Weakness

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This section is devoted to pointing out obvious and not so obvious potential weakness in your opponents position

Overloaded Pieces: Example 1
Colour Complex: Example 1
Potential Forks: Example 1

Overloaded pieces example 1

An overload occurs when a piece is trying to defend more then it can handle.

In this case, the knight is trying to defend two pieces.  White can take advantage of this by taking one of the pieces.  If white takes the pawn with his bishop, one of two things occur.

  1. Black declines to take back and white has won a pawn for free. 
  2. Black takes back with his knight leavening the black bishop undefended. White takes the bishop for free.  White wins one pawn and one bishop, black wins one bishop.   
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize the difference between a piece that defends two or more times and a overloaded piece.  Not true for knights.  Knights can only defend one piece at a time except in very unusual circumstances.

Colour Complex Example 1

A colour complex occurs when a players pawns are weak on certain colour squares. (Especially if the opponent is strong on that colour)

In this example black has many pawns but they are all on the white squares.  Black has a white square bishop.  Black has no real influence on the dark squares, as a result whites dark square bishop and queen can pass through blacks defenses like they are not even there.  Black is said to have a dark square colour complex. 

Forks Example 1

Have trouble spotting forks until after it is too late?  Ever wonder if there is a trick to help spot them?

Something you must realize about pawns, knights, and bishops, is that they can only fork pieces that are on the SAME colour square.  In this example, the king and the queen are on a different colour square.  There is no way for them to be forked.  Same is true for the bishop and rook.  No need to look for forks between those pieces.  The bishop and queen are on the same colour, this doesn't mean they can be forked, just that you have to check.  The only way to fork them however is to get the white bishop to f3,  it can't, so they are safe.  The king and the rook are on the same colour square, they might be able to be forked.  If you can get your knight to e8 or f5 a fork can occur.  E8 is defended, and you can't reach it besides.  Thus f5 is the fork.