Have you heard of this famous quote by Lasker?

It may sound surprising at first, but the more you think about it, the truer it becomes.

Why is it so difficult to win a game where you have more material or a much better position than your opponent?

Well, you can blame human psychology for that!

This is what normally happens amongst amateur chess players:

You start playing your game fully focused.

You may win a couple of pawns or develop a very strong attack, and you’re happy with yourself.

You can see your opponent being in a bad mood. He may seem disappointed with himself, dejected or even ready to resign.

You can feel the Victory smiling at you; you can already imagine how you will be telling all your friends about your fantastic game.

And then you relax a bit.

Not much. Just a bit.

You make a couple of inaccurate moves.

Your opponent feels that your grip on the position loosens.

And he takes courage.

And he focuses hard on the game.

And he starts playing stubborn defense.

And he creates complications.

Or he sets traps.

Or he sacrifices an exchange to create counterplay.

And that’s when you start to panic.

You go from a state when you know you will win to a state when you’re not so sure any more.

And that can have a huge psychological impact on you.

In fact, this is a very common way of wins becoming draws or even losses.

And although it is common between weak players, it has also happened many times even between GMs.

Nobody is immune to this; this is just human nature!

But that doesn’t mean you’re helpless.

There are indeed ways to minimize the occurrence of such a phenomenon in your games:

1. Recognize what is happening

If you feel the tide is turning, take a deep breath, clear your head and regroup.

2. Avoid complications and keep things simple

Try to keep the game clean and dry. Don’t allow for counterplay.

3. Double check all your moves for mistakes

Remember that the game ends only when you checkmate, or your opponent resigns.