Don't know what to do in the midgame?

Hello there,

I've noticed a number of times that when I'm playing chess, I'll have end up in a situation where I'm either up material by the mid-game, or at least feel like I'm in a dominant position with an advantage in terms of position, development, etc. Many of these games I couldn't feel better...

However, once I get to a certain point in the mid-game, I'm left wondering "what should I do now?" I'm not sure what to do from that point onward. Once I reach this point, I tend to start falling apart and lose all the advantages I gained beforehand. I'm left wondering "how did this happen."

Take this game as an example. I'm white. No tactical blunders for the most part from either of us. By 13. g4 Bg6 I felt quite strong. But I just didn't know what else really to do from that point onward. As if I'm directionless.

I also feel like the tactics trainer is almost useless for the most part when it comes to the vast majority of games. What's the point of winning material if I end up losing it due to my mid-game weakness. My rating is around 1700 while I'm losing to players rated in the 1000 level. I didn't hang pieces (at least not until later when I was already directionless, losing a pawn), so what's my problem?

Here's another game against a 1300 player that by the midgame, I felt I was in a good position as black. But then all of a sudden, I felt like I was slipping, falling apart, and eventually fell behind. What's going on? Can someone help 

Can anyone give any insight on what to do in the mid-game? Any resources or books that they can recommend? 

After 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Bb4, my lizard brain would choose 4 Nd5. After 1 d4 d5 2 c4, I think the usual suggestion is to play ...c6 before ...Nf6.

Some possibilities for helpful reading:

Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/

Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/amateurs-mind-the-2nd-edition/
Winning Chess by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld (1948)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093415/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review919.pdf
Back to Basics: Tactics by Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708233537/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review585.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-back-to-basics-tactics
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5856bd64ff7c50433c3803db/t/5895fc0ca5790af7895297e4/1486224396755/btbtactics2excerpt.pdf

Discovering Chess Openings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf

First Steps: 1 e4 e5
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf

https://chesscafe.com/book-reviews/first-steps-1-e4-e5-by-john-emms/

First Steps: Queen's Gambit

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7652.pdf

My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/vincent-moret/
Opening Repertoire 1 e4
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7819.pdf

The Four Knights Move by Move

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627104938/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen159.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627040728/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ebcafe06.pdf

I like kindaspongey's book recommendations.  Your game raises some excellent teaching points.

Thank you Kindaspongey for the recommendations, I'll definitely check them out. I'm looking through Simple Attacking Plans right now and I'm finding it valuable. Even things as simple as "attack the F2, F7 weak square" is insightful.

I feel like in the beginning it's fairly easy to operate on a few key principles and put yourself into relatively good position, develop pieces, gain board space, king safety, etc. It's like I can check off a series of principles and guidelines that I loosely follow and that will put me in a good state. However, by the mid-game, I'm not sure what guiding principles I need to press on the attack, besides vague ideas like "gain board space" or "win material." Attacking the F7 square, for example, is an idea that makes things clearer for me. 

Maybe that's what I mean when I say I'm confused what to do in the mid-game...

Clavius, thank you so much for your commentary - I really appreciate it. It's strange, even though I was planning to line up my rooks on the e-file in that game, I just didn't feel like I had enough attacking power to do something meaningful for some reason. 

I don't play blitz/rapid at all, either 15-30 minute games for the most part. 

Thank you for your suggestion Manatini. Do you really think the problem there was dealing with all those pawns? By move 18 I was already up a little and felt my position was reasonable. I do agree that moving the rook to the a-file was when the game started to lose steam.

His other post might be available:  https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/weak-endgamefailure-to-convert-advantages

Or looks like you could wait another 7 years to see if the same question is asked?

Do tactics, you are weak in tactics. Don't push the pawns in front of your king till you learn to calculate. 

i try to be aggressive all the time, it put my opponents off. attack everything pin everything, works fine im 500 rating

"The Winning Way" by Bruce Pandolfini is similar in principle to "Simple Attacking Plans" by Fred Wilson , but Pandolfini's book illustrates many examples of a variety fundamental attacking themes and techniques that can arise very early in the game, mostly right after the opening....I would suggest to read it first, then follow up with Wilson's book...

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Way-Opening-Strategems-Fireside/dp/0684839490/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29DYWXRWVYOKQ&keywords=the+winning+way+pandolfini&qid=1564261020&s=books&sprefix=the+winning+way+pan%2Caps%2C194&sr=1-1

After the above, you might consider the following...

Good Positional Chess, Planning & Strategy Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/introduction-to-positional-chess-planning-strategy

"As for later in the game, as they say, the art of winning a won game is eliminating the opponent's counterplay. You went after the useless h pawn and white was able to develop some threats with his queen and pawn."

I would say this decision to go after a useless pawn instead of tending to a passed pawn, lost you the game.  You had more pawns than your opponent, and had two rooks for a queen, but because you allowed your opponent to promote his passed pawn, by going after a useless pawn, you lost one of your rooks.  You had drawing chances I think, but it wasn't a won game for you at that point, as you know.  

"A passed pawn is a dangerous criminal that should be kept under lock and key."

Remember that phrase the next time you run into a situation where your opponent has a passed pawn, and perhaps you will make the right decision.

Just keep doing tactics.  You may not notice it now, but in time you will see how they help your game.  When you learn more about the middle game and strategic ideas you will get better at spotting tactics in your games, or find ways to set them up.  

Tactics, Annotated master games (Logical Chess Move by Move), and playing chess (and analyzing your games afterward first by yourself, then with a stronger player, then with a computer is ideal)

That simplifychess site is a good site that I believe will help you out a lot if you can sit down for a long time and get things done.  It may be a little much for a beginner though, but if you are an adult and not a kid, I don't see anything wrong with trying.  

Trying to always think about where you are going to make a pawn break and why.  Most of the chess is about knowing when to make a pawn break.  Even if you know as much as me, you find yourself blundering pawns in a pawn break attempt that was really an utter failure and shouldn't have been executed.  If pawns are the soul of chess, pawn breaks dictate how you transition into a won game or an even game.  I constantly try and look for pawn breaks, and sometimes, as I said, try and do it when I really shouldn't, and end up losing.  But at least I am trying!  Anyway, just saying, pawn breaks are everything, and if you can't open the position, thats okay to, there are ways to deal with closed positions as well but all of this can only be studied one at a time.  Take your pick.  

I was talking about a common break for black in another thread.  Here it is if you want to take a look at it:

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/for-beginners/any-videos-even-simpler-than-john-bartholomews-videos

Try getting Logical Chess by Irving Chernev, he goes through master games and comments ON EACH MOVE, so you can see what the players are thinking when they make each move.

Its about positioning and developing your pieces in the right way. Best alternative is to have purpose when you move your piece. Try to think deep. Where are your opponents pieces, and what are they doing? Sometimes you can put one of your pieces in harms way if it plays into your tactics later on etc. Find ways where you trick your opponent to overextend and open up his lines and become vulnerable. For example, sacrificing a knights in order to open up attacks on the king or the queen. Disrupt your opponents development.

UPDATE:

Thanks for your suggestions. Took plenty of time off for myself, dialed down the tactics training, and instead focused on some of these books. 

I only ended up finished and studying Simple Attacking Plans so far, but by the end of it I felt like I had a major "aha" moment, so to speak.

Today was the first game I've played since I've finished the book, and while not perfect, felt like it was a pretty darn good improvement. 

It was also the first game in a long time that I felt I knew what to do in the middlegame, thanks to just that one book I've read.

I'm playing as black.

Again, thanks for your suggestions. Just wanted to give an update!

The key thing is to have a plan in the middlegame, without it you do not know what to do. That is what strategy is about.

Some thoughts on the Update game.  You spotted White's blunder well.

Well, for one, your opening play isn't all good good either. not only that but you are over aggressive, with h3 g4 pushes making your pawn structure weak. In the middle game, do what a favorite player of mine, David Gedult, did. He always made threats. Eventually his opponents couldn't parry them all. So if you are lost in the position, make a threat. if none are strong enough to be played, better a piece.