Questions tagged [middlegame]
Questions about the middlegame. The middlegame is the stage of the game after the opening has been completed and most of the pieces have been developed, but before the endgame. In the middlegame, the plans usually revolve around trying to improve one's own position and win material from the opponent, or sometimes, to deliver mate to the opponent.
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Strategy in middlegame from boring positions
I get into these rather vanilla, or as I call them, boring positions. Not much is happening tactically, and I can't fathom what the right course of action should be strategically.
Here is an example....
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7
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When does the middlegame end and the endgame begin?
Is there any specific point where the middle-game ends and end-game begins? E.g. after x number of pieces are exchanged, or say 40 moves, etc.
- 3,351
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As a beginner, how do I learn to win in "won" positions?
I'm fairly new to chess (~3 months) and I have almost entirely been playing on chess.com where my rating sits somewhere between 1000 and 1100. Recently, I decided to sign up for lichess.org, where I ...
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Why is ..Kh8 so much worse than ..Kg7 after Nf6?
I just "failed" this Lichess exercise. Main line is Stockfish's, secondary is mine's.
[FEN "r5k1/3N1p1p/2p1p1pb/3pP3/p2P3q/5P2/PP2QP1P/R4RK1 b - - 2 19"]
1...Bf4 2. Nf6 Kg7 {-5.4 ...
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Database of every possible move in chess
Imagine that there is a chess database of every possible move and position. This database contains all possible moves from opening to end game.
If I played using my intuition against a chess engine, ...
- 1,717
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What is a pawn hook?
On my question (Why is 11. .. h6 such a bad move?) someone commented that I should read about the concepts of hooks. One definition that I found was:
A hook is an advanced pawn which can be exploited ...
- 675
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Understanding Kramnik's play in game 1 of Candidates 2018
The position I'm studying is the middlegame part of the game 1 of Berlin Candidates 2018 between Kramnik and Grischuk, which Kramnik won with the white pieces.
In particular, I'm interested in ...
- 3,386
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Why is capturing the bishop in this position a blunder?
[FEN "r2n1rk1/pp1bppbp/1n4p1/q1N5/3P3N/PB2B2P/1P3PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 3 18"]
Why is Nxd7 a blunder in this position?
I think that once the light squared bishop comes to c6 it will become very ...
- 151
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4
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Is it good to have a tendency to exchange pieces?
This is how I am playing nowadays. I can beat ~1500 player 50% of the time (the rest is due to tactical errors):
Play the opening (upto 12 moves)
Don't blunder
At the point where my pawns and pieces ...
- 2,525
13
votes
3
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How to improve on the early endgame?
The late middlegame/early endgame is by far my weakest point.
I often get some kind of advantage in the opening, but then struggle to convert. I do study endgames, for example I am currently reading ...
- 539
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4
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At what point does the opening end, and middle game begin?
Just curious if there's a set of guidelines to determine when a player can call the opening pretty much done, and move into the middle game. I know some rules of the opening that would apply are
All ...
- 609
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4
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Bishop and Knight exchange with opponent's Rook and pawn
Chess games statistics
In Chess, Are there advantages or disadvantages of exchanging your Bishop + Knight with opponent's Rook and Pawn in middle game?
Knight 3 points
Bishop 3 points
Vs
Rook 5 points
...
- 535
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2
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How to attack in Scandinavian Defense
After 10 moves as Black, I often end up in a position very close to this, where I still have left my options open about castling.
[FEN "r3k2r/ppqn1ppp/2pbpn2/5bB1/2B5/P1NP1N1P/1PP2PP1/R2Q1RK1 w ...
- 3,057
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8
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Why are opening books so popular?
As title above, why are opening books so popular? I am sure that most players know that middlegame and endgame books are ultimately much more important for improving one's chess strength. That is not ...
- 6,816
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Is there a good method to come up with a plan during a game?
I have started to play chess more seriously recently by playing some tournaments. During all my tournament games, I faced serious problems coming up with plans during the middle game. Is there a ...
- 1,134
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Why is this seemingly quiet and normal position actually -3?
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR b KQkq - 0 1
[Event "Casual Blitz game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/GETmjlLj"]
[Date "2021.08.15"]
[White "WMArsyHuda&...
- 1,264
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3
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How do I trap the queen once it pins my rook?
I am playing as Black in this game, and after 10. Qg4, I realize that White wanted my rook. I knew I could trap the queen once it went for the rook (11. Qxg7), but I forgot how. I went on to win the ...
- 609
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How to come up with candidate moves or ideas in positions "with no action"?
Here is an example position:
[fen ""]
[Startply "40"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Nd5 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 O-O 8. a3 Ba5 9. Bc4 Nb6 10. Ba2 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 d5 12. ...
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2
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Is there an objective measure of how "complicated" or "tension-filled" a chess position can be?
Probably most chess players will have the intuitive notion of what kind of positions are not "tension-filled" and what kind of positions are. Usually these are middlegame positions.
Here's an idea of ...
- 581
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3
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How do I play against the Queen's Gambit Declined Tartakower structure?
I play the Exchange Variation against the QGD, but I'm really struggling against the Tartakower style setup in the QGD, when black plays b6 and c5. As White, I just don't really know what I'm supposed ...
- 93
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Why does GM Larry claim that this sacrifice is brilliant?
On this webpage GM Larry Kaufman claimed (at least up to 2012) that the following move was brilliant:
[Title "Kasparov vs Shirov (Horgen 1994)"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/...
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Why is h4 much better than h3?
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
[Event "Rated Rapid game"]
[Date "2021.08.09"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[TimeControl &...
- 675
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5
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Can playing against Computer help?
I am a begineer level player on chess.com with rating around 1500. I play daily 2-3 games with 15|10 mins time control for each player. I find it difficult to get time to study chess books, and was ...
- 414
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How to break through their "Great Wall of China"
It's my move as White. I have no idea what to do. I feel like I'm going to get squashed to death.
What would be my best move or strategy in situations like these?
[FEN "r2q1rk1/4b3/p1n1p1b1/...
- 387
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Chess book for kids (9-11 y.o.)
Are there any chess books accessible for kids in the 9-11 age range that don't waste the first half of the book teaching how the pieces move, castling rules and en passant capture? I am expecting some ...
- 1,135
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Can White win this middle game?
I played a game that ended with a draw and this is the end position:
[FEN ""]
[startply "119"]
1. e4 f6 2. d4 d6 3. c4 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. f4 Nd7 6. Nf3 c5 7. d5 Qc7 8. Bd3 a6 9. a3 ...
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Middlegame plan for this position
I'm playing a game against a chess computer as white, my move:
I'm struggling to work out what I should try to do. I am up a pawn. I've managed to force the black king to move so it couldn't castle ...
- 285
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2
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Why, in this Capablanca game, was this move considered bad?
Regarding this position:
[fen "r2qr1k/pbpn1pbp/1p1p1np1/4p3/1PP5/3P1NP1/PBQNPPBP/R2R2K1 w - - 1 1"]
I have 2 questions:
1)If the game goes 1..c5 2.b5 the engine shows white slightly better but if 1....
- 2,525
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Why is `a5` a better move in this position?
I was playing with a friend and we come to the following position (me white):
My friend played b5 but computer analysis says that this is a mistake and he should have played a5. Now, I don't see why ...
- 219
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1
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Carlsen vs Gelfand World Championship Candidates (2013). Could Gelfand have held it with 44...Bxf1!
[FEN "8/5p1k/1P4p1/2P4p/2b4P/5Q2/5PP1/4qBK1 b - - 0 44"]
This position occurred on move 44 in the Carlsen vs Gelfand game in the World Championship Candidates, 2013.
Here, Gelfand played the losing ...
- 8,805
7
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2
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Can't find long term plan for Black
I am working on multiple lines from Scandinavian defense, with the goal to resurrect them.
One line I'm working on is 3...Qd8, and I have managed to achieve quite playable positions ( the results are ...
- 11.6k
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votes
3
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Why is 12... d4 a blunder?
I recently played a game featuring the Old Sicilian with a bit of a branch-off. White played 3. Bc4 after 2. Nf3 Nc6, which I don't deal well with. I ended up playing 12... d4, attacking the White ...
- 61
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Is Silman's book 'How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Imbalances' any good?
I don't know if book review is allowed in the site or not, but I am just starting with a position I found pretty confusing in his book.
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??...
- 504
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5
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Best books on middlegame strategy?
What are the best works trying to systematically summarize all middlegame themes and strategies: e.g. space advantage, pawn structures, exposed king, minority attack, isolated pawn, hanging pawns, etc....
- 6,816
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6
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612
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What should my plan be in this middlegame?
This is a game I played recently. After 12. Be2, I really didn't know how to proceed. Eventually, after thinking for a very long time (>30 minutes, it's a correspondence game by the way), I moved ...
- 81
6
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2
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Pawn Sacrifice Justification
A few weeks ago, Magnus Carlsen (White) played against Anish Giri (Black), and this position was reached on the board on move 17 after black had played exf4:
Here is the full game:
[White "Magnus ...
- 2,227
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4
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Why does Stockfish give an evaluation of +7.42 here?
[fen "r3k1nr/pppqn2p/5p2/b5p1/3PP3/1BP2QBP/PP1N2P1/R3K2R w KQkq - 3 14"]
This game was played by me on chess.com recently. (I am white). The material balance is +1 (for white). Then why is ...
- 199
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3
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How to improve king safety
I really wish to improve my chess skills a bit, albeit I am pretty sure that I do not want to become a grandmaster.
One of my problem is my king's safety. Chess is very different from some other ...
- 771
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2
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Sicilian Scheveningen versus Najdorf: What are some of the characteristics that differentiate the two openings?
I would like to compare the Sicilian Scheveningen
[FEN ""]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6
with the Sicilian Najdorf
[FEN ""]
1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6
...
- 2,644
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3
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Unclear endgame / late middlegame position: looks like advantage white to me, but engine analysis suggests draw
Came across this position as part of some variation analysis of one of my previous games. To me it looks like a noticeable (though probably not decisive) advantage for white -- based on pawn structure ...
- 163
6
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1
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What should my plans be in a Carlsbad pawn structure?
I often find myself in positions with the Carlsbad pawn structure, and I really struggle to come up with a plan. I am usually the one with the pawn chain pointing toward the queenside, so I assume ...
- 63
6
votes
1
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134
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How can Black free his game?
What are Black's long term plans in below pawn structure?
How can Black free his game?
The position arose from the Rubinstein variation of the French defense:
[Title "White to move"]
[fen "r2rb1k1/...
- 11.6k
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2
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Can someone describe a good/easy mental procedure to choose the best move here?
This is kind of like magic to me. Once they show you it becomes obvious :) :(
Can someone point out a good/easy strategy that a player can mentally train/use to decide what is the best move here for ...
- 275
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4
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432
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Having knightmares, what to do?
I just hate when my opponent has the knights because most of my blunders happen due to them. I generally like endgames where my opponent doesn't have the knight. I also hate when the Knight enters my ...
- 2,525
5
votes
4
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570
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Choosing one move from the two moves
From the given position, is it better to take with rook or the a-pawn and why ?
Black to move:
The engine suggested the move axb4, why?
There must be some strategical or tactical point (ignore the ...
- 645
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1
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Why is this position considered to give white a significant advantage?
In this position, black's king is safe, has a secure queenside pawn structure, and has taken out white's left pawns and is up 2 points of material. Despite this, lichess evaluates this position at +3....
- 193
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How to improve my early endgame / late middlegame?
When I search for books on the middlegame versus the endgame, I usually find discussions about positions that have almost nothing to do with each other: the former being rich with strategies with ...
- 525
5
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3
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569
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How to understand which positions result from certain opening
I was watching Irina Krush's great lecture on YouTube and, at 20:06, she asks "Which opening is this position from?" The answer is apparently the Sicilian, which made me wonder. How do you ...
- 538
5
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1
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422
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How to proceed with the book "Pawn Structure Chess" by Andrew Soltis?
Should I memorize everything in the book, or use it in some other way?
- 2,525
5
votes
2
answers
572
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Longest period with each piece "hanging"
What is the longest period in a real game with a position in which all pieces were "hanging"? The game can also be rapid, blitz
or blindfold, but both players should have at least a 2000 ELO....
- 3,389