[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: An Introduction to Domination

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
An Introduction to Domination
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1224988454.shtml


   (That title might get some attention from the search engines!)
   As [1]Wikipedia helpfully puts it, "domination occurs when a piece has
   a relatively wide choice of destination squares, but nevertheless
   cannot avoid being captured." Domination studies are often especially
   difficult, perhaps because players generally go after relatively
   stationary targets like a weak king or an isolated pawn. It's very
   rare that we attempt to trap pieces on an open board, especially in
   situations where they seem to have significant mobility.
   It's a major theme in studies, as evidenced by Kasparyan's Domination
   in 2,545 Endgame Studies, but it doesn't seem to have caught on among
   casual study fans. Maybe this is because the beauty of domination
   studies is more abstract, or maybe it's because they are comparatively
   difficult. Fortunately, there are simpler examples in the genre, like
   this one from the Chess Cafe:
   [es614.gif]
   E. Paoli 1949; White to move and win.
   The solution, when you're ready for it, can be found in the Chess Cafe
   article [2]here (permalink [3]here). Maybe you won't rush out and buy
   the Kasparyan book afterwards, but I hope solving this study will
   increase your appreciation of the genre.

References

   1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domination_(chess)
   2. http://www.chesscafe.com/endgame/endgame.htm
   3. http://www.chesscafe.com/text/es614.pdf