A plan over several moves

Step 1 of 6

Look first

This position comes from a game between two amateurs. At the time, Black had had only about three months of lessons.

You are playing Black. The white pawn on d5 is a passed pawn. On which square do you put a knight so that it blockades the pawn?

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space marks a square or removes the mark.

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hgfedcba

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Choose a square from a list

Square h1, white kingg1, emptyf1, white rooke1, emptyd1, emptyc1, emptyb1, emptya1, white rookh2, emptyg2, emptyf2, emptye2, emptyd2, emptyc2, emptyb2, emptya2, emptyh3, white pawng3, emptyf3, white queene3, white bishopd3, emptyc3, white pawnb3, emptya3, white pawnh4, emptyg4, white pawnf4, white pawne4, emptyd4, emptyc4, white pawnb4, emptya4, emptyh5, emptyg5, emptyf5, black pawne5, emptyd5, white pawnc5, black pawnb5, emptya5, emptyh6, emptyg6, black pawnf6, emptye6, emptyd6, emptyc6, emptyb6, emptya6, black pawnh7, black pawng7, emptyf7, emptye7, black knightd7, emptyc7, black queenb7, black pawna7, emptyh8, black rookg8, emptyf8, emptye8, emptyd8, black rookc8, black kingb8, emptya8, empty Mark or unmark

Position as a list

White

• King h1
• Queen f3
• Rook a1
• Rook f1
• Bishop e3
• Pawn a3
• Pawn c3
• Pawn c4
• Pawn d5
• Pawn f4
• Pawn g4
• Pawn h3

Black

• King c8
• Queen c7
• Rook d8
• Rook h8
• Knight e7
• Pawn a6
• Pawn b7
• Pawn c5
• Pawn f5
• Pawn g6
• Pawn h7

Step 2 of 6

Decide

A plan has a goal and a route. You now know the goal.

Your knight on e7 is to go to d6. How does it get there?

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.

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hgfedcba

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Position as a list

White

• King h1
• Queen f3
• Rook a1
• Rook f1
• Bishop e3
• Pawn a3
• Pawn c3
• Pawn c4
• Pawn d5
• Pawn f4
• Pawn g4
• Pawn h3

Black

• King c8
• Queen c7
• Rook d8
• Rook h8
• Knight e7
• Pawn a6
• Pawn b7
• Pawn c5
• Pawn f5
• Pawn g6
• Pawn h7

Which plan fits?

First the king to b8, then the knight via c8 to d6 Straight away with the knight to c8 Capture the pawn on d5 with the knight

Step 3 of 6

Try it

Carry out the plan until your knight is on d6. White replies after every move.

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.

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hgfedcba

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Choose a move from a list

Move Kd7 – king from c8 to d7Kb8 – king from c8 to b8Rde8 – rook from d8 to e8Rdf8 – rook from d8 to f8Rdg8 – rook from d8 to g8Rd7 – rook from d8 to d7Rd6 – rook from d8 to d6Rxd5 – rook from d8 captures on d5Rhg8 – rook from h8 to g8Rhf8 – rook from h8 to f8Rhe8 – rook from h8 to e8b6 – pawn from b7 to b6b5 – pawn from b7 to b5Qb8 – queen from c7 to b8Qd7 – queen from c7 to d7Qd6 – queen from c7 to d6Qe5 – queen from c7 to e5Qxf4 – queen from c7 captures on f4Qc6 – queen from c7 to c6Qb6 – queen from c7 to b6Qa5 – queen from c7 to a5Ng8 – knight from e7 to g8Nxd5 – knight from e7 captures on d5Nc6 – knight from e7 to c6h6 – pawn from h7 to h6h5 – pawn from h7 to h5a5 – pawn from a6 to a5g5 – pawn from g6 to g5fxg4 – pawn from f5 captures on g4 Play move

Position as a list

White

• King h1
• Queen f3
• Rook a1
• Rook f1
• Bishop e3
• Pawn a3
• Pawn c3
• Pawn c4
• Pawn d5
• Pawn f4
• Pawn g4
• Pawn h3

Black

• King c8
• Queen c7
• Rook d8
• Rook h8
• Knight e7
• Pawn a6
• Pawn b7
• Pawn c5
• Pawn f5
• Pawn g6
• Pawn h7

Step 4 of 6

Why does it work?

A plan begins with the goal: the knight belongs on d6, directly in front of the passed pawn. No white pawn can simply drive it away from there: the pawn on c4 cannot get past c5, and White no longer has an e-pawn.

In two moves the knight gets from e7 to d6 only via c8 or f5, but on both squares stood one of its own pieces. That is why the king made room first. A route like this over several moves is called a maneuver.

Nimzowitsch gives Kb8 an exclamation mark, the sign for a good move: the king makes room for the “Blockeur”. That is his word for the blockader.

Step 5 of 6

New position, same idea

A scene from a game of Nimzowitsch’s own, played in London in 1927. Again a knight is to go to a better square.

You are playing Black. Your knight on d7 is to go to d5 in the center. Carry out the plan; White replies after every move.

Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.

12345678

hgfedcba

Which piece should the pawn become?

Queen Rook Bishop Knight

Cancel

Choose a move from a list

Move Rb8 – rook from a8 to b8Rc8 – rook from a8 to c8Rd8 – rook from a8 to d8Kf8 – king from e8 to f8Kd8 – king from e8 to d8Rh7 – rook from h8 to h7Rh6 – rook from h8 to h6Rg8 – rook from h8 to g8Rf8 – rook from h8 to f8a6 – pawn from a7 to a6a5 – pawn from a7 to a5Nb8 – knight from d7 to b8Nf8 – knight from d7 to f8Nf6 – knight from d7 to f6Nxe5 – knight from d7 captures on e5Nc5 – knight from d7 to c5Nc8 – knight from e7 to c8Ng8 – knight from e7 to g8Ng6 – knight from e7 to g6Nd5 – knight from e7 to d5Nc6 – knight from e7 to c6f6 – pawn from f7 to f6g6 – pawn from g7 to g6g5 – pawn from g7 to g5Qc7 – queen from b6 to c7Qd8 – queen from b6 to d8Qc6 – queen from b6 to c6Qd6 – queen from b6 to d6Qc5 – queen from b6 to c5Qd4 – queen from b6 to d4Qe3 – queen from b6 to e3Qf2 – queen from b6 to f2Qg1+ – queen from b6 to g1Qb5 – queen from b6 to b5Qb4 – queen from b6 to b4Qb3 – queen from b6 to b3Qxb2 – queen from b6 captures on b2Qa5 – queen from b6 to a5Qa6 – queen from b6 to a6Bg6 – bishop from f5 to g6Bh7 – bishop from f5 to h7Bg4 – bishop from f5 to g4Bxh3 – bishop from f5 captures on h3Be4 – bishop from f5 to e4Bd3 – bishop from f5 to d3Bc2 – bishop from f5 to c2Bb1 – bishop from f5 to b1h4 – pawn from h5 to h4O-O – castles kingsideO-O-O – castles queenside Play move

Position as a list

White

• King h1
• Queen a3
• Rook a1
• Rook f1
• Bishop c1
• Bishop h3
• Knight e1
• Pawn a2
• Pawn b2
• Pawn e5
• Pawn f4
• Pawn g2
• Pawn h2

Black

• King e8
• Queen b6
• Rook a8
• Rook h8
• Bishop f5
• Knight d7
• Knight e7
• Pawn a7
• Pawn b7
• Pawn e6
• Pawn f7
• Pawn g7
• Pawn h5

Step 6 of 6

Nimzowitsch and today

Aaron Nimzowitsch: looking at the board differently