> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://readtheopen.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Map, lesson 2: Breaks and changes of character - URL: https://readtheopen.com/structure-2-breaks/ - Published: 2026-10-30T02:34:49.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-02T00:08:15.000Z - Description: How a break of structure differs from a change of character, and how a close decides which one you have. - Author: Read the Open - Tags: Course, Structure A break of structure is a close beyond the last swing in the direction of the trend. A change of character is a close beyond the last swing against it, and it flips the trend. H HL HH HL HH HL HH BOS BOS A. Uptrend. Each close above the last swing high is a break of structure (BOS). Squares mark the closing bar. LH LL LH LL HL CHoCH B. Downtrend, then a close above the lower high that made the last low: a change of character (CHoCH). The trend flips up. ## Rules 1. Closes, not wicks. A wick through the level is a sweep, covered in [lesson 3](https://readtheopen.com/structure-3-sweeps/). 2. Trend is a state: up or down. A break in its direction is a BOS. A break against it is a CHoCH, and the state flips. 3. For a bullish change, break the lower high that led to the most recent low. Mirror it for bearish. 4. One bar, one event. A bar can sweep a level or break it, never both. ## What the evidence says Most structure strategies enter on the change of character. Our structure model did, and tested out of sample on 15 markets it averaged about zero per trade. A CHoCH tells you where the trend view is wrong. It doesn’t time the trade. [Hypothetical results1](#hypothetical-results), not actual trading. The full statement is at the end of this page. ## Exercise Mark the trend state on today’s 15-minute ES chart. Label every BOS and CHoCH with the time of the bar that closed through the level. The pointA close through the last swing with the trend is a break of structure; against the trend it is a change of character. ## Check yourself 1. The trend is up. A wick goes above the last swing high, but the bar closes back below it. What is it? 1. A break of structure, because price traded above the high 2. A change of character, because the bar closed back down 3. Neither: a wick through the level is a sweep, not a break Answer C. Closes, not wicks. Only a close beyond the swing is a break; a wick through the level is a sweep, covered in lesson 3. 2. The trend is down. A bar closes above the lower high that led to the most recent low. What does that tell you? 1. A change of character: the trend state flips to up 2. A break of structure that confirms the downtrend 3. Nothing yet: price has to make a new higher high first Answer A. A close against the trend through the lower high that led to the most recent low is a change of character, and the trend state flips. 3. A clean change of character prints on your chart. Is that your entry? 1. Yes: it is the entry most structure strategies use 2. No: it shows where the trend view is wrong, not when to trade 3. Only if the next bar also closes in the new direction Answer B. A CHoCH tells you where the trend view is wrong. It doesn’t time the trade. --- Next: [Sweeps: a level taken and given back](https://readtheopen.com/structure-3-sweeps/) Education only. Nothing here is advice about your account. **1 Hypothetical results.** These results are based on simulated or hypothetical performance results that have certain inherent limitations. Unlike the results shown in an actual performance record, these results do not represent actual trading. Also, because these trades have not actually been executed, these results may have under-or over-compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated or hypothetical trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to these being shown. Why our numbers carry this label, and what other kinds of track record leave out: [How to read a trading track record](https://readtheopen.com/notes-how-to-read-a-track-record/).