Tactical vs Positional!

During my first day of school as a Form 4 student, I managed to meet up with the whole "Chess Gang" ( Me, Ashman, Hazwan, Hari and Sehran ), before we got separated into different classes.

Remember my last post about Chess? The one involving my intention to switch from my tactical style of play to positional play?
If you really don't know which one it is, it was posted on the 3rd of January and is titled "Ugh! Back To School Again...".

Well, Ashman and Hazwan agreed to teach me the principles and ideas involved in positional play.
We managed to play one game before Ashman had to shift to the other class.

I was White and Hazwan was Black. At this time, I was still quite unfamiliar with positional play, but astonishingly, I realised that positional play isn't that tough to learn after all.
I used the English Opening, and Hazwan countered it with the Sicilian Defense.

During the game, I had very strong urges to just take my pieces and attack Hazwan's position. But then I remembered I had to try to play based on the principles of positional play, which include:
1. Thinking strategically and attempting to achieve long-term goals ( Unlike tactics, which only involve short-term goals ).
2. Being patient, building up a solid position, and only attacking when the opportunity emerges.
3. Allowing your opponent to break first. When he/she does break, counterattack.
4. Placing your pieces in key positions so that they may prove useful in the long run.

Previously, my tactical gameplay involves me attempting to complete a string of short-term goals, usually by means of calculated combinations, tactical weapons and something called "Zwichenzug" ( go check it up! ).
In positional play, however, I strive to complete long-term goals instead. These involve stuff like pawn structure, piece build-up, control of space, piece placement at vital hardpoints on the board, all of which can only be achieved in the "long run". No flashy, swashbuckling moves here!

Anyway, back to my game with Hazwan. I strived for control of the central square d5, using my pawn on c4, my Knight on c3, and my fianchettoed Bishop on g2.
I slowly built up a strong, counterattacking position. And in the end, I won after going through one of the most interesting middlegames I have ever played.
According to Ashman, my strong dominance of the Queenside played a vital roll in Hazwan's defeat.

Later, I played another game with Hazwan, only this time I was Black and he was White.
The opening transposed into the "Caro-Kann Defense Advance Variation".
The Caro-Kann is one of my preferred defensive openings. I didn't expect Hazwan to play the "Advance Variation", however.
Hazwan and I slugged it out, leading to a closed game with a locked pawn chain in the middle.

Finally, Hazwan launched an attack on the Queenside. I anticipated his attack, because it's all part of my positional game plan.
I weathered his attack with my defensive pieces, and launched a counterattack on his central pawn structure, resulting in him losing a whole piece. But then he immobilised my Kingside Knight using his pawns on the a and b files.
Everything went on very slowly, and in the end, we both predicted the game would inevitably end in a draw. And so it did.

Immediately after that game with Hazwan, I played a game with Sehran.
I was White and he was Black. I used the Queen's Gambit, and he responded with 2. Nf6.
Again, I was attempting to solidify my position whilst defending against Sehran's attacks.
Because I was using the Queen's Gambit, my control of the Queenside was rather strong.

After the middlegame was over, I ended up with a passed pawn on the d file.
I used the endgame techniques I learned from "Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition" to effectively push my passed pawn to promotion, and despite everything Sehran did to stop the pawn from advancing, the promotion was inevitable, and Sehran resigned.

I played three games today, and I didn't lose a single one!
But I think I still have much to learn about positional gameplay...
Of course, I'll still incorporate a bit of my old tactical style into my positional play, just to keep things balanced.
But overall, I think positional play is quite effective...

Well, I guess that's it for now.

May the Force be with you...