How to make a plan in chess

Do you know what really separates a beginner from a club player? It’s not opening memory. It’s that one has a plan and the other moves just to move. Today I’ll teach you how to make plans.

What a plan is (and isn’t)

A plan is a sequence of moves with a common goal. They’re not disconnected moves: they all row in the same direction.

A concrete example: open the “c” file, bring my rook there, and get it onto the seventh rank. That’s three or four moves in service of a single idea. That’s a plan. Moving one piece here, another there, with no connection, is not.

The method: three steps

Here’s the recipe. Whenever you don’t know what to do, follow these three steps.

1. Evaluate the position

Before deciding anything, look at what’s on the board. Four questions are enough:

• Pawns: what’s the structure like? Are there any weak squares?
• Pieces: which ones are active and which passive, mine and theirs?
• Kings: whose king is safer?
• Space: who controls the center?

2. Choose a concrete target

Your target comes from that evaluation. A vague threat is useless; a concrete target works:

• the opponent’s worst piece (attack it or trade it),
• a weak square (occupy it with a knight),
• an open file (claim it),
• or the enemy king, if it’s poorly protected.

3. Chain your moves toward it

Now every move should bring you closer to the target. Improve your pieces in the direction of that target. If your plan is to attack the kingside, bring your pieces there; if it’s to press a weak pawn, aim all your forces at it.

The plan comes from the position

Remember this line: the plan comes from the position, not from what you feel like doing. You can’t “want to attack” if the position calls for defense. That’s why step 1 (evaluate) is the most important: it tells you which plan makes sense.

Can’t think of one? Lean on typical plans: there are ideas that repeat over and over (attacking the castled king, opening a file, provoking a weakness…). Having that repertoire in your head is half the battle already won.

Flexibility: the plan adjusts

A good plan isn’t a train track. The opponent is also playing, so revisit your plan when the position changes. If your opponent stops your idea, don’t dig in: go back to step 1, evaluate again and find the next target. And before every specific move, don’t forget to think about what to move: always look for checks, captures and threats.

Once you play with a plan, you’ll notice it right away: your games will have a thread, you’ll stop improvising, and your opponent will feel the pressure. Playing with a plan is playing with an advantage.

Useful links

• How to think in chess
• Middlegame strategy
• Typical middlegame plans
• Piece activity