Game Planning and Move Selection
Step I - Evaluate the Position - Use SCAN to evaluate the board.Step II - Set Goals and Form a Plan
Opening goals
- A player needs to place his/her pawns in the center of the board.
- A player needs to get his/her pieces out and placed properly on the board, and in the correct order.
- A player needs to get his/her king safe by castling.
Middlegame goals
- A player needs to obtain an advantage either in material, position, or time.
- A player needs to find ways to checkmate his/her opponent.
Endgame goals
- A player needs to keep as many pawns as possible on the board.
- A player needs to be able to move those pawns to the opposite side of the board, and to promote those pawns into queens and rooks.
- A player needs to know how to checkmate his/her opponent using the available material.
- If a player can’t do any of these things, then he/she needs to try to draw the game.
Basic Plans
- Attack. If you have some type of advantage (material, position, time), how can you make it pay off? Two ways to do this are:
Attack a weak piece(s), a weak square(s), or a weak section of the board.
Break into your opponent’s space. Enough pressure will crack any position, given time. - Defend. If you are worse, how can you stop what your opponent is doing? Defending a bad position correctly may give you a chance for a counterattack. Two ways to defend your position are:
Locate your pieces around the targeted point to be defended.
Trade off and get rid of the opponent's attacking pieces, reducing the threats. - Improve At some points during the game, you will just be improving your position by:
Simple development of material.
A radical shift in the position of major pieces.
Step IV - Play the Best Move You’ve Found that Fits Your Goals / Plan