winning position
Ahead in competition
A winning position is a situation in a game, competition, or negotiation where one side has a decisive advantage that should lead to victory if played correctly.
Chess players analyze whether a position is winning, drawing, or losing.
The term extends beyond games: The company negotiated from a winning position after the merger announcement.
Having a winning position doesn't guarantee the win—you still have to convert it.
- advantageFavorable position or circumstance
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
- pulling aheadGaining a lead
- one step aheadMaintaining a slight advantage
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
upper hand · in the driver's seat · edge · victory · triumph · control · tight grip · ahead · favorable · strong · commanding · decisive · leverage · momentum · breakthrough · outmaneuvering · strategic · superior
- Morabarabacows, mills, stones, game board, capture
- advantagesedge, leverage, upper hand, leg up, head start
- Endgamecheckmate, finishing blow, final stage, stalemate, resignation
- Mancalamancala, bao, ayo, solo, seeds
- dominancedominance, dominant, supremacy, superiority, ascendancy
- chess endgamesking and queen, zugzwang, opposition, triangulation, fortress
winning positionlosing position
Unfavorable competitive standing
behind · down and out · trailing behind · losing · on the ropes
winning, position, wins, winner, winners, winnings, winnable, positions, positioned