#1
You can study annotated grandmaster games and you can study books like "My System" - Nimzovich. You can also study endgames.
To get to 1800 tactics alone will do it.
Puzzles are good, but even better is to analyse your lost games.
Chess Positional play??
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Understanding positional play comes from understanding what each piece should be doing, what each piece’s job is.
Holes: This is a square that can no longer be controlled by pawns. If you can get a minor piece (or even major), supported by a pawn, on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign. Having a piece cemented in your opponent’s position can prove to be truly disruptive to their coordination.
Weaknesses: You need to know what it a weakness, and realize what pieces can target it. A backwards pawn, doubled pawn and isolated pawn are all examples of weak pawns. A square can also be weakened if only one pawn is controlling it. This is because if that pawn moves, the square is now a hole.
Captures: Understanding what the game plan is comes in here. Let’s say you have a closed Italian Game, and want to expand on the Queenside. You might understand that doing so will come with some pawn exchanges. So you keep the bishop pair, because bishops work best on long, open diagonals, where they control a lot of squares.
Bad bishop: why should my bishop be hiding behind pawns? It’s an attacking piece, made for pressuring and slicing. Get your bishop outside the pawn chain, advance your pawns to let it out. If you can’t, be willing to have a trade, in fact, look for a trade. It’s a useless piece. If an opponent wants to trade a bad bishop for your good bishop, decline (unless you have a massive winning advantage).
Good bishop: The opposite. Strong attacking piece, outside the pawns, pressuring pieces, in the game.
Bad Knight: it’s just not in the game. Sitting on the second rank, chilling at home. Be willing to trade it.
Good knight: I think I mentioned it before, but if you have a knight on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign.
Rooks: Want to get the rook in the game? Double them up on an open file. When the time is right, you can consider infiltrating on the other side of the board. A nice outpost square might be on c6, supported by a pawn, where it’s difficult for your opponent to remove you.
Queen: Your pieces need to be harmonious. Your Queen is not the strongest piece, it’s the weakest. Every time it’s attacked, you have to move or block it! So annoying! Your Queen doesn’t always have to be at the heart of an attack. It can play ahh by supporting role from the background.
Targeting pawn structures: you need to know how you can weaken a pawn structure. For example, in a rapid game I played, I captured a knight, doubling my opponents pawns. This doubling of pawns also locked in my opponent’s bishop for the rest of the game. The doubled pawns could not move. And I had a pawn chain on the other side. A pawn structure can change the game.
Clamping on a pawn structure: Have a pawn on A5? Move it to A6. This might disallow the opponents pawns to move any farther if it’s a 2 on 1 majority situation. 1 pawn hindering 2 can limit their ability to create a passed pawn.
The element of time: Understand that in the opening your goal is to safeguard the king, and prepare your troops for battle. No time for one move threats. A tempo in chess is a move. Make sure your pieces are on stable squares. Before you make a move, ask yourself “can this piece be attacked by my opponent in the future? If so, is it worth placing it here right now?”
Openings: if you want to play more positionally, you need to find an opening to match it. Some openings lead to very positional battles, so try the Queen’s Gambit and find out what you style is.
There is much more to it than this, and I’d be happy to assist you in future buddy.
Holes: This is a square that can no longer be controlled by pawns. If you can get a minor piece (or even major), supported by a pawn, on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign. Having a piece cemented in your opponent’s position can prove to be truly disruptive to their coordination.
Weaknesses: You need to know what it a weakness, and realize what pieces can target it. A backwards pawn, doubled pawn and isolated pawn are all examples of weak pawns. A square can also be weakened if only one pawn is controlling it. This is because if that pawn moves, the square is now a hole.
Captures: Understanding what the game plan is comes in here. Let’s say you have a closed Italian Game, and want to expand on the Queenside. You might understand that doing so will come with some pawn exchanges. So you keep the bishop pair, because bishops work best on long, open diagonals, where they control a lot of squares.
Bad bishop: why should my bishop be hiding behind pawns? It’s an attacking piece, made for pressuring and slicing. Get your bishop outside the pawn chain, advance your pawns to let it out. If you can’t, be willing to have a trade, in fact, look for a trade. It’s a useless piece. If an opponent wants to trade a bad bishop for your good bishop, decline (unless you have a massive winning advantage).
Good bishop: The opposite. Strong attacking piece, outside the pawns, pressuring pieces, in the game.
Bad Knight: it’s just not in the game. Sitting on the second rank, chilling at home. Be willing to trade it.
Good knight: I think I mentioned it before, but if you have a knight on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign.
Rooks: Want to get the rook in the game? Double them up on an open file. When the time is right, you can consider infiltrating on the other side of the board. A nice outpost square might be on c6, supported by a pawn, where it’s difficult for your opponent to remove you.
Queen: Your pieces need to be harmonious. Your Queen is not the strongest piece, it’s the weakest. Every time it’s attacked, you have to move or block it! So annoying! Your Queen doesn’t always have to be at the heart of an attack. It can play ahh by supporting role from the background.
Targeting pawn structures: you need to know how you can weaken a pawn structure. For example, in a rapid game I played, I captured a knight, doubling my opponents pawns. This doubling of pawns also locked in my opponent’s bishop for the rest of the game. The doubled pawns could not move. And I had a pawn chain on the other side. A pawn structure can change the game.
Clamping on a pawn structure: Have a pawn on A5? Move it to A6. This might disallow the opponents pawns to move any farther if it’s a 2 on 1 majority situation. 1 pawn hindering 2 can limit their ability to create a passed pawn.
The element of time: Understand that in the opening your goal is to safeguard the king, and prepare your troops for battle. No time for one move threats. A tempo in chess is a move. Make sure your pieces are on stable squares. Before you make a move, ask yourself “can this piece be attacked by my opponent in the future? If so, is it worth placing it here right now?”
Openings: if you want to play more positionally, you need to find an opening to match it. Some openings lead to very positional battles, so try the Queen’s Gambit and find out what you style is.
There is much more to it than this, and I’d be happy to assist you in future buddy.
May 31, 2022
0
#4
Jalex13 wrote:
Understanding positional play comes from understanding what each piece should be doing, what each piece’s job is.
Holes: This is a square that can no longer be controlled by pawns. If you can get a minor piece (or even major), supported by a pawn, on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign. Having a piece cemented in your opponent’s position can prove to be truly disruptive to their coordination.
Weaknesses: You need to know what it a weakness, and realize what pieces can target it. A backwards pawn, doubled pawn and isolated pawn are all examples of weak pawns. A square can also be weakened if only one pawn is controlling it. This is because if that pawn moves, the square is now a hole.
Captures: Understanding what the game plan is comes in here. Let’s say you have a closed Italian Game, and want to expand on the Queenside. You might understand that doing so will come with some pawn exchanges. So you keep the bishop pair, because bishops work best on long, open diagonals, where they control a lot of squares.
Bad bishop: why should my bishop be hiding behind pawns? It’s an attacking piece, made for pressuring and slicing. Get your bishop outside the pawn chain, advance your pawns to let it out. If you can’t, be willing to have a trade, in fact, look for a trade. It’s a useless piece. If an opponent wants to trade a bad bishop for your good bishop, decline (unless you have a massive winning advantage).
Good bishop: The opposite. Strong attacking piece, outside the pawns, pressuring pieces, in the game.
Bad Knight: it’s just not in the game. Sitting on the second rank, chilling at home. Be willing to trade it.
Good knight: I think I mentioned it before, but if you have a knight on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign.
Rooks: Want to get the rook in the game? Double them up on an open file. When the time is right, you can consider infiltrating on the other side of the board. A nice outpost square might be on c6, supported by a pawn, where it’s difficult for your opponent to remove you.
Queen: Your pieces need to be harmonious. Your Queen is not the strongest piece, it’s the weakest. Every time it’s attacked, you have to move or block it! So annoying! Your Queen doesn’t always have to be at the heart of an attack. It can play ahh by supporting role from the background.
Targeting pawn structures: you need to know how you can weaken a pawn structure. For example, in a rapid game I played, I captured a knight, doubling my opponents pawns. This doubling of pawns also locked in my opponent’s bishop for the rest of the game. The doubled pawns could not move. And I had a pawn chain on the other side. A pawn structure can change the game.
Clamping on a pawn structure: Have a pawn on A5? Move it to A6. This might disallow the opponents pawns to move any farther if it’s a 2 on 1 majority situation. 1 pawn hindering 2 can limit their ability to create a passed pawn.
The element of time: Understand that in the opening your goal is to safeguard the king, and prepare your troops for battle. No time for one move threats. A tempo in chess is a move. Make sure your pieces are on stable squares. Before you make a move, ask yourself “can this piece be attacked by my opponent in the future? If so, is it worth placing it here right now?”
Openings: if you want to play more positionally, you need to find an opening to match it. Some openings lead to very positional battles, so try the Queen’s Gambit and find out what you style is.
There is much more to it than this, and I’d be happy to assist you in future buddy.
Holes: This is a square that can no longer be controlled by pawns. If you can get a minor piece (or even major), supported by a pawn, on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign. Having a piece cemented in your opponent’s position can prove to be truly disruptive to their coordination.
Weaknesses: You need to know what it a weakness, and realize what pieces can target it. A backwards pawn, doubled pawn and isolated pawn are all examples of weak pawns. A square can also be weakened if only one pawn is controlling it. This is because if that pawn moves, the square is now a hole.
Captures: Understanding what the game plan is comes in here. Let’s say you have a closed Italian Game, and want to expand on the Queenside. You might understand that doing so will come with some pawn exchanges. So you keep the bishop pair, because bishops work best on long, open diagonals, where they control a lot of squares.
Bad bishop: why should my bishop be hiding behind pawns? It’s an attacking piece, made for pressuring and slicing. Get your bishop outside the pawn chain, advance your pawns to let it out. If you can’t, be willing to have a trade, in fact, look for a trade. It’s a useless piece. If an opponent wants to trade a bad bishop for your good bishop, decline (unless you have a massive winning advantage).
Good bishop: The opposite. Strong attacking piece, outside the pawns, pressuring pieces, in the game.
Bad Knight: it’s just not in the game. Sitting on the second rank, chilling at home. Be willing to trade it.
Good knight: I think I mentioned it before, but if you have a knight on the fifth or sixth rank, your opponent should resign.
Rooks: Want to get the rook in the game? Double them up on an open file. When the time is right, you can consider infiltrating on the other side of the board. A nice outpost square might be on c6, supported by a pawn, where it’s difficult for your opponent to remove you.
Queen: Your pieces need to be harmonious. Your Queen is not the strongest piece, it’s the weakest. Every time it’s attacked, you have to move or block it! So annoying! Your Queen doesn’t always have to be at the heart of an attack. It can play ahh by supporting role from the background.
Targeting pawn structures: you need to know how you can weaken a pawn structure. For example, in a rapid game I played, I captured a knight, doubling my opponents pawns. This doubling of pawns also locked in my opponent’s bishop for the rest of the game. The doubled pawns could not move. And I had a pawn chain on the other side. A pawn structure can change the game.
Clamping on a pawn structure: Have a pawn on A5? Move it to A6. This might disallow the opponents pawns to move any farther if it’s a 2 on 1 majority situation. 1 pawn hindering 2 can limit their ability to create a passed pawn.
The element of time: Understand that in the opening your goal is to safeguard the king, and prepare your troops for battle. No time for one move threats. A tempo in chess is a move. Make sure your pieces are on stable squares. Before you make a move, ask yourself “can this piece be attacked by my opponent in the future? If so, is it worth placing it here right now?”
Openings: if you want to play more positionally, you need to find an opening to match it. Some openings lead to very positional battles, so try the Queen’s Gambit and find out what you style is.
There is much more to it than this, and I’d be happy to assist you in future buddy.
Thank you 
Good Positional Chess, Planning & Strategy Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/introduction-to-positional-chess-planning-strategy
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell
Bump
Jun 19, 2022
0
#7
Lord_V-6 wrote:
how do i know [the value of my] bishop
It's something like this:
By "contact" I mean it influences an important offensive or defensive point.
If you only have mobility then you're just hitting a bunch of empty squares
If you only have contact then your opponent can defend simply by being in contact with the same squares you are.
If you have both, then you can tie defenders to points, and then use your mobility to choose the best moment to shift to a different point of attack.
So to answer your question: how useful is a bishop vs rook? Just compare what they're in contact with, and whether they have some freedom to move around. In particular you want to be in contact with weak pawns, loosely defended pieces, and the opponent's king. When you can't do that, you want to be centralized, on open files, open diagonals, outposts, etc which will eventually give you the opportunity to get into contact with something.
I spent an hour that morning typing that up so I bumped the thread for appreciation 😂
Jun 19, 2022
0
#10
nMsALpg wrote:
Lord_V-6 wrote:
how do i know [the value of my] bishop
It's something like this:
By "contact" I mean it influences an important offensive or defensive point.
If you only have mobility then you're just hitting a bunch of empty squares
If you only have contact then your opponent can defend simply by being in contact with the same squares you are.
If you have both, then you can tie defenders to points, and then use your mobility to choose the best moment to shift to a different point of attack.
So to answer your question: how useful is a bishop vs rook? Just compare what they're in contact with, and whether they have some freedom to move around. In particular you want to be in contact with weak pawns, loosely defended pieces, and the opponent's king. When you can't do that, you want to be centralized, on open files, open diagonals, outposts, etc which will eventually give you the opportunity to get into contact with something.
thanks
Hello guys, To train for tactics i can do puzzles but how do i train for positional play?, how do i know that my bishop is stronger than his rook in this position likewise,
Thanks you,
I am trying to reach 1800, pls help me