Chess technique: how to convert a winning position
Being winning is not the same as winning. Advantage Conversion reads up to 500 of your games from Chess.com or Lichess, counts the games where you reached a winning position and how many of them you actually won, then gives you winning positions to finish against the computer until converting is routine.
What it counts
You see two numbers: how many winning positions you let slip, and how many of your winning games you converted. The board shows one of those positions from your own games.
How the practice works
Each drill is a winning position that you play out against a chess engine until you deliver checkmate. The engine defends; it does not resign. If a move throws the win away, the coach says so and you can take it back and find another way.
When your own games have winning positions to replay, those come first. Otherwise the trainer uses winning positions from real games.
Why winning positions slip away
Wins are usually lost for a few repeat reasons: relaxing once the position looks decided, playing quickly because the result feels certain, running short on time, or missing a counterattack because all the attention is on your own plan. Knowing which of these is yours tells you what to watch for, and replaying the positions you let slip shows it clearly.
How to convert a winning position
Trade pieces rather than pawns when you are ahead in material, because every trade makes the extra material count for more. Take away your opponent's counterplay before pushing for more. Once the queens are off, bring your king into the game. And before every move, look at your opponent's checks and captures: most thrown wins come from a tactic the winning side did not look for.
Where it fits
Many conversions are decided in the endgame, which the Endgame Trainer practises by type. To find the exact move where a won game turned, review it with Game Report, or read how to review your chess games.
Frequently asked questions
How does it know which games I let slip?
It reads the engine evaluation across each of your games and finds the ones where you reached a winning position but did not win.
Do I play against the computer?
Yes. You play each winning position out against a chess engine until checkmate.
What counts as converting?
Delivering checkmate from the winning position. A draw or a loss counts as not converted.