Analyze with KIMPLODES! I = Initiative
KIMPLODES! is an acronym to guide you through the process of analyzing a chess game.
I = Initiative. I've (no play on "I" Intended--oops, did It again, with apologies to Britney Spears) come to the conclusion that IMs and GMs recognize it when they see it, the rest of us just simplify our thinking appropriately and phrase it very simply. Thus, if my opponent is reacting to my plans and threats, then I have the Initiative. But, if I am reacting to their threats, then they have the Initiative.
Of course, it is possible that both sides are fighting for the Initiative on opposite sides of the board. Think of a KID where White focuses on the Queenside for long-term strategic gains while Black attempts to mate White on the Kingside. Of course, if both of us are doing our own thing then the question of who is creating the greater threats gets all tumbly-turvy...and we may both be confoozled. But as long as both of us think it is the other player who is confused, that's OK with us😜.
The titled cognoscenti do have occasion to ruminate on the meaning of "The Initiative". GM John Nunn says (Understanding Chess Middlegames), "having the initiative means possessing the ability to create threats that keep the opponent off-balance...By piling one threat on top of another, the player with the initiative can improve the position of his pieces with gain of time." From this one might presume that obtaining the Initiative (you've no doubt noticed that I quite correctly treat Initiative as a proper noun that should be recognized as quite Capital, i.e., Upper Case) is tantamount to achieving victory. Not so fast, that isn't quite what GM Nunn meant. Other authors point out that the Initiative is a slippery creature. Peter Romanovsky (multi-time Soviet champion and author of Soviet Middlegame Technique) points out that "the initiative will quite often bear a temporary character". I'll close this paragraph with the musings of one of my favorite authors, IM John Watson, who said, "in a typically complex modern struggle between two equally matched opponents, it seems to me that the struggle is often characterized by a handing back and forth of initiative, mutual threats, and unclear tension."
Bottom line for me: I'd rather have the opponent reacting to my threats than find myself defending against both ideas I see and lingering doubts that I have seen everything. Inside your head, no one can hear that scream.
Basic Building Blocks
Wait. Why are we looking at a board before the first move? Because, technically speaking, the first move grants White a theoretical sliver of an edge because he/she/they/... is the first to enter the battlefield by moving a pawn or a Knight, to which Black must respond. (In one of my typical, random asides, note that for Chess 960 the anonymous "They" have actually assessed the value of having the first move for every starting position.) At its most oversimplified, the Initiative simply means that one side is reacting to the other side's moves. So, before anything occurs in the standard game the I-factor, as compared to the It Factor, is by default an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, tiny bit in White's favor. And every other factor, from King safety to Squares and Space is completely equal.
The point is that even in this beginning position White can decide to either focus efforts on retaining and building on that sliver of an edge with moves such as 1 e4, 1 d4, 1 f4, 1 c4 (moves that also clearly seek to alter the S-factor, Space/Squares), or seek to start creating other imbalances by playing moves such as 1 g3 or b3. And on every subsequent move, both players are making tradeoffs between all the factors that comprise KIMPLODES, e.g., determining whether the value of Material outweighs King safety or the Initiative...and which factor(s) the player wants to focus on, as well as determining what their opponent seems to be focusing on. And to simplify this blog we will ignore the fact that different time controls often lead to different weightings of all factors. For instance, in bullet chess the value of the Initiative, particularly if it is an Initiative against an unsafe King, may far outweigh Material considerations that would become highly relevant at classical time controls.
The Opening
Opening texts point out that White is granted a sliver of an edge by Black's choice of opening, but that sliver will not in and of itself translate into a decisive edge for White. Unless Black plays poorly from this point forward.
First, let me offer as a given that the Initiative can be of either a positional or tactical nature. I will not be providing examples to distinguish between the two, as that would require multiple blogs or one overly long blog. Perhaps I will revisit this in the future but for now I want to establish the underpinnings of KIMPLODES! There is always time to revisit specific aspects in greater breadth at a date TBD, with "if ever" being an option as I tend to be easily distracted (although not as bad as my dog when he sees a squirrel).
Second, I acknowledge that a game where neither side has a recognizable Initiative in the middle game is quite possible, and in fact relatively frequent, but I find those fall into two categories. First, we have IM and GM draws. There isn't much going on, for whatever reason, and neither side can create an imbalance that doesn't unduly jeopardize their chances. Second, we have all the rest of us non-titled players, who just muddle around until one side blunders (and then usually the other, with multiple errors passed back and forth), until finally the carnage accumulates, and one side has such a significant Material advantage that discussing an Initiative is largely irrelevant to the fact the game is over. Except in blitz and other time situations where panic may set in, and Material dissipates like dust motes before a strong breeze as the clock ticks down.
Third, the Initiative at the top levels can be difficult to follow, one might even call it capricious. That said, I'll give it a shot! But, being a simple-minded person, I'll start with an example from simpler times, the Romantic era of chess in the 19th century.Initiative remains important in the endgame. And there are multiple treatises that address the topic in some detail. I offer some recommendations later.
The best reason to study the Initiative in endgames is because the reduced forces on the board generally allow focusing on a smaller set of possibilities. As a result, the lessons are more readily consumed and remembered. Using KIMPLODES, it is often readily apparent how the various factors change over time simply due to which side has the Initiative. And it becomes readily apparent what the consequences are if the Initiative stays firmly in the grip of one player, or if their opponent is able to blunt a game-threatening Initiative, or even grab the Initiative for themselves.
Recommended Reading
IM John Watson, Modern Chess Strategy
GM John Nunn, Understanding Chess Middlegames
GM Ivan Sokolov, Sacrifice and Initiative in Chess
The list for "lasting initiative" is much, much shorter. Unfortunately, it still did not give me a good starting point for this topic. As said in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, "So it goes."What Have We Learned
If you have the Initiative, be aware that it can peter out. It can even switch to your opponent if you do not continue to play actively. If that happens it is extremely beneficial to have transformed your Initiative into some other imbalance that grants you an enduring edge. Or at least allows you to blunt any untoward effects if your opponent has suddenly seized the Initiative.
Prior Blogs in the Series
KIMPLODES! Explosive Analysis Approach--Break it up, baby!
Analyze with KIMPLODES! K = King Safety
Next Blog in the Series
Analyze with KIMPLODES! M = Material
