By now you know that one of your goals is to develop your pieces rapidly. If both players are developing at equal speeds, then neither will have an advantage when development is complete.
Slow your opponent down by threatening something. This is the principle behind many of the most common openings, like 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3. Here White threatens Black's e-Pawn.
If it costs a move to react to your threat, then you will have gained a one move lead in development. A one move lead in development may not sound like much, but it is the advantage that White enjoys at the beginning of every game. Add another one move lead in development and you're talking about a real advantage.
Do take some care what you threaten. If you attack a wing Pawn with your Queen, don't be surprised if your opponent leaves it en prise. It may not have been a real threat after all.
If you are reacting to a threat, try to develop one of your pieces at the same time you meet the threat. Continuing our example, with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, Black develops a Knight while defending the e-Pawn.
See Positional Play (under 'Suggested Reading') for more about
- Piece activity
- King safety
