Four questions
A plan is a goal and a way to get there. It doesn't have to be long. Often it is enough to know what should happen over the next five or ten moves, and why. The plan comes from the position, and you read the position with four questions:
- Where are the weaknesses? Start with the pawns: weak pawns, squares no pawn can protect, open files. More on the page about pawn structures.
- Which piece stands worst? A better square for it is often the whole plan.
- What does your opponent want? Sometimes the most important thing is to stop it. That is called prophylaxis.
- Which pieces should be traded? Trade off what defends your opponent's weaknesses and what attacks your own, and keep your best pieces.
A plan from the endgame
In Moscow in 2002, Judit Polgár met Garry Kasparov in a game with a short time limit. The queens were traded as early as move eight.
Kasparov's king was in the middle and couldn't castle, and White had more pawns on the kingside. Polgár gained space there with her pawns, put the knight on f5 and then brought her rooks into Black's position, against the king and the pawns. It paid off much later, and the whole game is among the famous games.
One moment in the game shows the second question in practice: which piece stands worst?
The right trades
Trades are part of the plan, not a break from it. Wilhelm Steinitz traded three pairs of minor pieces in three moves against Curt von Bardeleben in 1895. The trades had a target: Black's king, still in the middle on the open e-file. After them and 14.Re1, Black couldn't castle without losing a knight.
- 11.
- 12.
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- 14.…
A few rules of thumb for trades:
- The side with more material usually wants to trade pieces. With fewer pieces on the board, an extra pawn counts for more.
- The attacker rarely wants to trade, and the defender often does.
- The side with a weak pawn often wants to avoid the endgame, where the pawn becomes a target. That goes, for example, for the isolated queen's pawn.
- Trade off the defenders of what you are attacking, and keep your own attackers.
The way into the endgame
A plan can end in an endgame. If you know which endgames are won or drawn, you can choose your trades with a clear conscience: trade into a won endgame, or avoid a lost one. Polgár went into an endgame after only eight moves, and the play afterward revolved around Black's king in the middle.
Common mistakes
- A plan with no basis in the position. An attack on a wing where your opponent has no weaknesses rarely leads anywhere.
- Trading off your best pieces. Every trade should make your position better, not just simpler.
- Forgetting your opponent's plan. Ask the third question before every move.
- Changing plans all the time. A decent plan that is followed is often better than a new one every move.
Remember
- Read the position: the weaknesses, the worst piece, your opponent's plan and the trades.
- Improve your worst piece before you collect the win.
- Choose your trades by the plan and by the endgame you want.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you start when making a plan?
With the pawns, because they change most slowly. That's where the weaknesses and the open files show. Then the pieces: which one stands worst, and where does it want to go?
Which pieces should you trade?
Trade off your opponent's active pieces and the ones defending the weaknesses, and keep your own. The attacker rarely wants to trade; the defender often does.
When should you go into an endgame?
When the endgame is better for you than the middlegame: when you have more material, a better pawn structure or a weakness to attack. The side with a weak pawn often wants to avoid the endgame.
Updated November 14, 2026