McDonald: Expand Your Chess Strategy (paperback)

Autor: McDonald, Neil
Verlag / Hersteller: Popular Chess
Erscheinungsjahr: 2026
Sprache: Englisch
Buchumschlag: paperback
Seiten: 328

Strategic Principles for Breaking Through Your Chess Plateau

Expand Your Chess Strategy by Neil McDonald provides a systematic approach to the middlegame decisions that separate stronger players from those stuck at their current level.

Ambitious players who struggle to develop a coherent plan during games often find their strategy was fundamentally flawed in retrospect. This book addresses that gap by teaching the strategic principles behind pawn breaks, piece placement, attacking and defensive formations.

McDonald's toolkit draws on carefully curated examples that illustrate how to recognize opportunities and construct a winning approach.

Highlights

• Master pawn break timing and structure to gain concrete advantages
• Optimize piece placement and coordination throughout the middlegame
• Develop attacking plans with clear tactical justification
• Strengthen defensive techniques to neutralize opponent threats
• Learn from annotated positions that showcase recurring strategic patterns
• Bridge the gap between opening theory and endgame conversion

A practical resource for advancing players ready to move beyond tactical vision alone.

FAQ

What strategic themes does this book cover?
The book focuses on pawn structures and breaks, attacking and defending techniques, and optimizing piece value. Examples are chosen to illustrate strategic principles that apply across many positions, rather than narrow opening-specific knowledge.

Is this book suitable if I'm struggling to find a plan in games?
Yes—the book is designed specifically for players who reach a point where tactical improvement alone no longer yields results and who need to develop a stronger strategic framework for choosing candidate moves and evaluating positions.

Who is the author?
Neil McDonald is a Grandmaster with extensive experience in chess instruction and analysis. His annotations emphasize practical understanding over theoretical memorization.