Chess lessons › Good chess habits
Winning a won game
When you are ahead, trade pieces, keep it simple, and watch for tricks.
The idea
When you are ahead, trade pieces, keep it simple and watch for tricks.
- Black’s rook has reached your second rank and attacks this pawn.
- Offer a rook trade here. If Black takes, the knight takes back.
- With the rooks gone, your extra knight is easy to use.
In a game: When you are ahead, look for trades, and check your back rank and stalemate before each move.
How the lesson begins
When you are ahead in material, the hard part is done. Now make the win simple. Four rules help. Trade pieces, not pawns: each trade makes your extra piece count for more, and pawns are what you make a new queen with. Keep your pieces protected. Before each move, check your back rank and look for stalemate. And do not rush.
Here White is a knight up, but Black’s rook has reached your second rank and attacks the pawn on b2.
A question
What is the simplest way to deal with the black rook?
Show the answer
Re2, offering a rook trade.
Right. Re2 guards the second rank, and if Black takes, the knight takes back. With the rooks gone, the extra knight is easy to use.
In numbers
Positions to practise
24 positions in the study, every result proved by the tablebase: 24 are wins for the side to move, with best play on both sides.
Blunders in real games
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 6.6 |
| 800 to 1199 | 4.2 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 2.8 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 and up | 1.3 |