user550: I'll skip the long explanation, but it's not uncommon for me to reach the following position as White out of the opening:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 Bxb2

(Black to move, most common replies seem to be ...Nf6 and ...f6, though ...Bf8 is also occasionally played)
A number of sources claim that this position is perhaps equal but White has good chances, and in practice I do alright. The problem is that I have trouble coming up with any short-term plans because White has almost completed development but Black's 'neutral' position means that there is little to do tactically and I'm concerned that by making too many passive developing moves (rooks onto open files, etc.) I'm wasting the development advantage that I've spent material to gain. I can see that here White has pressure on f7 and g7, and there is the possibility of tactics after Re1, but I struggle to come up with a concrete short-term plan.
So, in short, what are White's short-/medium-term plans?

user17: White has the better position because of superior development. After Black's forced move, White's next move should be Nc3. It will head to d5 and join the kingside attack unless Black plays BxNc3. Then White gets the bishop pair to compensate for his fewer pawns.
In any event, White has cleared his first rank so that his queen and two rooks can get into action faster than Black, whose queenside is still undeveloped.

user1124: you next moves as white will be 7. Ng5..  and you will activate your Queen - dependig of the Blacks move it may be 8.Qf3 or 8.Qd5
Attack the King and use weakness for f7
Some exmaples:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nge7 8. Ng5 O-O 9. Qh5 

or:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Bf8 8. Qd5

7. ... Nf6 
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6. 8. e5

or 
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6. 8. Ng5

7. ... f6
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 f6. 8. Qd5


user1333: Great question. This is a very open position (pawns are not obstructing pieces). As a result, each player has enormous choice on each move (in this case, more true for White). So, 'planning' is very hard, because predictability is very low.
That said, you can make progress after the initial development of your pieces in a few ways:

I find it useful in open play to think about the '2nd development' of a piece. For example, the 1st development of a knight might be to c3 or f3, and the 2nd is to d5/e5/g5. So Nc3-d5 could be thought of as simply continuing development. There are many other ways to verbalize this, of course, such as 'activating a piece' or 'inviting everybody to the party'. Point is, once you've brought a piece out, it's work isn't done: it needs to cross into enemy territory and do some damage.
You can get very far in these positions by combining the above with various concepts:

Make threats;
Make multi-purpose moves

The nature of your question suggests that you might benefit from improving your tactical ability. This will help you make threats and seize otherwise hidden winning opportunities. Also, this type of position, where one player has a sizable lead in development, often feature sacrificial tactics, which are difficult for most amateurs, without study and practice.

You can improve your tactics in various ways. When I started, I enjoyed "1000 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations," among many others. And now we have chesstempo.com and chess.com, too.
Another thing you can do that will be extremely helpful is to find famous/classic games from 50-100 years ago, where a strong player defeated a lesser player in this type of opening. Such games are very instructive, especially if annotated.
Hope this helps!
- A semi-retired semi-pro

550: <p>I'll skip the long explanation, but it's not uncommon for me to reach the following position as White out of the opening:</p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 Bxb2
</code></pre>

<p>(Black to move, most common replies seem to be <code>...Nf6</code> and <code>...f6</code>, though <code>...Bf8</code> is also occasionally played)</p>

<p>A number of sources claim that this position is perhaps equal but White has good chances, and in practice I do alright. The problem is that I have trouble coming up with any short-term plans because White has almost completed development but Black's 'neutral' position means that there is little to do tactically and I'm concerned that by making too many passive developing moves (rooks onto open files, etc.) I'm wasting the development advantage that I've spent material to gain. I can see that here White has pressure on f7 and g7, and there is the possibility of tactics after <code>Re1</code>, but I struggle to come up with a concrete short-term plan.</p>

<p>So, in short, what are White's short-/medium-term plans?</p>
 17: <p>White has the better position because of superior development. After Black's forced move, White's next move should be Nc3. It will head to d5 and join the kingside attack unless Black plays BxNc3. Then White gets the bishop pair to compensate for his fewer pawns.</p>

<p>In any event, White has cleared his first rank so that his queen and two rooks can get into action faster than Black, whose queenside is still undeveloped.</p>
 1124: <p>you next moves as white will be 7. Ng5..  and you will activate your Queen - dependig of the Blacks move it may be 8.Qf3 or 8.Qd5</p>

<p>Attack the King and use weakness for f7</p>

<p>Some exmaples:</p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nge7 8. Ng5 O-O 9. Qh5 
</code></pre>

<p>or:</p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Bf8 8. Qd5
</code></pre>

<p><strong>7. ... Nf6</strong> </p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6. 8. e5
</code></pre>

<p>or </p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 Nf6. 8. Ng5
</code></pre>

<p><strong>7. ... f6</strong></p>

<pre><code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O cxb2 7. Bxb2 f6. 8. Qd5
</code></pre>
 1333: <p>Great question. This is a very open position (pawns are not obstructing pieces). As a result, each player has enormous choice on each move (in this case, more true for White). So, 'planning' is very hard, because predictability is very low.</p>

<p>That said, you can make progress after the initial development of your pieces in a few ways:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>I find it useful in open play to think about the '2nd development' of a piece. For example, the 1st development of a knight might be to c3 or f3, and the 2nd is to d5/e5/g5. So Nc3-d5 could be thought of as simply continuing development. There are many other ways to verbalize this, of course, such as 'activating a piece' or 'inviting everybody to the party'. Point is, once you've brought a piece out, it's work isn't done: it needs to cross into enemy territory and do some damage.</p></li>
<li><p>You can get very far in these positions by combining the above with various concepts:</p>

<ul>
<li>Make threats;</li>
<li>Make multi-purpose moves</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>The nature of your question suggests that you might benefit from improving your tactical ability. This will help you make threats and seize otherwise hidden winning opportunities. Also, this type of position, where one player has a sizable lead in development, often feature sacrificial tactics, which are difficult for most amateurs, without study and practice.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>You can improve your tactics in various ways. When I started, I enjoyed "1000 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations," among many others. And now we have chesstempo.com and chess.com, too.</p>

<p>Another thing you can do that will be extremely helpful is to find famous/classic games from 50-100 years ago, where a strong player defeated a lesser player in this type of opening. Such games are very instructive, especially if annotated.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!
- A semi-retired semi-pro</p>
