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To all Knites of the Square Table, You have all heard the news that @harlemknite has passed. However, there is no decision on the future of this club. Even when asking one of the members of this club with an alt account, the only answer I got was "no idea". Today, we will hold a poll on the future of this club. Type +1 in the chat if you want the club to disband, or -1 if you want it to stay, just under a different name and logo that will be decided at an undisclosed time. Make sure to vote and tell other Knites about it, so that everyone's voice gets heard. Get you vote out! From, @ThomaszouPlus

My fellow Knites! Time for some daily live chess tourneys! I am starting a daily live chess tournament! Click here and join the second Tournament which starts June 17th at 5:30pm Eastern! That is tomorrow!! Communter Games #2 This is a 10|0 tournament! I hope to see you there!! PEACE HK

Good morning Knites! You may or may not know that changes are coming! I know that I have been away for awhile but i have been a little busy trying to provide a better experience for all!One of the areas that I am working on is the Discord channel but I realized that almost 50% of you have not joined the server! Please click on the link below to join to be eligible for future giveaways and events! I look forward to seeing all of you soon! Knites Of the Square Table on Discord! PEACE! HK

this was my rapid game on chess.com today morning though i was winning the entire game my opponent showed some spectacular defenses and i also missed rh6+ i analyzed the game with the engine but coudn't understand the lines i had a draw there but i decided to push on which ultimately costed me the game though i am not too sad about this game because my performance was way above my rating atleast i think but my opponent with a rating of 1400 played like a 2000 here can anyone please tell me a suitable line to continue the attack because i was winning the whole game but then lost the grip the link to the game : https://www.chess.com/live/game/3583547059

i played this game today .surprisingly despite being up a queen i was unable to win in a rapid game only because of the fortress formed by the rook and two pawns .total crazy game this was my game https://www.chess.com/live/game/3323724264

Good day to all! Did you guess who the special guess will be for my upcoming show the Saturday Dec 15th at 9:30am-11am eastern! Here is the ultimate hint! I must say that I am truly honored and excited to have him on the show! If you do not know who he is, 1st SHAME ON YOU!! now here is a bit about our guest! (The following is from GM Robert Hess's Chess.com profile) Robert Hess learned the rules of chess from his father at age five and quickly became hooked. He spent his formative years under the tutelage of Grandmaster Miron Sher, whose dedicated coaching helped Robert become the K-3 National Champion in 2001. By the time Robert enrolled at Stuyvesant High School, he had secured 2 IM norms and had won the 2006 US Junior Chess Championship. Although it was difficult to compete in elite tournaments while at a rigorous school, Robert managed to balance schoolwork and chess success, earning his IM title in 2007. In the spring of his junior year, Robert enjoyed a tremendous winning spree during which he won the Spice Spring Invitational, earned his final GM norm at the 2009 Foxwoods Open, won the individual and team titles at the High School Nationals, and surprised the field at the inaugural St. Louis US Chess Championship by taking second place. Hess was awarded the 2010 Samford Chess Fellowship, which financed his gap year between high school and college, when he played on the US Olympiad and World Team Championship squads. After that year, Robert matriculated at Yale University, from where he graduated with a degree in History in 2015. Outside of chess, Robert is the Chief Executive Officer of The Sports Quotient, a digital media company that provides a platform for intellectual conversation about sports. Chess.com Profile GM rlh2 Twitch gmhess Twitter GM_Hess Alright Knites! I look forward to seeing you Saturday! Lets Go! PEACE!

Hello everyone. It is indeed a great pleasure to be a part of ChessNChill, outstanding Club! Please feel free to introduce yourself. Please feel free to welcome our new Members. I'm a 63 year old fart. lol Been playing chess since 1969. My wife and I were friends with Bobby Fischer. The last movie that came out about him was mostly lies! I was 1980 Eastern Kentucky Open Champion. I use to be a decent player; though I can still play Master chess from time to time. Age and having had a couple bad heat strokes have hampered my playing ability. I'm married and have raised 2 sets of children to adulthood. I was born in Cynthiana, Kentucky; and now live in Eastern Kentucky. Who would have ever known that when I won that Tournament in '80, I would end up moving here and marrying my wife! lol Life it good! Take care and God bless! Once again, it is very nice to be here and a part of your all's lives! BOOM!!!

Alright fellow Knites! The time is approaching us! This Saturday at about 1030am EST we will have our first guest!! National Master Matthew Slomski!! He's going to give us a lesson on Mindset and middlegame strategy! Here is a bit about Matthew Slomski! Matthew Slomski NM Slomski is a National Master who has lived in the area of Rochester New York all of his life. He started playing rated chess at the age of 15 but he would have started sooner if he was aware of the Rochester chess center. He loved playing rated chess but went into a slump for 2 years and he stayed at the 1400 rating. One day he told his friends, "If I can only get to 1500 I would be set for life". Boy was he shocked when he finally broke 1500! The following tournament he gained over 100 rating points and became a 1600+ rated player and he never looked back! With more than 10 years of playing and 7 years of coaching he became a National Master and is always looking to improve his game and teach chess. This is what he has to say about improving your game; "When you see how tall the is mountain that represents your goals, you say, "I will never make it up there"! But when you make it to the top of that mountain and exceed your expectations you say ignorantly, "That was not so hard". Take it from me. The more you practice and identify your weak points in your play the better you become." His words of encouragement, "If you have a slump in your rating progression, DON'T GIVE UP, play stronger opponents and make adjustments from all of your losses!" You can find NM Slomski here Twitch Stream - https://www.twitch.tv/metal_eagle Chess.com - SLOM Chess.Com Club - https://www.chess.com/club/slomskis-lessons-and-training-club

Hi everyone! i found something really neat a little while ago, a chess.com site regarding vote chess. Here is the link: https://support.chess.com/customer/portal/topics/620386-vote-chess/articles

#1. A good Maxim to remember: Always check your Checks! Another good Maxim: Always look for In-between moves. (Posted 6 days ago) #2. Here is the thing about putting in hours of studying Tactics: They do help your Positional Play! How? Developing Pattern Recognition! PR goes along with Positional Play. How? Each time you attempt to solve a tactical puzzle, you are in fact studying the entire position. BOOM!!!(Posted 4 days ago) #3. Once again, I can't stress the importance of studying tactics! Most do it at chesstempo. It is the best. Go to the Training Tab. BOOM!!! (Posted 3 days ago) #4. When studying tactics, don't pay too much attention to the time....just try your best to get it right. If you don't get it correct, go back and study the position again. BOOM!!! (Posted 3 days ago) #5. Always develop your pieces toward/around the Center. Do not neglect King Safety! Get that King to the side of the Board where it is safer. Also, a plus of Castling? Connecting the Rooks and getting it ready to be developed in the Center. For general purposes, these Chess Maxims are to be followed. Depending upon the position, there are exceptions. BOOM!!! (Posted 2 days ago) #6. Another Maxim: do not bring your Queen out too early unless you have a good reason to do so. If you do, you will lose time moving your Queen around from being attacked; and at the same time that it is being attacked, your opponent is gaining time by developing his pieces. When this occurs, he will gain the initiative; perhaps attack; and perhaps proceed to crush you. BOOM!!! (Posted 2 days ago) #7. When you are up in material, TRADE! The more pieces your opponent has, the more counterplay/chances he will have at getting his material back. So look for ways of forcing exchanges. Exchange when up material to get to the easily won Endgame. When behind material, do NOT trade! The more material you have, the better chances you have of obtaining counterplay to get your material back. BOOM!!! (Posted 1 day ago) #8. When up material, look for ways of using that material advantage to place pressure on your opponent's position! Many players, even very good players, from time to time, will crack under pressure and blunder. Always have a PLAN/an IDEA! Choose what you think is the best plan/idea. Always think: What can I do to make my position stronger?!! Even if it is a bad plan, that is good! Planning/having ideas is what Chess is all about! Yeah, you will lose more games than usual by playing this way (Posted 1 day ago) #9. Passed pawns beg to be pushed! They are especially strong if they have reached the 6th Rank. Use them to place pressure on your opponent's position. Always look to do so. Push 'em at the right time. Don't over extend it/them. They are a huge advantage in the Endgame; and a useful resource in the Middlegame. BOOM!!! (Posted 1 day ago) #10. Always remember: There are exceptions to the rules/maxims/axioms. Think. Play the position/never the player! BOOM!!! (Posted 1 day ago) #11. Yes, you will see this a lot from me: Study tactics Study tactics Study tactics You will improve much quicker doing so. Tactics makes chess fun.....eat 'em up! BOOM!!! (Posted 1 day ago) #12. Learn from your losses! Go over your games with the chess.com engine/computer playing program. BOOM!!! (Posted 1 day ago) #13. Don't sit around day after day.....exercise! Get that blood a pumpin'. If you haven't been doing so, start out easy...work your way up! The more fit the body is, the more fit the brain is/the better you will be able to think. BOOM!!! (Posted 1 day ago) #14. Knights are strong in closed positions. Closed positions are positions that have locked pawn chains. Bishops are strong in open positions. Bishops can defend say, a pawn, and at the same time, attack an opponent's pawn. Knights places on the edge of the board are weaker than knights placed around the Center. Usually placing a Knight on the side of the board to attack say, a Bishop that can't be moved away; or a knight that is moved to the side in order to be posted is good. (Posted 22 hours ago) #15. When there is action on both sides of the board, the Bishop is stronger. When the action is in the Center, the Knight is usually stronger. Knights are very good defenders. They are good blockaders of passed pawns also, as they can block the passed pawn and at the same time, can still attack. Watch out for the Forking Powers of the Knights. They can be very sneaky! lol Always look to Post a Knight. The Posting of a Knight consists of moving it to the 4th, 5th, or 6th, rank with the support of one or two pawns. When doing so, the Knight becomes more powerful than the Bishop; your position becomes stronger, tactical opportunities become more possible, and the Knight will place more pressure on your opponent's position. If posted on the 4th rank, it is at least equal to the Bishop. If posted on the 5th or 6th rank, it is more powerful than the Bishop. Depending upon the position, when the Knight is posted on the 6th rank, it becomes equal to the Rook. If the position is open or you are going to play to make it open, attempt to obtain the Bishop Pair. This is when you have two Bishops verses two Knights. If that can not be done, try to obtain a Bishop and Knight vs your opponent's two knights. When you have the Bishop Pair in an open position against two knights, the advantage will be worth 1/4-1/2 pawn. (Posted 22 hours ago) #16. The Rook: next to the Queen, is the most powerful piece on the board. Remember, the most important piece is the King; not the Queen. Whooooo doesn't love playing with the Rooks?!! Of course Rooks have play on the Ranks and Files; applying pressure on the black and white squares. So, place them on simi-open/open files. Once done so, you may want to utilize the Rook's great power by in such a way, that the file can act as an elevator for the Rook to lift up and then swing to the other side of the board/other wing; for example using the maneuver, known as a Rook Lift/Rook Luft, for a Kingside attack. In order to make your position more solid, it is a good idea to Castle. This is extremely important! In doing so, the King goes to the side of the board away from the Center; as the Center is where most of the action takes place. Also, the Rooks will be connected and ready to come to the Center as in Castling Kingside. Of course when you Castle Queenside, the Rook will be active on the d-file, immediately having influence in the Center. If you have a passed pawn, the Rook is better places behind it. Having your Rook in front of a passer, is weaker. Always strive to make your Rook/s active or more active. The more squares it/they control, the more active it/they are. At times, it is a good idea to give up a pawn in order for your Rook to be/stay active! No matter the position....whatever piece/pieces you have, play Active Chess/not inactive Chess! Once you have control of a file, try to place your Rook (also known as a Pig) on the 7th or 8th Rank. "Pigs on the Seventh" (both Rooks) is very powerful, usually winning. Keep in mind that the more active your pieces are, the more opportunities for tactics will exist. And we all love using tactics to win material, to create a Combination, and to CRUSH that King! Next is the King. (Posted 2 hours ago) #17. The King, the most important piece on the board! We do all we can to protect Her! Early in the game, get that King away from the Center via Castling. In King and pawn vs King and pawn Endgames, it is a good idea to have your King in front of your passed pawn! The Rook/s behind a passer/the King in front. If the Queens and one or two minor pieces are off the board early in a game, at times it is a good idea NOT to castle/moving the King to e2/d2 or e7/d7. This allows your King to be closer to the Center when the Endgame comes. Regardless where the King is/castled or not, in the Endgame comes, use the King; don't let it stay on the back ranks. The King is a fighting piece, use it! King and pawn vs King is the backbone of all Endgame Knowledge. Learn how to use Opposition!!! https://youtu.be/aLyRWZPXUzI The Title of the video given: Chess Endgame Fundamentals: King + Pawn vs. King. by John Bartholomew (Posted 2 hours ago) #18. Maxim: When evaluating your opponent's move, assume their an idiot. When evaluating your move, assume they're a genius. (Posted 2 hour ago) #19. Maxim: Especially in the Opening and Middlegame, fight to control the Center!(Posted 2 hour ago) #20. Maxim: Passed pawns beg to be pushed! (Posted 2 hours ago) #21. Maxim: Attack on the wing that your pawn chain points. (Posted 2 hour ago) #22. A Maxim that I have made up: It ain't over 'til it's over! Just because you are losing, doesn't mean you will lose. Keep fighting! (Posted 2 hour ago) #23. Maxim: Always check your Checks! (Posted 2 hour ago) #24. Maxim: Before making an obvious move, look for an in between move! This is a move that you are able to make and still have the obvious move available. These moves are present more often than you think. They are powerful and will make your position stronger. (Posted 2 hour ago) #25. Maxim: Any way you look at it, Checkmate is the name of the game! (Posted 2 hour ago) #26. Playing rated games right after getting up from sleeping all night/taking a nap, is a very bad idea. Wake up fully; then play rated games. (Posted 2 hour ago) #27. Maxim: Play the position; and not the opponent! (Posted 2 hour ago) } #28. Don't worry about defending perfectly. Usually, that will not occur. Have fun. Play the best you can. Don't see Ghosts! "Oh, no, look what he/she just played!" Either your opponent played a good more or he/she didn't! Take the time and see if it is a good move. Don't worry or get scared! (Posted 1 hour ago) #29. Maxim: A bad Plan is better than no Plan at all! Always play each move as a part of a over all plan. You make a plan by having an idea or ideas! (Posted 1 hour ago) #30. Maxim: Rooks belong behind your passed pawn; and behind your opponent's! (Posted 1 hour ago) #31. Maxim: Usually avoid moving the same piece twice in the Opening. Don't bring the Queen out too early. (Posted 1 hour ago) #32. Maxim: Control the Center! (Posted 1 hour ago) #33. My Maxim: Don't try for a quick crush; just play better moves than your opponent! (1 hour ago) #34. My Maxim: Have fun; think clearly. (Posted 1 hour ago) #35. Always remember Rule Independence: there are exceptions! (Posted 1 hour ago) #36. When you have a good move, WAIT, you might find a better one! (Posted 1 hour ago) #37. Your best move is usually the one your opponent hates the most! (Posted 1 hour ago) #38. Maxim: Knights to the Center first. (Posted 1 hour ago) #39. Maxim: Be aggressive, but play soundly...make sure every move has a purpose. (Posted 1 hour ago) #40. Maxim: Don't ignore your opponent's move. (Posted1 hour ago) #41. Maxim: Check your Checks! Do not overlook them and take things for granted. (Posted 1 hour ago) #42. In chess, it is not enough just to be a good player; you must also play well. Dr. S Tarrasch (Posted 1 hour ago) #43. Maxim: Don't give needless Checks. Check only when it makes sense! (Posted 1 hour ago) #44. Maxim: Play for the initiative. If you have it, maintain it. If you don't have it, seize/get it. (Posted 1 hour ago) #45. Maxim: Cut your losses. If you must lose material, lose as little as possible. (Posted 1 hour ago) (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #46. Maxim: Capture with the piece of least value, unless there is a definite reason to do otherwise. (Posted 1 hour ago) #47. Maxim: Never play a risky move, hoping your opponent will overlook your threat....unless you have a losing position. In that case you have nothing to lose. (Posted 1 hour ago) #48. Maxim: Rely/depend on your own powers. If you can't see the point of your opponent's move, assume there isn't any. Like I stated earlier, don't see Ghosts! (Posted 1 hour ago) #49. Maxim: Never sacrifice without a good reason. (Posted 1 hour ago) #50. Maxim: When you can't determine/make up your mind, whether or not to accept or decline your opponent's sacrifice, accept it. (Posted 1 hour ago) #51. Maxim: Attack in number. Don't rely on just one or two pieces. In other words: Get there firstest with the mostest! (Posted 1 hour ago) #52. Maxim: Play for the Center: guard it, occupy it, influence it. Fight for the Center with pawns. (Posted 1 hour ago) #53. Maxim: Don't make careless pawn moves; especially in the Opening. (Posted 1 hour ago) #54. My Maxim: Time is critical. Don't waste it! In other words, in the Opening, move your pawns and pieces accurately. (Posted 1 hour ago) #55. Maxim: Try to develop with threats. but don't threaten pointlessly. (Posted 1 hour ago) #56. Maxim: Develop during exchanges. (Posted 1 hour ago) #57. Maxim: In the Opening, don't remove your Queen from play to "win" a pawn. (Posted 1 hour ago) #58. Maxim: To exploit/take advantage of an advantage, attack. (Posted 1 hour ago) #59. Maxim: Try to give as much scope to your pieces as possible. (Posted 1 hour ago) #60. Maxim: Don't bring the Queen out too early, unless the natural course of play requires it (like the particular Opening have chosen to play....or you have a quick forced Mate). (Posted 1 hour ago) #61. Maxim: Seize/grab open lines! (Posted 1 hour ago) #62. Maxim: Gain Space; limit your opponent from doing so. (Posted 1 hour ago) #63. My Maxim: When your opponent is on the attack, trade pieces to limit/stop his attack. (Posted 1 hour ago) #64. My Maxim: When your opponent is on the attack, trade pieces to limit/stop his attack. (Posted 1 hour ago) #65. Maxim: Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open. (Posted 1 hour ago) #66. Maxim: Castle early. Get that King to safety! (Posted 1 hour ago) #67. If possible, keep your opponent's King from Castling. (Posted 1 hour ago) (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #68. Maxim: Try to pin your opponent's pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces. The Pin is mightier than the sword! Fred Reinfeld (Posted 1 hour ago) #69. Maxim: Don't capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, attack them again, especially with a pawn. (Posted less than 1hour ago) #70. Maxim: Don't capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, attack them again, especially with a pawn. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #71. Maxim: After Castling, don't move the pawns in front of your King without a specific/good reason. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #72. Maxim: To attack the King, pick a Target Square around it. (Posted less than hour ago) #73. Chess is 99% Tactics. Richard Teichmann A lot of truth to that! (posted less than 1 hour ago) #74. Maxim: Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights. (Posted less than1 hour ago) #75. Maxim: Double your attacking pieces by building batteries (two or more pieces of like power attacking along the same line). Place Queen and Rook/s on the same file or rank; and Queen and Bishop on the same diagonal. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #76. Maxim: Build Batteries with the less valuable pieces up front, unless tactics require otherwise. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #77. Don't be afraid of an attack on your King. Have the mindset, "Bring it on!" (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #78. Take nothing for granted. Don't feel or hope that some line is good or bad. Make sure that it is good or bad! (Posted less than hour ago) #79. Play to win against anyone and everyone. Play without fear. After all we are going to lose a bunch of games, so there is nothing to be afraid of, is there? Do this and you will instil/place fear into your opponents. Jeremy Silman (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #80. Maxim: To strengthen control of a file, double your major pieces (Rooks and or Queen) on it. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #81. Maxim: Determine whether you have an open or closed game; and play accordingly. Remember, Knights are better in closed games. Bishops are better in open games. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #82. Maxim: To improve your scope of your Bishop, place your pawns on the color of squares opposite the color of your Bishop. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #83. Maxim: Choose a plan and stay with it. Change it only if you should or must. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #84. Maxim: To gain space, you usually have to sacrifice time. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #85. Maxim: If in a cramped position, free your game by exchanging material. #86. Maxim: Trade bad minor pieces for good ones. "Help your pieces so they can help you." Paul Morphy (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #87. Maxim: To gain space or open lines, advance pawns. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #88. You can retreat pieces, but not pawns. So always think twice about pawn moves. Michael Stean (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #89. Maxim: If the Center is blocked, don't automatically Castle. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #90. An Isolated pawn is a weakness. Get rid of it by pushing it as soon as possible. Get an even exchange for another pawn or use it as a Strength by pushing it at the right time to form an Attack! (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #91. Remember that Blunders are everywhere on the board, sitting there, ready to be made. No biggie, just have fun. Learn from your mistakes. Go over your losses! (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #92. A Rook on the seventh is worth an extra pawn. Two pawns on the sixth is worth a Rook. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #93. The idea isn't to find the correct move, but to find the correct plan; and then the moves which best implements it. Alekhine (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #94. Beer, then chess.....your chess is a mess! (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #95. After Castling Queenside, alway play Kb1/Kb8. Ben Finegold (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #96. Maxim: If you have Castled on the opposite side, throw your pawn at the King. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #97. Maxim: Capture with pawns toward the Center. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #98. Maxim: In general, avoid doubled pawns. However, there are exceptions to this. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #99. Maxim: Try not to have undefended pieces. Look for your opponent's undefended pieces. (Posted less than 1 hour ago) #100. Maxim: Try to gain more space than your opponent. If you have more space, don't trade pieces. (Posted less than 1 hour ago)

#1. Maxim: Don't trade pieces unless you get some advantage. #2. Maxim: Castle early; Castle often. #3. My Maxim: When you can, place Pressure on your opponent's position. #4. You can't get mated with a Knight on f1/f8. Bent Larson #5. Chess Mastery essentially consists of analyzing chess positions accurately. Mikhail Botvinnik #6. Good/Bad Bishops This is a very important concept to learn as one strives to improve their positional play. Simply put: having pawns on the same color of your Bishop, makes the Bishop bad; and not having pawns on the same color of your Bishop, makes your Bishop good. A good video on this is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEFLHE5E-F8 #7. How do I know what to do in any given chess position; especially after the Middlegame has been reached? First, you have to know what Imbalances are. After learning them, use them to form a plan. https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/a-summary-of-the-list-of-imbalances #8. Secondly: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/chess/planning.html. The angelfire link, you will have to type/copy/paste to get to. #9. And excellent video on Imbalances: https://youtu.be/QAiHWXK1Y4U You'll have to type/copy/paste that one too. #10. Tactics flow from a superior position. Bobby Fischer Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 Blunders. Tartakower The winner of a game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake. Tartakower When you see a good move, look for a better one. Lasker The pawns are the soul of chess. Philidor The hardest game to win, is a won game. Lasker #11. A sacrifice is bet (best) refuted (proven wrong) by accepting it. Steinitz Many have become chess Masters; but no one has become the Master of Chess. Tarrasch #12. A sacrifice is bet refuted (proven wrong) by accepting it. Steinitz Many have become chess Masters; but no one has become the Master of Chess. Tarrasch #13. Beginner mistakes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzG-mJgj-E4 #14. A good game.....Look at the successful attack by White. :)https://www.chess.com/live#a=736598 #15. Technique: The ability to convert an advantage of any kind, into a win. An excellent quote from Frank Marshall: The hardest thing in chess to to win a won game. This is one of, if not, the most important skill to learn in chess. It takes a lot of time to become good at it. As you learn more about chess and play thousands of game, your technique will improve. It isn't an easy skill to learn, obviously, but when you do win a won game beautifully, it is sometime to be proud of! #16. I believe Mikhail Botvinnik described it best: A Combination is a forced maneuver or maneuvers combined with a sacrifice as a result of which the active side gains an objective advantage. #17. I believe Mikhail Botvinnik described it best: A Combination is a forced maneuver or maneuvers combined with a sacrifice as a result of which the active side gains an objective advantage. #18. Many have attempted to improve on World Champion Botvinnik's discription/meaning of what a Combination is, over the many decades. I don't believe any of them are as accurate as what Mikhail stated. BOOM!!! #19. Many will call a Combination a sacrifice. That is definitely good....nothing wrong in it! From what I have found in my studies, both will lead to won/winning games. The Combination usually involves at least one sacrifice which in turn with a forced sequence of moves, will end the game quickly.