Strategic Planning with IM Valeri Lilov

Strategic Planning with IM Valeri Lilov

Strategic planning is one of the most important skills a chess player can learn. It is well known that playing with a bad plan, is much better than playing with no plan at all. If you want to succeed at chess it is crucial to start coming up with a good plan. That’s where the problems come for 95% of chess players.

How do you come up with a good plan?

Books treat this issue differently. Some suggest that you have to open up the position and prepare an attack. Others advocate finding a target in opponent’s camp. Third advice on improving the position until the attacking possibility comes around. These suggestions are great… but difficult to follow in a real game.

How do you come up with a good plan?

• How to open up the position?
• Where to find a good target?
• How to know when and where to attack?

In other words, this type of thinking does not work for a practical chess player. You need something concrete, which can be used even under pressure. IM Lilov recommends an approach of “gradual improvement” used by many strong GMs. He backs up his ideas with concrete examples from GM games so that you could understand the method and follow the correct thinking process.

What to do when you’re in a bad position?

Indeed it is not the most pleasant thing in the world to play. But it is inevitable. In about 30% of our games (or even more) we will be in serious trouble. We have to learn to deal with disadvantages, and it is not simple. In this course you will learn how to approach a losing position, so that you can perform at your best and improve your fighting chances.