p.5 This book is about chess space and chess pieces, and their strength
and weakness; an unpretentious book on a simple subject - so simple that it is widely considered one of those themes
which are absorbed just by time and playing experience. When a friend of mine learnt the topic I was writing about, his immediate
reaction was: "Why are you writing about that? Everybody knows what a weak square or a weak piece is." My experience in teaching
chess, however, is utterly different. I learnt that on lower levels of chess knowledge most players know the difference only
theoretically, but few make a clear distinction in practice.
p.6 Every weak square is a static feature. Its weakness is not functional in itself, but it depends on both
sides' actions on the board. As long as an active plan is being carried out, all the static weaknesses, weak squares
included, are irrelevant, unless they are themselves targets... Today we would say pragmatically that only
those squares which can be exploited are weak.
p.8 We have again seen how a weak (or strong) square arises, how a strong piece finds a dominant post on
it, and the stifling effect it has on the enemy's defensive options.
p.9 When a weak square becomes an enduring liability, it often influences the course of events decisively.
p.13 We could say in general that the nearer to the king they are, the more treacherous weak squares get.
p.71 Evaluating the strength and weakness of chess space, we must stay aware that there are things
real and things apparent, chess realities and chess appearances. The ability to distinguish between them is vital.
p.141 We learn that the rook's role is fundamentally determined by its relation to other pieces.
Its strength in a given position depends mostly on the harmony of these relations.
p.177 We shall see that both minor pieces [in the game being analyzed] owe much
of their activity to the type of pawn-structure in which they move. In all phases of the game, but especially in
the endgame, the pawns on the wrong color, as a rule, decisively influence the result.
p.214 Details always differ, but as a rule it is the pawn-formation which suits one of the minor
pieces and significantly influences the course of the struggle. If we are fully conscious of that causal link from
the start of the game, we can often do much to increase the possibilities of our minor pieces. We can either
try to change the nature of the pawn-formation or manoeuvre a minor piece to the place which best suits its abilities.
