When you come across a position you are not familiar with and it's no close to the opening, you might set up the position.
My question is how do you set up the position. Is there a pattern you follow or do you randomly pick up pieces and put them on the right square?
After you have the position set up, how do you become familiar with it? If it's you game then you know what's going on since you were involved but often when you are reading a book/online you are removed from the game and it takes you a while to truly understand the position. How do you do this?
Setting up: first the pawns,then then both kings and then the rest of the pieces in no particular order.
Familiarising: check material,check tactics for both sides (undefended pieces,overworked pieces,defenders I can or am allready attacking,king safety),if no tactics I try to determine what either side could be aiming for.
Originally posted by GorgarInteresting why the pawns first and then king and then pieces in no particular order?
Setting up: first the pawns,then then both kings and then the rest of the pieces in no particular order.
Familiarising: check material,check tactics for both sides (undefended pieces,overworked pieces,defenders I can or am allready attacking,king safety),if no tactics I try to determine what either side could be aiming for.
Originally posted by RahimKThe pawns are the framework of a position,the skeleton.With pawns first I often don't have to look at the position a 2nd time to set it up right.Without the pawns I have to look 5 times or so.
Interesting why the pawns first and then king and then pieces in no particular order?
The kings I dunno,it also makes it easier to set it up right but maybe that's just me being weird.
The other pieces make no difference to me.
I pick up the pieces randomly, but now that I've read this thread, I think I should probably go pawns first, for exactly the reason given above.
The pawns really are the basis for the position, and I feel my game has improved since I've started to pay more attention to pawn structure. If I'm going to analyse a position, seeing the board sans pieces can be handy.
Originally posted by pompomtomGood idea! You could use the analyze board function to remove the pieces.
I pick up the pieces randomly, but now that I've read this thread, I think I should probably go pawns first, for exactly the reason given above.
The pawns really are the basis for the position, and I feel my game has improved since I've started to pay more attention to pawn structure. If I'm going to analyse a position, seeing the board sans pieces can be handy.
Well it work only work for finding weaknesses in the pawn structure itself, and then you could find which pieces gaurd the weakness and then attack those pieces.