do you guys know what i mean?

in every game there is a point, mostly in the beginning of the middle game, where i just don't know what to move next. all development is done and there are no tactics yet.

does anyone know what to do about this ;)

Yes--after basic development and piece placement you need a plan. Without a plan you will drift and eventually lose focus. It has been said that a bad plan is better than no plan.

Look for a plan and decide on optimal piece placement. Or look for an attack. But you need to develop a plan to continue. 

What are some of the best books/ articles  on how to plan in chess?  And for a <1000 rating person.

stwils

The worst is when you study one of those books where you have to guess the move that a master played.  I'll look at the board for an hour and have no clue; then I turn the page and it says "with Na3!! White secures a lasting advantage!" and then it is obvious...after the fact.

As for books / articles for <1000 players...I'd start with the resources here on chess.com.  Also you have to start studying tactics because all the planning in the world is useless when you hang your P, N, Q, R, overlook a mate in one, etc. which is what <1000 players do.  Heck that's what <2000 players do.

Someone, I think Tartakower, said Tactics is what you do when there's something to do, Strategy is what you do when there's nothing to do. Work on strategy, so, what aanset said, you need a plan.

i agree with chess tactics trainer and other tactics books or DVD's. I am not sure if these are two difficult but Chernev's Logical Chess Move by Move is one that is quite good. I think Euwe and Meiden did a book Chess Amatuer versus Chess Amateur but am not sure at what level it is aimed at

Have you heard the saying "attack where your pawns are pointing" ? Usually true. Another way of saying attack where your space advantage will likely be. If you don't have space there, then that may be the first order of business. [There are cases where one attacks on the wing where they do not have the space advantage, which I call Inverse Space Utilization. But it is generally a Master+ concept, is only in certain conditions, and rare. Usually space is the place to put your efforts.]

You can always get a workable plan by using one simple technique. A Static Assessment (as opposed to an assessment of Dynamics. Dynamics are most of what Silman would call Imbalances) . This means you are going to be looking largely at the pawn structure.

First look to the center and judge how many units of force you are exerting on each of those squares, compared to your opponents force there. Then look for every square on the board that can no longer ever be guarded by a pawn. On the other players side of the board, you will likely find a complex of squares together which are thusly weakened. In these will be the point of attack.

If you study games of Tal, he will show you how you can always maintain a position that will lend itself to attacking, by being able to be opened up with attacking lines (files and diagonals). Also seeing Full GM games from your openings will show what they try to do with it, and useful ideas.

If you do not know it, learn two very important attacking skills. 1. Forcible line opening. 2.What Tension is and how to use it.

IN brief, forcible line opening points occur where the opponent has two units that you can attack simultaneously with a pawn, or has one unit that is immobilized that you can attack with a pawn. So also look for these points in your static assessment.

Tension: The object is to build your forces behind the tension and not release it until you can win material or make a significant infiltration to the opponents position. Tension is maintained in the idea of minimizing the mobility of opps pieces & squares available for their placement, so that pressure can be built to which the opp becomes unable to respond adequately.

Learning these two skills will improve your game more than anything except for becoming absolutely accurate at analysis. Particularly since most opp's will not understand tension as well as it deserves.

G/L Regards, Craig A.C.

I have this issue too, I'm working through it. For those who might be interested in this, IM Jeremy Silman just released a Chess Mentor course on this subject called "Now What?". I've gone through about 40% of it already, and I'm learning quite a lot. Seriously, this isn't just a plug, give Chess Mentor a try at least for this course.

Do not be afraid of the deep think: ten to forty minutes for one move in a two hour game.

 yes, just wait 'till the last 10 minutes :)

you should play  the opening with a plan in mind already...some openings have ready made plans that you dont need to think about, like the english-take over the white squares...KID-attack with pawns on the kingside(as black)...dutch-dominate e4 square...queens/nimzo indian-control whites center with pieces especially e4 square...find openings like that youre comfortable with

Hi guys, this topic is very pointed for me.  Thank you Styxtwo for bringing it up.  This is a big problem for me.  I am okay on opening, okay in the middle game when it gets tactical.  But the gray area (as Styxtwo said) is the transition between the opening and the mid-game.  I frequently hit a point (in most of my games) where I just dont know what my plan should be.  I am mostly developed, but I am unclear how to proceed.  I get figity, I am uncoftable, I am not sure what to do.  Happens to me all the time.

Watch your backrank!

If you reach a point in the game where there is no obvious move to play, you need a plan (as many others have pointed out above). But to create a plan you need to thoroughly analyze the position, in order to understand where your strengths and weaknesses lie (as well as those of your opponent). Reuben Fine (in his book The Middle Game in Chess) looked at five criteria to determine the strengths and weaknesses:

1.Material (am I ahead, behind or even);

2. Pawn structure (are my pawns well placed);

3. Mobility (how much freedom of movement do my pieces have);

4. King safety (is my king exposed to attack);

5. Combinations (what is the threat).

Silman talks about imbalances (differences in the two players' positions) and using those imbalances to construct a plan that enhances yours and takes advantage of your opponent's.

I love the Fine book, but the reprinted version published in 2003 is horrible (typos up the wazoo), so unless you can get a copy from the earlier printings, you are better off getting Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess. Either of these books will help you learn how to analyze a position, understand its elements, and use those elements to form a constructive plan (or series of plans).

You just aren't very good yet.

Yeah, that's helpful.

I have Rueben Fine's book The Middle Game in Chess and it is a great book. I also have his The Ideas Behind The Chess Openings, which is also an excellent book. I would recommend this book because it tells what the strategic goals of the opening are, and so you can head into the middle game with a plan in hand.

Yes, The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings (Ideas) is a great book, and it helps understand the general plans available in each opening at a very high level, but you still need to assess the position in order to determine the specific plan that fits the need of your position. Ideas will point you in the right direction, but only a thorough analysis will lead you to the correct path.

you should try the classic "Planning after the opening" by Neil McDonald.  It sounds like just what you're looking for.

Oh yea... Another really helpfuk book that I found Sunil Weermantry's Best Lessons of a Chess Coach.  Although  Weermanty does not go into the openings strategic values as much as Fine, he provides many positional, strategical and tactical ideas and insights that you are sure to take with you the next time you play a game!

i say do a different opening, i run into that problem with 1. e4 e5, because everyone pulls out their knights to attack/defend the pawns, then pulls out their bishop, then moves a pawn, then pulls out the other bishop, and at that point the entire board is symmetrical and any move you make, no matter how clever, your opponent can do the same thing. now i avoid moving my e pawn first at all costs, it changes up the game a bit and gets rid of the symmetry.