Decisions of middlegame phases

Every decision in middlegame phase is largely based on our ability to find parallels. The touch of genius comes in extending them beyond what others believed possible. The opening only serves to establish the outlines of the middle game, so it can be useful, even essential, to push your study of the opening phase into the ‘real world’ of middle game action. This is why it is so important to study complete chess games, not just look at the opening moves. This is why business schools have largely switched to the case study method instead of focusing on theory. All the study and preparation in the world can’t show you what it’s going to be like in the wild. Observing typical plans in action, mistakes and accidents included, is vastly superior to ivory-tower planning.