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My System Part II
Notes on the second part of Nimsowitsch's My System
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Relation of positional and tactical play | Positional play generalizes the tactical ideas from Part I |
| Amateur's offense against positional play | They always want to be doing something. |
| Master's offense against positional play | They overestimate the accumulation of small advantages. |
| Response to flank attacks | Attack in the center |
| Before attacking… | Consider consolidating moves |
| The most important aspect of positional play | Prophylaxis: anticipation of problems both external (enemy moves) and internal (our position). |
| External prophylaxis | Make freeing pawn moves more difficult to achieve, if not prevent them. |
| Internal prophylaxis | Over protect key strategic points |
| Benefit of over protection | The protecting position can be strategically useful in and of itself (increased radius of activity) |
| Over protecting weak squares | Don't do it unless the weak square supports a strong one (like a base pawn). |
| Second aspect of positional play | Mobility of the pawn mass in general (not necessarily every pawn) |
| Prophylaxis vs. pawn mobility | Prophylaxis is a means to pawn mobility, although useful it itself |
| The Balkans of the chess board | The center. The focus of the battle will never be far from there. |
| What to do with closed centers | 90% can be opened with a single move, which is preferable to attacking on the flanks. |
| When central pawns are removed | You must occupy the center with pieces |
| True strategy | Deliberate over protection of the center and centralization over flank attacks. |
| Replacements for central pawns | Centrally posted pieces or lines of attack that restrain enemy central pawns. |
| Definition of the center | The squares in the middle of the board (not the pawns/pieces on them) |
| Relationship of center and flanks | Occupying the center gives you control on both flanks, and allows switching flanks |
| Best piece for dominating the center | Pawns, because they are the most stable |
| The drawback of central pawns | They are an obstruction |
| True control of the center | Restraint of the enemy's center |
| Disadvantage of doubled pawns | They allow for the ultimate in restraint because they can't advance as effectively. |
| Compact doubled pawns | Doubled pawns in contact with other doubled pawns |
| What to do with enemy doubled pawns | Push them into advancing that pawn mass. |
| How doubled pawns are like a limp | It's only a problem when you're moving |
| Static weakness of doubled pawns | One that shows when you attack them |
| Active weakness of doubled pawns | One that shows when they move |
| When to undouble pawns | When they have a static weakness. The remaining pawn will be weak |
| When to attack doubled pawns with pawns | When they are compact/advancing or isolated. Otherwise goad them into advancing. |
| The strength of doubled pawns | They make it easy to hold out when they stand firm |
| Mysterious rook moves | Moves to occupy files that are not open but will be if the opponent tries a freeing move. |
| False freeing moves | Freeing moves in an undeveloped postion that can't capitalize on the freedom. Don't worry about them. |
| The nucleus of restraining a pawn majority | An open file and two ways to blockade |
| Qualitative pawn majority | A wing advancing on an enemy base pawn. It is qualitatively superior. |
| The saw position | Pe4, pd6, pf6 |
| Restraining mobile central pawn (1) | The passsive saw position |
| Restraining mobile central pawn (2) | Restraint with aggressive pressure (from a rook) |
| Restraining mobile central pawn (3) | Cause it to become backward or isolated |
| Restraining mobile central pawn (4) | Blockade it. |
| Restraining mobile central pawn (5) | Take it. |
| Three general steps of restraint | Restrain, blockade, destroy |
| Two possible side effects of doubled pawns | A trapped bishop, and a cramped position getting in the way of defense. |
| Dichtomy of the isolated queen's pawn | Statically weak, dynamically strong |
| Strengths of isolated queen's pawn | The knight outpost on e5 is superior to black's on d5 because of it's king side threats (esp. with the light bishop) |
| Weaknesses of isolated queen's pawn | d5 becomes better outpost, the pawn needs defenders, and d5, c4, and e4 can become weak squares in endgame. White needs penetration on c7. |
| General lesson of isolated queen's pawn | It's not just an isolated pawn that is weak, but the squares around it. |
| When to attack with isolated QP | When the opponent takes pieces from the king side. Until then develop and secure d4 (Be3!). When you attack, sacrifice |
| Good isolated QP position for white 1 | d5, e6xd5, recapture with a piece (centralized) |
| Good isolated QP position for white 2 | white has play on the c file |
| Good isolated QP position for black 1 | Getting to the endgame with QP still isolated |
| Good isolated QP position for black 2 | Nd5xNc3, bxc3, lay siege to c3 |
| Where failed attacks on isolated QP go | To the queen side. |
| The isolated pawn pair | c3 and d4 pawns as an island, often a consequence of isolated QP. If black can blockade it's good, as white is cramped. |
| The hanging pawn pair | c4 and d4 pawns as an island. Good for white, threatening c5 and d5 |
| What hanging pawns inherit | Statically weak, dynamically strong |
| The hanging pawn pair trade off | To make them strong by advancing one of them, you must give up play in the center. |
| When advancing hanging pawns is worth it | When the potential blockaders are open to attack, or when the blockade will cost too much to maintain |
| Strength of bishops | Range |
| Weakness of bishops | Squares of the opposite color |
| Horrwitz bishops | Bishops operating on adjacent diagonals |
| How to use Horrwitz bishops | One forces a pawn to move and block, the other attacks through the square behind the pawn, or uses the weak squares created. |
| Pawns and bishops | A bishop pair can more effectively support a pawn mass than a knight pair. |
| Pawns and knights | Use the blockaded pawns to cramp the knights as well. |
| Bishops in closed positions | They are weak against a central, hard to attack knight. |
| Hypermodern strategy | Hold off on pawns in the center until necessary, then use them supported by fianchettoed bishops. |
| Protection against hypermodern strategy | Over protection of the central squares |
| Over protection and flanks | Over protection of the center makes the flanks resistant to attacks. |
| What to over protect | Strategically valuable spots that will lend power to the protectors |
| What not to over protect | Weak pawns or areas (unless they are strategically valuable). |
| The two types of weak pawns | Inherently weak pawns, and pawns that will become weak after another pawn (yours or foes) moves. |
| Maneuvering | Attacking a weakness with alternating pieces, keeping them mobile and the defenders static. |
| The pivot of a maneuver | The square which all the pieces move through or connect with. |
| Attacking on two wings | An attack on one wing can cause a disruption and subsequent weakness on the other. |
| Maneuvering on the defense | A large number of targets can compensate for a low number of threats. |
Created by:
ichabod801
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