Initiative

Active play aimed at creating threats against the opponent, cramping their position, and restricting the mobility and options of their pieces.

The factor of initiative is of enormous importance in the chess struggle. The growth and development of the initiative is closely tied to strengthening piece coordination and to disorganizing the opponent's forces. To seize the initiative, a player can accept positional concessions or material sacrifices.

Correctly assessing the initiative requires taking into account its solidity and duration, since the initiative can prove temporary and gradually fade. The best way to neutralize the initiative is a counterattack.