Intermediate Chess
Intermediate

Learn

Recap: play where the pawns point

The skeleton is your map.

Before you pick a plan, read the pawns. Each landmark sets the agenda: target an isolated or backward pawn (and the holes around it), use the open file that doubled pawns give you, push your passers and blockade the enemy's, and strike a pawn chain at its base. The structure tells you which side of the board to play on.

This becomes second nature through real games. Play, and make a habit of naming the pawn structure and its plan before anything else.

  • Read the skeleton first — it's the most permanent feature.
  • Target isolated/backward pawns; use the files doubled pawns open.
  • Push your passers; blockade theirs; hit chains at the base.