The Essence of Chess Strategy Volume 2: Pawn Structures - Boroljub Zlatanovic

How to learn strategy? Can it be learned? It can be, of course. And these volumes are the perfect guide to learn (or, more precisely, to learn to understand) strategy.

Our idea is to throw light on all the strategic concepts in these volumes. To help you navigate more simply, we have divided all the material into two volumes. This first one is exploring the elements of strategy, explaining typical and essential principles in detail. The second one is about pawn structures. Of course, structures themselves actually mean nothing without recognizing patterns and principles from the elements (because pawn structures are used to determine the values of pieces, for instance). That is why volume two can be considered as an advanced level of strategy. Generally, examples will be based on material adopted from volume one and upgraded.

I have known Boroljub since childhood. When I think of him, the first word that comes to my mind is “PASSION”. Be it chess or football, the Dunst Opening or the Nimzovich Defense, he always seemed to be able to reach heights due to his devotion and dedication to whatever he was currently busy with. It isn’t surprising that this finally results in his encyclopedic knowledge of whatever area he chooses to focus on. I will mention an interesting episode. At some point in his life, Boroljub developed an affection for game shows. It didn’t take too long before he became a TV celebrity, giving correct answers to incredibly difficult questions in super diverse areas. I vividly remember almost falling off my chair while I was watching him on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire“, thinking how can this guy know EVERYTHING?? Quiz show producers simply stopped inviting him under the threat of bankruptcy! When he started teaching, he continued doing it with the same enthusiasm. This sentiment can be felt throughout this book, and together with great material, it gives the reader that little extra something, that can’t be described by words, but only felt. Taking advantage of the doubled pawns has always been my forte. Sometimes it feels like I based my chess career on it almost entirely! And I can't emphasize enough the importance of this simple advice: Learn how to play the pawns, they really are the soul of chess! With the material that was carefully chosen and analyzed, Boroljub will help you get one step closer to the great Philidor.

GM Dragan Solak, May 2022.

Content:

 

004 Key to Symbols

007 Foreword

008 Preface

009 Chapter 1 - The Center

073 Chapter 2 - The Position of the King

109 Chapter 3 - Bishop Versus Knight

193 Chapter 4 - The Bishop Pair

261 Chapter 5 - The "Bad" Pieces

307 Chapter 6 - The "Good" Pieces

361 Chapter 7 - How to Use Files

405 Chapter 8 - The Space Advantage

453 Chapter 9 - Activity, Harmony and Initiative

523 Index of Games