OPENING TIPS: tip037

* Your plan must be based on the actual features of the position. Work out what each side should be up to. You can’t attack the King just because you want to. Play where you have some advantage. Silman talks about the ‘pawn-pointing’ rule: you have more space to attack where the Pawn-chains point. This is also true for blocked positions, like the French where opening a file with …c7-c5 will not leave you with a backward Pawn as does …f7-f6.

(Hort) 14. With White, exploit the advantage of having the first move and try to gain the initiative. With Black, try to organize counterplay. This last point is worth particular attention, for, although it contains much wisdom, it is not always applied in current tournament practice. Unfortunately, we belong to a time when White usually tries to gain only a minimal advantage, because to try for more entails the taking of risks. Black, having no sure method of developing counterplay without risk, usually tries to minimise White’s attacking possibilities. The game thus proceeds towards an endgame in which neither side has real winning chances.”

* If you have a space advantage (or any other long-term advantage, like the Bishop pair), don’t rush to attack. Milk your advantages – don’t feel obliged to cash in immediately. You should not try to force the issue, but rather maintain or increase your advantage while preventing counterplay. Don’t lash out justy becaiuse you feel there ought to be a winning combination by now. Avoid exchanges and build up your position so that when things do come to a head the situation is at its most favourable to you.

To summarise: anxiety, haste, vagueness, confusion and simple-mindedness are the enemies of good moves.