Middlegame Principles

The opening is over. Your pieces are developed, your king is safe, and the real game is about to begin.

The middlegame is where chess becomes chess. There are no simple rules to follow here — just positions to understand, plans to form, and decisions to make. It is the most complex phase of the game, and the most rewarding to learn.

In this course, you will learn how to make your pieces work together, how to read pawn structures, how to spot and use the four most important tactical weapons in chess, and how to launch and survive attacks.

By the end, you will not just be reacting to what your opponent does. You will have a plan of your own.