Domination

In its most precise technical sense, domination occurs when an enemy piece has no safe or useful square. Its destinations may be occupied, controlled by enemy pieces, or unusable because moving there loses the piece. The dominated piece may still have legal moves, but none of them solves its problem.

The theme is common in endgame studies, which are composed positions with a specific solution, but it also appears in ordinary games. A bishop may confine a knight by controlling its jumps, two pieces may remove every route from a rook, or a king and piece may cooperate to reduce another piece's available squares step by step.

How to identify it

1. List every legal square available to the threatened piece.
2. Remove squares occupied by friendly pieces that cannot move away.
3. Check which destinations are controlled or allow a concrete sequence that wins the piece.
4. Confirm that the opponent cannot break the net with an exchange, check, or stronger threat.

A positional bind reduces the options of a sector or an entire side; domination usually focuses on one piece and removes nearly all effective escapes. It is also different from zugzwang: in zugzwang, the obligation to move causes harm, while a piece can be dominated regardless of whose turn it is.