- Even if your position looks OK, you may be worse because your opponent has the initiative. The initiative is the ability to create threats. You can't get settled and finish developing if your opponent uses the initiative well, and you won't get your position sorted out and equalise if you are constantly bothered with threats.
- Here are three examples, from simple to complex:
- Two from Alekhin where good beginner's opening principles are ignored, in favour of seizing the initiative. (Poindle, Wolf)
- A more complex example where Black kept coming up with ideas to bother White: (Morozevich)
Click [...] to see list of games
[Event "Alekhine sim"]
[Site "Vienna"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhin, Alexander"]
[Black "Poindle"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[Annotator "initiative"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1936.??.??"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
1. e4 {Regis,Dave} e5 (1... c5 {Regis,Dave} 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3) 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 (6. Bxc6 {Regis,Dave} dxc6 7.
dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8) 6... Nxb5 7. a4 Nd6 8. exd6 Bxd6 {[#]} 9. Ng5 {
directly contradicts usual opening advice, but straightforward development
would have allowed Black time to get sorted out - this move denies Black that
time} Be7 10. Qh5 g6 (10... Bxg5 {Regis,Dave} 11. Bxg5 Ne7 12. Re1) 11. Qh6 Bf8
12. Re1+ Ne7 (12... Be7 13. Qg7 Rf8 14. Nxh7 d5 15. Nf6#) 13. Ne4 f5 (13...
Bxh6 14. Nf6+ Kf8 15. Bxh6#) 14. Nf6+ Kf7 15. Qh4 Bg7 16. Bg5 h6 17. Qc4+ Kf8 {
[#] White has been trying, but has he got anywhere but in a mess?} 18. Rxe7 {
the characteristic Alekhine touch - the 'sting in the tail' just as you
thought he was pushing his luck too far} Qxe7 (18... Kxe7 19. Nd5+) 19. Nh7+
Rxh7 20. Bxe7+ Kxe7 21. Qxc7 Bxb2 22. Ra2 {[#] White's material advantage is
not very big, but Alekhine keeps his opponent pestered with threats throughout}
Bf6 23. c4 Kf7 24. Re2 Rh8 25. Qd6 a5 26. Nc3 Ra6 (26... Bxc3 27. Re7+ Kf8 28.
Rxd7+ Kg8 29. Qd5+ Kf8 30. Qf7#) 27. Qd5+ Kg7 (27... Kf8 28. Qc5+ Kg7 29. Nd5
Re6 30. Rxe6 dxe6 31. Qc7+) 28. Nb5 Re6 29. Nd6 Rd8 (29... Rxe2 {Regis,Dave}
30. Qf7#) 30. Kf1 {threat Nxc8, Rxc8; Qxd7+} Kf8 (30... Rxe2 31. Qf7+ Kh8 32.
Qxf6+) 31. Nxc8 Rxc8 (31... Rxe2 32. Qd6+ Be7 33. Nxe7 Re6 34. Nxg6+ Kg7 35.
Qg3 Rxg6 36. Qe5+ Kg8 37. Qxa5 Re8 38. Qxf5 Rge6 39. Qd5 Kf8 40. g3 Rc6 41.
Qxd7 Rxc4) 32. Qxd7 Rec6 33. Re6 Rxe6 34. Qxc8+ Re8 35. Qxb7 1-0
[Event "Bad Pistyan Breyer Memorial-A"]
[Site "Bad Pistyan"]
[Date "1922.04.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Alekhin, Alexander"]
[Black "Wolf, Heinrich"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A31"]
[Annotator "initiative"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1922.04.07"]
[EventRounds "19"]
[EventCountry "CSR"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4 cxd4 4. cxd5 Nf6 5. Nxd4 a6 {[#] A famous (and much
discussed) demonstration of the initiative.} 6. e4 {to keep the d5 pawn} Nxe4
7. Qa4+ {now any interposition on d7 stops the attack on d5} Bd7 (7... Qd7 8.
Bb5) 8. Qb3 {hitting the b7 pawn} Nc5 9. Qe3 {preventing ...e5} g6 10. Nf3 Qc7
11. Qc3 {[#] preventing ...Bg7. All these queen moves are apparently against
theory ("don't waste time with too many Queen moves") but they are all to get
Black tied down before completing his own development.} Rg8 12. Be3 b6 13. Nbd2
Bg7 14. Bd4 {exchanging off Black's best piece} Bxd4 15. Qxd4 Bb5 16. Bxb5+
axb5 17. O-O Ra4 18. b4 Qd8 19. a3 {[#] no rush: Black is in no position to
retaliate. White's vigorous play has kept Black short of the two or three
moves need to untangle the position, and White is now clearly winning with
centralised pieces and better development(!)} Nbd7 20. Rfe1 Kf8 21. d6 Ne6 22.
Rxe6 fxe6 23. Ng5 Qb8 24. Nxe6+ Kf7 25. Ng5+ Kf8 26. Qd5 Rg7 27. Ne6+ Kg8 28.
Nxg7+ Kxg7 29. dxe7 Nf6 30. Qxb5 Ra7 31. Re1 Qd6 32. e8=N+ Nxe8 33. Qxe8 Qxd2
34. Qe5+ Kf7 35. h4 Rxa3 36. Qe8+ Kg7 37. Re7+ Kh6 38. Qf8+ Kh5 39. Re5+ Kg4
40. Rg5+ {1-0} (40. f3+ Kg3 41. Rg5+ Qxg5) 1-0
[Event "Lloyds Bank op 18th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Akesson, Ralf"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "initiative"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1994.08.??"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
{Notes based on those by Colin Crouch.} 1. Nf3 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. Bf4 Bg4 4. e3 e6
5. c4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 Nge7 {Going for fast development and activity as the main
goal of his opening system; despite all recent opening sophistication, these
principles are still good enough.} 7. h3 Bh5 8. Rc1 O-O 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Rxc3
dxc4 11. Rxc4 Ng6 12. Bh2 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 e5 {White has the two Bishops but
Black's better development and activity is more important. Black has the
initiative, at least while those two conditions are still true; if White gets
sorted out, he will be better.} 14. d5 Na5 15. Rc3 c6 16. dxc6 Nxc6 17. Bc4 Nh4
(17... Kh8) 18. Qg4 Kh8 19. Rd3 $2 {Forcing Black to develop.} (19. O-O $6 f5
$1) (19. e4 $1) 19... Qe7 $1 {Leaving the f-pawn free.} 20. Rd7 f5 $1 {Black
must keep going.} 21. Rxe7 fxg4 22. Rxb7 gxh3 23. Bd5 $1 (23. gxh3 $6 Nf3+ 24.
Ke2 Rad8 {leaves White unco-ordinated:} 25. Rf7 Rxf7 26. Bxf7 e4 27. Bg3 Rd2+
28. Kf1 Nce5 {with great pressure}) 23... hxg2 24. Rg1 Rac8 25. Ke2 (25. Bxg2
$2 Nd8 26. Rb4 Rc1+ 27. Ke2 Rxg1 28. Bxg1 Nxg2 29. Rg4 Nf4+ 30. exf4 exf4 {
when Black has material as well as activity.}) 25... Nd8 26. Rb4 Rc2+ $1 ({
Passive play is doomed:} 26... Ng6 $2 27. Rc4 Rxc4 28. Bxc4 Nh4 29. Bg3 Nf3 30.
Rxg2 e4 31. Bd5) 27. Kd3 Rc5 $1 {Keeping the initiative going, not letting
White settle.} 28. Rxh4 Rxd5+ 29. Ke2 Nf7 30. Rxg2 Rc8 {White's King again is
the springboard for Black's play.} 31. Rb4 {White too must be active, but it's
just the one Rook that is doing anything.} h6 32. Rg6 {Two now.} Kh7 33. Ra6 {
The position has finally settled down after 30 moves of push and shove. Black
is still better, mostly because the Bh2 is not doing anything. Black's better
piece activity is enough to win the endgame; it's now a matter of technique.}
Rc2+ 34. Kf3 Rd7 35. Bg3 h5 36. Ra5 Re7 37. Rab5 g5 38. Rb7 {White exchanges a
Rook, making a 3-2 fight into 2-1 .} Rxb7 39. Rxb7 {Well, White's one Rook
does have a big idea, which is to create a passed pawn on the Queen's-side.
Black mustkeepattacking!} Kg6 40. b4 h4 41. Bh2 e4+ $1 42. Kg2 (42. Kxe4 Rxf2 {
with two passed pawns.}) 42... Nh6 43. Rxa7 Ng4 44. Bg1 {Bleah.} Nxe3+ 45. Kh3
Nd5 46. Ra8 Rc3+ 47. Kg2 (47. Kg4 $4 Nf6#) (47. Kh2 Nf4 48. Rg8+ (48. Kh1 {
is the game}) 48... Kf7 49. Rxg5 Rh3#) 47... Nf4+ 48. Kh1 Rc1 49. Kh2 Ne2 50.
f4 Nxg1 51. fxg5 Nf3+ 0-1