Point of No Return

In almost any game of Chess there comes a crisis that must be recognized. In one way or another, a player risks something; if he knows what he's doing, we call it a "calculated risk."

If you understand the nature of the crisis; if you can foresee the nature of your coming task and its accompanying difficulties, all's well. But if this awareness is not there, then the game will be lost for you, and fighting back will be pointless.

One of the things that makes the Masters the great players they are is just this awareness of the "point of no return." They know when they have commited themselves irrevocably. At that point they beging to play with all their determination and all their ingenuity.

In the following game, for example, the point of no return comes as early as White's fourth move, and as you study his play there is not the slightest doubt in your mind that he is well aware of the crisis.

(Notes by American Chess Legend Fred Reinfeld)