Schacksnack

A solid method to improve in chess is to learn five positions per week. This ”less-is-more concept” was developed in the late 1970s in consultation with Robert Danielsson, who was my coach at times when I was a teenager. At that time, I was supposed to learn five positions per week from GM Ludek Pachman’s Mittelspielpraxis im Schach and Endspielpraxis im Schach. The downside was that, especially for a junior player, it could be challenging to maintain discipline over 12 months. However, with the help of 300 Most Important Chess Positions, this can be addressed, creating an excellent educational structure.

An affordable opportunity to take chess lessons based on this concept is to acquire the book where the 300 most important positions are presented. By assimilating and revisiting these positions over a year, you will significantly increase your playing strength in proportion to your rating. If you are familiar with all these key positions, you will have significant opportunities in practical chess to recognize the themes in the opening and the middlegame (150), as well as the endgame (150). Five positions per week are what you should focus on according to this time schedule. For example, if you know a specific pawn endgame, it can be equivalent to knowing 50 pawn endgames, but you need to know which key position it is. By learning a crucial idea in one position, you can apply this idea to many other positions. This is essentially the only shortcut available if you want to improve rapidly.

Before each position, you make an assessment and try to find the best move or the best continuation. It can take 5-30 minutes depending on your playing strength and familiarity with chess ideas. If you find it too difficult, you can wait for the solution to come and then play through it. One week later, you repeat the position to see if you remember the solution and the specific idea to memorize. A small sample of how it might look is presented below with three positions from each phase. Solutions will already be published tomorrow, so try to immerse yourself in at least one position to see how the game continued tomorrow. Save the other two positions for two other days following the ”less is more” principle. It is better to do too little than too much since the risk is greater with the latter option that nothing at all is being done.

Position 86 – Middlegame – The Bishop Manouevre – White to move Bogoljubow – Alekhine, World Championship match 1929 (14)

Position 91 – Opening – The Rook Manoeuvre – Black to move
Karpov – Kasparov, World Championship match, Moscow 1985

Position 231 – Rook Endings – Black to move
Kasparov – Short, World Championship match, London 1993

Thomas Engqvist

Hello, all chess enthusiasts! I am an active tournament player and represent one of Sweden’s strongest clubs – Wasa SK. I am a trained educator (adult education teacher) and a highly experienced chess expositor. I am also an active author and have written ten chess books. Some of my most noteworthy coaching achievements at the World Championship level include being part of Stefan Winge’s team, which helped him secure second place in the Correspondence Chess World Championship in 2012. In China, I trained the young Zhu Yi, who achieved second place in the Under 12 World Championship in 2012.

My fundamental chess philosophy is inspired by the renowned Russian/French chess expositor Eugene Znosko-Borovskij (1884-1954), who believed that understanding is more crucial than rote memorization. Additionally, I incorporate ideas from the Chinese chess school, which emphasizes going through played games as a fundamental aspect of the pedagogical approach. It is much easier to progress in chess by actively playing and, together with the instructor, critically analyzing one’s games to discover both weaknesses and strengths. The best method to improve in chess is by finding a balance between gradually eliminating weaknesses and further developing one’s strengths. Communication between teacher and student ideally leads to a clear understanding of how one can progress toward one’s personal goals.

In addition to this, my teaching methods are unique, as each lesson aims to complement chess literature rather than heavily relying on references to it. It is essential for both me and the student that I can convey what I have learned through playing chess and interacting with strong players, not to mention all my private and public teaching hours over the decades. All this cannot be solely learned through printed words. Still, the chess book has not been written that truly expresses a chess player’s innermost thoughts and relevant experiences about chess. The significant advantage of taking private chess lessons is the ability to tailor the lesson to the student’s level and meet his or her specific needs. This can never be fully achieved with a chess book since it is usually written for a broad audience, aiming to appeal to as many target groups as possible. Furthermore, the student always has the opportunity, through his or her own engagement, to ask essential questions, thereby influencing and expediting his or her own developmental process.

For players residing in Stockholm, it is possible to arrange to meet in person, while for others, communication can be conducted via Skype, preferably using the Internet Chess Club (ICC) or a similar platform where it is convenient to move the pieces.

There are six other possibilities to take chess lessons:

1. The first option is to be position-oriented and acquire ”300 Most Important Chess Positions” (Batsford, 2018), which presents the 300 most crucial positions, encompassing the essential positional ideas that players of all levels need to be familiar with. By assimilating and repeating these positions, you will significantly improve your playing strength relative to your rating. Knowing all these key positions will greatly aid your ability to recognize thematic elements in the opening, middlegame, and endgame. For instance, knowing a specific pawn endgame could be equivalent to knowing 50 different pawn endgames, but you need to know which key position it is. This is the only shortcut if you wish to improve rapidly and effectively. If you want concrete examples of this training method, you can read more in the following articles published on Schacksnack: here and here and here and here.
2. The second option is to acquire the book ”300 Most Important Tactical Chess Positions” (Batsford, 2021), which presents the 300 most critical tactical positions. By assimilating and repeating these positions, you will significantly improve your playing strength relative to your rating. Knowing all these tactical key positions will greatly aid your ability to recognize thematic elements in the opening, middlegame, and endgame. If you know a specific combination, opening trap, or attacking plan, you can apply the tactical theme in many other positions, but you must know which key position it is. You will also learn how to create these positions where there is a tactical way to decide the game. Naturally, you will be able to apply this method in your own games. This is the only shortcut if you wish to improve rapidly and effectively. If you want concrete examples of this training method, you can read the following articles published on Schacksnack: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5.
3. The third option is to acquire the test book ”300 Most Important Chess Exercises” (Batsford, 2022) to verify whether you have understood the most important positional and tactical ideas in the opening, middlegame, and endgame.
4. The fourth option is to obtain ”Chess Lessons from a Champion Coach” (Batsford, 2023) and assimilate the evolution of chess ideas from the Renaissance’s Ruy Lopez to our days with Magnus Carlsen.
5. The fifth option is to send one or more games via email to thomasengqvist@protonmail.com to receive feedback with the help of written comments. This could result in approximately two A4 pages per game, packed with pedagogical comments. You can see examples of this training method here and here.
6. The sixth option, which is free of charge, is to register on Thomas Engqvist’s channel and access my videos and video courses on YouTube. More information about this training concept can be found by clicking here.

Everyone is welcome to take chess lessons or receive assistance with preparations, regardless of level, from a rating of 1000 up to 3000. If you are interested in improving your game with a training program through live chess lessons, online lessons, or via email, or if you have any questions, feel free to write to thomasengqvist@protonmail.com for more detailed information.

Chess greetings:

Thomas Engqvist