♞Imbalance Trainer

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How this works

Strong players don't just look for tactics. They first list the imbalances: every way the two sides differ. The plan follows from that list. This app trains that habit, and the heat map shows you the evidence.

Modes

• Train: you get a position from a master game or one of your own. Decide who each imbalance favors, then check. Every answer comes with an explanation and a "Show on board" button.
• Weak Piece: first tap the opponent's weak piece, then make a move that attacks it safely. Any safe attack scores 1 point, the strongest one scores 2. Hints get more specific each time you ask, and you can retry as often as you like.
• Analyze: step through any game (master games are built in, or upload your own PGN). Turn on imbalances or quiz yourself on any move.
• Explore: set up any position by dragging pieces, or paste a FEN.
• Play: play the built-in engine or a friend on this device, with the heat map live.

The eight imbalances

Reading the heat map

Each square is tinted by how many pieces attack it. Your side's attacks (the side at the bottom of the board) use the first color, the opponent's the second. "Both" blends them in proportion to the number of attackers. Turn on Blue/orange if red and green are hard to tell apart.

A note on the answers

The answer key comes from rules a coach would use (counting attacked squares, pawn weaknesses and so on), not from an engine. It's a strong guide, and borderline cases are marked Even. Treat it as a second opinion to argue with.

Piece set: Colin M.L. Burnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via lichess). Move rules: chess.js by Jeff Hlywa, BSD license.