The purpose of ChessPlans.com is to encourage you to practice the principles expounded by Jeremy Silman in developing strategic plans based on an evaluation of the imbalances present in any chess position. Each of the "Plans" on this web site have the following basic contents:
- A position. A chess board and the moves that lead to the current state of affairs.
- A list of imbalances. Visitors are encouraged to examine the position and look for the presence (or absence) of each type of imbalance, and then vote for the side that you believe has the advantage with respect to each imbalance. Each time you express your opinion (i.e. vote), you will see how other visitors have viewed the position. If your opinion differs from the majority, take another look and see if you can find something you missed on your first evaluation.
- A list of potential moves. Select a move that you believe best carries out a plan driven by your evalutation of the imbalances present in the position. Don't vote for a move until you've expressed your opinion on each of the imbalances. Once you vote, you'll see how other visitors selections compare to yours.
- Comment on your views. Discuss the various imbalances and express your opinion on why one side or the other has the better position with respect to particular imbalances.
- Answers. When you're all done, click the "Answer" link to see the move actually made in the game. You can play through the entire game from the beginning, or from the presented position, and make additional comments on the game.
Choose one of these positions to evaluate:
- Plan 5 Seirawan vs. Rivas-Pastor
- Plan 4 Topalov vs. Anand
- Plan 3 Pantsulaia vs. J. Polgar
- Plan 2 Vallejo-Pons vs. Nakamura
- Plan 1 Topalov vs. Sasikiran
Have fun!