Waiting move

A waiting move preserves your own position while transferring the obligation to decide to the opponent. It may be a safe king move, a small improvement, or a flexible move that does not yet commit the pawn formation. Its value is that the opponent must move something and may have to abandon a defense, reveal a plan, or create a weakness.

It is not a move without purpose. It can prepare a concealed attack, avoid a specific move sequence, preserve several options, or act as a provocation by inviting the opponent to commit. In an endgame, the late phase with few pieces, it may also change which player must move in a critical arrangement.

A waiting move works only when it is genuinely safe. It must preserve the important features of the position, avoid giving the opponent a free improvement, and refrain from creating a weakness of its own. When the opponent has an easy useful move, waiting may be worse than acting.