Mastering Chess Strategy: Know When to Keep or Release the Tension!

For further information on this very topic, please check my following Chessable courses:
www.chessable.com/the-art-of-...
www.chessable.com/chess-crime...
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/ kabadayichess
00:00 Introduction/Any Move Wins But Not That One
02:33 Blind Exchanges
04:06 Pawn Tension/Instant Release of the Tension
05:54 Pawn Tension/Awakening the Enemy Piece
07:11 Putting More Pressure and Maintaining the Tension
09:39 2 Choices: Avoid the Mistake
11:44 When You Should Break the Tension
15:09 Should You Keep or Release the Tension? WHY?
This video touches a very important area in chess: whether we should keep or release the tension on the board. As a coach, I have witnessed many casual and club players have big difficulty with this question. Tension happens when pawns or pieces are eyeing each other, i.e. they create contact where captures become possible. In those moments, most people want to release the tension immediately by capturing and clarifying the situation - but this is usually a big mistake!
This video explains WHY this is usually a mistake and gives concrete advice on when we should break and when we should preserve the tension in chess.

[@Kirby467-sk2hs]

Coincidentally I had recently studied this first position in your Chess Crimes course, so I already knew the answer. I have purchased all your courses on Chessable and they are great. Your KZbin channel is also great.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

It is such a pleasure to hear it, thank you so much!! Such motivating words really give me big motivation to keep on doing this.

[@moosewild4239]

Good advice. I'm guilty of that a lot. It usually does end badly.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much! I hope this video will help reduce those mistakes a little!

[@todesque]

Fabulous lesson, Dr Can! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Love this topic. Thank you!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

My pleasure! Thank you for your kind feedback.

[@DanielDollinger1959]

Can, as you know I am an older adult (age 65). Calculating complicated positions is difficult for me. I am working on it and am currently 2/3 of the way through your wonderful calculation course. My instinctive reaction to positions I can not calculate is to simplify them to the point where I then understand. The first game you and I played, I was doing fine then I released the tension by pushing a pawn. You then then kicked my butt. You also discussed it class. I remember it well and I now pay attention to tension in my games. I am getting better. Incidentally, the engine was not that upset when I pushed the pawn. But, my job then became very hard and your job became very easy.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I love this anectode Dan, thanks for bringing it up! Yes, I remember that game. You ripe the benefits of deeply analysing it and understanding it on a human level - despite what the engine says! The urge for simplification is understandable - but we have to be aware of it's drawbacks!

[@Pierre_16_16]

Great topic! Of course more "tension" content is welcome =) . I enjoy to make connexions between your chessable courses and the YT channel series, its help to better memorize! Thanks again Can!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Wonderful! Thank you Pierre! Perhaps I should create a course on whether or not to keep the tension? :)

[@nerius9]

thats why i loose alot.now i understand better. thank you.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

My pleasure! Awareness is the first step for cure!

[@barrymcgregor6233]

Cant get enough of your content sir you explain everything so well💙

[@Dr.CansClinic]

So nice of you. More is along the way, stay tuned!

[@barrymcgregor6233]

@@Dr.CansClinic Superb thank you💙

[@user-zm3xr6cf4p]

I have really learnt alot from your videos

[@Dr.CansClinic]

So happy to hear it! 😊 Gives me great joy as a teacher to teach people!

[@briandwi2504]

I really understand what you are saying. Thanks!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

So glad to hear it, thank you!

[@jimmccann3856]

Great video, with very interesting examples. Well done!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Many thanks! More to follow!

[@TerencePetersenAjbro]

Thank you for this, extremely useful and relevant as always. Keep them coming!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much, more is coming surely!

[@user-ot8bb3ng7o]

🎉🎉🎉💯💯 absolutely fantastic,a question that I have not been able to find an answer,yes I have books ,but books lack clear explanations , what I gather here is that an exchange must be made from a HOLISTIC point of view, hope am right, considering development,ect yes I would have made that mistake,as I would see that am giving the opponent double pawns😮an weakness not considereding the other aspects,not many books go in depth, another line you see in books is quite move,but no explanation thanks for this great insight,now i can use the tension 🎉🎉🎉

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I am so glad to hear this, thank you so much for your feedback. I am very happy to have changed your perception. More to come!

[@chess-ft8fl]

gracias! excelente trabajo

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Gracias!

[@WHAT-gm1xm]

I need bulldog system and chess mistakes videos

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I don't know what bulldog system is... I made several videos about chess mistakes, including a Chessable course.

[@Peonh7]

Excelente

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much!

[@shoumyajitroy5102]

Dear Sir...gr8 instructive video...my question where we have london system like structure as in time stamp 5.58 where the white's dark square bishop is outside the pawn chain, is it ok to release the tension by cxe5? it seems not correct to me but I am not sure of why???

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! With the bishop on f4, ...cxd4 is more logical as you are not awakening the terrible bishop on c1. But it depends on context. It surely prevents dxc5 and we sometimes follow with ...Qb6, pressuring the weak pawn on b2.

[@x_kenpachi_11]

sweet

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you!

[@uygarbaksi]

how can we study this topic? i need more i guess

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Perhaps one day I can create a course on this very topic :) Otherwise annotated games where the master explains why he kept the tension could be useful.

[@user-hj2ry9wv3l]

Lol u can't analyse all these in blitz but thanks the knowledge is kept

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thanks for liking it.