Why teach principles and concepts?

Once again, my student has helped me with my topic. He asked why I teach Principles & Concepts (PnC) when a lot of youtube chess pundits focus on memorization of moves and puzzles and patterns. A valid question.

I focus on teaching PnC because they are useful regardless of the situation on the board. Therefore they provide a foundation for growth and understanding. Memorizing moves, motifs, and patterns (puzzles) makes life easier...but it's not a panacea. You still need to learn chess. And by learning the Principles & Concepts, you can play well any time and all the time.

In the Opening
You can play against an opening you don't know. You can play well when you are no longer in theory, when you are no longer playing moves you've memorized. To play an opening, you want to understand the concepts of the opening. AND you want to memorize the main lines. But understanding the opening is more important than memorizing moves. AND just to be clear, "theory" = main moves. "Knowing theory" = "memorizing main lines" (and sometimes other non-main lines too).

In the Middle Game
Every feel lost? Wondering what to do in a given position or situation? Again, Principles & Concepts can rescue you. Rather than spending your precious (clock) time on calculating 3, 4, and 5 move combinations, start by analyzing the position based on Principles & Concepts. They don't change move to move. They provide a solid foundation for your thinking.

In the End Game
Perhaps the simplest part of the game, because by definition, you have much fewer choices. Here too, Principles & Concepts will make your life easier. Where do your pieces belong? What is Opposition? Here you'll likely want to memorize patterns, and as before, that's not a bad thing. But they'll be easier to implement if you know the related PnC.

Bottom Line
I am not against memorization: moves in the opening (theory), patterns (especially tactical motifs) in the middle game, and endgame patterns (pawn promotion, opposition, Rook and Pawn positions)...on the contrary, I am all for it. BUT, memorizing these without an understanding of the underlying principles and concepts, means you're building your Chess Edifice on sandy ground. It is likely to collapse around you. And the most important reason to teach (and therefore learn) Principles & Concepts is that they will help in you any situation.