Common advice to beginners: "Improve the position of your worst placed piece." For better players, determine which is most effective: 1 Improve the position

Common advice to beginners: "Improve the position of your worst placed piece." For better players, determine which is most effective: 1 Improve the position of your worst placed piece. 2 Exchange or minimize the potential of your opponent's best-placed piece (e.g. trade off their bishop on a long diagonal) 3 Maximize the potential of your best-placed piece (sometimes by a sacrifice) 4 Prevent your opponent from developing some pieces This is over-simplified, of course, but the balance of the position must be taken into account.