Editing Chess (section)

===Strategy===
{{Main|Chess strategy}}
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|- valign="top"
|+ Example of underlying pawn structure
|
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{{Chess diagram small
| tright
|
|rd|  |bd|  |rd|  |kd|
|pd|pd|  |nd|  |pd|bd|pd
|  |  |pd|rl|  |nd|pd|
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |
|  |  |pl|  |pl|  |  |
|  |  |nl|  |bl|nl|  |pl
|pl|pl|  |  |  |pl|pl|
|  |  |kl|  |  |bl|  |rl
|Position after 12...Re8 ...<br /><small>Tarrasch vs. Euwe, Bad Pistyan (1922)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1006866 |title=Siegbert Tarrasch vs. Max Euwe, Bad Pistyan it, CZE 1922 |website=[[Chessgames.com]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110122502/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1006866 |archive-date=10 January 2009}}</ref>
}}
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{{Chess diagram small
| tright
|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|pd|pd|  |  |  |pd|  |pd
|  |  |pd|  |  |  |pd|
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |
|  |  |pl|  |pl|  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |pl
|pl|pl|  |  |  |pl|pl|
|  |  |  |  |  |   | |
| ...&nbsp;and its pawn structure, known as the Rauzer formation
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Chess strategy is concerned with the evaluation of chess positions and with setting up goals and long-term plans for future play. During the evaluation, players must take into account numerous factors such as the value of the pieces on the board, control of the center and centralization, the [[pawn structure]], king safety, and the control of [[key square]]s or groups of squares (for example, diagonals, open files, and dark or light squares).

The most basic step in evaluating a position is to count the [[Chess piece relative value|total value of pieces]] of both sides.<ref>{{harvp|Harding|2003|pp=1–7}}</ref> The point values used for this purpose are based on experience; usually, pawns are considered worth one point, knights and bishops about three points each, rooks about five points (the value difference between a rook and a bishop or knight being known as [[The exchange (chess)|the exchange]]), and queens about nine points. The king is more valuable than all of the other pieces combined, since its checkmate loses the game, but is still capable as a fighting piece; in the endgame, the king is generally more powerful than a bishop or knight but less powerful than a rook.<ref>{{harvp|Lasker|1934|p=73}}</ref> These basic values are then modified by other factors like position of the piece (e.g. advanced pawns are usually more valuable than those on their initial squares), coordination between pieces (e.g. a pair of bishops usually coordinate better than a bishop and a knight), or the type of position (e.g. knights are generally better in {{chessgloss|closed game|closed positions}} with many pawns while bishops are more powerful in {{chessgloss|open game|open positions}}).<ref>{{harvp|Watson|1998|pp=163ff}}</ref>

Another important factor in the evaluation of chess positions is ''[[pawn structure]]'' (sometimes known as the ''pawn skeleton''): the configuration of pawns on the chessboard.<ref>{{harvp|Harding|2003|pp=138ff}}</ref> Since pawns are the least mobile of the pieces, pawn structure is relatively static and largely determines the strategic nature of the position. Weaknesses in pawn structure include [[Isolated pawn|isolated]], [[Doubled pawns|doubled]], or [[backward pawn]]s and {{chessgloss|holes}}; once created, they are often permanent. Care must therefore be taken to avoid these weaknesses unless they are compensated by another valuable asset (for example, by the possibility of developing an attack).<ref>{{harvp|Evans|1958|pp=22–67}}</ref>
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