what do you do whene you don't know what to play

Move a rook. I feel bad when I finish a game and I notice my rook sitting on a1. He looks bored.

@heckerboy said in #3:

I am talking about waiting moves when there is literally no move available, what sperates a good waiting move from a bad one

Generally, you shouldn't be playing them. :)

Usually when I don't get a move, I randomly play something that usually results in an unintentional 'queen sacrifice'.

But if you are lucky enough, the opponent may waste his time thinking it is an actual sacrifice that'll kill his king:)

If it's a real, actual waiting move, it's either because you're pushing Zugzwang, in which case anything that doesn't let the opponent out of the trap works equally well; or because you've lost the ability to win, in which case you're playing to stop the opponent winning. In that case, you make sure to control the spaces your opponent can break into, and wait for the game to draw. Any move that doesn't let the opponent in works. But you should be working on how to not let the board do that in future games.

Unless the board is completely locked down, there will be something to attack, in which case you don't play waiting moves, you attack the weakness with as longwinded a windup as you need. If the fastest attack you can make takes fifteen moves to set up, then those are your next fifteen moves.

Make sure king and queen positionally save for later development

One option is to move a piece closer to your opponent's king. (Kasparov)
Another is to put your rooks behind some pawns and push them forward. (Philador)
Another is to look at your worst piece and ask if you can make it more effective. (Tarrasch)
Another is to ask yourself what you opponent will try and nip it in the bud. (Nimzovitch)
Another is to ask yourself which opponent's piece holds their position together and then try to undermine its support. (Lasker)
Another is to swing your pieces to one side to build for an attack there and see if your opponent responds and if so swing to the other side. (also Lasker)
Another is: Ask yourself what is my ideal setup? and start moving pieces to it. (Capablanca)
...... etc.... (& sorry for inevitably misspelling names above)

Bill

@swimmerBill said in #16:

One option is to move a piece closer to your opponent's king. (Kasparov)
Another is to put your rooks behind some pawns and push them forward. (Philador)
Another is to look at your worst piece and ask if you can make it more effective. (Tarrasch)
Another is to ask yourself what you opponent will try and nip it in the bud. (Nimzovitch)
Another is to ask yourself which opponent's piece holds their position together and then try to undermine its support. (Lasker)
Another is to swing your pieces to one side to build for an attack there and see if your opponent responds and if so swing to the other side. (also Lasker)
Another is: Ask yourself what is my ideal setup? and start moving pieces to it. (Capablanca)
...... etc.... (& sorry for inevitably misspelling names above)

Bill
top answer hh, I am the kind of person that swings pieces to one side

Cook bacon!

I can only recommend you don't play like this: