Winning a won position

In my previous post I discussed methods on saving inferior and even lost positions. Now this post will be about converting superior or won positions into winning the game.

Here are a few tips on how win a won game.

1. Limit and if possible stop the opponent's counterplay. Here prophylaxis is an important tool in limiting  and stopping opponent's counterplay.

2. Learn to play cat and mouse in a winning position.
It can be complicated to explain at first to someone unfamilar with the concept and I'll still explain it.
Cat and mouse is about keeping your position which is better as airtight as possible by keeping the king safe and ruling out enemy counterplay.

3. Exchange pieces especially if the opponent's pieces are on your half of the board. This is especially pertinent if your advantage is a material advantage because less pieces on the board limit counterplay. 

4. Be alert for any surprises by your opponent. Your opponent in a lost position will fight like a cornered animal to turn the game around so you must be as resourceful as your opponent in turning your won position into a win.

5. Use the principle of two weaknesses. As a rule the defender can comfortably hold by defending a weakness. This weakness can be a weak pawn, weak square, 7th rank penetration on an open file, king safety problems etc. However if there are two weaknesses the defender is unable to defend both weaknesses at once and the position will collapse.

I managed to win a game by creating weaknesses for my opponent and then cashing in by winning material.
Here is my game from a recent tournament illustrating how to win a won position. 

Thanks for reading my blog.