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Beyond Material:
Demystifying Chess Position Evaluation
Chess evaluation is the art of dissecting a chess position to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each player. It goes beyond simply counting pieces – it's about analyzing factors like pawn structure, piece mobility, king safety, and potential plans. By mastering evaluation, you'll gain the confidence to make informed decisions throughout the game, ultimately leading to stronger chess strategy and more wins.
This guide brings together a wealth of FREE resources to help you elevate your chess evaluation skills. We'll explore articles, interactive studies, puzzles, and video lessons created by experienced chess instructors, including Grandmasters (GMs) and International Masters (IMs). You'll learn:
- The key factors that contribute to a strong position
- How to systematically analyze a chessboard
- Practical tips and techniques to improve your evaluation skills
Let's dive into the treasure trove of resources and unlock your potential as a chess player!
Books & Courses (Free)
Chessable Courses
- The Art of Analysis - ICCF Master - 55 Variations - Introduces you to his simple 8-step method for independent analysis. The same type of analysis you carry out when playing and reviewing your games.
Internet Archive
- Test and improve your chess : Lev Alburt - 136 Page PDF
- The Art of Chess Analysis by Jan Timman - 210 page PDF
Chess Evaluation Articles
- How to Evaluate Chess Positions (Example) - Long Chess.com Article by IM Jeremy Silman
- How to evaluate a position? - Chess.com Article by IM Mat Kolosowski
- 5 Easy Steps to Evaluate a Chess Position Like a GM - GM Noel Studer (Chessmood Article) Nice.
- Example of How to Evaluate a Chess Position - Chessfox guide
Evaluation LiChess Studies
- How to analyze a chess game - 8 Chapter interactive Study (1750) hearts)
- How to evaluate ANY position - 6 Chapter interactive Study
Evaluation Video Lessons
Evaluating Positions & Creating Plans - IM Irina Krush - 2013.10.16 - 46 Min - Presents an intermediate-level lecture at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
Evaluate 📝 Chess Positions Immediately! - IM Lilov [Free Training] - 55 Min - Learn to understand what is happening in the chessboard. Knowing which pieces are active and which are passive and what the important weaknesses in the position are (to exploit and to defend) is the first and most important step in creating a winning plan.
Chess Strategy Mastery 🎓 How To Evaluate a Chess Position - GM Bryan Smith (The Chess World) - 47 Min - GM Bryan Smith analyzes a number of games in order to teach this crucial skill in chess strategy.
Get Better at Chess Evaluation And Chess Strategy with GM Damian Lemos! - 36 Min - Talks about the static and dynamic elements of a chess position.
The Amateur's Mind - The secrets of evaluating - 27 Min - IM Andreas Toth - I am discussing a few positions and the evaluating techniques that help you to be able to better assess them!
The Amateur's Mind 18 - Decision making and assessment in chess - 52 min - IM Andreas Toth - A discussion about evaluation, preparation and analytical thinking in chess - with examples from both student games, as well as one of my own.
How to Evaluate Chess Positions? Ft. Magnus Carlsen - 13 Min - Remote Chess Academy - GM Igor Smirnov will teach you how to evaluate any chess position easily within seconds with the example of the world champion Magnus Carlsen's games.
How To Evaluate ANY Chess Position - 23 Min - Gotham Chess - A chess lesson for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. A good strategy to evaluate a chess position in 4 easy steps! Video below
NM Dan Heisman
- Chess Evaluation Criteria - Who is better, how much & why? - 30 min - NM Dan Heisman - Ddefines evaluation and discusses position vs piece evaluation, static vs dynamic evaluation. It gives the 4 aspects of static position evaluation (material, king safety, piece activity, and pawn structure) and shows 3 examples of evaluating a position.
- Find Better Chess Moves - Evaluate Like a GM - 33 min - 3 positions from the new book "Evaluate Like a Grandmaster" by GM Perelshteyn and FM Solon & discusses how to analyze the position & takes a stab at evaluation.
- Improve Chess Evaluation: Not All Bads are Equally Bad - 29 Min - NM Dan Heisman tries to clear up some of these common misconceptions with multiple examples.
- Evaluating Chess Pieces: Activity and Mobility - 29 Min - Defines activity and mobility and breaks mobility down into actual and potential mobility. Then, with the help of several instructive examlpes, he shows how to achieve/measure mobility, and how to differentiate mobility (objective) from activity (subjective).
- Award Winning Chess Video: The Ways to Make Better Moves - 24 Min - To become a better player you have to make better moves. That means either knowing them (more knowledge about openings, plans, principles etc) or find them (analysis, evaluation) by comparing multiple candidate moves better.
IM Alex Asteneh
IM Alex Astaneh will teach you a method that helps you to evaluate every position by use of a method. You will learn the different factors of the evaluation method and learn how to apply it to any chess position.
- Improver - 13.Unit: Evaluation of the Position - 5 Video Playlist
- How to find the right Plan? | Evaluation Training Lesson | Improver Level | IM Alex Astaneh - 32 Min
- How to evaluate Chess Positions | Principles & Key Factors | Improver Level | IM Alex Astaneh - 20 Min
Chess.com
- Chess Strategy: How to Evaluate Positions - Part 1! - 10 Min
- Chess Strategy: How to Evaluate Positions - Part 2! - 12 min
