---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, well. IM (and correspondence GM)…"
description: "\"Well, well. IM (and correspondence GM) Douglas Bryson once told me that he almost never plays a game that flows smoothly from start to finish; there is..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/jonathan-rowson-250084_bigs_well-well-im-and-correspondence-gm-dougl_170476.png"
---

#  Well, well. IM (and correspondence GM) Douglas Bryson once…

![“Well, well. IM (and correspondence GM) Douglas Bryson once told me that he almost never plays a game that flows smoothly from start to finish; there is always a &quot;moment&quot; of sorts where someone misses a big defensive opportunity or the nature of the position changes more than one might reasonably…” quote by Jonathan Rowson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/jonathan-rowson-250084_bigs_well-well-im-and-correspondence-gm-dougl_170476.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/jonathan-rowson-250084_bigs_well-well-im-and-correspondence-gm-dougl_170476.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/jonathan-rowson-250084_bigs_well-well-im-and-correspondence-gm-dougl_170476.png)

> “Well, well. IM (and correspondence GM) Douglas Bryson once told me that he almost never plays a game that flows smoothly from start to finish; there is always a "moment" of sorts where someone misses a big defensive opportunity or the nature of the position changes more than one might reasonably expect. This was such a "moment".”

Jonathan Rowson

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Games often have critical moments where a missed defensive chance changes the whole position.

**In simple terms:** A single missed defense can shift a game.

Key Takeaway

Watch for turning points in strategy.

Themes

strategy chess decision timing risk

Mood

analytical tense

Type

Bigs:0 Chess:1 Correspondence:1 Flow:0 Games:1 Might:0 Missing:1 Moments:1 Opportunity:1 Play:0 Position:1 Time:0 Wells:0 Plays Game:0 Game Flows:0 Gm Douglas:0 Defensive Opportunity:1 Big Defensive:0

When to use this quote

- tournament play
- correspondence chess
- analysis sessions

Key Concepts

critical moments defensive errors position dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What patterns precede a critical moment?
- How can we recover after a defensive lapse?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on single moments may ignore overall plan.

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[Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Correspondence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/correspondence/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

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