Fiancho Chess

Intermediate to advanced level

Positional Play & Strategy

A course on the quiet side of chess: pawn structures, piece activity, weak squares and how to make a plan when there is nothing to calculate. Each idea is explained through annotated examples and then practiced in training exercises with worked solutions.

Level
Intermediate to advanced
Format
.zip with a PDF workbook and PGN files
Study
Self-paced, self-study
Delivery
Instant download link by email and on screen

Self-study material. This course is a written workbook with PGN files. There is no video, no live instruction, no coaching, and no feedback on your games.

Full contents

What the course covers

The workbook is organized into the parts below. Each part explains its ideas first, shows them in annotated examples, and then gives training positions with worked solutions.

  1. Pawn structures

    Isolated, doubled, backward and passed pawns, pawn chains and pawn majorities, and the plans each structure suggests for both sides.

  2. Piece activity

    Active and passive pieces, open files and diagonals, and how to improve your worst-placed piece.

  3. Weak squares and outposts

    How pawn moves create holes, how to occupy them with pieces, and how to avoid creating them in your own camp.

  4. Good and bad pieces

    Good and bad bishops, knights against bishops, and how pawn structure decides which minor pieces are worth keeping.

  5. Exchanges

    When to trade pieces, which pieces to trade, and how exchanges change the character of a position.

  6. Planning in quiet positions

    A practical method for choosing a plan: assess the structure, identify the weaknesses on both sides, and decide where to play.

  7. Training exercises

    Positions that ask for a plan, an assessment or the best regrouping, each with a worked solution explaining the reasoning.

Inside the workbook

Preview pages

Illustrations of representative pages, showing how the workbook is laid out: a training position, a worked solution and a section from the explanations.

Preview of a training position page: white to moveA workbook page showing a chessboard diagram, white to move, with the task: Find the best square for the knight.FIANCHO CHESSPOSITIONAL PLAYTRAINING POSITIONWhite to moveabcdefgh87654321Find the best square for the knight.The worked solution follows in the solutions section.
Training positionA board diagram with the task stated underneath, the way every training position is set out.
Preview of a worked solution page: An outpost on d5A workbook page with a small diagram and the worked solution. 1.Nc3! followed by Nd5 No black pawn can ever attack d5: the c-pawn is gone and the e-pawn has already moved past it. If Black trades on d5 Bxd5 keeps a white piece on the square, while the e7-bishop stays hemmed in by its own pawns on d6 and e5.FIANCHO CHESSPOSITIONAL PLAYWORKED SOLUTIONAn outpost on d5POSITIONWhite to moveTHEMEOutpostbad bishop1.Nc3! followed by Nd5No black pawn can ever attack d5: thec-pawn is gone and the e-pawn hasalready moved past it.If Black trades on d5Bxd5 keeps a white piece on the square,while the e7-bishop stays hemmed in byits own pawns on d6 and e5.
Worked solutionThe full solution line with the defensive tries and a plain-language explanation of each step.
Preview of an explanation page: OutpostsA workbook page from the explanations. An outpost is a square in or near enemy territory that no enemy pawn can attack. A knight placed there is hard to remove and can only be challenged by trading it for another piece. Key idea: Before placing a piece, ask: can a pawn ever drive it away? If not, the square may be worth several moves to reach. Outposts are created by pawn moves, so every pawn advance is also a decision about which squares to give up.FIANCHO CHESSPOSITIONAL PLAYEXPLANATIONOutpostsAn outpost is a square in or near enemyterritory that no enemy pawn can attack.A knight placed there is hard to removeand can only be challenged by trading itfor another piece.KEY IDEABefore placing a piece, ask: can a pawnever drive it away? If not, the squaremay be worth several moves to reach.Outposts are created by pawn moves, soevery pawn advance is also a decisionabout which squares to give up.
From the explanationsAn explanation section introducing an idea, with a key point set apart for quick review.

Who it’s for

  • Players who are comfortable with basic tactics and want to understand quiet positions better.
  • Players who often reach the middlegame unsure what to do next.
  • Players who want annotated examples explained in words, not long move lists.

Who it isn’t for

  • Beginners who are still building their tactical foundations. Start with Tactics Fundamentals.
  • Players looking for opening preparation or a collection of puzzles.
  • Anyone looking for video lessons, game reviews or personal feedback. This is a self-study workbook.

The download

What’s in the .zip

One download holds the whole course. Open the PDF in any PDF reader and load the PGN files into any chess software or online analysis board that opens PGN files. The FAQ explains how to open both.

  • PDF workbookThe explanations, board diagrams, training positions and fully worked solutions, organized by chapter.
  • PGN filesEvery position and line in the course, so you can load them into any chess software or online analysis board that opens PGN files.

Delivery and refunds

Your download link arrives by email right after payment and is shown on the confirmation screen. Any purchase can be refunded in full within 14 days, no reason required.

Delivery PolicyRefund Policy