every move counts

4.5

Each action or decision can change the final result

idiom

: cada movimiento cuenta

In a chess tournament, experienced players understand that every move counts.

Examples

During the negotiation, she knew that every move counts.
In this game, every move counts.
When you're trying to beat a world record, every move counts.
Remember, every move counts when you're playing chess!
In a tightly contested match, she realized that every move counts in determining the winner.
As the deadline approached, he understood that every move counts for completing the project on time.
During the game, the coach reminded the players that every move counts towards achieving victory.

Synonyms

every little bit counts

vsevery move counts

1 3.7

Small things you do or give are important because they add up

stresses each action individually can change the final result

Antonyms

indifference

71 4.6

Lack of interest or concern about something

inaction

39 4.9

Not doing anything when something should be done

How Important

crucial

469 3.6

every move counts

4.5

important

∞ 1.0

minor

600 2.4

insignificant

104 4.1

Surface Forms

every move counts main

Morphology

every + move + count

The meaning is directly compositional: 'every' (each) + 'move' (action/decision) + 'count' (to be important) yields the interpretable result that each action matters. This is a common, non-idiomatic evaluative construction found across languages (e.g. Spanish 'cada movimiento cuenta'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.

Etymology

Every move counts comes from games like chess or sports where a small action can change who wins. Here each move is a single action and counts means 'matters', so the phrase now means 'every action is important'.