How Does Chess.com Define a Brilliant Move?
For millions of chess enthusiasts, analyzing their online matches afterward has become a staple part of learning and improving. Platforms like Chess.com offer detailed feedback on each game, highlighting mistakes, blunders, and most notably — “Brilliant” moves. But have you ever wondered what exactly makes a move “Brilliant” in Chess.com’s eyes?
TLDR: What Makes a Move “Brilliant” on Chess.com?
On Chess.com, a “Brilliant” move is one that combines tactical depth, intuition, and often a sacrifice that leads to a stronger or winning position. It’s not just about finding a powerful move — it’s about making a decision that typically goes beyond material logic and demonstrates high-level insight. These moves are recognized by the site’s analysis engine, Stockfish, and reflect exceptional in-game judgment. However, not all good or strong moves get this title; “Brilliant” is reserved for the exceptional few.
The Role of Chess.com’s Analysis Engine
Chess.com uses the highly respected Stockfish engine to analyze games played on its platform. When you finish a match and request an analysis, Stockfish checks each move and assigns it a label based on a combination of:
- Expected value gains/losses
- Similarity to the engine’s top suggested move
- Strategic clarity and tactical precision
The classification system includes terms like Inaccuracy, Mistake, Blunder, Good, Excellent, and the rarer Brilliant. Among these, “Brilliant” is the holy grail — a sign of deep foresight or a perfectly executed, unexpected tactic.
What Qualifies as a “Brilliant” Move?
According to Chess.com, a move must meet very specific criteria to qualify as “Brilliant.” These criteria are:
- Surprising or non-obvious to most players: The move often appears unsound at first glance, such as a sacrifice of a major piece like a queen or rook.
- Objectively strong: Despite looking risky, the move actually improves your position or maintains equality in a counterintuitive way.
- Acts as a turning point: It usually changes the balance of the game, leading to a strategic or tactical victory.
Many brilliant moves are sacrifices that demonstrate tactical motifs such as deflection, discovered attack, or zugzwang. They often require the engine to “think ahead” several plies to understand their value.
The Difference Between “Brilliant” and Other Positive Move Labels
Let’s break down how a “Brilliant” move differs from other positive move grades:
- Good: A solid, consistent move that does not worsen the position and adheres to the fundamentals of chess.
- Excellent: A move that may not be the engine’s top choice but makes good sense strategically or tactically.
- Brilliant: A rare, engine-verified maneuver that showcases creativity and often involves a high-risk, high-reward scenario like a sacrifice or game-changing idea.
In essence, all Brilliant moves are Excellent, but not all Excellent moves are Brilliant. Think of “Brilliant” as the jewel in a crown of ordinary excellence.
Anatomy of a Brilliant Move: A Real Example
Let’s walk through a simplified example to understand what truly makes a move brilliant.
Imagine this position:
- You are playing as White.
- Your opponent’s king is relatively exposed.
- You decide to sacrifice your bishop with Bxf7+, seemingly leaving your knight en prise too.
On the surface, it’s a questionable play. But when calculated deeply, this leads to a forced sequence that either delivers checkmate or leads to a huge material advantage. The engine identifies this series as sound and highly effective — marking it as “Brilliant.”
How Often Do Players Make Brilliant Moves?
Not as often as you’d think. According to Chess.com’s own statistics:
- Less than 1 in 700 moves are marked as Brilliant.
- Even high-rated players (2000+) average less than one Brilliant move per game.
- Brilliant moves are more common in tactical, open games as opposed to slow, positional ones.
So the next time you earn one, take a moment to appreciate that you’ve done something truly exceptional — at least in the eyes of a supercomputer!
Debunking Common Myths About Brilliant Moves
Many players believe getting a Brilliant move is a fluke or just a result of luck, but that’s not entirely true. Let’s clear up some misconceptions:
- Myth 1: “All sacrifices are Brilliant.”
Fact: Only sacrifices that can be objectively justified and lead to a better position qualify. Many speculative sacrifices are labeled as mistakes or blunders. - Myth 2: “Brilliant moves are random.”
Fact: They’re often the result of calculated tactics that may appear opaque to humans but are crystal-clear to engines. - Myth 3: “You have to be a grandmaster to make one.”
Fact: Many beginner and intermediate players make Brilliant moves, especially when applying aggressive tactics or unknowingly stumbling into a powerful line.
How Can You Increase Your Chances of Playing One?
While you can’t “plan” to make a Brilliant move every game, you can put yourself in positions where it’s more likely to happen through the following practices:
- Study tactical themes like pins, forks, sacrifices, and decoys.
- Learn from master games and observe when and why they take risks.
- Analyze your games with a focus on missed tactics — what move the engine suggested, and why.
- Play sharp openings that create tactical opportunities (e.g. King’s Indian, Sicilian, Scotch).
By increasing your tactical awareness and playing style, your chances of discovering these once-in-a-game gems improve significantly.
Can You Trust the Engine’s Evaluation?
Yes — most of the time. Stockfish is among the best engines in the world, but it’s also not 100% perfect in the human sense. Chess.com does occasionally receive feedback about ambiguities or inconsistencies in evaluation.
However, the team has patched known issues, and in general, the “Brilliant” label is fairly consistent. In fact, in 2021, Chess.com modified the threshold for a move to be assigned a “Brilliant” status, reserving it only for moments that had both surprise and depth.
The Fun and Psychology of the Brilliant Badge
It’s not just about chess rating — the Brilliant badge plays a role in user motivation. Many players feel a sense of pride when their move is praised by arguably the greatest chess mind (aka computer) of all time. It’s not just a pat on the back; it’s a trophy of insight.
Some even joke that they play just to chase that elusive purple diamond! And while Chess.com may never make a real-world medal for it, the community certainly embraces the social reward of sharing these moments on forums and social media.
Conclusion
The next time you see that glowing badge declaring one of your plays to be “Brilliant,” know that it means more than just a good guess or a bit of fortune. It’s a recognition of creativity, risk, and calculation — the very attributes that separate casual players from master tacticians.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned competitive player, understanding how these moves are defined can shed light on your growth as a decision-maker and strategist. And who knows — your next game might just feature the next Brilliant move celebrated across the Chess.com community.