The Most Important Idea in the Middlegame

Playing middlegames is sometimes very challenging as it there is less theory than the other 2 stages of the game: opening and ending. So, what to do?

Therefore, I would like to share with you a guiding principle, that although it is not perfect and it does not apply to all positions, it is a great starting point whenever you reach the middlegame

Let me ask you, what do the following 3 positions (great examples of middlegame play) have in common?

Position 1: White to play

 Position 2: Black to play 

 Position 3: White to play

Answer: In all cases, the winning side looked for targets on the OPPONENT’S side of the board.

In the first position, White took on h7 first (Bxh7+) before capturing the knight.

In the second position, Black played the brilliant Rh3 (don't take the queen!) attacking h2 and giving checkmate.

In the last position, White decided to attack and played Kg3, planning to bring the king to h6 and attack Black's king. Note that Ng5 is not possible as the g2 square would be left undefended. 

 If you want to see my video about this, check it here:  https://youtu.be/gKvIakHInuk