“In modern chess, there are many details, such as pawn structures. You should forget that a game will end with checkmate.”

This is a quote by Nigel Short, a top Grandmaster, former FIDE Vice President, and the first English player to play a World Chess Championship match against Garry Kasparov.

However, to understand pawn structures, we first need to understand the center of the chessboard. By the center, we mean the four squares e4, e5, d4, and d5.

Do you know how to successfully control these squares and what to do once you have control of the center? On the other hand, especially when playing with Black, you will often have to fight for control of the center. There are several techniques that can help us do this.

Why Was This Training Program Created?

In this chess training program, we will continue building your understanding of chess by studying several important theoretical rook endgames.

The center of the chessboard is extremely important, so we will study how to control it and how to use that control to our advantage. Similarly, you will learn different ways to fight against your opponent's control of the center.

There are many important ideas here that will help you play better in the opening and, at the same time, understand pawn structures more effectively.

We have also added several new tactical motifs that are appropriate for this stage of your chess development.

Tactics in Chess Are Extremely Important

To play a good chess game, you need a strategic plan and a clear objective. But to achieve that objective, you also need tactics.

After learning the basic tactical ideas, such as the double attack, pin, and mating patterns, you should gradually move on to more complex tactical themes.

These include X-ray attacks, cross-pins, skewers, intermediate checks, and zwischenzug ideas.

You can find plenty of information about these topics online. However, reading about them is not the same as understanding them deeply and being able to use them in your own games.

For that reason, the program combines clear theoretical explanations with highly instructive examples, followed by at least 10 exercises on each individual topic. This gives you the opportunity not only to understand the idea but also to practice recognizing and applying it.

The Chess Training Program

You are fortunate because I have already created a complete chess training program for you called “Newbie 1200.”

It is a comprehensive one-year training program. If you study approximately one lesson per week for around 1–2 hours, you can complete the program successfully.

Of course, you can study more intensively depending on your available free time.

You can view the complete curriculum by clicking here.

Please also note that I have already written an article explaining 9 reasons why you should become a member of the website completely free of charge. You can read the article by clicking here.

Is This the Right Training Program for Me?

This training program is designed for players with a FIDE rating of approximately 1200—players who have already participated in official chess tournaments and obtained an official classical FIDE rating.

It is also suitable for players with an online rating of approximately 1400–1500.

For example, if you regularly play on Lichess or Chess.com and your rating is within this range, I believe that this program is suitable for you and that you will discover many interesting new ideas.

Are There Endgame Lessons?

Of course!

The endgame is an essential part of a chess game. Without understanding the endgame, we cannot truly become stronger players.

Opening theory can change. A new variation may be discovered, or a strong novelty may be introduced, and as a result, the theory of an opening may change.

The endgame is different.

A theoretical endgame position remains fundamentally the same. For example, if you reach a theoretically winning position, you can win it whether your opponent is a beginner or the World Champion—provided that the position is genuinely winning and you know the correct technique.

I am particularly proud of the work that has gone into the endgame lessons because I explain exactly how to handle these positions and how to apply the ideas in practical games.

Rook endgames occur very frequently in chess. One important reason is that Rooks are often developed later than the other pieces, so they frequently remain on the board until the final stage of the game.

Unfortunately, many endgame books do not present these subjects in an enjoyable or particularly accessible way, and this is one reason why so many players dislike studying endgames.

The video lessons in this program take a different approach. They explain the ideas in a simple, practical, and instructive way so that you can immediately understand how to play these endings and apply the concepts in your own games.

You will learn how to use your Rook against passed pawns, which is more complicated than it may sound.

We will explain the fundamental positions of the Lucena, Philidor, and Vancura positions. Finally, you will also learn how to play with a Rook against two passed pawns.

What Are the Common Mistakes at This Level?

Many people search for a personal chess coach, as you can easily see online. There are countless coaches who offer their knowledge through private lessons, and naturally this happens because there is strong demand for individual chess training.

I am an active chess coach, and you can find more information about me by clicking here.

One of the first things any good coach will ask you for is some of your games, and more specifically, games that you have lost.

This makes perfect sense because a coach wants to identify the mistakes that you make repeatedly.

By eliminating some of your personal weaknesses, you can improve your chess significantly.

I have been teaching chess for approximately 15 years, so I have had the opportunity to see a huge number of games.

In my experience, players tend to make many of the same mistakes at similar levels of chess development.

For this reason, I have included typical mistakes in the training program I created for you.

Recently, I analyzed some games played by a friend of mine who has a rating of approximately 1450 on Lichess. One of his characteristic mistakes was that he often hoped his opponent would make a mistake. In other words, he was relying on his opponent to help his own plan succeed.

This is a very common mistake.

In this program, I explain why this way of thinking can be problematic and give you practical advice on how to stop making this mistake.

How to Evaluate a Chess Position

This is another extremely important skill in chess.

Position evaluation is essential if we want to remain objective and make accurate decisions.

When we understand the actual situation on the board, we can begin to identify our future plans. Should we attack? Should we defend? Should we improve our pieces? Should we change the structure?

It is important to understand the value of the pieces and correctly calculate who has more material. However, material alone is not enough to evaluate a position properly.

For this reason, I have prepared a separate lesson explaining how to evaluate a position according to the specific situation on the board, including what is happening in the center.

And yes, you guessed correctly: there are also 10 instructive examples and exercises to help you understand the subject, together with my own analysis.

How Can I Find My Chess Level?

To be completely honest, the FIDE rating system is a fairly objective way of measuring playing strength.

However, online ratings can often be significantly higher. In many cases, an online rating may be around 200–400 points higher than a comparable FIDE rating, although this varies from player to player and from platform to platform.

For example, a player with a FIDE rating of 1200 may have an online rating around 1400 or 1500.

I have prepared a system that can help you identify your chess level.

More specifically, it can help you find the most suitable chess training program for you.

You can find more information in the special “Who Are You?” section by clicking here.

On that page, you will find several different chess puzzles.

Each category contains 10 exercises, and you have 10 minutes to complete them.

For this particular training program, you can try Puzzle 5, called “Newbie 1200.”

You can try it by clicking here.

Note: The exercises are available only to registered members of the website.

I would also like to remind you once again that you can become a member by clicking here.

When Is the Right Time to Resign?

Finally, I would like to discuss another very important subject.

Knowing when to resign says a lot about our chess class and our level of understanding.

We will all lose games. We cannot avoid this. It does not matter whether we are a complete beginner or the strongest player in the world.

The difference is that strong players know when to resign.

Do you play like a gladiator in an arena who will never give up until checkmate?

Do you believe that even in the most difficult positions you can somehow escape by reaching stalemate?

Or perhaps you resign your games far too early?

I have created an entertaining and instructive lesson on this subject, using my own personal stories as well as stories involving top chess players.

It is a lesson that you should definitely not miss.

The Question of the Day

Do you want to improve your chess?

If the answer is yes, I would like to ask you one more question:

Are you currently reading anything, studying a chess book, or following a structured training program?

If not, I would like to introduce you to my new chess training program:

“Newbie 1200.”

Click the link below to explore the course curriculum and discover how the program can help you take the next step in your chess development.