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Middlegame Decision Flow: OLIMP™ v3.3

2 min read

After hundreds of games and intense reflection, this is the distilled mental framework I use to navigate the middlegame with clarity and purpose.

♟️ Middlegame Decision Flow – OLIMP™ v3.3

A clear, repeatable structure for middlegame thinking — born from hard games, analytical effort, and deep refinement.


0. ⚡ Critical Reactions

  • Mate? – can I deliver mate? am I facing mate?
  • Capture? / Hanging? – can I take something for free? is anything hanging (mine or his)?

✅ If YES → act or calculate immediately
❌ If NO → proceed to 1. Evaluation


1. 📍 Evaluation

→ Weaknesses (by priority):

  1. King safety → mate / check threats?
  2. Queen exposure → capture threat?
  3. Threats? – key squares (back rank, mate square etc), or something exposed to trap, loss, or forced reaction?
  4. Unprotected pieces → double attack? skewer? fork?
  5. Weakly defended pieces → double attack? eliminating the defender?
  6. Pieces on same file/rank/diagonal → pin? skewer?

→ Enemy’s Plan:

  • What does he want in the next 1–2 moves?

→ Reassess? (anti-tunnel vision)

  • Position changed?
  • Outdated plan?

✅ If target is clear → go to 3. Candidate Moves
❌ If not → continue to 2. Strategy


2. 🎯 Strategy

  • Position improvements
  • Exchanges (simplify / provoke / activate)
  • Pawn play (space, weaknesses, passed pawn, majority, chain leverage)
  • Prophylaxis & Restriction
  • Dynamic goals (attack, initiative, tempo)

✅ If goal is clear → go to 3. Candidate Moves ❌ If not → play improving move (safe by default)


3. 🛠 Candidate Moves – Execution

  • Select 2–3 moves supporting your plan
  • Calculate only those
  • Choose & play the best one

🔁 Mantra (v3.3)

Mate – Capture – Hanging → Weakness – Enemy plan – Reassess → Strategy → Move