Middlegame Strategy in Classical Chess
The middlegame is where chess is won and lost. No opening preparation or endgame technique can substitute for sound middlegame judgment. The great players of the classical era developed and articulated the strategic principles that guide middlegame play, many of which are as valid today as when they were first stated.
The Pawn Structure
Classical theory placed enormous emphasis on the pawn structure as the skeleton of the position. Pawns cannot move backward; pawn weaknesses, once created, tend to be permanent. The great teachers of the era — Steinitz, Tarrasch, and later Nimzowitsch — devoted much attention to identifying and exploiting pawn weaknesses.
Isolated pawns are pawns with no friendly pawns on adjacent files. They cannot be defended by other pawns and are therefore vulnerable to attack by pieces. Classical theory generally considered isolated pawns as weaknesses, though their dynamic value in providing open files and activity for the pieces that defend them was also recognized.
Doubled pawns — two pawns on the same file — are structurally weak because only the front one can advance, and neither can defend the other. However, doubled pawns also create open files on the adjacent square, which can be valuable.
Backward pawns — pawns that cannot advance because adjacent pawns have moved forward, leaving them unsupported — are often the most serious pawn weaknesses because they are difficult to advance and easy to blockade.
Piece Coordination
Alekhine's games in particular demonstrate the importance of piece coordination — arranging pieces so that they work together harmoniously, each one increasing the effectiveness of the others. A lone knight, bishop, or rook can rarely do much; pieces operating in concert create threats that cannot all be met simultaneously.
The art of piece coordination involves not just placing pieces on strong squares but arranging them so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Alekhine's preparatory maneuvering — sometimes spending several moves improving a piece that appears already well-placed — is a recurring feature of his best games.
Prophylaxis
Nimzowitsch's concept of prophylaxis — making moves that prevent the opponent's plans before those plans become threats — was one of the most important strategic contributions of the classical era. Rather than waiting for a threat to materialize and then responding, prophylaxis involves anticipating the opponent's plans and disrupting them in advance.
This requires understanding not just your own plans but your opponent's. Lasker was a master of prophylaxis, often spending moves on moves that appeared purposeless until several moves later when the problem they prevented became apparent.
The Plan
Tarrasch's dictum — "before the endgame, the gods have placed the middlegame" — was one of many attempts to reduce chess wisdom to memorable form. One of his other maxims was that "a bad plan is better than no plan at all." The idea is that purposeful play with a clear plan, even an imperfect one, is more effective than aimless movement.
Formulating a plan involves assessing the pawn structure, identifying strengths and weaknesses on both sides, and determining what improvements are possible. Alekhine's own annotations frequently explain the plans he adopted and why, making his games particularly instructive from a strategic perspective.