The Secret Feeling That Wins Chess Games Fast

How do you win a chess game with brilliant sacrifices and a devastating attack in just about 20 moves? The World Champion Vasily Smyslov might answer something unexpected: Not calculation… not memorizing variations… but learning to feel your pieces — understanding what they want, what they are capable of in different positions. This leads to what he called the most important ability of a chess player: a sense of harmony. Harmony… it sounds innocent. But in reality, it can become a deadly weapon. And in today’s game, we’re going to see exactly that. So let’s dive in — and learn how to feel the pieces. Support the Channel:   / chesswisdom   Pytlakowski vs Smyslov, Helsinki Olympiad 1952 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qa4+ c6 5. Qxc4 Bg4 6. Ne5 Be6 7. Qd3 Nbd7 8. Nxd7 Bxd7 9. Nc3 Qb6 10. Bd2 e5 11. dxe5 Ng4 12. Qg3 O-O-O 13. h3 Be6 14. Rd1 Qxb2 15. hxg4 Bb4 16. Rh3 Rd4 17. Qe3 Rhd8 18. f4 Bxg4 19. Rg3 Bf5 20. Rf3 Ba5 21. g4 Bc2 22. e6 fxe6 23. Qxe6+ Kb8 24. Rd3 Bxd3 25. exd3 Bxc3 26. Qe5+ Ka8 0-1