International Chess School - King Safety and Center Pawn Struture detailed - GM Pack Month 2

The course is divided into two parts:
Months 1-9 = positional understanding; without this, calculation brings nothing
Month 10-13 = calculation and analysis; without which real progress is impossible.

Month / Subject

1 Think Like a Strong Player
2 Watch the Two Centers
3 - 4 Master Piece Play
5 – 6 Master Pawn Play
7 – 8 Pawn Structures Explained
9 Advanced Fighting Strategies
10 – 13 The Art of a Master: Analysis

Month 2 = “The Two Centers”

In this month we study the two “centers” in chess: the real center of the board and the central figure in chess, the king.

You will learn to correctly evaluate the king’s safety, one of the most important criteria of general positional assessment. We present the pluses and inuses of all the possible pawn structures in front of the king so you’ll know where and how to attack or if the attack has any chance of success. You will learn how to evaluate the role of pieces that attack and defend, correct placements, recognize defects that can be exploited, and find direct and tricky routes to bring pieces into attack or defend.

The central pawn structure is the most important element when deciding on the plan of play. We present the 5 types of center structures with the specific middlegame strategy for each and for both players. The large number of examples will help you spot the similarities and main strategies of positions characterized by the same kind of center.

Tactics: A good player must see the board, pieces and correct moves in his mind’s eye, so we start board visualization training.