Middle Game Ideas
The middle game is notorious for being the part of the game that can decide whether you win or not. If you keep these 6 ideas in mind, you should be able to play a solid middle game.
Idea 1: Always be Aware of What All the Pieces are Doing
You will hate yourself if you accidentally give away your queen for a minor piece or for free. You could have easily avoided this if you had looked at where your opponent’s pieces and your pieces were doing. So, basically, look at what your pieces are trying to do, and what your opponent’s pieces are trying to do. By doing this, you can get an idea of what your opponent is trying to do, and can use that to counter their idea or use it to their advantage. Looking at your own pieces can also help you form an idea on how to attack your opponent or gain advantages, and it can help prevent you from giving your opponent free or powerful pieces.
Idea 2: Always Move your Pieces With a Purpose
There is nearly nothing worse than giving your opponent the ability to control the game, and this actually happens a lot in games. This is usually a result of moving pieces without a purpose, which gives your opponent “tempo“. Tempo is basically where you make a move that strengthens your position, while making your opponent to waste a move. This allows you to control what is happening and if used correctly, can make your opponent have to defend the entire game and can make sure they never have a chance to try to checkmate your king or even attack the king. In addition, moving your pieces with a purpose helps make sure that you don’t accidentally give your opponent free or powerful pieces. When you move a piece without a purpose, you usually don’t think too much about where you move it, and so can accidentally give it away, giving your opponent the advantage. One thing to keep in mind is a good purpose for moving minor pieces is moving them to the center so that they can attack/control more squares.
Idea 3: Try to Look for Pins, Forks, Discovered Attacks, and Double Attacks
One great way to gain an advantage in the middle game is to try to use pins, forks, and double attacks. These techniques almost always guarantee some pieces for free, or powerful pieces in exchange for smaller pieces. This is one of the most common ways to gain an advantage over your opponents, since you can use your extra and/or more powerful pieces to take other pieces or weaken your opponent’s position and increase your advantage. In general, minor pieces are the most effective for these techniques, but do not hesitate to use more powerful pieces if it means strengthening your advantage or gaining an advantage.
Idea 4: Try to Take Powerful Pieces
One sure way to gain an advantage is to take powerful pieces, since they can no longer use the large power these pieces possess against you. This also allows you to use your powerful pieces more effectively. The advantage this brings may not always be evident when you take those pieces, but as the game progresses, the advantage will reveal itself, mainly in the endgame.
Idea 5: Plan Scenarios in your Head
When you try to take a piece that has multiple attackers and/or defenders or trying to execute a lengthy tactic to try to gain a structural advantage, plan those out in your head. If you jump head first into a plan that turns out to leave you at a disadvantage, then you may have a difficult time to try to make up for your disadvantage. By planning out what will happen, you can avoid disastrous ideas and make advantageous moves. In addition, by planing out what moves your opponent will most likely do, you can save time in timed games and always have a counter ready for whenever you need it.
Idea 6: Know When to Take Pieces
Knowing when to take pieces can help prevent you from losing pieces, which can give your opponent a major advantage. When you take apiece, first look at whether it is worth it. If it is a free pieces, or if it helps to weaken your opponent’s position, then it is most likely worth it. If it only weaken your position, or results in you losing a piece, then it is most likely not worth it. Take note of how many defenders and attackers a piece has, if it has more attacker than defenders, then it needs to be defending more, if it is your piece, or you should take it if it not your piece. If it has more defenders than attackers, then you shouldn’t take it if is your piece and nothing is needed if it is your piece.
Author: Shiven Sasipalli
