How to Sense Critical Moments in Chess: Know When to Build or Destroy

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00:00 Position 1
05:31 Position 2
08:07 Position 3
11:48 Botvinnik's Masterpiece
13:50 Michael Stean's Comment
14:49 Form a Plan
17:27 Find the Win
18:18 How to Fight?
19:48 Homework

This video will help you recognize the critical moments in chess. How do we identify when to play dynamically and burn the bridges, and when to play quietly and patiently build our position? We will learn to read the board accurately and understand static and dynamic advantages. If we have a static and long-term advantage, then time is our friend. In such positions, the goal should be to quietly build our position and control the game while preventing counterplay. Conversely, if our opponent has the static advantage, we should seek dynamic play, even involving a sacrifice, to change the situation drastically. Sometimes, we need to sacrifice before the final exit, for instance, if the opponent will achieve strategic domination on the next move. This video illustrates several such moments.

Sensing the critical moment in a game is one of the most important but also difficult skills to master in chess. Spassky said it is what separates the strongest players from the strong ones. Improving at this will also enhance your time management, as you will spend more time on those moments where dynamic action is necessary, while playing faster in moments where simple decisions suffice. Iossif Dorfman also wrote a book on this very concept, titled "The Method in Chess." While that book is aimed at strong players, casual players can still learn and benefit from this concept, especially if it is broken down to its core by good instruction.