MIDDLEGAME TIPS: tip031

* Preserve your options. Do what is required – whether a retreat or an attack – but don’t burn your bridges unnecessarily. Squeeze your opponent’s options – this is hard for them to sit still for, and they may lash out without heed for the dangers.

try to gain time if you can by aggressive moves.

Decentralising is always suspicious, particularly for knights, but also for long-range pieces like Queens. This is a corollary of Stean’s assertion that the most important feature of any position is the activity of the pieces, since pieces are most active in the centre.

5. Generally move Knights straightaway to f3/c3 or f6/c6