Strategy

Once you know the rules and have played a few games, the next step is strategy: how to think about the position, where to put your pieces, and how to make a plan. Strategy is what happens between the opening and the endgame, when the board is still full of pieces but there is no obvious tactic.

Key ideas

• Control the centre: Pieces in the centre influence more squares and give you more options.
• Develop your pieces: Get your knights and bishops out early. Don't move the same piece twice in the opening without a good reason.
• King safety: Castle so your king is not stuck in the middle. Keep a few pawns or pieces around it if the position opens up.
• Pawn structure: Pawns shape the position. Weak pawns (isolated, backward, doubled) can become targets. A strong centre can restrict the opponent.
• Piece activity: A piece that does nothing is a bad piece. Try to improve your worst piece and tie down the opponent's pieces.

Learning strategy

The best way to improve is to play games, look at them afterward, and read or watch explanations of typical plans (e.g. minority attack, pawn breaks, outpost knights). Our articles cover strategy in plain language. Combine that with Puzzles for tactics and Openings for the first few moves.

New strategy content is added regularly on the blog. Use the Tactics and Strategy tags to find what you need.