Chien Ming Chess Blog

• Dan Heisman's article "The Road to Carnagie Hall" at http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf how you play and practice to improve your chess.
  
  In the article he quotes the famous :
  
  Who is the best fast player in the world? Answer : The best slow player.How did Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand etc get to be the best fast player in the world, by playing fast or playing slow ? The answer is by playing slow

• Weaknesses of character are normally shown in a game of chess - quote by Garry Kasparov
  
• Win with grace, lose with dignity - quote by Susan Polgar

I'm available for training games 30 30 or slower time control, with detail analysis afterward. Or to analyse your own games.

When analysing a game with students, I use more verbal comments or words and diagram to describe the theme or idea of the positions in opening/middlegame/endgame, rather than variation lines only. It's much easier to transfer understanding this way. Pictures tell more story than words. Pictures and words will be remembered in our long term memory than variation lines only.

In my view, chess is not only series of moves, but for me chess is an idea, big pattern recognition, creativity, like a painter draws a canvas or a writer writes a novel or a poet composes a poetry.

This is an example of analysis of a training game between me (my ICC's handle : fhunfi) and "Someone_at_ICC" (I hide his real handle).

[Event "ICC 30 30 u"]
[Date "2006.09.14"]
[White "fhunfi"]
[Black "Someone_at_ICC"]
[Opening "QGA, Smyslov variation"]

You can view or replay the game from start to end at board diagram or or at new window by clicking HERE

Note : you can use above board diagram as analysing tools, you can move the branch-variant at some point, and prese R button will get you back to the start of your tree.

Strategic theme:

• duo mobile central pawn
• pair of bishops in open positions
• weakness of light-square

Tactical theme

• trap the Queen
• back rank mate

1. d4 d5
2. Nf3 Nf6
3. c4 dxc4 (Queen Gambit Accepted/QGA)

other alternatif is 3...e6 (Queen Gambit Declined/QGD) or 3...c6 (Slav Defense). each has his own unique ideas.

4. e3 g6
5. Bxc4 Bg7
6. O-O O-O
7. Nc3 c6
8. Qe2 Qc7
9. Rd1 b5
10. Bd3 Bg4

better plan for Black is to put Bishop at b7, with next sequence ...a6 (to protect b5) and ...c5! to free the game and light-square bishop will have big influence along a8-h1 diagonal

11. h3 Bxf3 consistent but create light square weakness at Q side

12. Qxf3 Nbd7

13. e4 Rad8

White has duo mobile central d-e pawn gives flexibility, space, and can lust to expand d4-d5 or e4-e5. At the same time, it restricts opponent's mobility.

Black's Queen side pawn structure become serious light-square weakness, after the exchange of the light square Bishop (that should be at b7)

14. Be3 a6

The Bishop's pair in this semi open position is more dominating than Black's Knights, and once the pawn lust d4-d5 and/or e4-e5 later, it will create more lines for Bishops power in open position.

15. Rac1 b4

there're many ways of Knight retreat from c3. To e2, b1, a4, or even to d5 (because of Rook pin at c-file theme). Best square is at a4, as Na4 actively controls b6 and c5 square.

16. Na4 Qa5
17. b3 Rc8
18. Qe2 Nb8

19. d5! cxd5?

19.d5! setup a trap to Queen if Black capture ...cxd5?

Otherwise, if Black retreat his Queen 19...Qd8, the 19.d5 has his own purpose :

with the following sequence of forcing move 20.Nb6! Rc7 21.Bf4 Rb7, 22.dxc6! Rxb6, 23. c7! Qe8 and 29.c8Q decides the game.

20.Bb6 Qxa4

White wins big material, and the rest is technical fase but there's still interesting finish theme for learning.

21. bxa4 Rxc1
22. Rxc1 Nbd7
23. a5 dxe4
24. Bxe4 Nxe4
25. Qxe4 Bc3
26. Qd3 Nb8

27. a3 Bb2

White's 27.a3 is an interesting idea to undermine b4 and Bb2 at the same time.

28. Rc2 bxa3

28...Bxa3 is a bit better. 29.Ba7 h5, 30.Rc7 Bb2, 31.Qc4

29. Bd4! Rd8

29.Bd4 with idea of taking the diagonal and force the exchange of Bishop seems bad for White at first look, because of 29...Rd8 pin the Bishop and Black will recapture the Bishop at d4 at the next move

actually it's a White's trap using theme "back rank mate"

30. Bxb2! Rxd3

30...Rf8 can avoid mate, but material is too much behind.

31. Rc8+ Rd8

and mate follow next move

32. Rxd8# {Black checkmated} 1-0