Middlegame Advice

ADVICE ON THE MIDDLEGAME

IMBALANCES AND PLANNING

The big picture of chess planning is that during the opening phase you create imbalances, differences between your position and that of the opponent, and you then try to build a situation that is favorable for you.

Imbalances include material, superior minor piece, space, pawn structure, square and file control, and the more temporary ones of initiative and a lead in development.

A good first step in planning is to assess the position for positive and negative imbalances on both sides and figure out which side of the board you would like to play on. You should now create "fantasy positions" until you find a position that you would like to achieve and can also see how to achieve.

Once the move that most clearly strives to make the plan a reality is discovered then the possible replies can be identified and calculated and an alternative move investigated as necessary.

The main rule of chess theory should be that all "rules" have their exceptions. It is important not to just memorise the guidelines given below but understand how they work and be aware of the types of positions that yield the exceptions. Thoughtful, discriminating adherence to these guidelines is the idea.

Material

  1. If you are up on material then most endgames will be in your favour and your opponent won’t want to trade pieces. Trade pieces and not pawns if you are heading for the endgame.
  2. Don’t allow simple point count to dominate your thinking but weigh up all the specifics of the position. In some positions it may be better not to eat wood and in others you may even gain a better position by sacrificing your own.
  3. A material edge potentially gives you extra force. You should try to make this unit an active participant in the game. If you can’t make immediate use of your extra force don’t worry, even an extra pawn will act as endgame insurance.
  4. Often in gaining a material edge your pieces will be off balance and in need of a new plan. You may need to shore up your weak points and bring your pieces to squares where they can work together in a new plan based on your material edge.
  5. If you are behind in material you must seek out some form of compensation (such as more active pieces, a lead in development, possession of the initiative or extra space) to justify this deficit.

Superior Minor Piece

  1. Bishops and Knights are both worth three points – it is up to you to manipulate the position so that the piece that you own is more valuable.
  2. In closed positions with locked pawns Knights are extremely valuable due to their ability to jump over other pieces.
  3. An old chess adage is "Knights on the rim are dim". A Knight near the centre controls more squares and can quickly jump to either wing.
  4. Since Knights are not long-range pieces they need advanced support points (outposts where they can’t be attacked by an enemy pawn).
  5. Knights will be superior to Bishops in the endgame if the pawns are all on one side of the board since this removes the Bishop’s long-range advantage and the Knight can go to either colour square. Knights are also the best blockaders of passed pawns since they remain active.
  6. Bishops are best in open positions where pawns don’t block their diagonals.
  7. Bishops are very strong in endgame situations where both sides have passed pawns on opposite wings that are dashing to their respective "queening" squares. In these situations their long-range capability beats the slow, short-range Knight.
  8. A "bad Bishop" is defined as one that is situated on the same colour as your central pawns. If the Bishop is hemmed in by your own pawns you should look to trade it for a piece of equal value or get your pawns off that colour. However if the "bad Bishop" is located outside your own pawn chain it may well be very active and a strong piece.
  9. A Bishop’s weakness is that it is stuck on one colour for the whole game. The two Bishops work well together because they remove this one colour weakness.

Space

  1. Of the three areas of the chessboard (kingside, centre and queenside) the centre is by far the most important because your forces can move to either side with minimum effort and maximum speed.
  2. A full pawn centre gives its owner territory and control over the key central squares. If you create one you must make it indestructible so that it can cramp and restrict your opponent for the rest of the game.
  3. If your opponent has created a full pawn centre then you must strive to attack it.
  4. Don’t advance the centre too early, every pawn move will leave weak squares in its wake.
  5. If the centre pawns get traded then open files will exist for the Rooks. If the centre becomes locked play must switch to the wings.
  6. With a closed centre the direction that your pawns point in tells you which wing to play on. The pawns point to the area where you have more space and this side is the one that you want to control. Note that in general you want to push the pawn that stands next to your most advanced pawn.
  7. A wide open centre allows you to attack with pieces. A closed centre generally means that you must attack with pawns (this enables you to grab space and open files for your Rooks).
  8. When you have more space it is usually a good idea to avoid exchanges. If you have less space an exchange or two will give the rest of your pieces more room to move about in.
  9. A spatial plus is a permanent advantage. You don’t have to be in a hurry to utilise it. Take your time and let the opponent stew.

Pawn Structure

  1. The doubling of pawns reduces their flexibility and is likely to leave one or both of them vulnerable to attack. Usually the lead pawn is the weaker.
  2. However the doubling of pawns does lead to extra open files and increased square control. If the doubled pawns are near the centre the extra square control can be a real boon.
  3. An isolated pawn cannot be defended by another pawn and is very vulnerable to attack if it stands on an open file. However an isolani could be an unstoppable passer, it might be centrally placed and thus guard important squares or it could be used as a battering ram to slam into a superior pawn structure.
  4. An advanced isolated pawn also gains space and helps make your pieces more active. Even if your isolated pawn isn’t going anywhere your Rooks might be more active than your opponents thanks to half or fully open files on either side of it.
  5. If your opponent has an isolated pawn make sure you control the square directly in front of it. This square is often ideally suited as an outpost for a Knight.
  6. In general the isolani reaches its peak of vulnerability when all the minor pieces are gone and only a couple of heavy pieces remain which can double up against it, allowing a pawn to attack the pinned isolated target.
  7. A backward pawn is only weak if sitting on an open file and unable to advance. The side playing against the backward pawn should strive to control the square directly in front of it.
  8. When one side owns a passed pawn the most important square for both sides is usually the one directly in front of the passer. If the passed pawn can be firmly blockaded it may block files and diagonals needed by its own Bishops and Rooks, if it can’t be firmly blockaded then the defender will be in for a hard ride.