Initiative - Chess Strategy

 

 

Initiative Chess Resources

 

Initiative in a chess position belongs to the player who can make threats that cannot be ignored, thus putting the opponent in the position of having to spend turns responding to threats rather than creating new threats.

 

The initiative is important in all phases of the game, but more important in the endgame than in the middlegame and more important in the middlegame than in the opening. Having the initiative puts the opponent on the defensive.

 

---

Initiative Chess Articles

What Is The Initiative? - Chess.com Article by Im Jeremy Silman
Initiative  - Chess.com Article by WGM Natalia Pogonina
The Struggle for the Initiative in the Opening - WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
Initiative: 10 Reasons Why You Should Gain It in Your Games - thechessworld article

 

Modern Chess Magazine Issue 1 - 67 Page PDF  (Fighting for the initiative (by GM Boris Chatalbashev Article page 13-21) ( Free Issue) 

 

---

Initiative Games Collection

Chessgames.com Collection
Sacrifice and Initiative (Sokolov) - 81 Games from Sokolov's Book

 

---

Initiative Chess Video Lessons

The initiative in chess - 10 Video Playlist ( about 2.5 hrs worth of videos)

How to Think About The Initiative in Chess -  23 Min   IM John Bartholomew 
Chess.com - Initiative vs. Material - 4 Min
Fischer shows how to grab the INITIATIVE | Sensing the moment in a chess game - 37 Min IM  Szabo
Sacrificing Pawns for the Initiative | Chess Middlegames - 22 Min Hanging Pawns
Chess Tips: The Initiative - 14 Min IM Rozman (Gotham Chess)

GM Alex Lenderman: The Importance of Initiative | U.S. Chess School 3.17.2022 - 55 Min
Level up your chess! #1 The initiative in chess by GM Mykhaylo Oleksiyenko - 66 Min
Understanding Imbalances in Chess - Initiative - 12 Min FM Dalton Perrine
Initiative in Chess by IM Boroljub Zlatanovic - 14 Min
Fundamentals #8: Initiative | Max Warmerdam | World Online Schools - 68 Min
Take the Initiative and punish Opening Errors! - GM Damian Lemos - 24 Min

Importance of Initiative in Chess - 2hr 15 Min  GM Ramachandran Ramesh  (Starts at 12 Min)
 

St. Louis CC Lectures

Paul Morphy's Forcing Moves & Initiative | Kids' Class - GM Josh Friedel - 27 Min

Quickly! Take the Initiative! - FM Aviv Friedman - 32 Min  (Video Below)