8 Comments
Feb 4, 2023Liked by Nate Solon

Excellent, very detailed and well-explained post, with good references!

Expand full comment

I remember looking at that botvinnik game and thinking why Rb1-Rd1 😄 Great post! 🔥

Expand full comment

This is highly valuable information here, in my opinion after watching many high level games, structural weaknesses are a large part of what separates the top level players from everyone else; in that top players know how to create and exploit these weaknesses. Thank you for this post!

Expand full comment

Besides "Chess Structures," which I have started reading and really like, I just noticed that Chapter 2 of "Zlotnik's Middlegame Manual" deals with various plans in the Carlsbad structure, so that might be another useful resource for those interested in studying this structure.

Expand full comment

I bought Mauricio Rios "Chess Structures" and it was more than fine. I am a 1.e4 not positional player but with black you have to face 1.d4, 1.c4 and other positional setups with many pawns and I lack the knowledge so I am vulnerable to this type of refined strategies. Frankly, I am the player who attacks on the Kingside, play fast and finish soon, for good or for bad. At endgame time I wish to be back to home in the subway :)

Expand full comment

Thanks for this great post - I remember being blown away the first time I learned about the Botvinnik plan and tried to implement every single time regardless of whether or not the position seemed to justify it. I'd add one thing to this idea of multiple plans from the same structure: a lot of times you can sort the plans by the amount of risk involved, how committal they are - in this way, I think the minority attack is typically the lowest risk plan in the Carlsbad, but also often has the least payoff.

Expand full comment