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Mental Domination

Mental Domination

How do you get the opponent away from his or her plans and take over the game?

IM Jeremy Silman knows that much has been made of psychology in chess, but there’s not much out there about getting inside the opponent’s head and controlling the pace of the game. Once you buy into your opponent's version of reality, defeat isn't far away. This course is all about making an opponent accept your "orders." Learn how to impose your plans on your opponents today!

Here is what you will learn:

  • Learn how to take strategic control in complicated positions.
  • Practice determining which threats are real and which can be ignored!
  • Learn from Silman’s own games and those of top players!

"I think Mr.Silman is awesome. I love chess but didn't understand what it is really about. I dominate my friends with his simple teachings about imbalances. I think I'm learning at an incredible rate and I owe it all to Jeremy, and this site because the tools that they offer help! If you apply yourself, you will grow as a player and a person"! - Chess.com user HarpersFerry7

Refusing to Be Obedient!

A strong player makes a threatening move, his opponent sees the danger, glances at his confident opponent, and ... caves in mentally!
4 Challenges

Don't Be A Reacting Robot

Every (non-master) student I've ever had shares one trait with all the others: they all react to every threat, be it real or imagined.
4 Challenges

A Bolt From the Blue

It's not uncommon to see one player wiping out the other throughout the game, only to relax (sure that the opponent will soon resign) and toss the well deserved victory out the window.
4 Challenges

Doing Your Thing, Not His

There are countless examples where one side suffers a hallucination and the other player joins him in the illusion.
7 Challenges

Demanding Play

It's not uncommon to see one side possessing all the perks, while the other appears doomed to a long term grovel for a draw.
4 Challenges

Just Say No!

The most interesting chess occurs when your opponent comes up with a very interesting idea which could easily make you dance his dance.
3 Challenges

He Says No, You say Yes

It's always interesting to see two strong players voicing a difference of opinion. One says, "You can't make that move." and the other says, "Sure I can!"
6 Challenges

Beyond the Mental Block

Players often get so caught up with what is wrong with their position that they fail to see what is right with it.
4 Challenges

Branding The Board With Your Vision

When a very strong player is facing a good but weaker opponent, he wants to create tense positions that give him the opportunity to outplay his opponent.
3 Challenges

It's My Party and I'll Do What I Want To!

Threats are a dime a dozen and, if a pawn goes after a Knight, Bishop, or Queen we know from experience that it's no big deal since we can simply move that attacked piece away.
4 Challenges

Total Supplication

Every professional player has won countless games by simply doing the usual stare-down (one idea vs. another) and watching as the opponent averts his gaze and goes running for the hills.
3 Challenges

Falling Over the Cliff

Every player has experienced a position which seems miserable and/or lost, but it's your move and your job to somehow hang on.
3 Challenges

Standing Up to the Bully

As in all things, every large "fish" will find a bigger one in some other pond.
4 Challenges

I Love the Smell of Napalm on the Chessboard

You're in a do or die battle. Your opponent has his stuff, and you have yours. As it so happens, your stuff is all about dynamics, and your opponent is making it clear that he's defended.
4 Challenges

Is It Really So?

As humans, we more or less swim in the ocean of preconceived ideas. And, when it comes time to step beyond the "party line," we often fail.
4 Challenges

Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun

When an opponent threatens to gobble up one of your pieces, it creates an immediate "you can't take my stuff" response.
5 Challenges

The Silent Consensus

When a player looks at a position to see what his opponent can do, he often internalizes a checklist where he says, "After I make that move, he can't do that, he can't do that."
6 Challenges

Expanding Your Perception

It's long been well known that humans see very little of what's actually going on around them.
3 Challenges

Laughing At The Impossible

When a player has a game "iced" because of a long term (static) plus (like material), it's very important that he take care to avoid tricks.
3 Challenges

The Argument Rages

Chess is a game where two different opinions wage war against each other. One opinion says, "I'm going to do this to you, fear me!"
4 Challenges

Mental Domination

Strategie
20 Lessons
No Videos
82 Challenges
Released 12/19/2007