Material and Better King

Material and Better King

The most common way to evaluate a position is by counting the pieces and looking at which side has more. This is natural, but probably not the best way to start analyzing. As we’ll see in this lecture, having the better king can be even more important than material.

Chess Strategy - Complete Training Course

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Introduction to the Course

  • Introduction
  • Getting Started (What You Need to Do the Course)

Your Quick Guide to Chess Strategy

  • Material and Better King
  • Pawn Structure
  • Warm-up
  • Solution
  • Outro

What is Chess Strategy?

  • Intro
  • What is Chess Strategy?
  • When does Strategy Prevail?
  • Activity
  • Solution
  • Outro

Having a Better King

  • Intro
  • The Key to King Safety
  • Exploiting the Advantage
  • King Walks
  • When to Activate the King
  • Activity
  • Solution
  • Outro

Material

  • Intro
  • Standard Value of the Pieces
  • What Makes a Piece Stronger
  • Piece Value Through the Stages of the Game
  • Material Imbalances
  • Bishop Pair
  • Activity
  • Solution
  • Outro

Pawn Structure

  • Intro
  • Isolated Pawns
  • Backward Pawns
  • Hanging Pawns
  • Doubled Pawns
  • Passed Pawns
  • Activity
  • Solution
  • Outro

Strategic Sacrifices

  • Intro
  • Pawn Sacrifice
  • Exchange Sacrifice
  • Minor Piece Sacrifice
  • Rook Sacrifice
  • Queen Sacrifice
  • Activity
  • Solution
  • Outro

Bring It All Together

  • Intro
  • Activity
  • Solution

Next Steps

  • Next Steps
  • Bonus 1: Chess Strategy Summary
  • Bonus 2 - Strategic Masterpiece 1: My Kingdom for Two Passed Pawns
  • Bonus 2 - Strategic Masterpiece 2: Pawns Can't Move Backwards
  • Bonus 3: Games for You to Study