Practical chances - chess term definition
Practical chances
Definition
Practical chances in chess are positions, plans, or decisions that may not be objectively best according to an engine or tablebase, but that increase your opponent’s likelihood of going wrong over the board. The idea emphasizes human factors—time pressure, calculation difficulty, psychology, and risk management—over pure “best-engine-move” accuracy. Strong players deliberately steer games toward positions with practical chances when the objective evaluation is equal, worse, or unclear, aiming to win or save a game by posing difficult problems.
How it is used in chess
Commentators and coaches often say “White has practical chances” to indicate that, although the engine eval may be near 0.00 or even worse for White, the position still contains hidden resources, swindles, or complications that could realistically yield a favorable result. Players down material might seek perpetual check, a fortress, or a tricky resource; players pressing for a win from an equal endgame might keep pieces on, avoid simplification, and create multiple threats to maximize the opponent’s opportunity to err.
Strategic significance
- Bridging objective and human evaluations: Practical chances recognize that human opponents are fallible, especially in Time trouble (Zeitnot) or complex positions.
- Result-oriented thinking: Choosing lines that are hard to defend at the board can convert draws into wins or losses into saves.
- Match strategy: In must-win situations, players often prefer imbalanced, dynamic positions with practical chances over sterile “dead draw” positions.
- Risk management: Good handling of practical chances balances risk (not going too far into unsound territory) with reward (maximizing winning chances).
How to create practical chances
- Create imbalances: Aim for asymmetric pawn structures, opposite-side castling, or material imbalance (e.g., an Exchange sac for initiative).
- Keep tension: Avoid premature liquidation; maintain threats on multiple fronts to overload the defender.
- Prefer initiative over material: Sacrifices that open lines to the king or create passed pawns often yield practical chances, even if engines prefer “quiet” moves.
- Complicate when behind: If you are worse, increase complexity (without going full “coffeehouse”) to enable a Swindle.
- Play quickly when the position is objectively easier for you to handle than for your opponent; let the clock become an ally in OTB (OTB) play.
Defensive practical chances
- Build a Fortress: Create a structure the opponent cannot break, even if down material.
- Hunt for a Perpetual or a well-timed Stalemate trick.
- Counterplay first, material later: Seek active piece play (checks, threats, counter-thrusts) before grabbing pawns.
- Trade into drawing mechanisms: Aim for opposite-colored bishops, or reduce to an endgame known to be a Theoretical draw.
Examples and famous games
- Short vs. Timman, Tilburg (Candidates) 1991: Nigel Short’s famous “king walk” (Kg1–h2–g3–h4–h5–h6) exemplifies practical chances—an unexpected, humanly tough plan that overwhelmed Black’s defense.
- Tal vs. Botvinnik, World Championship 1960: Mikhail Tal repeatedly chose dynamic complications, generating immense practical pressure. Even when engines later found defensive resources, over the board such positions were extremely hard to navigate.
- Carlsen vs. Karjakin, World Championship 2016: Magnus Carlsen’s match approach showcased squeezing equal positions and preserving practical chances. He often avoided forced simplifications, increasing the opponent’s workload and error risk.
Illustrative opening idea: generating practical chances in the Caro–Kann Advance by mixing space and early kingside pressure.
Try the line below and notice how 4. h4 and 5. e6!? increase complexity and practical pressure on Black’s camp:
Concrete position patterns that offer practical chances
- Opposite-side castling with open files: Rook lifts (Rg1–g4–h4), pawn storms, and piece sacrifices near the king often force tough decisions.
- Unbalanced material: Minor piece + pawns vs rook, or The exchange down with active bishops, can be harder to play for the side “objectively winning.”
- Tricky endgames: “Almost drawn” rook endgames that require only-moves; pressing side keeps rooks, creates zugzwang motifs, and poses perpetual problems.
- Perpetual-check nets: Queen + knight geometry around the enemy king for endless checks, a classic resource when down material.
Engine vs. human considerations
Engines may display 0.00 with deep lines of precise defense, but those lines can be non-trivial to find at the board. Practical chances focus on the likelihood that your opponent won’t navigate the “only moves.” Understanding this gap between Engine eval (CP/Eval) and human difficulty is essential to practical, result-oriented chess.
Common pitfalls
- Unsound gambling: Not every “complication” is good. Avoid completely losing lines masquerading as “practical.”
- Overpressing: In equal positions, forcing matters too much can backfire; be ready to accept a Book draw if winning chances are illusory.
- Ignoring king safety: Creating practical chances must not leave your king fatally exposed without compensation.
- Time mismanagement: Complications are only useful if you have enough time to calculate them; otherwise you may blunder.
Coaching tips and checklists
- When worse: Keep pieces on, seek counterplay, target the enemy king, and explore sacrifice candidates (especially on open files or weak squares).
- When equal: Steer toward structures you understand better than your opponent; avoid heavy theory if they’re better prepared.
- When better: Prefer lines that keep the risk low while still giving multiple routes to victory; don’t give unnecessary counterplay.
- Psychology: Against defensive virtuosos, reduce counterplay; against tacticians, choose “dry” positions. Practical chances are opponent-specific.
Interesting facts and anecdotes
- Mikhail Tal popularized the philosophy of selecting complications that are objectively risky yet practically devastating for human opponents.
- Magnus Carlsen’s “Magnus effect” is often attributed to superior creation and conversion of practical chances, especially in equal-looking endgames.
- Many brilliancies and Swindles in chess literature arise from positions where one side engineered practical chances under severe time pressure.
Related terms
Summary
Practical chances are the lifeblood of competitive, over-the-board chess. They reflect a player’s ability to choose positions and plans that are difficult to meet in practice—leveraging complexity, psychology, and time to outperform the “objective” evaluation. Whether you are defending a worse endgame or trying to win an equal middlegame, mastering practical chances is a critical skill for improving your results.