Anatoly Karpov - Find The Right Plan.pdf Jun 2026
Creating a series of tiny weaknesses in the enemy camp—a slightly weakened pawn structure, an exposed king, or a restricted bishop—and combining them into a winning endgame. Core Pillars of Karpov’s Planning Method
| Chapter | Title | Core Concept | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Chapter One | With the sources | Introduction to planning philosophy | | Chapter Two | Evaluating a position. Reference points | Foundational evaluation method | | Chapter Three | The attractiveness of a concrete goal | Setting clear, achievable objectives | | Chapter Four | Reference point - Open lines | Controlling files and diagonals | | Chapter Five | Pawn structure. Weak and strong squares | Understanding the static features of the position | | Chapter Six | The centre and space | Dominating the center and creating space advantages | | Chapter Seven | The most important law of chess | Restricting opponent's piece mobility | | Solutions | Solutions to exercises | Answers and explanations |
Moreover, his methods remain relevant in contemporary high-level play. Many elite players integrate Karpovian principles—positional sensitivity, prophylaxis, deep endgame technique—into their repertoires. Even aggressive players must respect the structural truths Karpov used to their opponents’ detriment.
The digital text remains one of the most highly sought-after intermediate chess resources on the internet. Based on the critically acclaimed paperback book Find the Right Plan with Anatoly Karpov (co-authored with Anatoly Matsukevich and published by Batsford Chess ), this masterclass focuses entirely on the hardest phase of chess: the middlegame. Anatoly Karpov - Find The Right Plan.pdf
While Karpov's approach was developed in the context of chess, it can be applied to various real-life situations. Here are a few examples:
"Find The Right Plan.pdf" is a comprehensive guide to strategic planning, written by Anatoly Karpov. The book provides insights into Karpov's approach to finding the right plan, including:
To understand how to find the right plan, we can look at the general blueprint of one of Karpov's most famous positional victories: . Creating a series of tiny weaknesses in the
To improve your planning skills, Karpov offers several practical tips:
To most club players, chess planning means looking two or three moves ahead to see if a tactical trick works. For Karpov, a plan was a long-term roadmap dictated entirely by the permanent features of the board. Karpov’s planning relied on a few core principles:
Try to spend 5–10 minutes on each position before looking at the solution. Weak and strong squares | Understanding the static
Once the position is evaluated, Karpov emphasizes that a player must actively improve the coordination of their army. In Find the Right Plan , he highlights the importance of positioning pieces on their optimal squares before initiating any attack or structural break.
If you study the PDF, you will notice a recurring motif: the outpost knight. In the 1978 World Championship match against Viktor Korchnoi, Karpov repeatedly placed knights on e5 and d5. The plan was simple: "I will trade your bishop, then place my knight where your pawns cannot touch it." That is a plan. A concrete, repeatable, winning plan.
In chess, a plan is not a concrete sequence of moves; rather, it is a goal-oriented direction based on the permanent features of the position. Karpov’s planning relied on a few deceptively simple principles:
Most club players lose not because they miscalculate a combination, but because they have no plan at all. They move a rook to an open file because "that's what you do," or they push a pawn because they feel restless.