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tekoahbaer 06-Sep-08, 19:39 |
 Chess Tipsfrom the ABCs of Chess by Bruce Pandolfini 1. Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don't take unnecessary chances. 2. Make sure every move has a purpose. 3. If you know your opponent's style, take advantage of it. But, in the final analysis, play the board, not the player. 4. Don't ignore your opponent's moves. 5. Don't give needless checks. Check only when it makes sense. 6. Answer all threats. Try to do so by improving your position and/or posing a counter-threat. 7. Play for the initiative. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don't have it, seize it. 8. When exchanging, try to get at least as much as you give up. 9. Take with the man of least value, unless there is a definite reason for doing otherwise. 10.Cut your losses. If you must lose material, lose as little as possible. 11.If you blunder, don't give up fighting. After getting the advantage, your opponent may relax and let you escape. 12.Never play a risky move, hoping your opponent will overlook your threat, unless you have a losing position. In that case, you have nothing to lose. 13.Rely on your own powers. If you can't see the point of your opponent's move, assume there isn't any. 14.Don't sacrifice without good reason. 15.When you can't determine whether to accept or decline a sacrifice, accept it. 16.Attack in number. Don't rely on just one or two pieces. 17.Look for double attacks. 18.Play for the center: guard it, occupy it, influence it. 19.Fight for the center with pawns. 20.Don't make careless pawn moves. In the opening, move as few pawns as necessary to complete your development. 21.If feasible, move both center pawns two squares each. 22.In the opening, move only center pawns. Unless the opening system or situation requires otherwise. 23.Try to develop your Bishops before blocking them in by moving a center pawn just one square. 24.Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the center (especially Knights, which often are "grim on the rim"). 25.Develop purposefully, and not just for development's sake. 26.Don't waste time or moves. Try to develop a new piece on each turn. Don't move a piece twice in the opening without good reason. 27.Try to develop with threats, but don't threaten pointlessly. 28.Develop minor pieces early. King-side pieces should usually be developed sooner than Queen-side ones, and Knights before Bishops. 29.Develop during exchanges. 30.To exploit an advantage in development, attack. 31.In the opening, don't remove your Queen from play to "win" a pawn. 32.Don't bring out the Queen too early, unless the natural course of play requires it. 33.Try to give as much scope to your pieces as possible. Seize open lines. 34.Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open. Castle early. 35.Try to prevent your opponent's King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially in open games. 36.Try to pin your opponent's pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces. 37.Don't capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, try to attack them again, especially with pawns. 38.After castling, don't move the pawns in front of your King without specific reason. 39.To attack the King, pick a target square around it. 40.When applicable, pick target squares on the color of your unopposed Bishop. (Bishops control squares of only one color. If you have a Bishop that controls dark squares and your opponent has exchanged his corresponding Bishop, your dark-squared Bishop is "unopposed" on those squares.) 41.Look for tactics especially on squares of the color controlled by your unopposed bishop. 42.Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights. 43.Double your attacking pieces by building batteries (two or more pieces of like power attacking along the same line). Put queen and Rook(s) on the same file or rank, and Queen and Bishop on the same diagonal. 44.Build batteries with the less valuable men up front, unless tactics require otherwise. 45.Maximize the efficiency of your moves. Play flexibly. 46.To strengthen control of a file, double your major pieces (Rooks and/or Queen) on it. 47.Determine whether you have an open or closed game, and play accordingly. 48.Usually play to retain you Bishops in open games, and sometimes Knights in closed games. 49.To improve the scope of your Bishop, place your pawns on squares opposite in color to it. 50.Keep your weaknesses on the color opposite to that of your opponent's strongest Bishop. 51.Trade when ahead in material or when under attack, unless you have a sound reason for doing otherwise. Avoid trades when behind in material or when attacking. 52.Choose a plan and stay with it. Change it only if you should or must. 53.To gain space, you usually have to sacrifice time. 54.If cramped, free your game by exchanging material. 55.Trade bad minor pieces for good ones. 56.If the position is unsettled, disguise your plans: make noncommittal moves. 57.To gain space or open lines, advance pawns. 58.If the center is blocked, don't automatically castle. 59.If behind in development, keep the game closed. 60.Try to accumulate small advantages. 61.Try to dominate the seventh rank, especially with Rooks. 62.Use the analytic method. When you don't know what to do, first evaluated the position (as best you can), then ask pertinent questions about your analysis. |
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dariustheking 06-Sep-08, 21:21 |
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dariustheking 06-Sep-08, 21:22 |
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dariustheking 09-Oct-08, 23:50 |
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dariustheking 11-Oct-08, 04:43 |
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dariustheking 11-Oct-08, 05:18 |
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tekoahbaer 11-Oct-08, 08:40 |
Thanks. |
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dariustheking 11-Oct-08, 21:45 |
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When should I castle? Castling by poltroon "Great players never castle." Königstedt in Kort Afhandling Swedish Chess Manual, 1784 Castling is one of those mysterious chess moves that many people, both chess players and non-chess players, don’t understand: when to, how to and when you can’t. In an encounter between C.J.S. Purdy and Yuri Averbach, as reported in Chess World 1960, Purdy castled Queenside, whereupon Averbach pointed out that Purdy’s Rook had crossed an attacked square. It is hard to imagine the look on Purdy’s face as he tried to diplomatically tell the leading Soviet Grandmaster that that particular rule only applied to the king. If Grandmasters aren’t sure of what to do perhaps here is a good point to refresh our knowledge. Only once in a game can you move two pieces at the same time—a King and Rook; this is called castling. To castle very specific criteria must be met. • You cannot castle to get out of check. • Your King cannot move either into or across check • You must touch the King first (castling is a King’s move) • It must be the King’s first move • It must be that particular Rook’s first move • There are no other pieces between the King and the Rook • A King that has been checked but has not moved (the check being blocked by another piece) may still castle if the other criteria pertaining to it are met. • The Rook may cross a square where it is attacked. There are two forms of castling: Castling Kingside (usually written as 0-0) and Castling Queenside (usually written as 0-0-0). To castle Kingside the King moves two squares towards the King’s Rook, ending up on the Knight’s square and the Rook moves to the King’s Bishop’s square. To castle Queenside the King moves two squares, ending up on the Queen’s Bishop’s square and the Queen’s Rook ends up on the Queen’s square. In either case, the King moves two squares toward the Rook it wishes to castle with while the Rook ends up next to the King toward the centre files. The purpose of castling is to remove the King from the centre and bring the desired Rook into play. When to castle. Most opening manuals and beginners books tell you to castle as early as possible, to get your King out of the action and your Rook into the action, thereby completing your development. This is generally sound advice and should be adhered to most of the time; however, advice is only good when you need it. There are times it can lead to disaster. As stated previously the purpose of castling is to remove the king from the centre, which is where most of the chess action usually takes place. In the middle, with nowhere to hide, the King can become a sitting duck. Yet there are times when the King will be far more useful in the centre than hiding in a wing. With Queens off the board and no immediate threat of checkmate, C.J.S. Purdy and G. Koshnitsky, in ‘Chess Made Easy’ put it this way: ‘To be prevented from castling is usually a great handicap because your King is likely to become exposed. But the handicap may be infinitesimal if the Queens have been exchanged off. And if at least one pair of Rooks and at least two pairs of minor pieces (Bishops, Knights) have also been exchanged, having your King uncastled and therefore near the centre is usually an asset. So if prevented from castling seek wholesale exchanges, especially of the Queens.’ In summary: if the Queens are off the King is in. If you can exchange down to an endgame it’s far better to have your King in the centre where it can move quickly to either wing to support/harass pawns rather than sitting on the far side of board away from the action. In such situations the King is a fighting piece. Despite the benefits of castling there is one drawback—your opponent knows where your King is and can devise plans for its demise. Oceans of ink and mountains of paper have gone into analysing how to attack a King that has castled: variations of the Sicilian and the King’s Indian Defence are two good examples. In the Sicilian the opponents often castle on opposite wings and the game becomes one of who can storm the bastions first. In the King’s Indian it is black that tries to overwhelm white’s castled King while white, usually, seeks active counterplay on the Queenside. The question is: On which side to castle? The answer isn’t always obvious. As stated previously, with the Queens off the board it may not even be necessary. The answer lies in what sort of opening you’re playing and what sort of middle game you’re expecting. It is more usual to castle on the Kingside (0-0) because the position is more compact than on the Queenside (0-0-0) where the a2/a7 pawn most probably needs defending with an additional move Kc1-b1. With Queenside castling moving c2-c4 doesn’t assist in activating the Rook like f2-4 does in Kingside castling. It is also more likely that the pawns on the Queenside will advance while the Kingside pawns stay put. (Of course there are exceptions to this but these are usually well worked out attacking/defensive systems.) As a general rule, whichever side you’ve castled on be wary of advancing the pawns on that side. The whole idea of castling is to remove your king from danger and protect it, not to open it up to attack. Moving the pawns in front of your castled King will create weak squares where your opponent can place pieces. Ref: Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings Volume C (3), Sahovski Informator Beograd 1997 Russian Handbook of Chess Openings, Gufeld and Kalinichenko:The Alternative Press Hong Kong 1993. Chess Made Easy, C.J.S. Purdy and G. Koshnitsky: Edition 26, Chess Made Easy Partnership Melbourne, Belmont Printing. Chess Catechism, Larry Evans: Simon and Schuster, New York, 1970 |
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tennesseehiker 04-May-09, 20:05 |
Deleted by tennesseehiker on 04-Jul-09, 16:37.
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Tips Addendum One of my most sought after startegies is as follows: My first priority after moving a pawn from either in from of the king (preferably) or the queen is to move my minor pieces from the first rank. I then usually castle as soon as feasible and move the queen unto the second (preferably) or third rank keeping her close to home at this juncture, which connects the rooks. As pointed out above, I then place the rooks in open files. |
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jabbawock 05-May-09, 15:21 |
tips from blake84120 i found this very helpful as it gives an idea on a move for move basis Hello, jabbawock! Well that's good. To answer your question, what I think about during a game: 1. tactics: I look at the board on a piece-by-piece basis. Can one of my pieces make a serious threat against one of your pieces? Can one of your threaten one of mine? If not, what about a build-up of force, several of my pieces working together against one of your pieces? Do the same with possible checkmates, because sometimes you're just attackig an empty square. 2. strategy: evaluate the whole board and look for strategic strengths and weaknesses. Weak pawn structures, broken castles, imbalance of force, open files, etc. If you find an enemy weakness, then look for tactical measures to exploit it. If you find none, look for strategic moves to undermine that weakness and create tactical opportunities. If you find a weakness in your own position, look for tactical solutions to fix the weakness. If you find none, look for strategic moves to fix it. What are the strategic examples? Too many to talk about, and too much to teach in an email. If you don't know them yet, or don't know them all, or you're not sure, there's lots of good books on chess strategy. 3. if there are no weaknesses on either side, look for strategy to create a weakness. This can mean driving off possible defenders, opening lanes to bring your pieces into better collaboration, driving pawn wedges into your opponent to disrupt his piece collaboration, or even simply advancing pawns to cramp your opponent's territory. Not random moves, but moves with a purpose of creating weaknesses, or at least, setting up scenarios where your opponent needs to play correctly to prevent you from creating weaknesses. 4. If none of that turns up anything useful, start looking for human-nature moves. If your opponent has no weakness, and you can find no strategy to create one, there is always the possibility of baiting a trap. Offer your opponent something too tempting to pass up, but that will create an exploitable weakness in his position and lead to his downfall. Sometimes these are not the best moves, and any decent player will simply not fall for it. But sometimes they do. 5. Once you've gone through all that and figured out the move you want to make, don't make that move. First, make sure you looked at all of it - never take the first move you see until you are sure you can't find something better. If you find a way to win a pawn but overlook a way to win a queen, you've blundered. 6. Once you're sure you looked at everything and found the right move, the best move, play out (in your head, on a practice board, whatever) all the moves and be sure you get the result you want. Consider: can my opponent counterattack somewhere else? I blow this all the time - find a great combo, think I'm going to win some material, and halfway through it my opponent ditches the piece I'm attacking and starts attacking me somewhere else. Consider: can I change the move order? You will be surprised how often a decent move that starts a big combination will lead you to a much better move if you simply start that combination in the middle instead of at the beginning. Almost every "great" move I make I find this way. Those moves where my opponent goes "wow, I never saw that coming" almost always evolve from me finding some minor tactical or strategic combination to gain a pawn, or to create a weakness, and then I realize that the 4th (e.g.) move of the combo could be the first move, when my opponent isn't expecting it, and I'll end up winning his queen if he doesn't handle it perfectly. Or something like that anyway - point is, always ask yourself what happens if you rearrange the order of moves in the combination you are about to play. And there you have it. If you do all of that, every move, you'll win a really high percentage of your games. And one final thought. Just because you start a great combo, you're going to win a rook, or a queen, or even the game, in the next 6 moves, don't hesitate to go through all that on every move. What I mean is, you log into GameKnot and it's your move. You look at the game and think, oh, yeah, this is the combo where I'm going to win his queen. I'm suppoed to move my rook here now. But before you do, run through all the above again. You might find that you have something better. It's easier to see it now than it was 3 moves ago when you started this combo. Or you might find that your opponent is luring you in, and you'll win his queen right before he checkmates you. Or whatever. Point is, just because you found a good combo, and you're in the middle of achieving greatness, don't stop evaluating everything because you never know what (good or bad) might show up. Your good combo could become a brilliant combo. Or you could save your game from your opponent's brilliant counter-combo. Or you'll just waste time on analysis and still end up finishing your good combo because it's the best combo on the board. But no time spent on analysis is wasted - it's always good practice that will make your next analysis in your next game even sharper. |
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Getting a handle on 62 Chess Tips Pandolfini presents a fairly comprehensive list of "practical things" to keep in mind. 62 of them can seem overwhelming. I believe we all have different learning patterns and what works for some players, doesn't work for me. Were I to take a few at a time as happyhiker and others do, I would end up with just that, a few. I, personally, have better success at digesting large amounts of material when the material is categorized. So what I'll do is to offer how I'm attacking the 62 Tips and perhaps it may help others who also which to integrate them into their play. I placed the tips into two categories: those tips that seemed "SELF EVIDENT", namely I have a fairly firm grasp of the concept and need no further clarification or explanation and FUZZIES, those that I don't fully grasp and have questions. Here are the ones I see as SELF EVIDENT. I list these first because I don't need to spend that much attention to them as I fairly much have them integrated into my game. SELF EVIDENT- 3. … play the board, not the player. 4. Don't ignore your opponent's moves. 5. Don't give needless checks. Check only when it makes sense. 6. Answer all threats. Try to do so by improving your position and/or posing a counter-threat. 8. When exchanging, try to get at least as much as you give up. 9. Take with the man of least value, unless there is a definite reason for doing otherwise. 10.Cut your losses. If you must lose material, lose as little as possible. 11.If you blunder, don't give up fighting. After getting the advantage, your opponent may relax and let you escape. 12.Never play a risky move, hoping your opponent will overlook your threat, unless you have a losing position. In that case, you have nothing to lose. 14.Don't sacrifice without good reason. 22.In the opening, move only center pawns. Unless the opening system or situation requires otherwise. 23.Try to develop your Bishops before blocking them in by moving a center pawn just one square. 26.Don't waste time or moves. Try to develop a new piece on each turn. Don't move a piece twice in the opening without good reason. 32.Don't bring out the Queen too early, unless the natural course of play requires it. 34.Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open. Castle early. 36.Try to pin your opponent's pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces. 37.Don't capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. If possible, try to attack them again, especially with pawns. 39.To attack the King, pick a target square around it. 43.Double your attacking pieces by building batteries (two or more pieces of like power attacking along the same line). Put queen and Rook(s) on the same file or rank, and Queen and Bishop on the same diagonal. 44.Build batteries with the less valuable men up front, unless tactics require otherwise. 46.To strengthen control of a file, double your major pieces (Rooks and/or Queen) on it. 49.To improve the scope of your Bishop, place your pawns on squares opposite in color to it. 51.Trade when ahead in material or when under attack, unless you have a sound reason for doing otherwise. Avoid trades when behind in material or when attacking. 54.If cramped, free your game by exchanging material. 55.Trade bad minor pieces for good ones. 57.To gain space or open lines, advance pawns. 60.Try to accumulate small advantages. 61.Try to dominate the seventh rank, especially with Rooks. (2ND AND 7TH RANKS). Here are the ones I see as FUZZIES and will need further effort (through reading and dialog) to better grasp their concepts. FUZZIES- 1. Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don't take unnecessary chances. 2. Make sure every move has a purpose. 7. Play for the initiative. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don't have it, seize it. 13.Rely on your own powers. If you can't see the point of your opponent's move, assume there isn't any. 15.When you can't determine whether to accept or decline a sacrifice, accept it. 16.Attack in number. Don't rely on just one or two pieces. 17.Look for double attacks. 18.Play for the center: guard it, occupy it, influence it. 19.Fight for the center with pawns. 20.Don't make careless pawn moves. In the opening, move as few pawns as necessary to complete your development. 21.If feasible, move both center pawns two squares each. 24.Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the center (especially Knights, which often are "grim on the rim"). 25.Develop purposefully, and not just for development's sake. 27.Try to develop with threats, but don't threaten pointlessly. 28.Develop minor pieces early. King-side pieces should usually be developed sooner than Queen-side ones, and Knights before Bishops. 29.Develop during exchanges. 30.To exploit an advantage in development, attack. 31.In the opening, don't remove your Queen from play to "win" a pawn. 33.Try to give as much scope to your pieces as possible. Seize open lines. 35.Try to prevent your opponent's King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially in open games. 38.After castling, don't move the pawns in front of your King without specific reason. 40.When applicable, pick target squares on the color of your unopposed Bishop. (Bishops control squares of only one color. If you have a Bishop that controls dark squares and your opponent has exchanged his corresponding Bishop, your dark-squared Bishop is "unopposed" on those squares.) 41.Look for tactics especially on squares of the color controlled by your unopposed bishop. 42.Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights. 45.Maximize the efficiency of your moves. Play flexibly. 47.Determine whether you have an open or closed game, and play accordingly. 48.Usually play to retain you Bishops in open games, and sometimes Knights in closed games. 50.Keep your weaknesses on the color opposite to that of your opponent's strongest Bishop. 52.Choose a plan and stay with it. Change it only if you should or must. 53.To gain space, you usually have to sacrifice time. 56.If the position is unsettled, disguise your plans: make noncommittal moves. 58.If the center is blocked, don't automatically castle. 59.If behind in development, keep the game closed. 62.Use the analytic method. When you don't know what to do, first evaluated the position (as best you can), then ask pertinent questions about your analysis. It speaks to the way it's easiest for me to learn. Hopefully this will be of help to other members in their learning patterns. I'm available to explore any of my FUZZIES with other members and assist them with FUZZIES. |
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tennesseehiker 06-May-09, 06:23 |
Deleted by tennesseehiker on 04-Jul-09, 16:38.
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jabbawock 06-May-09, 08:12 |
They are very useful as they give you some things to think about per move my rating since has gone firing up and i am still climbing so it has definitely helped me. Another huge benfit is to annotate games. Although it is long winded henc I have still not got around to doing this it invites critisism and highlights ponts within a game where a move that you could of made would have been a game winner. If you look at blakes annotations you can see where people well into 2000 rating have bettered his annotations and hence he can see new ideas and logic. Unfortunately there is know quick fix to improve rating but one thing I can suggest which is a guarentee is lower the volume of games you are playing and be more critical in your analysis. 10 - 20 minutes per move will drastically improve your chances. Order of combinations also i have found is very important. John |
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tennesseehiker 06-May-09, 09:01 |
Deleted by tennesseehiker on 04-Jul-09, 16:38.
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jabbawock 06-May-09, 09:08 |
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pafrara 06-May-09, 22:46 |
Deleted by pafrara on 11-May-09, 12:13.
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Chess Tips www.chesscafe.com www.chesscafe.com |
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Chess Tips |
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antagonistknight 08-May-09, 08:06 |
The Fuzzies Explained I will attempt to explain some of johnclark's "fuzzies" because more than likely there are more than just him that are having issues with some of these. Just remember that this is from my point of view and not everyone will agree with what I say. Also, I have to say I do not agree with everything the original author of the tips says and will make note of it. 1. Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don't take unnecessary chances. This means to try to play forcing moves that move toward the gaining of material, tempo or the ultimate goal of checkmate, but are sound. An example of an unsound move would be a gambit. A gambit is the unprovoked, willing sacrifice of material for gain of time, positional nuance or other benefit. The problem is that most gambits do not gain enough of a benefit to be worth the loss of material. 2. Make sure every move has a purpose. This one is a bit tricky to explain, so I will go with an example. When in the opening 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 White's first move gains space and opens lines to help castle kingside. Black's move does the same e5, then White attacks it and clears lines for castling with Nf3. Basically you need a plan, like attacking a certain weakness or reaching a certain position and make moves that execute that plan. 7. Play for the initiative. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don't have it, seize it. The player with the initiative is the player that is forcing the action, to maintain it you just make moves that force your opponent to defend a piece or square. If you do not have the initiative you must find a counter-attacking move to take the initiative for yourself. 13.Rely on your own powers. If you can't see the point of your opponent's move, assume there isn't any. I don't necessarily agree with this, this may be true in lower levels but in the higher levels there is almost always a point to a move. The one exception are the "in-between" moves that force your opponent to move when no matter what he does it will weaken his position. 15.When you can't determine whether to accept or decline a sacrifice, accept it. This is another one that I do not agree with all the time, this does apply to most sacrifices. I know when I play sacrifices towards the endgame it is used to block lines of escape or pull off a defender of a key square. So you must analyse what accepting the sacrifice will do. 16.Attack in number. Don't rely on just one or two pieces. This seems sort of selfexplanitory. Basically why use 1 or 2 pieces in an attack when you can use more, making your attack that much stronger 17.Look for double attacks. A double attack is the same as a fork, for example a knight on c7 forks Black's king and rook. 18.Play for the center: guard it, occupy it, influence it. It is customary to control the center, this is the point that all pieces move through to attack your opponent. So guard it to keep opponents pieces from entering it, and occupy it to help back up your attacks. The influence comes into play with openings like the Sicilian, with 1. ... c5 black is not occupying the center (the center are the squares d4, e4, d5, e5) but has influence over the d4 square. 19.Fight for the center with pawns. Pieces other than pawns are easily driven off by your opponent's pawns. So push your pawns while backing them up with your minor pieces to control the center. 20.Don't make careless pawn moves. In the opening, move as few pawns as necessary to complete your development. An example is in order here. This is an extreme example, in the opening 1. e4 e5 2. d3 d6 3. c4 Nc6 4. b3 Be7 5. a4 Nf6 6. f3 O-O Black has developed his knight, bishop and has castled. All White has done is moved pawns to control space but all his minor pieces are still on their home squares. By the time white finishes developing, Black will more than likely have a strong attack built up. 21.If feasible, move both center pawns two squares each. This goes along with points 18 and 19, if your opponent allows you to (he does not move his own central pawns) you should try to gain control of the center as quickly as possible. 24.Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the center (especially Knights, which often are "grim on the rim"). Basically do not move your pieces more than once in the opening, unless you are capturing an opponent's piece. Towards the center basically means to develop with moves that help control the center. 25.Develop purposefully, and not just for development's sake. Back to the example 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3. White clears lines with both moves to help castle and Nf3 attacks Black's e-pawn. They both have a purpose, while the move 2. Nh3 develops the knight but the knight has no purpose there. 27.Try to develop with threats, but don't threaten pointlessly. Developing with a threat is like in the above example 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 White threatens to take Black's pawn. I cannot think of a pointless threatening developing move. 28.Develop minor pieces early. King-side pieces should usually be developed sooner than Queen-side ones, and Knights before Bishops. This goes along with point 20. It basically means you want to get all your pieces out so you can begin an attack, the reason for getting the kingside pieces out first is because it takes less moves to castle your king on that side. The reason for Knights before bishops is that knights have the ability to "jump" over the pawns while the bishop has to wait for a pawn to move, so the knight takes one less move to develop and start applying pressure. 29.Develop during exchanges. I can see how this can be confusing. It is saying when you are exchanging (in the opening is what I get form it) that when you recapture try to recapture with a piece that has not been developed, in as such you are gaining a tempo by both capturing a piece while developing at the same time. 30.To exploit an advantage in development, attack. This comes down to tempo (gain of time over your opponent), when your opponent waste time by moving the same piece more than once or making to many pawn moves more of your pieces are developed than his/hers. This is said to be an advantage in development, and because you have the advantage you should attack before your opponent can fully develop and nullify your advantage. 31.In the opening, don't remove your Queen from play to "win" a pawn. Ok this is a little confusing to me, but I am assuming the author was referring to exchanging queen's for the sake of gaining a pawn advantage because the queen will be of more value later. 33.Try to give as much scope to your pieces as possible. Seize open lines. This is referring to "Open" games where the lines are not blocked by pawns. So you should put your rooks on open files where they can attack at the longest range, and put your bishops on open long diagonals a1-h8 for the dark bishop and a8-h1 for the light bishop if they are available. 35.Try to prevent your opponent's King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially in open games. It is easier to attack a king in the center where he is not guarded by pawns, so forcing him to move or forcing the rooks to move prevents him from doing so, also attacking a square the king would have to move through to castle prevents castling as well. 38.After castling, don't move the pawns in front of your King without specific reason. The pawns act as a blockade and moving them creates weaknesses in your defense. If after you have castled kingside you have your king at g1 with pawns at f2, g2 and h2 then your opponent lines up his queen on g4 and his bishop on e4. It would be advisable to move g2-g3 because it would prevent you from being checkmated. 40.When applicable, pick target squares on the color of your unopposed Bishop. (Bishops control squares of only one color. If you have a Bishop that controls dark squares and your opponent has exchanged his corresponding Bishop, your dark-squared Bishop is "unopposed" on those squares.) This refers to "good squares" where your opponent cannot drive you off with his own bishop or exchange bishops because he has already lost his bishop of that color. 41.Look for tactics especially on squares of the color controlled by your unopposed bishop. It is hard to explain tactics, but basically tactics are moves or combinations that give you a benefit right now. As opposed to strategy which are moves that will give you positional benefits in the long run. 42.Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights. Positionally bishops tend to be better than knights because they have longer range, so you need to avoid exchanging a bishop for a knight early in the game because the bishop has not reached its full potential. Later in the game when the lines are open the bishop will be more useful. I must mention I do not always follow this one, it depends on the variation I am working towards. 45.Maximize the efficiency of your moves. Play flexibly. This one is hard to explain, but what the author is getting at is make moves that give you options on how to continue so in case your opponent prevents you from playing one way you have the option of carrying through a different way. For example, opening with 1.Nf3 gives you many options as to what opening you want to play depending on what defense your opponent adopts. 47.Determine whether you have an open or closed game, and play accordingly. "Open" games have lines that are unblocked by pawns, while "closed" games lines are blocked by pawns (most notably the center). Open games tend to be more tactical, making combinations and exchanges. While closed games tend to be careful maneuvering to gain advantages then attacking. 48.Usually play to retain you Bishops in open games, and sometimes Knights in closed games. This goes along with point 42, bishops can attack a lot of squares in open games. While knights have the advantage of not being blocked by the pawns in a closed game. 50.Keep your weaknesses on the color opposite to that of your opponent's strongest Bishop. A strong bishop is one that is not blocked by his own pawns and/or is not "opposed" by the opponent's bishop of the same color (dark square or light square), so keep holes in your defense or other weaknesses on the opposite color squares. 52.Choose a plan and stay with it. Change it only if you should or must. This is another that is hard to explain. I will go with an example, if you castle queenside (while your opponent castles kingside) in plan of a kingside pawnstorm backed up by your minor pieces, do not just decide to try a queenside pawn push because you have already set up for the kingside push. Unless your opponent does something to make you have to alter your plan like moving his pawns up to block yours. 53.To gain space, you usually have to sacrifice time. A good example of this is Alekhine's opening 1.e4 Nf3, if white replies 2.e5 he gains space but loses time by making a move that he could have used to develop a piece instead. 56.If the position is unsettled, disguise your plans: make noncommittal moves. Once again hard to explain. With positions that do not have a set pawn structure and your opponent has not castled, it is best to play moves that give you options because the whole game can change with just the move of a pawn that blocks a key line or if your opponent castles when you were planning to come straight through the center. Another example is that you set up for a kingside attack before your opponent has castled, then he castles queenside and you have wasted a lot of time. 58.If the center is blocked, don't automatically castle. When the center is blocked your king is still fairly protected behind the pawn barrier, save the castle for when you really need to so that your opponent will have a more difficult time setting up attacks. There is a good quote by Pillsbury: "Castle because you want to or because you must, but not because you can." 59.If behind in development, keep the game closed. It is easier to attack in an open position where your bishops, rooks and queen can coordinate. So if you are behind in development do not open the game up by exchanging pawns and make it easier for your opponent to attack you. 62.Use the analytic method. When you don't know what to do, first evaluated the position (as best you can), then ask pertinent questions about your analysis. This refers to how you decide on the best move. There are countless books written on this so there is no way I can explain it in a forum post. Basically you look for weaknesses in your own defense and weaknesses in your opponent's defense and then find the best moves to either re-enforce your defense if your opponent is attacking or exploit your opponent's weakness if you are attacking or can counter-attack. |
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A Special Note of Thanks |
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A second note of thanks to hbird jc |
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When should I look for an exchange? [This article is posted with permision from the author.] Trading and Exchanging Pieces by poltroon “The most powerful weapon in Chess is to have the next move” (David Bronstein) A friend of mine likes to trade or exchange pieces as soon as possible. For some reason he loves the sound of chess pieces falling back into the box or seeing them appear on the side of the screen—in fact as long as they’re anywhere but on the board he’s happy. I don’t mind as I manage to have a lot of endgame practice as a result. The unfortunate result is my friend doesn’t win many games, and in some instances when he’s been winning his ardour for exchanging has led him to a lost position. Removing pieces from the board doesn’t necessarily simplify the position, nor does being a pawn ahead justify the wholesale exchange of pieces. Endgames can be very complex and in an endgame it is far more difficult to rectify a slight error than in a middle-game. Good chess players like to exchange down to an endgame when they have a positional advantage that can be maintained whether they’re a pawn ahead or not. It is worth remembering that a single pawn advantage often isn’t enough for winning an endgame if it accompanies a positional disadvantage. If you have a pawn to the good in the middle-game do not play for exchanging down if it leads to any form of positional disadvantage. Alexander Alekhine was happy to even sacrifice a pawn advantage if it gave him a positional advantage. If you’re a piece in front, with pawns still on the board, then it is usually a good strategy to exchange down since the piece has mobility, and therefore flexibility. In a war of attrition the last man standing usually wins. Having that last piece moving backwards and forwards can force a zugswang (forced to move) position upon your opponent, who has only pawns, that destroys their best defence. Aside from being the last man standing there are other considerations to be taken into account when exchanging, especially when the opposing sides have equal forces. In a previous article (Tempo) I wrote about needing to think in chess-time, or turns. White is a tempo ahead with the first move; therefore, it is essential not to lose that tempo without some form of compensation. An exchange where both pieces are in play loses a tempo for the one who initiates the exchange if the second player recaptures with a developing move. When you’re faced with, or forced into an exchange, look for a way to either further your development, improve the placement of a piece (if you have a choice of which to recapture with), advance a pawn or somehow else to improve your position. This is the sort of thinking that should accompany any exchange; conversely think the same from your opponent’s point of view. If your game is cramped it is usually good advice to seek exchanges to alleviate your position; whereas, if you have a superior position and are cramping your opponent try to avoid exchanges. There is a dilemma when your opponent offers a sacrifice—is it a real sacrifice or is it an error? Far better to consider it as real than not as that will help in the formulation of plans and clear thinking. When you’re confronted with such a situation there are a few thoughts worth considering. • If the piece offered is able to be part of an ongoing attack take it unless you see a clear refutation. • To refuse a piece is usually more dangerous than refusing a pawn, except if the pawn is passed or advanced. • With the sacrifice of the exchange a lot depends on the mobility of the piece. To lose an active Bishop for a blocked up Rook may not be to your advantage. • When the Queen is offered for a Rook (or two), and a piece, check carefully to see if you have a better move. Remember your opponent is willing to give up the Queen—a highly mobile and dangerous piece. The most difficult to evaluate of these, in my opinion, is the sacrifice of the exchange—usually a Rook for a Bishop. The Russians during the 1960-70s developed this into an art form. They would happily exchange sacrifice material for a positional advantage. If files were difficult to open or had limited use then they’d operate on the diagonals by sacrificing a Rook for their opponent’s Bishop. You can find this form of sacrifice a common ‘motif’ in variations of the Sicilan Defence. The exchange sacrifice makes positional play paramount. Without adequate positional advantages the exchange will most probably backfire. In a material sense it is worth considering that in the opening two minor pieces (but not the two Bishops) are normally equivalent to a Rook and two pawns; however, in the endgame two minor pieces (but not the two Bishops) are usually worth a Rook and one pawn. The closer to the endgame you become the more the Rook and any remaining pawns increase in value. A general strategy for the endgame when playing with a Rook against minor pieces is if you have the Rook, with or without the extra pawn, play for an endgame. If you have the two minor pieces against a Rook, and have either equal or less pawns, avoid exchanges. What is critical when you’re thinking about exchanging is that the exchange should, somehow, give you an advantage, unlike my friend who just likes to hear the pieces falling back into the box. |
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thomasobrien 31-May-09, 21:51 |
Making the Plan of Play & Choosing the Best Move because you not only look at what your opponent is doing but what you are doing and considering short and long term objectives/threats. These are also in order of how you should prioritize. Your King Safety should always come first and so on and so forth. Hope this helps 1. Is my king safe? How could I enforce its defense? Is my opponent's king safe? How could I benefit from its weakened position? 2. Is my opponent threatening to achieve a material advantage? Can I achieve a material advantage by force? 3. Where could I create a superiority of forces in order to challenge a local battle? How about my opponent? 4. How could I increase the qualitative value of my pieces and pawn structure? How could I reduce the qualitative value of the opponent pieces and pawn structure? 5. Where could I achieve/increase a space advantage? How about my opponent? How could I use the space advantage I have in order to increase the qualitative value of my pieces and create a local superiority of forces? What pieces must I exchange in order to reduce the importance of the space advantage my opponent has? 6. Could I create immediate threats or seize a long-term initiative? How about my opponent? |
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fatcat2 06-Jun-09, 03:27 |
3 pieces of advice you should know Here are 3 pieces of advice that Rudolf Spielmann coined, on how to play the whole game of chess, along with my interpretations of these: 1. Play the opening like a book = The opening is about laying the groundwork for a strong middlegame position, with a minimum of positional weaknesses. Keep to the known lines, keep to the important principles of development and tempi (time, or number of moves taken). There's no need to be overly imaginative. 2. Play the middlegame like a magician = The middlegame is a complex web of tactics, attack lines, defence lines, pawn formations and general ordered confusion. Fall in with it! Generate brilliancies and tactics that will keep your opponent on his toes, or, even better, keep him on his back, knocked out cold by your tactical magic. 3. Play the endgame like a machine = The endgame is about simple, accurate play. You need to promote a pawn, or, even better, lots of pawns, and win. This will require careful play and the utmost accuracy in achieving your aim - play with an accuracy and brutal calculating skill that even a computer would be impressed by - let alone that poor guy sitting opposite you at the chessboard! I hope the above advice helps! |
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gnometastic 28-Jun-09, 15:39 |
1) Do chess exercises. Lots of websites and lots of books out there. I normally like to do them in the morning before making any moves on gameknot, as its a good way to get my brain working. 2) Develop knights before bishops in opening play. 3) Read about openings and try to understand the various lines of play, and why's behind them. But don't be too religiously set upon any particular opening system. There are lots of openings that violate the classical rules in order to gain some other advantage. 4) Analyze your old games. 5) For every move your opponent makes, understand why they made that move. Will two moves of their knight lead to a nasty fork? 6) Simple attacks are easy to see and deflect. To play well, you'll need to be tricky... |
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