The Capablanca method · Chapter 2
The middlegame
This is where Capablanca's method shone: keep improving your pieces until the position is overwhelming, and let tactics appear on their own. Work through the ideas below.
Make every piece active before you make a plan
The single most important middlegame habit. Before any attack or pawn push, improve your most passive piece. Rooks want open files, knights want strong central squares (d5/e5/d4/e4), bishops want open diagonals, and the queen wants an active but safe post.
After every opponent move, ask what it threatens
Before hunting for your own idea, ask what your opponent's move just threatened. This single habit prevents most tactical losses — Capablanca went undefeated for eight years largely because he never stopped asking.
Neutralise enemy pieces on your half
Any enemy piece that reaches your half of the board is a problem — deal with it immediately. A knight on d3 is far more dangerous than one on d6. Don't let intruders settle in.
Build domination — tactics appear on their own
Don't go looking for combinations. Make all your pieces active and force your opponent's pieces to be passive; once they've run out of good squares, the winning tactic appears by itself. You rarely need to calculate more than a couple of moves ahead.
Choose simple plans
When your pieces are active and you need a plan, pick one of two: attack a weak pawn (isolated, doubled, or backward), or create a passed pawn and advance it. Both build lasting pressure with almost no calculation.