In this video course you are making your first steps in mastering strategic concepts. As the legendary player Philidor (1726-1795) said: ‘’pawns are the soul of chess’’ and in this course on basic chess strategy you will see his quote is still true today!
After a brief introduction to each piece, covering their strengths and shortcomings, our focus will be on pawns and their specific functions (protecting your king, supporting pieces and restricting opponent mobility) and how they impact the course of the game. Some pawns are strong, others are weak, but when is a pawn weak and how do you take advantage of it? When there are weak pawns, weak squares are never far away! What are weak squares and how do your pieces benefit from occupying such a square? A rook is a powerful piece, and in the topics “open files” and “seventh rank” you’ll see that sound positional play is closely linked with attacking chess. All these elements should be taken into consideration when planning to improve your own pieces or weaken your opponent’s position. The interactive format offers you a chance to test your knowledge! In 77 excercises you’ll be able to apply your newly acquired knowledge!