop instead.  
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Central pawn grabbing   Take any central pawn if it can be done without danger.  
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Open file   A file is open if you have a major piece on in and your pawns are not in front of the major piece.  
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Peacefully opening files   This occurs when you have a strong central piece your opponent must take. The pawn recapture opens a file.  
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Why open files   To use that file to penetrate your opponent's position, specifically the 7th and 8th ranks.  
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Block of granite   A pawn both protected by another pawn and blocking an open file.  
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Protected   Only a pawn can protect without complaint over a long period of time.  
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The evolutionary attack   Thin out the ranks of defenders by driving them away, exchanging them, or cutting them off.  
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The revolutionary attack   Exchanging a piece for a pawn to gain access to the 7th or 8th rank.  
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The order of attack   Pile on attackers, try to thin off defenders, and then consider a revolutionary attack, an indirect attack, or an outpost  
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The indirect attack   Limited advance along a file to give it up in favor of another file.  
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Outpost   A piece (usually a knight) protected by a pawn and on an open file in enemy territory.  
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Effect of an outpost   It constitutes a base for new attacks, and provokes a weaking of the defense of the file.  
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Flank outposts   Flank outposts should be occupied by a major piece with good attack radius.  
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Exchanging outposts   Outposts are frequently exchanged, and should be replaced with as good or better a piece (or a passed pawn).  
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Flank files   a, b, g, and h  
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Central files   c, d, e, and f  
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7th rank case 1: absolute   Control of every square on the seventh rank and an advanced passed pawn almost always win.  
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7th rank case 2: double rooks   Two rooks on the seventh rank can force a draw, but watch out for defended squares on the seventh rank that can stop this.  
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7th rank case 3: rook + knight   A knight in opposition to a king (on 8th behind 7th rank rook) can check it back and forth IF there is a corner or blockage that allows a R+N mate.  
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7th rank case 4: marauding   Doubled rook continually checking can fork pieces off the 7th rank if the other rook is defended.  
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7th rank case 5: 8th rank (start)   Get the king out of the corner and into something like Rh7, Rg7, Kf8  
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7th rank case 5: 8th rank (attack)   Gain of material by forking or skewering, mate by breaking king contact with the rooks, or intermezzo captures that threaten mate  
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Passed pawn   A pawn with no enemy pawn in front of it on it's file or either adjacent file.  
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Pawn majority rule   Every sound, uncompromised pawn majority (two files away from an enemy majority) is capable of generating a passed pawn.  
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Candidate passed pawn   The pawn in a pawn majority with no (enemy?) pawns in front of it.  
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Candidate rule   The candidate pawn takes precedence in trying to create a passed pawn. Push it and use the other pawns to support it.  
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Blockade   Physically stopping an opposing passed pawn with a piece.  
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Pawn roller   A compact, advancing mass of pawns in the center.  
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First reason to blockade   To stop the pawn from advancing and either opening up lines or promoting.  
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Second reason to blockade   Blockaders are defending from frontal attacks by the pawn they are blockading.  
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Weak square   A square in front of a pawn that can be occupied, and the occupier cannot be easily removed.  
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Third reason to blockade   The blockaded pawn can block your opponent's pieces.  
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Main function of the blockader   To immobilize the passed pawn.  
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Secondary function of the blockader   To threaten into the opponent's territory.  
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Elasticity   A blockader is elastic if it is justified in leaving it's post.  
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First justification for elasticity   An immediate gain is possible.  
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Second justification for elasticity   It can return in time to blockade on another square after the pawn advances.  
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Third justification for elasticity   If it has a deputy that can take over the blockade.  
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Effective deputies   Effective deputies of blockaders have safe squares of their own.  
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Defending a blockader   Over defending a blockader gives it more elasticity.  
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Strong blockaders   Weaker pieces are more effective blockaders because they can't be pushed away by an attack from an even weaker piece.  
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Replacing a blockader   When attacking a defender you may want to force an easier to attack deputy to take it's place.  
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Isolated pawns   Get the king in front, get his king out from behind (perhaps with zugzwang), then flank the pawn  
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Strength of attacks   Weakest to strongest: frontal, side(?), flanking  
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Flanking's weakness   Only useful against immobile targets  
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Reserve blockading square   The first unprotected square in the pawn's line of advance  
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Kings in a pawn advance   Attacker strives for the lead, defender tries to prevent this with the reserve blockading square.  
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Privileged passed pawns   Passed pawns that are linked, protected, or distant  
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Ideal linked passed pawns   Ideal linked passed pawns are on the same rank, because in that position they cannot be blockaded  
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Advancing linked passed pawns   Do it at a moment when the enemy cannot form a strong blockade. Then advance the trailing pawn after breaking any weak blockade  
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Plugging the gap   With advancing linked pawns, the king is often strongest filling the gap left by the leading pawn.  
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Protected passed pawn   Can be protected by an unpassed pawn. Their strength is that they are immune to attacks from kings  
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Distant passed pawn   Distance is from the center. It can be used to distract the enemy king and take him away from another area of play.  
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Danger of distant passed pawns   They can be played too soon. Make sure you can take advantage of a distraction before sacrificing.  
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When to advance passed pawns   When they cannot be strongly blockaded, when they will protect valuable squares, it clears space for a piece to move behind it, or the advance makes a good sacrifice  
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Sacrificing passed pawns   Must be done to create maximum loss of time for your enemy  
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First reason to exchange   To occupy or open a line without loss of time  
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Second reason to exchange   To get rid of a defender. It may defend a square, not a piece.  
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Third reason to exchange   To retreat without losing time. This is usually in response to a counter attack.  
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Fourth reason to exchange   When we are ahead on material.  
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Zeroth element of the endgame   The passed pawn  
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First element of the endgame   Centralization  
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Second element of the endgame   Aggressive rooks and activity in general  
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Third element of the endgame   Consolidating isolated forces  
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Fourth element of the endgame   General advance  
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Fifth element of the endgame   Materialization of files  
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What to centralize   The king (at the start of the endgame), the pieces, the queen (preferably protected by a pawn)  
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Why centralize   It allows the centralized piece to attack either side  
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Shelters   Squares (often behind pawns) to hide you king from piece attacks  
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Bridge   A pair of shelters allow king movement when under attack  
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Defending endgame rooks   Weak because of lack of mobility, which gives enemy king more mobility.  
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Attacking endgame rooks   Can attack multiple ways, one pinning down the defending rook.  
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Value of aggressive endgame rook   It is worth (intelligently) sacrificing a pawn to go from defensive to active.  
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Where to put the endgame rook   Behind the passed pawn, whether it is yours or theirs  
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Non-rooks in the endgame   Same principle: be aggressive, not defensive  
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Advancing endgame pawn   Fill in behind with a piece/king  
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General advance   A slow, combined advance of your pieces in the endgame  
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Knight-pawn interaction   Knight protected by pawn can attack blocking pawns in chain or move once to defend allied pawns in chain.  
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King-pawn interaction   King can plug holes in pawn chains and hide behind pawns  
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Queen-pawn interaction   Centrally posted queen can defend widely separated pawns.  
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Endgame files   Easier to exploit with less work than midgame files  
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How to exploit endgame files   Maintain them and a way will open  
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The strategy of pins   The effect a pin has on a position can be used as a strategic weakness to attack.  
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Partial pin   A pin where the pinned piece can move along the line of the pin.  
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Protection of a pinned piece   It is an illusion. You can place your pieces on "protected" squares  
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Attacking a pinned piece   Several attacks with pieces, finish it off with a pawn.  
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Exchanging pins   It is often advisable to exchange for the pinned piece to pin a better piece or to make a partial pin complete.  
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Danger of challenging pins   It can open up a position. Do it if it forces the attacker (bishop) to a bad spot. Watch for an open center which can make that a good spot.  
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When to ignore a pin   When the center is open and moving pawns to the center can give us activity.  
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Double challenge a pin   Bring a knight around to cover the escape square that continues the pin. This is slow, so only use it with a closed center.  
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Tacking a pin   Manouvering to keep open the option of challenging, exchanging, or double challenging it.  
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The corridor   The line from the pinning piece through the pinned piece to the piece it is pinned to.  
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Breaking a pin   Placing a protected piece in the corridor of the pin  
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Connecting a pin   Creating contact between the pinned piece and the piece it is pinned to.  
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Escaping a pin   The piece behind the pin moving away.  
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Techniques for pins in the opening   Challenging, exchanging, double challenging, and tacking  
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Techniques for pins in tactical situations   Breaking, connecting, and escaping  
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Discovered check vs. pin   A discovered check is like a pin where the pinned piece is the attacker's.  
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Little man   The "pinned piece" in a discovered check  
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First action of the little man   Take anything not protected by the king.  
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Second action of the little man   Attack anything, even from a defended square.  
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Third action of the little man   Switch to any spot he wants.  
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Treadmill   Repeated discovered checks with captures in between.  
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Double check   Discovered check where moving piece also checks. The king must move.  
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Pawn chain   A diagonal line of black and white pawns defending each other  
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The base of a pawn chain   The pawn at the back of the chain (the least advanced pawn with an enemy pawn blockading it).  
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Cost of a pawn chain   Creating the pawn chain gives up the opportunity to open a file.  
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Benefit of a pawn chain   Opens up two attacks: ahead and in the direction of the chain.  
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Attacking in the direction of the chain   The lead point attacks into enemy territory, and the enemy pawns clog up his position  
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Attacking forward of the chain   Attack the base of the chain with a pawn, then flank the new base with the rook that was supporting the attack.  
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Purpose of the pawn chain   To restrain the enemy. It is a blockading issue.  
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When to attack the pawn chain   As soon as possible  
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Surprise attack of the pawn chain   Attack the base pawn with another pawn, then attack the new base.  
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After the pawn chain is destroyed   Advance the pawns that had been restrained  
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When to exchange for a pawn in a chain   To replace it with a weaker blockader  
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Siege of the base, step 1   Attack the fixed base with multiple pieces.  
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Siege of the base, step 2   Post attackers aggressively to impede enemy development  
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Siege of the base, step 3   Maintain the pressure at least until weakness show in the enemy position.  
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Siege of the base, step 4   Attack the new weakness as energetically as possible  
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Siege of the base, step 5   Allow the base pawn to become an endgame weakness  
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Siege of the base, step 6   Never forget that you too have a base pawn to defend.  
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Transference and pawn chains   If the base is too strong, advance a pawn to create a new, weaker base.  
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