Gaining Material
When one player is able to capture an opponent's piece or pieces without losing any of his own, that player is said to have won material; that is, the opponent will have fewer pieces on the board. The goal of each basic tactic is to win material. At the professional level, often the mere threat of material loss (i.e., an anticipated tactic) induces a player to pursue an alternative line. In amateur games, however, tactics often come to full fruition, as they are not foreseen by the opponent and so result in material gain and a corresponding, perhaps decisive, advantage. Material gain can be accomplished by several different types of tactics.
Read more about this topic: Chess Tactic
Famous quotes containing the words gaining and/or material:
“Remember stories you read when a boy
The shipwrecked sailor gaining safety by
His knife, treetrunk, and lianas for now
You must escape, or perish saying no.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)