Lessons
Strategic Errors

Strategic Errors

Silman
IM Jeremy Silman
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Learn to avoid the most common mistakes in chess!

Are you good at finding forks, but feel lost in quieter positions? Strategic errors are played at every level of the game. However, in the amateur ranks, strategic mistakes are a dime a dozen. Nevertheless, just because a move might be strategically dubious doesn't mean that it will be punished. This course will help you become more aware of strategic errors and will help you strive to milk every drop of juicy goodness from your opponent's mistaken concept. No one teaches strategy like IM Jeremy Silman, so strap in and learn how to become a positional chess genius!

Here is what you will learn:

  • How to identify strategic errors in the opening.
  • How to try to fix a poor position by improving your pieces.
  • When to give up the beloved bishop pair and why.
  • When to grab space and when to avoid it.
  • How to identify and target weaknesses.

Strategic Meltdown in the Opening

This lesson shows us how strategic errors can appear early in the opening, and will, more often than not, immediately give you a clear signal as to what you should achieve
4 Challenges

A Quick Fix

At times we find ourselves in a poor position. Playing it is depressing, so if we can lash out it makes us feel like we have a bit of self determination.
5 Challenges

To Grab Space or Not to Grab Space?

Every chess player hears about space. But when should one take it? Should one be afraid of the opponent taking it? Is the acquisition of space always worthwhile? If not, what could possibly make it bad?
3 Challenges

Logical Doesn't Mean It's Right

At times a move that seems so right can turn out to be quite wrong. At other times a move might make positional concessions while making certain gains at the same time.
3 Challenges

Giving Up The Bs

Everyone knows about the supposed power of the two Bishops. However, in the non-professional realms I view the battle between Bishops and Knights to be an even one.
4 Challenges

Taking Aim at a Target

Decades ago, I coined the term "target consciousness." This alludes to my insistence on training a student's mind to always lookout for the creation and destruction of attackable points.
4 Challenges

Balancing Imbalances

The position in question comes about after a very odd opening: 1.e4 e5 2.c3 d5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bb5 f6 5.Qa4 Ne7 6.0-0 dxe4 7.Qxe4 Bf5 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Qa4.
3 Challenges

Don't Ignore Endgame Strategy!

Most endgames, like all other phases of the game, come down to an appreciation of the strategic nuances of the position.
4 Challenges

To "B" or Not to "B"

There are many basic rules, and most people know some or even all of them. However, knowing the rules and knowing when to implement them can be two different things.
4 Challenges

Pawn Tension is Your Friend

Most amateurs dread tension, envisioning it as a Sword of Damocles hanging over their head. However, tension can serve you well if you have faith in it.
3 Challenges

True "Weakness" is More Than Just a Name

A so-called "weak" pawn is only weak not because of its name, but because the opponent can successfully attack it. If it can't be attacked, then (for all intents and purposes) it's not weak.
3 Challenges

Appearances Can Be Deceptive

As if to spoil the party, a position appears that spits in the face of all of your hard earned knowledge.
4 Challenges

Rotting Pawns That Refuse to Die

In chess, there are ugly pawns and then -- especially in this example -- there are really, really ugly pawns.
3 Challenges

From Frying Pan to Fire

The fact is, if you enjoy a safe King, you can play on for ages, no matter how sad your position might be.
4 Challenges

Don't Be An Opening Robot

You reach a position that you feel you understand quite deeply, only to realize that you missed a nuance that is only present because of a "slight" change in the formation you were familiar with.
5 Challenges

The Center Rules the Wings

There is a drug in chess that most players are already addicted to. It creates depression, confusion, and lack of self-esteem, yet the countless addicts never know why things are so bad for them so often!
4 Challenges

Demand More Than Wiggle-room

There is one particular thing that most titled players covet that isn't given the same high esteem by amateurs: space.
4 Challenges

Space vs. Mr. Dither

This lesson is yet another warning about the perils of ignoring an opponent's space advantage.
3 Challenges

Self Inflicted Wounds

In general, I feel most strategic mistakes/blunders are caused by focusing so hard on other issues that you forget all about "unimportant" things like holes or weak pawns.
4 Challenges

Ganging Up On Targets

Many an opponent, unable to resist the compulsion to embrace the aggressive caveman impulse, will rush their pieces down the board in a berserker frenzy.
4 Challenges

Strategic Errors

Strategy
20 Lessons
No Videos
75 Challenges
Released 5/28/2008

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