Domination
Domination is a plan in which your pieces and pawns watch every exit of one enemy piece, so that it can neither move safely nor contribute, and it may even be lost.
Most pieces are only dangerous while they can move. Domination takes that mobility away: you arrange your forces so that each move the enemy piece has lands on a square you control. The piece may not be captured, but it is out of the game, and your opponent must spend time and resources rescuing it.
Short-range pieces suffer most, especially knights. A knight on the edge or in a cramped position often has only two or three exits, and a bishop or rook can cover several of them at once. Dominating a piece usually combines pawn control with piece control: a pawn takes one square, a bishop takes another, and a rook or queen covers the rest.
To spot an opportunity, count the squares the enemy piece can safely reach. If the number is already low, look for a move that removes one more without giving anything up. Often the last exit is covered by something cheap, and the dominated piece then falls or gets traded off on your terms.
Domination can end in a won piece, but its real value often lies in the tempo and space it gains. Remember to check that your restricting pieces are not themselves overstretched, since a single counter-threat can free the prisoner.
A neighboring idea is Piece domination. Piece domination is a position in which an enemy piece cannot move without being captured, because your pieces control every square it could go to, so it is stuck and out of play.
A neighboring idea is Trapped piece. A trapped piece cannot reach safety: every square it might retreat to is covered, blocked or ruinous, so once it is attacked the owner will lose it for little or nothing.
It sits close to Restriction. Restriction is a strategic technique of limiting the opponent's useful moves, pawn breaks and piece routes so their position has few constructive options, often by controlling key squares rather than winning material.
Where "Domination" fits your own play is easier to judge with a coach reading your games; the first lesson is a paid one-on-one review that ends in a written plan.
Related terms
Piece domination is a position in which an enemy piece cannot move without being captured, because your pieces control every square it could go to, so it is stuck and out of play.
A trapped piece cannot reach safety: every square it might retreat to is covered, blocked or ruinous, so once it is attacked the owner will lose it for little or nothing.
Restriction is a strategic technique of limiting the opponent's useful moves, pawn breaks and piece routes so their position has few constructive options, often by controlling key squares rather than winning material.
Zugzwang is the bind of having to move when standing still would be best: the player on move has only moves that weaken the position, and since passing is not allowed, the duty to move itself costs something.
A blockade is the plan of stopping an enemy pawn by occupying the square it must move to next, most often a passed or isolated pawn, with a piece that stays safe and useful there.
A bind is a lasting space edge in which advanced pawns, backed by pieces, control the squares the opponent needs and prevent their freeing pawn break, leaving their army cramped.
Knight versus bishop describes positions where one side has a knight and the other a bishop; the better piece depends on the pawn structure, favoring the bishop in open play and the knight in closed positions.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
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