In chess, a player is said to have the "initiative" when they are the one dictating the pace and direction of play by making a series of attacks and threats their opponent has no choice but to respond to. Having or gaining the initiative in chess often leads to a significant advantage, even when the two players are equal in terms of material. A player with the initiative can gradually build up a stronger and stronger positional advantage until they are in position to launch an unstoppable mating attack. The player without the initiative either has to hope that the player with the initiative blunders and loses the initiative, or else has to gradually manipulate the position in order to create "counterplay" that might lead to a reversal in initiative.