Answers.Body: <p>When there is no concrete plan of action possible, the general plan should be to - </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <ol>
    <li>Improve the position of your pieces</li>
    <li>Trade off bad pieces if possible</li>
    <li>Try to create weaknesses in your opponent's position</li>
    <li>Keep your king safe and see if the enemy's king position can be compromised.</li>
    </ol>
  </blockquote>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T21:53:13.353Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-10-26T21:53:13.353Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: NM Wesley Falcao
Answers.Body: <p>A good middlegame strategy book will help you figure out what sort of plans you can execute besides just attacking ones. I enthusiastically recommend <em>Mastering Chess Strategy</em> by Johan Hellsten, a very nice breakdown of all the standard strategic plans and tactics, with hundreds of problems to test your understanding.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T15:27:50.933Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-10-26T15:27:50.933Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: dfan
Answers.Body: <p>It seems you are good in tactical calculations and you can find combinations well, but you lack in strategical moves.</p>
  
  <p>I think, you should improve your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_middlegame" rel="nofollow">middle-game</a> skills. To achieve this, you can read middle-game books and analyse the games of GMs. For example, try to guess the next move in those games, after that try to understand why they played that move... . </p>
  
  <p>On the other hand, there are many useful middle game tutorials and training sites on the Internet.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T12:41:33.267Z
Answers.Text: It is not lack of middle-game skill. I can play positional openings with ease. The problem is with games such as an Berlin Wall middlegame, with nothing to play for.
Answers.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T12:43:23.227Z
Answers.Text: You have two choices, avoid those games that you are not so skilled in the opening stage, or read the played games in those variations.
Answers.UserDisplayName: masoud
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T12:47:06.393Z
Answers.Text: Well something you can reference. I was playing an d5 Alapin against a FM, and I got out of the opening with an advantage  after the queens got exchanged. But then I went on to a worse endgame after the quiet position.
Answers.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T14:53:53.327Z
Answers.Text: @MikhailTal: *But then I went on to a worse endgame after the quiet position* -> post that game as an edit, and rephrase your question a little. Its not the "quet game" that killed you, it is your lack of skill in **exchanging the right pieces.** This is very important skill to obtain if you wish to play "quiet" positions successfully and is very "slippery" territory...
Answers.UserDisplayName: AlwaysLearningNewStuff
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T15:25:31.693Z
Answers.Text: It was not that. I don't have the slip, but the FM pointed out that instead of keeping to the strengths I had, I tried to position my pieces in an attacking position. The attack wasn't successful, so I went on to a rook and bishop vs rook and knight game.
Answers.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T17:02:10.240Z
Answers.Text: @MikhailTal: Capablanca once pointed out that queen and knight was worth more than a queen and bishop, but a rook and bishop was worth more than a rook and knight. In one game, with queen, two rooks and a bishop, versus queen two rooks and a knight, he sacrificed a pawn for the right to exchange queens (and place a rook on the seventh rank), thereby defusing white's attack, and leaving him with a bishop and two rooks against a knight and two rooks. White's best chance of drawing was to force the exchange of minor pieces and one pair of rooks, and when he failed to so, Capablanca won.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tom Au
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T17:11:48.020Z
Answers.Text: I was the rook and knight. How could I be the weaker side with rook and bishop?
Answers.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T12:37:58.597Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-10-26T12:37:58.597Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: masoud
Answers.Body: <p>You could develop an opening repertoire that prevents quiet games. for example, play e4 as white, e5 or c5 as black. Against d4, play f5(dutch). This will considerably reduce "quiet" games.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-10-26T17:02:45.163Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-10-26T17:02:45.163Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: CognisMantis
Body: <p>I am a good player when I have a plan. If I have a certain goal in mind, I can see the way to it. But in quiet, planless, positions, I have difficulty as an attacking and tactical player. What is the best way to cope with them.</p>
  
Tags: <middlegame><planning>
Title: How to work out quiet positions?
ThreadText: # How to work out quiet positions?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-26)
  
  I am a good player when I have a plan. If I have a certain goal in mind, I can see the way to it. But in quiet, planless, positions, I have difficulty as an attacking and tactical player. What is the best way to cope with them.
  
  **Tags:** middlegame, planning
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2014-10-26. Score: 5
  
  When there is no concrete plan of action possible, the general plan should be to -
  
  > 1. Improve the position of your pieces
  > 2. Trade off bad pieces if possible
  > 3. Try to create weaknesses in your opponent's position
  > 4. Keep your king safe and see if the enemy's king position can be compromised.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2014-10-26. Score: 1
  
  A good middlegame strategy book will help you figure out what sort of plans you can execute besides just attacking ones. I enthusiastically recommend *Mastering Chess Strategy* by Johan Hellsten, a very nice breakdown of all the standard strategic plans and tactics, with hundreds of problems to test your understanding.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2014-10-26. Score: 0
  
  It seems you are good in tactical calculations and you can find combinations well, but you lack in strategical moves.
  
  I think, you should improve your [middle-game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_middlegame) skills. To achieve this, you can read middle-game books and analyse the games of GMs. For example, try to guess the next move in those games, after that try to understand why they played that move... .
  
  On the other hand, there are many useful middle game tutorials and training sites on the Internet.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: It is not lack of middle-game skill. I can play positional openings with ease. The problem is with games such as an Berlin Wall middlegame, with nothing to play for.  
  > **username_3**: You have two choices, avoid those games that you are not so skilled in the opening stage, or read the played games in those variations.  
  > **username_0**: Well something you can reference. I was playing an d5 Alapin against a FM, and I got out of the opening with an advantage  after the queens got exchanged. But then I went on to a worse endgame after the quiet position.  
  > **username_4**: @username_0: *But then I went on to a worse endgame after the quiet position* -> post that game as an edit, and rephrase your question a little. Its not the "quet game" that killed you, it is your lack of skill in **exchanging the right pieces.** This is very important skill to obtain if you wish to play "quiet" positions successfully and is very "slippery" territory...  
  > **username_0**: It was not that. I don't have the slip, but the FM pointed out that instead of keeping to the strengths I had, I tried to position my pieces in an attacking position. The attack wasn't successful, so I went on to a rook and bishop vs rook and knight game.  
  > **username_5**: @username_0: Capablanca once pointed out that queen and knight was worth more than a queen and bishop, but a rook and bishop was worth more than a rook and knight. In one game, with queen, two rooks and a bishop, versus queen two rooks and a knight, he sacrificed a pawn for the right to exchange queens (and place a rook on the seventh rank), thereby defusing white's attack, and leaving him with a bishop and two rooks against a knight and two rooks. White's best chance of drawing was to force the exchange of minor pieces and one pair of rooks, and when he failed to so, Capablanca won.  
  > **username_0**: I was the rook and knight. How could I be the weaker side with rook and bishop?  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2014-10-26. Score: -2
  
  You could develop an opening repertoire that prevents quiet games. for example, play e4 as white, e5 or c5 as black. Against d4, play f5(dutch). This will considerably reduce "quiet" games.
  
  
  ---
  
  