What do you do when you have a great position in a chess game? Most people would immediately look for the final blow to their opponent to secure the win, which is the right approach, but what if there is no clear path to finishing the game?

In this scenario, ask yourself what your opponent wants. If there is any threat, stop it without compromising your advantage. If you do have to compromise, then maybe your position is not as great as you thought! So check for dynamic plays.

However, often when you have a great position, your opponent may not have a counter-play; in this case, just improving your position even a little bit will usually cause your opponent’s position to collapse unexpectedly easily….

Game of the Week XXXV: Navara, David – Can, Emre 

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Contributors:

Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli

Edited by Della Almind