How to calculate tempo

Yesterday I was reading the 'The Passed Pawn' chapter in My System. In it, was the following position and comments:

Now, I have some understanding of the concept of gaining a tempo in an opening, but how does this work during the middle or end games?

This should help:

Tempo = speed

Speed = Distance/Time

I guess the final position.

In another thread, someone was talking about giving up a pawn to gain 2 tempi. How would this work?

Thanks BB. I understand the concept during the opening.

My question is how it is applied to middle and end games.

So it would appear tempo is based on acheiving some goal. And if your opponent makes a wrong move that allows you to achieve it a little faster, then you have gained a tempo.

If they play the Scandinavian then their queen will be hit with a tempo.

If they play the bawler attack in the Sicilian then their bishop is hit with a tempo. The usual idiot will now respond by a check and another piece of yours leaves the back rank to block. They've now moved this bishop twice.

The more tempos you gain in the opening the better development you have.

Again, I'm not talking about the opening. I'm talking about middle and end game.

ARGH!!! Now it is even more confusing. 

Perhaps the concept is still outside my rhelm of experience. I barely understand tempo gains in the opening at the moment.

I never liked the term 'tempo' (I'm going by the wiki definition of chess tempo), especially when it's referred to as gaining "a tempo" as opposed to just "tempo." It makes it sound like tempo is quantifiable (white is up 3 tempo!...is it quantifiable? I don't know, I'm also confused about tempo -.-). Couldn't they refer to it in terms of moves or ply instead?

In my head, tempo is synonymous with momentum. Ie. Your attack is gaining momentum by you taking the initiative and playing forcing/priority moves like checks and captures.

Simply put, gaining a tempo in the middlegame or endgame means gaining an extra move to put your plan into action. 

So, let's see what happens in Nimzo's example to see whether Black can use that tempo.

In the line where Nimzo claims Black gains a tempo, Black is a pawn up. In both cases, the king reaches c4 on move 6, but with an important difference. Ok, not important to the result, since Black wins anyway.

Don't know if this helps any, C45, but in this section of My System he is talking about frontal attack, the enemys forced withdrawl and the final turning movement(demonstrated here). (part 1, chapter 4 sub-section 5)

C45, count the pawns in the two variations. There really is a difference! 

Scandinavian Defense... Someone mentioned black  losing A tempo and the queen being hit with losing a tempo,  White moves the K pawn twice first and that is also A loss of tempo. Nothing is wrong with that defense, its very solid for black when played correctly and  very easy to lose playing it if you don,t follow the tempo rules, most common is moving the same piece twice like white does the first two moves of the game in the Scandinavian  Defense . 

At the start, this is always true. But In the middle and at the end may be the opposite. Are you know what is the zugzwang?

Oh I love that position!  Widening the Beach head was one of the most memorable chapters in Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual and Secrets of Pawn Endings covered that endgame too.  I think School of Future Champions 3 touched upon it as well. 

You just kind of have to develop a feel for time and calculate and not be afraid to overlook "unusual" moves.  It's all about visualization and judgement since a tempo advantage should be read within the context of the static positions afterward. 

guys, what is half a tempo? i heard that concept a few times from chessexplained 

Zugzwang...  Yes I know all about it and sometimes losing A tempo wins or draws its very important in endgames.  Although it can be done before endgames but its very rare. I remember A game Morphy played and he had his opponent in zugzwang very early, no matter where that guy  moved he lost material, I thought it was very funny  when I saw that game.    Just  another example of Morphy,s genius. I wish I could remember who it was he played but it can be found in A chess data base I use sometimes.

I do not know, but I think that's another topic. A move consists of one turn white and one turn  black move. The course is half the rate of white or black move is half the tempo. But that's another topic.

This whole concept is so difficult it makes me cry. Thank god I have these: