Middlegame Concepts To CRUSH Opponents 

Here's a quick summary: 1. Keep an eye out for weaknesses 2. Be patient; don't try to brute force it 3. Make threats, short or long term 4. Get familiar with specific openings by looking at top players or stockfish

The middle-game is the most fascinating part of chess because it is a part when there are unique games. After I watch this video, my middle game will be more and more fascinating!

I would love lectures on midgame plans in particular openings, you could maybe even insert a GM game where certain plans get highlighted

I really need to focus on point 2. I often play aggressively once I’ve developed, completely forgetting to even consider playing patiently. I think subconsciously I’m worried I’m falling behind if I’m not moving forward. I’ve wrecked my own position this way so many times.

Absolutely! Please do make a series that analyses midgame ideas. I play the Queen's gambit a lot and typically just trade pieces after the opening because I don't have any midgame plans

The main point to remember about chess is that it is perfectly organised at the start, and every move increases the 'entropy' (chaos) in the game. Managing the chaos so that it works to your advantage is what the game is actually about, keeping your opponent's position more chaotic than yours is the key.

I had an Expert-level chess teacher for three years when I was first learning the game, who was very helpful to me. I watch some smart-aleck NYC guy who is very entertaining and also gives good instruction. I watch a Russian GM whose name sounds like vodka who is also a very good teacher. You beat them all. Your free content is head and shoulders above theirs in terms of clear explanation and covering areas that people actually need; this video being a good example. I always knew there was something missing in my understanding, and your lessons are filling that void nicely. So much of successful chess is seeing the board well, and then asking yourself the right questions, beyond king safety and the checks/captures/attacks checklist.

I love that you pause to let the viewer try and spot the moves themselves - I found that really fun and helpful!

You are by far my favourite Chess channel on the platform, thank you so much for making such helpful and fun content

I'd be interested in a series where you discuss the plans, key ideas and concepts for each opening and how they were played by top masters.

“What now?” I always find my self asking this question after the opening 😩

A good rule of thumb for noticing weaknesses it to re-analyze the board after a pawn moves 👍

Wow my instinct was screaming Qb3 and it turned out to be a mistake

Brilliant! Thank you for your patient unfolding of the middle game plan and the wonderful suggestions for improvements.

This was great. There’s so much on openings but a middle game review is a rare gem. It’s the most complicated part of the game where it can fall apart.

Fantastic video! I’ve known these concepts for a while but have failed to follow through on them more times than I care to admit. Seeing real examples with various solid or sub-par moves from a hypothetical opponent is invaluable.

Once again, another great video! You are a great coach/teacher! You explain everything so well and it's easy to understand! I saw someone comment that it may be easier for you to make a poll and see what openings we play most often. Then you can base your content off that. Thank you!!!

I really love the way you get to the main ideas and concepts in chess. Sometimes I am too detailed and miss the main ideas. I would love to grasp the main ideas behind the Catalan and the Kings Indian Defense to a broader understanding. I have been working on these during the pandemic and have great success with them, but I am still learning.

You can extend the fourth plan and try to cover middle game plans for some other popular openings as well. Great video like always!

great video nelson! I'd love to see some more middlegame videos in the future!

Nelson reminds me of my elementary school history teacher; he made things interesting using the rhythm of his voice and his hands, no rush, patience to weave a story or a particular idea. It's a gift.

Very keen on videos that explore different openings in detail!

Nice middle game overview. Thanks!

Very helpful and clear video I hope you will do more videos on openings and the plans/patterns applicable to them, I'm a big fan of your channel thank you

Much appreciated. And yes, opening specific strategies videos would be great.

Beautiful lesson and demonstration.Thank you

Amazing content in this channel! Btw, I would love to learn from a series of openings you talked about in the video. Looking forward. Thank you!!

Nice video, thank you!

I love this Nelson. Thanks for teaching these concepts

This is among my favorite types of videos. Thank you Nelson!

Awesome video!!!! Thanks for the pauses to get us to look for stuff!!!

This is a very helpful video! Thanks for creating it. I often struggle with coming up with a plan in the middle-game.

You are my favorite chess youtuber, and I will tell you why. I'm sorry for being a bit harsh to some of the other guys, but you speak in a normal calm voice. No over excitement or 1930's radio-broadcaster voice that people for some reason think they have to use when speaking in a video. You also explain things very clearly. Good job. Thank you.

Nice video. Thanks. Id love to see a video series about plans in different openings.

Definitely an opening series! When watching top games, sometimes they drop how opening ____ is aggressive or opening ____ is passive, etc. would love to fully understand why

Awesome video! Opening middlegame ideas would surely be great, most opening videos are just discussing lines and very rarely they throw a few middlegame ideas out in the air but it's like, they spend 20 minutes in the opening and the last 2 minutes before the video ends on a few ideas.

Great video. A very in depth video on the queens gambit would also be helpful

Chess, but every 10 moves, one of your pieces is downgraded randomly. Queen - Rook - Bishop - Knight - Pawn. Your king is obviously not involved.

Thanks very useful! Videos on opening ideas sound very interesting. 👍

I would love to hear about some mid game concepts for the Vienna, been learning for past 2 weeks

It's a very good point about the opening matching the middlegame plans. So many players simply learn opening moves by rote and don't understand why the moves are played. It's more important to understand the 'why' than the 'what', when thinking of what move to play in the opening.

Thank you. Very informative

I would love a series discussing opening ideas!

im down to start that series of openings! What a great idea nelson

Always great content! Very informative with how you explain concepts

Thanks, I increased 50 lichess rating by using these techniques !!

you're awesome man I'd also love it if you'd make an opening plan series. that would be so helpful

You are definitely have some great points here! Thank you for the awesome lecture!

I really needed help with stuff like this, thank you Nelson

Excellent video, once again. Thanks for the insights.

Great vid, love your work!

Thank you Nelson, believe it or not, I have decent opening plays and counters and a really good/decent end game but I am always stuck trying to figure what move will benefit me the most in the middle-game

These tips are really helpful, thank you :)

A series on the openings and the ideas would be amazing! Your channel got me into chess since you are able to present information very well and are clearly very knowledgeable.

Really helpful. Thank you

yes please. plans in certain openings would be interesting

If you do start the series, please make an analysys on the London opening midgame plans! I usually get a pretty decent position from the opening, but don't really know how to convert the advantage in a clever way

im totally using this for my coaching sessions, thanks so much Nelson you are the best on youtube at breaking things down to beginner level in concrete things, As a coach, I can't just tell people the same thing every week, even though they still blunder their pieces every week :P

I invented an opening, only played it 3 times and have beat a good engine with it, so it need a lot of work. It is amazing how much historical chess goes out the window when you rush your rook pawns up the sides for your first 3 or 4 moves, (as far as you can). I did find that if I bring the rooks out early (for new attacks), they can get trapped pretty easily. I don't care who you are playing, even Magnus. If you develop that wild opening to be effective,---he will not know what to do.

Great vid, love your work!🎉

Wow. I love your lectures. Hope to learn a lot from this channel.

This truly is my favorite chess channel! Thank you so much!

PLEASE MAKE THAT SERIES I NEED THAT BADLY

The reason that plans are specific to certain openings usually comes down to one characteristic. Pawn structure. That's a huge consideration when forming a middle game strategy.

Wow this is the most helpful chess video on the platform. Your tips are always easy to follow and makes a player simply better. Thank you for making all this content free.

Big thanks for the recent sound volume calibration by the way 🎧👌🙏

thanks. This was one of my favorite videos yet

please do a video series where you analyze each opening with potential continuations that can be seen as positional weaknesses and show how to capitalize upon them. Thank you for your videos

Thank you, very clear and precise logic. The different openings (bishop?) will be welcome :)

Well presented; thank you for sharing.

Very insightful and alot to think about, thankyou.

I would love if you could make that series analyzing openings. If its possible using your idea: You can analyze how you should play certain openings by showing the plans of the same GM playing the same opening multiple times or even different GMs playing it and seeing what their plans would've been. Thank you so much and it would be so helpful if you can do that.

I love your videos, man. Keep it up!

Amazing first example I needed this! I always struggle with getting to a winning endgame

The concepts really fascinating

Great video. Thank you!

Excellent video, thank you.

Great video! For the series you are taking about can you do one on the London system?

I really enjoy this guy’s videos - explains things clearly and to the point. Quality

Hey Nelson!! I am not sure if many people notice it, but the thumbnails which you are making recently, are really appealing!! Love how you use a different character or something, to even change some of the older ones Appreciate that!

This was a great video, man. Thank you! Please do the London and Caro-Kann!

The thing about letting your opponents make mistakes was a great help

yah would be a good idea to see all kinds of possible ideas in a particular opening

Exploring different openings sounds like an amazing plan Nelson

I always get a good start but then always blunder at middlegames. This video really helps me out alot

Great idea the series please do it

yes, that help me so mutch. Thanks!

Thanks for your video- it helps a lot

You are such a great teacher!Your videos always helps.Thank you!♥️🙌

11:00: this is the problem I face ; I am so convinced of my plan that I forget that the opponent has already set all the pieces to give a quick checkmate

This is a great video! I've always struggled with this part of the game :)

you sir is very helpful and this ideas are gold for us who cannot afford coaching

I like it but one thing about that weakness if black moves the queen is if black ends up moving the queen back to defend it’s not really a problem. You don’t have to take the knight right away. So h3 is still a move preventing the knight from going anywhere and then you can think about tucking the knight to h2, pushing the pawn to g4 or g3 then f4 and at any time if black starts creating threat of counter attack you can still take the knight and if black wants to move his queen back so that it’s pinned now you threaten to push your pawns and reinforce them so you set up sort of an ability to push your pawn to kick away the knight and then maybe a if protected by a pawn or if you swing the other knight over on the king side, a discovered attack on the queen, your pawn advance gets the rooks involved and you can attack both the center and kingside and get your queen involved immediately after the bishop finally takes the knight This is the idea of “maintaining tension” when you have a fork or a threat rather than take it right away look for otherways to build other pressures and threats. Of course taking the knight is still an option but as a rule… when you find a good move look for a better one.

Yes do a series about a specific openings I'll watch all of them

Great teaching and I think that you mentioned before, look for overworked defenders. Occasionally a queen or rook will be defending several other pieces. Plans to make said queen move via trades may lead to adventure, fun, disaster or incremental advantage.

Thanks a lot bro😊

this awesome- more mid game videos pleeeease

Thank you for this video! Pretty eye opening for a beginner player.

It's fascinating how many people will say things like your mid game plan depends on the opening. And I'm sure there are deep theory books that explain these plans, but oftentimes the lessons that are easy to find do not actually talk about the evolution of the mid game from the opening other than just a brief mention of this concept

Insightful advice which I rank among thé Best I have seen. Thank you for sharing