Double rooks on an open file to penetrate the 7th or 8th rank.
For decades, club players have struggled with a single, devastating question: "I’m out of the opening, I have no immediate tactics, but I have no idea what to do next."
Conversely, some advanced players have offered a nuanced critique. While praising the evaluation framework, some critics argue that the book doesn't go far enough in teaching the reader how to transform that evaluation into a concrete course of action, a gap it leaves the student to fill. Anatoly Karpov - Find The Right Plan.pdf
Karpov's approach is characterized by a deep understanding of strategic and positional concepts, including:
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. Double rooks on an open file to penetrate
Anatoly Karpov, the 12th World Chess Champion and a titan of the game, is perhaps best known not just for his incredible tournament record—over 160 first-place finishes—but for his unique, suffocating positional style. Often described as a "boa constrictor," Karpov had an uncanny ability to systematically restrict his opponents, depriving them of counterplay until they were forced to choose from only losing moves.
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. Karpov's approach is characterized by a deep understanding
Karpov emphasizes that finding the right plan is crucial to success in chess. A well-crafted plan enables you to:
Karpov–Kasparov (Linares 1994): A later-era fight where Karpov demonstrates that his positional understanding remained formidable even against Kasparov’s dynamic play. He obtains a favorable structural imbalance then presses for the win.
After studying this PDF, you will no longer ask “What now?” in quiet positions. Instead, you will ask three questions Karpov always asked: