Between the moves

Between the moves

Definition

“Between the moves” is an informal phrase chess players use to describe everything that happens in the short pause after one player has moved and before the opponent replies. It emphasizes the thought process, emotional reactions, and practical decisions that take place in this transition, rather than the moves themselves on the scoresheet.

More concretely, it is often used to talk about:

• The psychological battle: how players react internally to an unexpected or strong move.
• The practical process: calculating lines, managing time, and planning during the opponent’s turn.
• The narrative of a game: moments when tension rises even though “nothing” is being played on the board.

Usage in chess language

In commentary, books, or coaching, “between the moves” is used to highlight that the quality of a player’s decisions depends heavily on what they do while it is not their turn to move:

• Practical advice: “Use the time between the moves to update your evaluation and look for opponent’s threats.”
• Psychology: “The real collapse happened between the moves—after he saw 25...Qh4!, he panicked before even calculating.”
• Storytelling: “Between the moves 21…Re8 and 22. Qh5, tension was enormous; both players knew the game was on a knife’s edge.”

What strong players do between the moves

At master and grandmaster level, the time between the opponent’s move and your own reply is one of the most carefully managed resources in chess. It connects directly to concepts like Time_pressure, Practical_Chances, and Time_management_expert.

• Check for threats first: Immediately ask “What does my opponent threaten?” and “What changed?” after each move.
• Update the evaluation: Reassess material, king safety, space_advantage, and piece activity after every move.
• Maintain a candidate list: Keep a short list of Candidate_Moves that you revise and deepen on each turn.
• Use opponent’s time: In longer time controls, many strong players calculate deeply while the opponent is thinking, so they already have ideas ready “between the moves.”
• Emotional control: Calm down after surprises, winning opportunities, or blunders and avoid “tilting” in the next decisions.

Strategic significance

Although “between the moves” is not a formal technical term like zugzwang or Triangulation, it touches several strategic and practical themes:

• Time management: Good use of thinking time between moves can prevent time_trouble and help convert advantages step by step.
• Blunder prevention: Many blunders happen when a player reacts instantly, without a pause between the opponent’s move and their own. A brief “safety check” between moves is often enough to avoid disaster.
• Psychological momentum: Games often shift because of how a player responds psychologically to a strong move, not because of the move itself. The inner reaction “between the moves” triggers cautious defense, over-optimism, or loss of objectivity.
• Practical resistance: Even in worse positions, using the time between moves to search for swindle chances or stubborn defenses can save many half-points.

Illustrative example

Consider a simple attacking position (White to move): White has a queen on h5, a bishop on d3, rooks on f1 and e1, king on g1, pawns on g2 and h2; Black’s king is on g8, with a rook on f8, knight on f6, pawns on g7, h7, and a scattered defensive setup. After:

1. Rxf6!?

White sacrifices an exchange on f6, opening lines against the king. The critical moment is not only the move itself, but what happens “between the moves”:

• Black must decide whether to accept the sacrifice: 1...Rxf6 or decline with 1...gxf6 or a counter-sacrifice.
• In this pause, Black should calmly calculate the lines 2. Qxh7+ Kf7 3. Qg6+ and similar ideas.
• If Black panics and plays a hasty defensive move that overlooks a threat, the game can collapse instantly.

We can simulate this type of attacking decision in a compact viewer:

In this sharp line (resembling the Fried Liver / Lolli Attack themes), every tempo is critical. The quality of the play depends heavily on what each side does mentally between moves: identifying checks, captures, and threats on every single turn.

Historical and practical anecdotes

In many famous games, the key turning point was less about a particular move and more about the player’s reaction between the moves:

• Kasparov’s nervous energy: Garry Kasparov was known for his intense presence and constant calculation during the opponent’s time. He didn’t sit idle between the moves; he often stared at the board or at his opponent, constantly updating his evaluation.
• Fischer’s deep focus: Bobby Fischer frequently walked away from the board while the opponent was thinking, but he was still “in the game,” replaying variations in his head between moves and returning with a precise reply.
• Modern engine-era players: Top players today, including Carlsen and other Super_GMs, explicitly talk about building a habit of automatic checks in their thinking routine between moves to reduce blunders even under severe clock pressure.

How to improve your “between the moves” routine

You can treat “between the moves” as a trainable skill. A simple checklist after every opponent move can raise your playing strength significantly:

1. Stop and breathe: Don’t snap-move. Take 3–5 seconds, especially after a surprise.
2. Ask what changed: Which squares or pieces are now attacked or undefended? Did a file or diagonal open?
3. Look for forcing moves: Consider checks, captures, and threats you must address or can exploit.
4. Re-evaluate the position: Is it now time for a pawn_break, simplification, or a positional_sacrifice?
5. Only then choose your move: From your shortlist of candidates, verify your intended move with a brief blunder-check.

Over time, this structured thinking “between the moves” becomes automatic, much like using Algebraic_Notation or recognizing a basic checkmating_pattern.

Online chess and “between the moves”

In online Blitz or bullet_chess, the time between moves may be just a second or two, but the same ideas apply. Strong practical players, even self-described Flag_enjoyers or Bullet_merchants, have a mini-routine:

• Instant threat scan on every move.
• Pattern-based reaction instead of deep calculation.
• Emotional discipline to avoid rage moves after blunders or missed wins.

Your performance chart in rapid or blitz often reflects how consistently you use your time between moves:

As you develop a better “between the moves” routine, your results stabilize and your tends to rise.

Interesting fact

Many training programs for serious players include exercises specifically aimed at what happens “between the moves”: blindfold calculation, solving Puzzles with a clock, or playing training games where the focus is not the opening, but the thinking process after each opponent move. Coaches sometimes even ask students to verbalize their thoughts between moves to expose and fix flawed habits.

Summary

“Between the moves” is a practical and psychological concept describing the crucial thinking time after your opponent’s move and before your own. Mastering what you do in that interval—threat checks, evaluation, candidate move selection, and emotional control—is one of the most powerful ways to improve your real, over-the-board or online playing strength.