Planning Move by Move
GM Miguel Najdorf used to say in his habitually enthusiastic fashion “first the idea and then the move!”. That statement is the perfect summary of Zenón Franco latest book ‘Planning: Move by Move’.
Planning is of crucial importance in chess, and yet this is an area that has not been well discussed or explained to ambitious players who wish to improve. A very well known saying in chess is “Better a bad plan than no plan at all”. Playing without a plan – effectively staggering from one move to the next – is a recipe for disaster. It is essential to have a rough idea of what you are trying to achieve and how to go about it.
However, planning is not a straightforward matter.
A good plan might be short, lasting just two or three moves or an entire game to implement. A plan can be highly ambitious and complex or somewhat modest and straightforward.
In chess, as in life, circumstances can change quickly, and when they do, new plans are needed. How is a player expected to juggle all these different concepts while dealing with the immediate problems posed by the opponent’s most recent move?
Franco Zenón, who is a Grandmaster and experienced author, explains planning in detail. He organises material in terms of typical structures, an advantage in space, manoeuvring play, simplification and, finally, attack and defence. He explains how plans are formed and carried out in these different scenarios using games played by elite players, .
Sample pages can be found here – Planning – Move by move.
You can buy the book from – New In Chess website.
Zenón Franco
Zenón Franco is a Grandmaster from Paraguay, now living in Spain. He represented Paraguay, on top board, in seven Chess Olympiads, and won individual gold medals at Lucerne 1982 and Novi Sad 1990. He’s an experienced trainer and has written numerous books on chess.
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