Chess Blueprints: Planning in the Middlegame

This Chess Blueprints: Planning in the Middlegame is a chess book by Nikolay Yakovlev that focuses on practical middlegame planning through concrete positional motifs and structures, rather than general principles alone.

What this book covers

Planning is one of the key skills in effective chess play, and this book is built around the decisions that matter most in real games: recognising patterns, assessing positions and choosing the right direction for play. It is aimed at players who want more than abstract thinking tools and prefer to base their moves on clear strategic foundations.

The book includes 188 positions and 559 diagrams, ranging from classic examples to less familiar positions from Russian chess. That format encourages independent analysis: you can form your own judgement first, then compare it with the way strong players identified the critical ideas or the mistakes that changed the result.

Why it is useful in practice

Chess Blueprints: Planning in the Middlegame helps you work through common middlegame questions and sharpen your decision-making at the board. It is a good choice for ambitious players who want to improve their planning and make more considered choices during play.

About the author

Nikolay Yakovlev has worked as a professional chess coach in Saint Petersburg for over 25 years. His students have included GM Evgeny Alekseev, the Russian champion of 2006, as well as many participants in Russian and world junior championships. He holds the title of International Master awarded by the International Correspondence Chess Federation.

Key details

• Product type: chess book
• Subject: planning in the middlegame
• Author: Nikolay Yakovlev
• Number of positions: 188
• Number of diagrams: 559
• Author background: professional chess coach in Saint Petersburg for over 25 years
• Title: International Master
• Title awarded by: International Correspondence Chess Federation