All of the above.
Square control depends largely on the pawns: holes, open files, open diagonals, etc. Pawn structure and piece power should be continually assessed.
Some openings have square control as a theme. The French typically battles over e5 and the Sicilians typically d5. These have to be considered from the start in these games.
Edit: here's a position from a game I just finished where square control was thematic.
The last three or four moves were added by me. Annotations appear after you try it.
Hi everyone,
How does the concept of square control enter into your gameplan? Do you look at the board in terms of square control rather than pieces and movement? What is the underlying idea and do the squares change depending on the opening? Is the dark square bishop stronger than the light one? Is square control a progressive idea, i.e. you change squares as you evolve your position or you always maintain control certain squares regardless? Is it more important to win your squares or deny your opponent theirs? I know that this isnt an easy one post topic but any help is appreciated. Cheers.