19081–0
The c5 square
Rubinstein – Salwe · Łódź 1908
15.♗c5
Strategy & planning
First the plan, then the move.
Tactics asks: which move? Strategy asks: which plan? chessophos shows the plans of the greats, the pawn structures behind them, and makes visible who controls which squares.
8pawn structures
8plans of the greats
20,613games analysed
Lasker – Capablanca · St Petersburg 1914
Restrict, don’t open
Black has the bishop pair. How does White continue?
Point at a plan to see it on the board. Then choose.
Light map
Who controls which square?
Switch on the light: every square glows in the colour of the side that attacks it more often. Apricot is White, plum is Black. Space, outposts and weak pawns show at a glance, without calculating.
White controls
Black controls
contested
outpost
weak pawn
The octopus on d3
Karpov – Kasparov 1985, after 16…Nd3. The black knight sits deep in White’s camp on an outpost. No pawn can chase it, and plum reaches far into White’s half.
FeatureWhiteBlack
Lightsquares controlled2528
Spacein the enemy half34
Mobilitylegal moves3856
Outpostssquares no pawn can chase11
- Open files
- c, e
- Half-open for
- W: – · B: d
- Pawn islands
- 3 : 2
- Weak pawns
- d5
The light map counts attacks only, not pins or exchanges. It shows the situation, not the best move. That is what Stockfish is for.
White controls
Black controls
contested
outpost
weak pawn
The knight on e6
Lasker – Capablanca 1914, after 16.Ne6. After f4-f5, e6 is a hole in Black’s camp. The knight there controls the squares around Black’s king.
FeatureWhiteBlack
Lightsquares controlled2721
Spacein the enemy half30
Mobilitylegal moves3621
Outpostssquares no pawn can chase11
- Open files
- –
- Half-open for
- W: d · B: e
- Pawn islands
- 2 : 2
- Weak pawns
- –
The light map counts attacks only, not pins or exchanges. It shows the situation, not the best move. That is what Stockfish is for.
White controls
Black controls
contested
outpost
weak pawn
The blockade on d5
Reshevsky – Petrosian 1953, after 28…Nd5. Black is an exchange down, but the d5 knight holds the d4 pawn and the b2 bishop in check.
FeatureWhiteBlack
Lightsquares controlled1926
Spacein the enemy half24
Mobilitylegal moves3130
Outpostssquares no pawn can chase22
- Open files
- f
- Half-open for
- W: b · B: d
- Pawn islands
- 3 : 3
- Weak pawns
- a4 e6
The light map counts attacks only, not pins or exchanges. It shows the situation, not the best move. That is what Stockfish is for.
Sea chart of structures
The pawns set the course.
8 pawn structures that return in thousands of games. Each comes with a plan for White and one for Black . The numbers come from the games of 12 world-class players.
Isolated queen’s pawn
- Active pieces, knight to e5
- Blockade the square in front (d5)
1,226 games · White 57%
Hanging pawns
- Pressure on the c- and d-files
- Keep the pawns side by side, they guard the centre
123 games · White 56%
Carlsbad structure
- Minority attack: b2-b4-b5 against c6
- Pieces to the kingside
431 games · White 58%
Maróczy bind
- Hold the space, prevent …b5 and …d5
- Trade pieces for air
262 games · White 61%
Hedgehog
- Use the space, press on d6
- Patience behind a6, b6, d6, e6
95 games · White 55%
French chain
- Space on the kingside
- Hit the chain at its base: …c5
311 games · White 61%
King’s Indian chain
- Queenside: c4-c5 against d6
- Kingside: …f5, …f4 and …g5
659 games · White 65%
Stonewall
- Occupy the hole on e5 (or e4)
- Knight to e4
135 games · White 63%
Logbook of the greats
Plans that made history.
From Rubinstein 1908 to Carlsen 2014: the moment a great player chose a plan. The board shows the move the plan began with.
19141–0
Restrict, don’t open
Lasker – Capablanca · St Petersburg 1914
12.f5
19381–0
Strike in the centre
Botvinnik – Capablanca · AVRO 1938
19.e4
1953½–½
Prophylaxis with a sacrifice
Reshevsky – Petrosian · Zurich 1953
25…♖e6
19711–0
The good trade
Fischer – Petrosian · Buenos Aires 1971
22.♘xd7+
19741–0
The second front
Karpov – Unzicker · Nice 1974
30.f4
19850–1
The octopus on d3
Karpov – Kasparov · World Championship Moscow 1985, game 16
16…♘d3
20141–0
The rook lift
Carlsen – Anand · World Championship Sochi 2014, game 2
14.♖a3
Numbers from the databases
Which structure pays off?
Counted in 19,984 games by 12 world-class players, structure after move 15. The bar shows how the points split between White and Black.
StructureGamesPoints White | Black
King’s Indian chain
659
Isolated queen’s pawn for White
619
Isolated queen’s pawn for Black
607
Carlsbad structure
431
French chain
311
Maróczy bind
262
Stonewall for Black
101
Hedgehog
95
Hanging pawns for Black
81
Hanging pawns for White
42
Stonewall for White
34
White’s points
Black’s points
Average of all games: White 57%
The databases hold games of great players, who often win whatever their colour. Small samples (under 100 games) are only a hint.
The emblem
A rook that shines.
The lighthouse is a red-and-white chess rook. Two beams fall from its lantern: apricot for White, plum for Black. The light map and every plan on this site wear the same colours.
Phos means light. In the fog of the middlegame, the plan shows the way.
The family
Four portals, one game.
Openingchesstoteles.comThe first moves of the greats
Tacticschessepolis.comCombinations and mating patterns
Middlegamechessophos.comLight on the plan
Endgamechessophia.comTechnique to the last move