With a two-position lift chair, when the chair is reclining and the footrest is going up, the angle between the backrest and the seat does not change. With a three-position lift chair, when the chair is reclining and the footrest is going up, the backrest reclines back farther, opening the angle between the backrest and the seat. The chair can recline more fully into a “sleeper” or “napper” position.