The
middlegame in
chess refers to the portion of the game in between the
opening and the
endgame. There is no clear line between the opening and middlegame, and between the middlegame and
endgame. In modern chess, the moves that make up an opening blend into the middlegame, so there is no sharp divide. At elementary level, both players will usually have completed the development of all or most pieces and the
king will usually have been brought to relative safety. However, at master level, the opening analysis may go well into the middlegame.
