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GM Swapnil Dhopade on the art of Paralyzing your opponent's pieces

by Swapnil Dhopade - 29/03/2025

A very common term we have heard in chess is "Improve your worst placed piece!" But chess is not just a solo battle! You have an opponent sitting in front of you, who is trying to galvanize his pieces as well. And in this regard it might be an excellent idea sometimes to paralyze his pieces. This is what GM Swapnil Dhopade talks about in this article - "The Art of paralyzing your opponent's pieces!" There is also a surprise gift for all of you by Swapnil. Read on to know more.

Learn the Art of Paralyzing Opponent's Pieces

In Chess, we all have been taught to make the best use of our Pieces. As the middlegame approaches, we try to place our Pieces in the best possible squares in order to create threats and pressure on our opponent. But rarely do we focus on restricting our opponent's Pieces. You may have read a lot of chess literature on manoeuvring the Pieces and improving them from one position to another. And yes, this is important. If we are able to improve the placement of even a single piece, it can positively impact our entire position. But in my experience, an equally potent weapon is paralyzing our opponent's Pieces. If we manage to restrict even a single Piece in our opponent's camp, then our forces can outnumber theirs. This creates an imbalance of forces in our favour, and it can be used to dominate a certain area of the board. I call this the Art of Paralyzing Opponent's Pieces.

Let the World no.1 Magnus Carlsen demonstrate this art of paralyzing opponent's pieces. Facing him was GM Vladimir Fedoseev.

This theme was masterfully demonstrated by none other than the World no.1 Magnus Carlsen himself against the strong Russian Grandmaster Fedoseev. He paralyzed Fedoseev's Pieces in 2 back-to-back games showcasing his understanding of the skill to dominate opponent's pieces! Let us check these two masterpieces by Magnus Carlsen.

 

Fedoseev vs Carlsen, FIDE World Cup 2021, Game 1

What should Black play here?

Carlsen (Black) unleashed a powerful stroke here. What did he do here?

Carlsen vs Fedoseev, FIDE World Cup 2021, Game 2

White to play and pile up the pressure!

Find the weakness in Black's camp and attack it!

Not an easy move but try and see if you can think like Carlsen. White to play

It's time for some action! White to play

White to play. Find the finishing stroke!

Test yourself

I am sure the two masterpieces by Magnus Carlsen gave you a sense of the power of paralyzing your opponent’s Pieces. Now let us try to apply our knowledge in the following exercises that I have selected for you. Follow these 3 steps to master the art of paralyzing opponent’s Pieces:

Step 1 - Look at all the pieces in your opponent’s army and try to figure out which is the piece you can play against. [Generally the piece with limited number of squares is your target]
Step 2 - Figure the best plan to dominate that piece and cut it from the rest of the board.
Step 3 - Once you manage to cut off one of the opponent's pieces, it is time to put all your energy into the opposite side of the board and break through the defenses.

Position 1 - Winter vs Capablanca

Find the best move for Black

Position 2 - Mikhalchishin vs Aseev

Which piece can White paralyze and how to do it?

Position 3 - Andersson vs Torre

Find the best move for Black

Position 4 - Ernst vs Klein

Find the best move for White.

Position 5 - Radulov vs Westerinen

Find the best move for White

A gift by GM Swapnil Dhopade

GM Swapnil Dhopade is offering his course on Paralyzing Opponent's pieces for Free on his website of Chess Pathshala. You can just enroll and receive all the lectures without cost. Thank you Swapnil for sharing your knowledge with everyone. 

Get the course for free

Group classes with GM Swapnil Dhopade

GM Swapnil Dhopade working with one of India's biggest talents GM Raunak Sadhwani

Join GM Swapnil’s Exclusive Group Chess Classes – Starting April 1, 2025! We’re excited to launch Online Group Chess Classes for players rated between 1300-2000 FIDE. Here’s what you’ll get:

✅ 16 Live Interactive Sessions Every Month • 2 Classes/Week with GM Swapnil • 2 Classes/Week with Chess Pathshala Coaches

✅ Exclusive Learning Resources • Free access to GM Swapnil’s premium video courses • Specially curated puzzles and courses on tactics, strategy, and endgames

✅ Tournaments & Rewards • Weekly Rapid Tournament (Every Saturday) • Top 3 players from the tournament will win a Simul or Live Session with GM Swapnil

✅ Additional Benefits • Weekly Assignments & Homework prepared by GM Swapnil • Class Recordings Available for Active Students

Class Schedule:

Tuesday & Wednesday (8:00 – 9:00 PM) - GM Swapnil’s Sessions

Thursday & Friday (8:00 – 9:00 PM) – Academy Coaches’ Sessions

Saturday – Weekly Rapid Tournament

Classes will be conducted on Zoom.

 

Fees & Discounts:

1 Month – ₹6,000/-

3 Months – ₹4,800/- per month (₹14,400 total – full payment required upfront) (Save ₹3,600!)

 

Starting April 1, 2025! Don’t miss this opportunity to train with GM Swapnil and improve your game. 

If you would like to join these sessions or enquire more about them


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