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Restriction and domination
Win by taking useful squares away from an enemy piece.
Learn this chess concept step by step, then practise it on the interactive ChessRivo board.
Open interactive lessonAbout this lesson
A dominated piece may be worth far less than its nominal material value.
Key ideas
- Control escape squares before attacking the piece.
- Use pawns to restrict knights and bishops efficiently.
- Do not release the restriction without gaining something.
Coach tip: Sometimes the best attack on a piece is to remove every good square it has.
Test yourself
What is domination?
- Restricting a piece until it has almost no useful moves
- Winning the queen by force
- Trading all minor pieces
Show answer
Correct answer: Restricting a piece until it has almost no useful moves
Practise this lesson interactively
Open the ChessRivo Academy board exercise for this exact lesson. Your progress is saved when you are signed in.
Open interactive lessonHow to use this lesson in a real game
Turn the idea into a repeatable decision process.
- Before moving, name the position feature this lesson is about.
- Find one candidate move that follows the lesson idea and one alternative.
- After the game, return to the critical position and compare your choice with the lesson.