Chien Ming Chess Blog

A good friend, chess & music enthusiast

2009-09-25T04:36:00.001-07:00

Edward Tarte (Ed) is my good friend. He is also one of my chess student, and beside, he is also my inspirator & teacher of classical music, the kind of music that I hear & knew very little way before I know Ed, but he patiently & gradually introduce me to the beauty of classical music. Slowly I learn & start enjoying classical music eagerly at the moment. Thanks to you !

Although we have never met each other yet, but with the help of Skype software we can chat & see each other through web cam very well in the real time.

He is a chess enthusiast, you can play online chess with him at ICC (his nick : edwardtarte), or even play correspondence chess at www.gameknot.com (his nick : edwardtarte). Recently he made an inspiring chess video

He is also a classical music enthusiast, known as Mr. Music. Below is a very beautiful piano composition played by Ed. Memory from the Cats

You can know more about him & listen to more of his piano plays, at his web www.edwardtarte.blogspot.com

Quote of the Day

2009-08-17T03:37:00.001-07:00

courtesy of ChessVideos.TV

Example of Game Analysis

2009-08-17T03:34:00.001-07:00

Beside the regular lessons, I'm also available for training games, 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

Emotions in Chess

2009-05-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

I found this very interesting article written by Norbert Thomas at ezinearticles.com . Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Emotions-in-Chess&id=2242933

Chess is one of the most intellectual and competitive games. During a game of chess you experience different kinds of emotions. For example: Joy, confidence, satisfaction, relief, despair, fear, anger, frustration, hopelessness.

Emotions come and go.

Emotions will hit you unexpectedly when you suddenly experience a dramatic change in your game.
Pieces are attacked and have to be protected or must retreat to a bad square. The opponent just started a strong attack at the kingside or you nearly ran into a fork and almost lost a piece. Or the game becomes so complicated and rich in tactical possibilities that you can't work out the right moves over the board. And you become deeply immersed in the position again and again. But you still don't know for sure what to play next, recalculating the same variations over and over again. The position is going slowly but surely downhill.

This creates emotions of various kinds.

When you are winning you feel happy and you get a big boost of confidence. You just love the position now. You are winning. That's great! Yes! Chess is a great game indeed. Joy comes up.
But on the other hand, when you make a bad move, then you feel frustrated and have doubts and you might lose faith in your ability to find good moves. You might tell yourself: "I play like a beginner. I ruined my position totally. Why am I playing like an idiot? I should have seen this attack coming!"

Emotions can paralyze your mind.

Emotions often obstruct and cloud your thinking just when clear rational thoughts are needed . Time pressure increases the stress even more and the upcoming emotions might block your thinking completely and you are unable to calculate the next moves. You switch off your brain and play in guessing mode. You just guess the right moves now, which leads to a deadly blunder! Your last move ruined your game beyond repair. A wave of frustration gives you the rest and you resign. Damned! How could I make such a move? Why is my brain blocked? I played like a fool? I should give up chess.

Chess is not a quiet game! Maybe quiet on the surface for the onlooker, but deep within yourself there is something really big going on. A big mental adventure, full of traps and surprises. The rational thought struggles versus the emotional response. Sometimes rely just on your emotional response, your mind is unable to work out everything and you need to use intuition. But often the emotions are just obstructing your mind when rational thoughts are needed to calculate a combination.

Just observe your emotions!

You can't escape your emotions and can't control them. They come and go. There is one weapon you have to beat them. Just observe them! The principle of observation is taught in various meditation techniques.
Don't fight your emotions. Just observe them. It is a sort of meditation. You are NOT the emotions! Never forget that! Just watch your frustration and despair for a minute and it will lose its power over you and might even fade away. After that start analyzing your position.
It's just a game. Relax and start thinking again. Your opponent makes mistakes too. You still can win. If your game is totally ruined just resign and go home. Have a good rest, analyze your game and you will play better next time.

Chess is like Acting

2008-10-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Interview with Viswanathan Anand in Der Spiegel
Published on ChessBase

SPIEGEL: What is the role of emotions?

Anand: They are decisive. The moment in which you realise that you have made a mistake is the most unsettling you can imagine. You have to try to keep control of your emotions. Chess is a form of acting. If your opponent senses your insecurity or your annoyance or your dejection, then you are bolstering his courage. He will take advantage of your weakness. Confidence is very important – even pretending to be confident. If you make a mistake but do not let your opponent see what you are thinking then he may overlook the mistake.

SPIEGEL: Are you good at reading the faces of your opponents?

Anand: Usually their faces are completely calm and dispassionate. The exception was Garry Kasparov, against whom I played a World Championship in New York in 1995. He was an open book. What I tend to do is to listen to their breathing.

SPIEGEL: You listen to your opponent breathing?

Anand: If the breathing is deep or shallow, fast or slow – that reveals a lot about the degree of his agitation. In a match that lasts a month even a clearing of the throat can be quite important. Incidental facts are also important: did your opponent have a fight with his wife? If he is occupied with private matters he may not be as focussed as usual.

Here is the full article on ChessBase

Making Mistakes in Chess

2008-10-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

CHESS unites the world

2008-08-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Strategy & Tactic

2008-01-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

Strategy : long term plan. More abstract. Some elements : development, initiative, tempo, pressure, control center-square-files-diagonals etc

Tactic : A sequence of moves that give immediate advantage. Tactic is “short term/ more concrete”. Some elements : mate,capture,threat, fork, pin, back rank, discovery check, etc

Strategy requires thought. Tactics require observation. – Max Euwe

Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do – Tartakower.

Strategy is a piece of stone you are working on, and tactics is basically the instrument you use to cut the stone. So we should see tactics as an instrument to help us to achieve what we want to achieve. - Petrosian

If one thinks strategy as a block of marble, then tactics are the chisel with which a master operates in creating works of chess art - Petrosian

Interesting videos

2007-12-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

Magnus Carlsen video interview

Victor Korchnoi defeated by .... ?

Vaselin Topalov in Bank ad

Why should we play chess ?

2007-12-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

Chess is a game for people of all ages. We can learn to play at any age and in chess, unlike in many other sports, we don't ever have to retire. Age is also not a factor when we're looking for an opponent --young can play old and old can play young.

Chess develops memory. The chess theory is complicated and many players memorize different opening variations. We will also learn to recognize various patterns and remember lengthy variations.

Chess improves concentration During the game we are focused on only one main goal -- to checkmate and become the victor.

Chess develops logical thinking. Chess requires some understanding of logical strategy. For example, we will know that it is important to bring our pieces out into the game at the beginning, to keep our king safe at all times, not to make big weaknesses in our position and not to blunder our pieces away for free. (Although we will find ourself doing that occasionally through our chess career. Mistakes are inevitable and chess, like life, is a never-ending learning process.)

Chess promotes imagination and creativity. It encourages us to be inventive. There are an indefinite amount of beautiful combinations yet to be constructed. Chess teaches independence. We are forced to make important decisions influenced only by our own judgment.

Chess develops the capability to predict and foresee consequences of actions. It teaches you to look both ways before crossing the street.

Chess inspires self-motivation. It encourages the search of the best move, the best plan, and the most beautiful continuation out of the endless possibilities. It encourages the everlasting aim towards progress, always steering to ignite the flame of victory.

Chess shows that success rewards hard work. The more we practice, the better we'll become. We should be ready to lose and learn from our mistakes. One of the greatest players ever, Capablanca said, "You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player."

Chess and Science. Chess develops the scientific way of thinking. While playing, we generate numerous variations in our mind. We explore new ideas, try to predict their outcomes and interpret surprising revelations. We decide on a hypothesis, and then we make our move and test it.

Chess and Technology. What do chess players do during the game? Just like computers they engage in a search for the better move in a limited amount of time. What are we doing right now? You are using a computer as a tool for learning.

Chess and Mathematics. We don't have to be a genius to figure this one out. Chess involves an infinite number of calculations, anything from counting the number of attackers and defenders in the event of a simple exchange to calculating lengthy continuations. And we use your head to calculate, not some little machine.

Chess and Research. There are millions of chess resources out there for every aspect of the game. We can even collect your own chess library. In life, is it important to know how to find, organize and use boundless amounts of information. Chess gives us a perfect example and opportunity to do just that.

Chess and Art. In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia chess is defined as "an art appearing in the form of a game." If we thought we could never be an artist, chess proves us wrong. Chess enables the artist hiding within us to come out. Our imagination will run wild with endless possibilities on the 64 squares. We will paint pictures in our mind of ideal positions and perfect outposts for our soldiers. As a chess artist we will have an original style and personality.

Chess and Psychology. Chess is a test of patience, nerves, will power and concentration. It enhances our ability to interact with other people. It tests our sportsmanship in a competitive environment.

Chess improves schoolwork and grades. Numerous studies have proven that kids obtain a higher reading level, math level and a greater learning ability overall as a result of playing chess. For all those reasons mentioned above and more, chess playing kids do better at school and therefore have a better chance to succeed in life.

Chess opens up the world for you. We don't need to be a high ranked player to enter big important competitions. Even tournaments such as the US Open and the World Open welcome players of all strengths. Chess provides us with plenty of opportunities to travel not only all around the country but also around the world. Chess is a universal language and we can communicate with anyone over the checkered plain.

Chess enables you to meet many interesting people. We will make life-long friendships with people we meet through chess.

Chess is cheap. We don't need big fancy equipment to play chess. In fact, all we may need is our computer! It is also good to have a chess set at home to practice with family members, to take to a friend's house or even to our local neighborhood park to get everyone interested in the game.

CHESS IS FUN! This isn't just another one of those board games. No chess game ever repeats itself, which means we create more and more new ideas each game. It never gets boring. We always have so much to look forward to. Every game we are the general of an army and we alone decide the destiny of your soldiers. We can sacrifice them, trade them, pin them, fork them, lose them, defend them, or order them to break through any barriers and surround the enemy king. We've got the power!

Beauty and Depth

2007-05-25T00:14:00.000-07:00

When Viswanathan Anand is asked in an interview : On what sets super-grandmasters apart from the rest ?

He replied precisely and beautifully :

The stronger you are you get to see more connections. The pieces and positions come alive with patterns. You start seeing possibilities in these patterns. First you think the white has the advantage and then you look carefully and realise that the black has the edge. As you refine your analysis the more sharp your understanding of the position gets. The pieces are there standing and suddenly when you see the connections they become beautiful.

In my own interpretation :

Pieces + positions -> pattern -> connection/harmony -> beauty simphony (both in art and logic nature).

Talking of computers and chess, Anand said this whole other perspective which is worth reflecting upon. One could have a 300 Giga data base of analysis to see the outcome from a given position. By extensive cataloguing and crunching the computer can give its finding, stating that options 2,190,7000 and 3 million lead to successful endings. It is only the human mind that can lend the beauty of comprehension to these findings by understanding the principles behind and the reasons that unite them!

When Vladimir Kramnik is asked in an interview :

Chess commentators often describe your style with terms from the language of art. They speak of harmony, flow and depth, resplendence, crystalline clarity and intensity. On occasion even inconceivability. How do they arrive at this appraisal ?

He replied : You know, sometimes I think I have understood a position, but after a couple of years I realize that I have understood nothing. That is what is so mysterious and fascinating about chess. You have a board with 64 squares, and it is so deep that not even ten Kramniks can know which is the best move. Sometimes you simply feel lost. You cannot feel the ground.

Are you afraid of the depth?

Kramnik: It is sometimes painful. You simply cannot reach the ground. This ground or call it final truth, if it exists at all, is not of humans.

How Life Imitate Chess

2007-05-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy reading this new book How Life Imitates Chess. Author : Garry Kasparov. It gives me many new perspectives to view chess from different angle.

In this book, Garry Kasparov reveals how and why the game of chess is a fitting and powerful teacher.

He shares the powerful secrets of strategy he has learned from dominating the world's most intellectually challenging game for two decades.

Lessons about mastering the strategic and emotional skills to navigate life's toughest challenges and maximise success no matter how tough the competition. Drawing on a wealth of revealing and instructive stories, not only from his finest games, but also from a wide-ranging and perceptive knowledge of current affairs, Kasparov reveals the strategic ways of thinking that always give a player - in life as in chess - the edge.

We learn about the great figures of the game, and how their contests have shaped chess history; from Capablanca and Alekhine to Bobby Fischer and Kasparov's own nemesis, Vladimir Kramnik. With a raconteur's engaging charm, a great chess strategist takes us inside a brilliant strategic mind.

As Sun Tzu distilled the secrets of the art of war and Machiavelli unveiled the lessons to be learned from courtly intrigue, Garry Kasparov - a player whose record is likely never to be rivalled - reveals how and why the game of chess is a fitting and powerful teacher, of how to be prepared for, and how to win in, even the most competitive situations.

Immortal Zugzwang

2007-02-23T06:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was playing Black in a 30 30 ICC game.

This is position at move 29th.

White's pieces are bind to the pinned Knight c3. White can't do anything beside Q move back and forth b2 and b3, otherwise he will lose the Knight c3. Black here make a King walk from g8-f7-e6-d6! to make sure Black's King is near enough to Q side (a5 pawn) before he trade all at c3, into a winning pawn endgame with extra passed pawn a5.

If White did the trade at once at move 29th in a hurry, then White King is close enough to a5 pawn, and Black will miss the win. NEVER HURRY in endgame, is one of the technique to remember.

Let's compare with a classic Immortal Zugzwang game. Alekhine vs Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930.

This is position at move 29th.
All Black pieces are defending the b4-b5! threat well. White next sequences of move is brilliant idea of making Black run out of pawn moves at K side. 30.h4! h5 ,31 Kh2 g6, 32.g3!

This is the final position and Black resign as he is out of pawn moves at K side now, he is in zugzwang and any next move that made by one of his pieces, will cost him material.

By going over the classic master game, we will find many fresh ideas, and by understanding the idea, we can apply it in our game. The idea will guide us to find a plan.

Determination and Consistency

2007-01-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

Viktor Korchnoi is a phenomenon of longevity at the chessboard. He has been playing top-level chess for half a century, and even in his 70s he remains one of the best players in the world.

When a chess player ages, he often quits the game, and those who don’t quit typically play a far lazier and weaker brand of chess than they did in their prime. It’s only natural, right? We have less energy, we grow jaded and the passions subside.

That’s true for most of us, but not for the inimitable Viktor Korchnoi. He’s not as strong as he once was, of course, but even now, in his mid-70s, he is still in the world’s top 100, he still wins tournaments, and he continues to play a fighting brand of chess that ought to shame those quick-draw artists less than half his age.

One of Korchnoi’s many virtues as a chess player is his willingness to enter non-stereotyped, unbalanced positions, not fearing the possibility that he’ll tire coping with the new situation or worrying that his younger opponents will out-calculate him. Korchnoi's playing style initially was an aggressive counter-attack. He excelled in difficult defensive positions.

Born on March 22, 1931. Korchnoi was USSR champion four times over, in 1960, 1962-63, 1964-65 and 1970. He won five European Championship titles, two interzonal tournaments for world championship, and two Candidates Tournaments, in 1977 and 1980. The latter led to world championship challenges. Korchnoi played three matches for the title, all against Anatoly Karpov. The first was the 1974 Candidates' Final, which turned out to be the title match when Bobby Fischer did not play the winner (Karpov). The other two were title matches against Karpov in Meran and Bagio.

In 1976 he defected to the West and until now become Switzerland citizen. he managed to qualify for two world championship matches vs Anatoly Karpov. The first was held in 1978 in Baguio City, Philippines and the second one in 1981 in Merano, Italy. Korchnoi played in the next Candidates cycle in 1984, and in its course had to face a young Russian talent named Garry Kasparov. After a good start he was defeated by Kasparov

We hope he is still going strong and healthy to contribute nice games to chess worlds.

Talent & Hard work of A Wonder Boy

2007-01-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

Magnus Carlsen was the very youngest grandmaster in history at the time he became grandmaster at 13 years old in 2004. His First GM norm was won in Corus in 2004 and was one of his more memorable performances. He actually won the C group of Corus...making it one of the most memorabe performances of the tournaments history.At the time of this article Magnus is 6.5 out of 8 against all GM opponents

Already a star in the chess community in Norway, Magnus is a very well liked kid. He has a smile and natural charm that people love..In order to keep developing his chess he has to work very hard. Until recently it was 2-3 hours a day, now-a-days it is more like 4-5 hours. He spends many hours reading chess books (which he loves), playing on the Internet and training with his tutor. In addition, he also loves to play football, go skiing and even ski jumping!

To give him the opportunity to develop his talents his parents have sold their second car, rented out their house, and for a year they will be traveling around the world so Magnus can participate in chess tournaments. Magnus’ school work is not neglected at all, but it has to be done in the back seat of a car, in hotel rooms, etc. Both his father and sisters participate in some of the tournaments as well. Traveling around to chess tournaments in different countries is not at all cheap, and it would not have been possible without financial aid. Luckily he has now found a sponsor (Microsoft).

Magnus' memory is said to be photographic. His coach did a little stunt for some journalists: on TV he showed the boy a diagram from a position in a chess book Magnus immediately replied which game it was, from which book, and roughly how it went. His father also has stories of five year old Magnus reciting the name, size and population of all the 430 counties in Norway. This ability is undoubtedly very useful when keeping up-to-date on modern opening theory. One might assume this has been vital when building up his amazing opening repertoire.

Magnus's chess exploits include a draw against Kasparov. His current fide rating as per is January 2007 rating list is 2690, making him ranked 24th GM in the world.

His goal is to reach 2700 which will put him up in the world's elite..possibly the top 10.. With his kind of talent and hard work you can only wonder how he will take over as one of the worlds best??

Recommended Book

2007-01-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

One of the best chess-book I've ever read.

Excelling at Chess by Jacob Aagaard.

I recommend it for a serious chess player. Anyone who follows the advice in this book cannot fail to improve their feel for the game.

This book will open new paradigm of what a real chess player is, chess understanding. Here is the link to see more detail about the book.

Individual Style

2006-12-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

A game of chess is not only impersonal process involving 32 pieces and 64 squares. A game of chess is a struggle between two adversaries taking place under certain concrete conditions: but the people are never free from fault; they are unavoidably, to a lesser or greater extent, influenced by particular moods; they have differing characters. All this is reflected in their performance in a game of chess.

Every chess player, whether an eminent master or an amateur, brings in to his games certain elements of his personal style of play. His style is not only the sum of his chess knowledge and views on the game; it is to a large extent the expression of his character. If we study the games of a player personally unknown to us, we can discover much about his character from his play; on the other hand when we know someone well, we can with a fair amount of certainty guess what style of play he will choose in the game of chess. A man cautious and anxious in life will not be quick to indulge in daring play; a gambler, or someone of frivolous nature, will conduct his game in a risky manner, often without a proper evaluation of the possibilities open to him and his opponent. The optimist tends to overestimate his positions, whereas the pessimist sees dangers and difficulties in every position. The individual style of play is a reflection of the character of the player.

The Basic Concept of Chess Strategy and Tactics

2006-12-10T22:40:00.000-08:00

When i search for middle-game book in my book shelf, I found a book "Modern Chess Strategy" by Ludek Pachman, an old book of year 1963. A good book of middle-game. He mention in one of the chapter The Basic Concept of Chess Strategy and Tactics. I would share some of his good explanation of this topics.

A widely held view is that the differenced between the expert chess player and the novice lies in the extent to which the former can calculate in advance; and the question of how many moves in advance a Grandmaster (GM) can reckon is often thrown up for argument The ability to calculate correctly is undoubtely a necessity for the top-class player; but is is not the only one, and certainly not the most important differences between the master and the average player. There are many players who have a good command of art of accurate combinations, but who will never reach master strength: for they lack the ability to conduct the entire game on the basis of a correct plan laid out in advance. The calculation of particular variations is only possible, and necessary, in certain clearly defined positions; in most cases one's overall plan of play is the correct pointer to finding a given move. Rudolf Spielmann once said "I can see the combinations as well as Alekhine, but I cannot get into the same positions" - Ed

The plan of play at a particular point in the game is called the strategical play; the way in which it is laid out, the collections of principles we follow in itns determination, is known as strategy.

It might be thought that the strategical goal in every game was the mating of the opposing King. And, indeed, such a superficial comprehensive of strategy prevail in the early days of the modern form of chess. Nowadays, however, technique has improved and ideas have become more profound. In the games of good players even the winning of a weak pawn no longer appears with frequency as a strategical goal; more often a small positional advantage (such as control of an open files, the weakening of an opposing pawn, or the creation of a passed-pawn) is the object for which a player puts up a bitter fight.

It is hardly necessary to add that the best of plans come to nothing if they are not carried out correctly; this applies in chess as in life. The collections of measures and methods for executing one's strategical plan or thwarting the opponent's is called tactics. To this field belong manouvres, combinations and sacrifices, as well as double attack, pinning, discovered check, traps, etc.

Chess and Life Analogy (2)

2006-12-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

In chess, as in life, we are constantly subjected to tests. We are immersed in a world of struggle, which demands that we be constantly on the alert. We need to be able to carry out our ideas, to achieve recognition - A Quote by Joseph Dorfman

To get better at any game, you must identify your weaknesses, then try to eliminate them. I learned from chess that my weaknesses included mental laziness, being fooled by appearances, and being distracted by the past when I should be focusing on the future. When I tried to improve these faults, I not only became a better chess player, but also a better person. There aren't many games which can improve your character like chess - A Quote by Daniel Freeman

Weaknesses of character are normally shown in a game of chess - A Quote by Garry Kasparov

Let us say the game may be continued in two ways: one of them is a beautiful tactical blow that gives rise to variations that don't yield to precise calculation; the other is clear positional pressure that leads to an endgame with microscopic chances of victory.... I would choose the latter without thinking twice. But if I see only one correct path win, then I folllow it. If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic - A Quote by Anatoly Karpov

My chess friends are young and old, white and black, men and women; there is no discrimination over the chessboard - A Quote by Vlad Vainberg

Playing chess gives us a chance to start out life over again, and this time, no one has more money than us, no one is more beautiful, no one lives in a better neighborhood, and we all go to the same school. Other than having the first move, and this benefit is shared equally, no one starts with any unfair advantage.

The more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in war - U.S. Navy SEALs

Chess is the art, which expresses the science of logic. A Quote by Mikhail Botvinnik

On the chess board lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. The creative combination lays bare the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culminating in a checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite - A Quote by Emmanuel Lasker

It's generally - but erroneously - assumed that the best teachers are the best players, and that the best players can easily communicate the secrets of the game. Actually, the best teachers are often just interested amateurs. A Quote by Andrew Soltis

We learn chess when we study. We apply what we learnt when we play. and we learn more during analysis of game played.

Should you experiment with both d4 & e4?

2006-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

I found this very intersting Question and Answer between a casual player and Pete Tamburro, head of New Jersey Chess Federation www.njscf.com at this link.

Q : I was told (by an IM) that it's best to stick with one or the other while you are starting out. Views?

A : We've discussed this before on this site. My opinion, and I don't claim originality here, is that 1.e4 is best for starting out. The elements are simpler: bad development is hammered right away, tactically sharp positions arise and you have to calculate right away, the elements are clearer to understand. 1.d4 may very well be a better opening move, certainly an arguable issue, but mistakes by White are not punished as quickly, less tactics arise...not to say it doesn't happen, just not as much. So stick with 1.e4 at the beginning and then grow into the more sophisticated stuff. That even works within 1.e4. Try gambits, then graduate to the Ruy Lopez, a more sophisticated opening.

Q : I'm agreeing with you that some experience of the open game is good. and that I should try some e4 openings.
My next question is simply this: Should I EXCLUSIVELY concentrate on e4 openings (bearing in mind I already play some d4); i.e. should I switch entirely for a year say. OR can I play both e4 and d4 openings for the next year.
My question is, is mixing and matching OK?

A: After 50 years of playing chess, I can honestly say there is no "formula." Unless you plan on becoming a GM, don't worry about it. As I said above, I think you learn a lot of lessons more quickly with 1.e4, but, of course you can switch or do whatever. Take a year. Study and play e4. Take another year. Study and play d4. That goes for Black, too. Forget your "ELO"--that has done more harm to chess development than any other single concern. And don't forget those king and pawn endgames and rook and pawn endgames!

Opening - Middlegame - Endgame

2006-12-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

Some chess quotes:

The aim of opening is to get a playable middlegame (Lajos Portisch)

Openings teach you openings. Endgames teach you chess (Stephan Gerzadowicz)

In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame (Jose Raul Capablanca)

Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine (Spielmann)

After a bad opening, there is hope for the middle game. After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame. But once you arein the endgame, the moment of truth has arrived (Edmar Mednis)

Many players throughout the whole five hours of play, occupy themselves in the main with calculations, and their work during a game reduces approximately to the following: 'If I go here, he goes there,' and so on, as much as strength will permit. More experienced players, who have deeply studied the secrets of their art, frequently do not tire themselves with such a lengthy process, and being guided, in the main, by unshakable principles, they plan their subsequent play (Mikhail Tal)

Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half (Jan Timman)

Anatoly Karpov's play can be described as : He denies freedom of action to his opponent's pieces, slowly squeezing the vise tighter until he strangles the opponent's position (what's often called a "python-like crush" or "boa constrictor")

A famous Capablanca story (the short version)... Several very strong masters were analyzing a chess game. Capa walks by and checks it out. They ask him, "Capa how do you win this?" Capa says, "Simple! First you get this position and from here it's a forced win." and then he walks quietly away. The assembled Masters spend the next hour arriving at the position Capa said was a forced win. Another one-half hour to discover 'why' it's forced win! Therein lies your answer. Capa just knew whereas the Masters had to figure it all out. That's judgement at its best!

Many players in beginners and intermediate level put too much emphasis on opening study and not enough on other areas. Tactics and endgames are foundation of chess, and doing tactics and endgame exercises daily is recommended. Deep opening study is very important at higher level such as expert, master and beyond. It is enough for beginner and intermediate players, to understand basic principles of chess opening. (Susan Polgar)

About opening study, the key is understanding the ideas. A mastery of a little theory which conveys real understanding of the game is infinitely more valuable than a memorized of endless moves. If you know objectives you are seeking and you have a complete understanding of this phase of the game, you will be able to play strongly in the openings without too much memorizing any series of moves or variations. (Rueben Fine)

All chessplayers eventually come to appreciate the importance of endgames. Some of us take longer than others. The lucky ones get to love the endgame from the early days of their chess careers, perhaps because of the influence of a wise trainer. Others among us are less fortunate, and spend years using our chess study time to memorise ever-longer sequences of opening analysis, whilst ignoring the endgame. We only realise the error of our ways when we finally manage to trap a much stronger opponent in our opening preparation - our carefully opening preparation generates an ending with an extra pawn, which we then finish up only drawing, or even losing. After a few such experiences, a sadder and wiser man, we finally go home and take out our pristine copy of Basic Chess Endings, bought all those years ago, and left standing on our bookshelves ever since, untouched by human hand.

Chess Psychology (3) - Learning Process

2006-12-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

This series of article below is compiled from Josh Waitzkin Chess Academy. I appreciate my good friend Manuel who share and send me the article.

Have you ever asked yourself, after spending years at some job or hobby or pursuit: what am I in this for anyway? Do I play chess or the guitar or do I write or read to bolster my ego or to grow as a human being? Am I in this for glory or wisdom? Is it the process or the result that I value most?

Developmental psychologists have done extensive research on this question and on the effect of a student's attitude on his or her ability to learn and ultimately master material. Dr. Carol Dweck, a leading researcher in the field of developmental psychology, and a woman who I have enjoyed studying with at Columbia University, makes the distinction between entity and learning theories of intelligence. Children who are "entity theorists" are prone to use language like "I am smart at this" and to attribute their success or failure to an ingrained and unalterable level of ability at a particular task or of intelligence altogether. "Learning theorists" are more prone to describe their results with sentences like "I got it because I worked very hard at it" or "I should have tried harder." While this research is very extensive, and I can't begin to explain it in a few paragraphs, suffice it to say that when challenged by difficult material, learning theorists are far more likely to rise to the level of the game, while entity theorists are more brittle and prone to quit.

In any case, I believe that performers are consistently undone by materialism. When I have begun to smell the win, and my imagination drifted to the feeling of victory and the post-tournament celebration, I have inevitably blown the position. Similarly, when students of mine have said during analysis of one of their games "Now I knew I was winning," they have inevitably made errors that let the opponent back into the struggle. Also, when players tell themselves "now I am busted" or "this position is completely lost" they shut their minds off to the rest of the struggle and miss countless chances to get back into the game.

Thinking about the result of the game takes us out of the moment--your consciousness is like a kite soaring with the wind that smashes headlong into a tree. Suddenly your creativity stops. Flow is gone. But the wind blows right along, only now it is without you. Imagine two timelines running parallel to one another--one is your awareness (the kite) and the other is the immediate situation on the chess board (the wind). When you start to drift towards materialistic thoughts your timeline stops and the chess position continues right along. The resulting layer of detachment is very dangerous and playing through it has the feeling of staring into thick fog. Interestingly, I have observed that the first things to go when this detachment sets in are the sense of danger and alertness to slightly unusual possibilities

But how can we fight the natural tendency to think about winning when we are competing and the obvious goal is to win? This is a difficult question, and one that should not be tackled glibly. First of all, I would recommend a relationship to chess which has more to do with the process than with results. This is not to say that we don't want to win--I am an incredibly competitive guy and when I play I play to win--but there can be a broader perspective that focuses on the larger growth process and the long term ramifications of every moment. For example, when I was 8-years-old I lost a huge game in the last round of my first national championships. Of course I was devastated in the moment, but in retrospect that was the best thing that ever could have happened to me because I worked the whole next year and won the next championship. I learned that you have to sweat to win, and I gained a respect for hard work. In contrast, I have seen many young players who had so much easy early success that they never associated work with victory, and when the going inevitably got rough they quit because they were not prepared to buckle down.

Whether you fool around with chess for a few weeks, delve into it for a few years, or spend a lifetime enjoying its ever-expanding mysteries, the art will teach you about yourself. If you open to the learning process the experience will be intensely rewarding on many levels. So don't worry if you lose a game, but learn from your errors; and don't become over-inflated when you win, but maintain the humility of a true learner. Chess is not about perfection. If it were, the game would lose much of its mystery and artistry, and would quickly be dominated by computers. Human beings can access and create the music of chess because the game is a channel for our creative spirits. But our creativity is blunted by thoughts that take us out of the struggle.

Chess Psychology (2) - Downward Spiral

2006-12-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

This series of article below is compiled from Josh Waitzkin Chess Academy.

One day, when I was 18 or 19 years old I was walking on 33rd street and Broadway in NYC to teach one of my chess classes to my team at PS 116. Every one who has grown up in Manhattan knows that it is important to look both ways before crossing the street--cars run lights and bicyclists often ride the wrong way down a one way street--admittedly, I have been guilty of the latter. To survive in the city one mustn't blindly leave his fate to the traffic light gods. So I was waiting for the light, thinking about the ideas that I would soon be discussing with my students, when I noticed that a woman wearing headphones had walked right into oncoming traffic and was completely oblivious to the chaotic street that she was crossing. Just then, as she looked right, a bicycle bore down on her from the left. The biker lurched away at the last second, but still gave her a harmless bump. This was a critical moment in the woman's life. She had a near miss and could easily have walked away unscathed if she had just stepped back onto the pavement--but instead she turned to the fading bicyclist and cursed his impudence. There she was, standing with her back to the traffic on 33rd and Broadway screaming at the back of a biker who just performed a miracle to avoid smashing into her. If that moment could be frozen in time it would be a terrifying image for us all to weep over and learn from. A taxi cab was the next to speed onto the scene--the woman was struck from behind and sent reeling 10 feet into the air. She smashed into a lamp post and was knocked out and bleeding badly. The ambulance and police came and eventually I walked on to PS 116 only hoping that she might survive.

Regaining presence and clarity of mind after making a serious error is a struggle for all competitors and performers. Great stage actors often miss a line but improvise their way back on track. The audience rarely notices because of the perfect ease with which the performer glides back from troubled waters into the tranquillity of the script. What is more, the truly great ones can make the moment work for them--heightening their performance with improvisations that throb with immediacy and life. Cellists, violinists, chess players, actors, basketball players, and countless others all understand that brilliant performances are often born of small errors. The problems set in if the performer has a relationship to his or her art which has a brittle dependence on the safety of absolute perfection or duplication. Then an error shatters the glass menagerie and some clouded state of detachment haunts the decision making process. This is quite common among chess players, and the danger is that a small ripple can quickly rise into a tidal wave if the player does not regain a peace of mind with which to tackle the new situation.

In chess, one form that the downward spiral can take is in the strange emotional attachment a player often has to a past evaluation. Say you have a much better position and then make an error that allows your opponent to equalize. There is nothing wrong with equality, but because of the transition and your resulting cloudiness, you may be prone to cling onto the past situation and in your evaluations reject variations in which you are equal because emotionally you are still much better even though there is no longer any objective justification for such an attitude. What results is a downward spiral where the foundering player at once despairs and pushes, with hollow over-confidence, for more than there is. At once too high and too low, there is a complete absence of objectivity, and when we try to squeeze more out of a position than we have a right to expect, we will inevitably make the situation progressively worse. Our vision gets cloudier as the position gets further away from us--and we make mistakes that are far beneath our level. Sometimes all a chess player needs is a bucket of cold water over the head--something to wake us from the lethargic resignation to our emotional swings. With practice and introspective attentiveness, we can learn to be our own cold water

Chess Psychology (1) - Psychological Connection

2006-12-03T05:36:00.000-08:00

This series of article below is compiled from Josh Waitzkin Chess Academy

Two people sit facing one another in silence. A few feet apart, each can smell the other and hear every breath. They focus with forbidding intensity on the space that separates them. Sometimes one looks up and searches the other for meaning, mood, an idea. Occasionally their eyes meet until too much is revealed and one glances away. Hours pass. They sweat with strain and the passionate need to overcome. They are pushed to the limit. Bodies are separated by a table, but minds are dancing in a common dream until the bodies fall away and all that is left is thought and emotion and a shared journey through a jungle of complexity.

This is a chess game. It is rare that two human beings, short of lovers, share such an intimate focus. As players we learn each other's rhythms. Every mine that you lay, I must uncover and avoid. Every attack I plan, you hinder before it begins. I begin to feel what you are thinking, where you are immersed at every moment. If I see something that gives me a rush of fear, you will feel my reaction and search for the weakness. If there is an easy tactic that you are too deeply into the position to notice, I may sit motionless to avoid a rustle that may snap you back to the surface. If I am sweating you will feed off my fear. If you are excited I will search for the reason.

With our minds so attuned to one another, we may see and miss many of the same things. It is quite common for two players to share an obvious blind spot or false evaluation because their concentrations are entangled on the wrong path. We may both think that I am winning because of the emotional evolution of the game, when in fact my attack is unsound and you are clearly better. At such times, the objective evaluation is practically secondary to the emotional reality. If you believe you are much worse, then you may not be cool-headed enough to find the dispassionate refutation.

There is a real fascinating story of Boris Spassky playing an entire match against Viktor Kortchnoi from a seat away from the table watching the demo board. Spassky was one of the more charismatic world champions--so such an unusual move was consistent with his boisterous personality. Apparently Spassky did this firstly to unnerve Kortchnoi who was prepared for and used to feeling a presence against whom he was wrestling. Suddenly Victor was out there all alone, and Spassky had months to psychologically prepare for this new competitive situation. Also, Kortchnoi holds that Spassky wanted to personally be more objective and less impassioned by Victor's emotional state. Kortchnoi told me that he was so unnerved that he asked the tournament arbiter to force Spassky to sit down. Of course such a rule could not be enforced and Spassky had gained the upper-hand before a chess move was played.

Such tactics might seem strange to a beginner, but when you have felt the intensity of extended match play, and vibrated with the tension of two tremendous forces in a month-long stand-off, you will understand the desire to find even the most bizarre ways to gain a slight edge. But methods such as Spassky's tactics and Tal's penetrating ability need not be taken literally when relating them to our own competitive lives. What is crucial is not the particular mechanism, but the reality of an interconnectedness that exists between opponents. And once again, I believe that the best way of handling this reality is to stay present. When you find yourself in the spell of an emotional sway, try to snap back into clarity. If you are in a deep think and can't find an answer, go to the bathroom and splash cold water on your face or refresh your biochemistry by sprinting up a flight of stairs--upon returning you may immediately see the way. I have had many moments in my career when I simply could not find anything and then I got up from the board and had the solution dawn on me when I took a sip of water or just cleared my mind. Sometimes we are attached to the left when we should be looking right. More often we are looking too deep, when the first move of our calculation is the error. Sometimes both players will feel a certain way, and the game will go that way, when all that was needed was a new perspective and the whole character of the struggle would be jolted 180 degrees. Again, if you can snap into the moment and out of the spell of inertia, many cases of chess blindness will be avoided.

Endgame Virtuoso

2006-11-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

This endgame fragment is from Ponomariov vs Morozevich, Tal Memorial 2006.

You can view or replay the complete game from start to end at board diagram below, 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.

This is position reached after 45...Kb6-c5

White is better position, but it seemed unclear if he could win. After 46.Rxd7 Bxd7 or 46.Rd1 Rxd1 47.Bxd1 it is hard to find a breakthrough

Ruslan Ponomariov, 23-year-old former FIDE world champion makes move 46.Kf4! with idea of 47.Rc6+ and 48.Rxc8. this involving "d6 pawn" sacrifice. How many of us will think of this idea :) ?

46...Rxd6
47.exd6 Kxd6

All of this is forced. It looks like White simply dropped a pawn, but here Ponomariov sacrificed the second pawn:

48.c5+! Kxc5 (48...Ke7 perhaps offered chances of survival, 49.Ke5 Ke7)

In an endgame in which pawns are worth their weight in gold, Ponomariov sacrifices not one but two(!) pawns simply in order to penetrate with his king on the weak dark squares of the Black kingside. Like the great Capablanca once said "Position comes first, material second". I am learning more every day about how material is not really all that important, within limits

49.Ke5 Ba6
50.Kf6 Kd6
51.Be4 Be2
52.Kxf7 Bg4 (if 52...Bh5, 53.Kg7! and next Kxh7)
53.Bxg6 1-0.

Final position :

A very fine endgame understanding and technique by Ponomariov. We learn something here that finding the winning pattern/scheme in endgame is often more important than keeping material balance without any idea/plan.

Chess and Life Analogy (1)

2006-11-05T00:53:00.000-08:00

In his book "Teaching Life Skills Through Chess", Fernando Moreno point out many example of chess and life analogy. Below is one of it:

This is position after 1.h4-h5 g7-g6

Should you :

(a) capture the Black pawn, 2.hxg6, or
(b) move forward, 2.h6 ?

The best answer is b.

If the white pawn moves forward, nobody can stop it. It will be promoted to a Queen and later the black King will be checkmated. But if white captures the black pawn, the other black pawn will capture it back and nobody will win. It will be a draw.

ADVICE FOR LIFE from this chess position :

When somebody challenges you, bothers you or steps un your space, your first reaction may be to bother them back or fight. Is this the best decision?

It may be better to :

think before you move
focus on your goal,
and move away from trouble.

Fighting does not resolve anything, nobody wins.

Chess and War Analogy

2006-11-01T02:55:00.000-08:00

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
- Sun Tzu

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.
- Sun Tzu

We must despise (hate) our opponents strategically, yet respect them tactically.
- Mao Tse Tung

I really like the last quote, one of my motto. It has deep corelation with chess. Never underestimate or overestimate your opponents. You must outplay you opponents strategicaly (initiative, tempo, pressure, control center-square-files-diagonals etc), but in every single moves you must always be alert of any tactical threat (like trap, pin, fork, skewer, discovered check etc). No matter how good your position is, if you overlook a tactical blow, the game is over, even you're a GrandMaster or a WorldChamp.

Chess study

2006-10-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

Many players in beginners and intermediate level put too much emphasis on opening study and not enough on other areas. Tactics and endgames are foundation of chess, and doing tactics and endgame exercises daily is recommended. Deep opening study is very important at higher level such as expert, master and beyond. It is enough for beginner and intermediate players, to understand basic principles of chess opening.

Solving tactic and endgame puzzles regularly (like 4-5 daily, it is much better than doing 50 puzzle at once but only once a month) is like repetition that will make you a better player. You are not memorizing the actual positions, but you will remember the idea, recognizing the pattern. Chess is a large pattern of recognition. The more pattern you know, the better player you will be.

Chess grandmasters have a database about no less than 20,000 pattern (tactical, strategical, and endgame patterns) in his mind. They are able to quickly pull relevant information from this mammoth database. With a mere glance, a grandmaster can then figure out how the configuration in front of him is likely to play itself out

Amateurs, by contrast, often use short-term memory while playing chess. When they take in new information, it stays in the "small hard drive" of working memory without passing over into the "zip drive" of long-term memory. Amateurs are often overwriting things they've already learned.

About opening study, the key is understanding the ideas. A mastery of a little theory which conveys real understanding of the game is infinitely more valuable than a memorized of endless moves. If you know objectives you are seeking and you have a complete understanding of this phase of the game, you will be able to play strongly in the openings without too much memorizing any series of moves or variations.

Chess and Music

2006-10-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934) once wrote : Chess, like love, like music, has the powers to make men happy.

Researches have shown that Chess and Music are the only two actitivities that connect the right and left brain. Some top level chess players are also musically talented. Below are some of the obvious names:

Vasily Smyslov - Baritone Singer
Emil Sutovsky - Baritone Singer
Lajos Portisch - Opera Singer
Francois-Andre Danican Philidor - Opera Composer
Igor Ivanov - Pianist
Mark Taimanov - Concert Pianist

Mark Taimanov's parallel career as a concert pianist was also of world-class stature. He and his long-time partner, Lyubov Bruk, were recognized as the best piano ensemble of the Twentieth century, and were included in the series "Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century" by the Philips and Steinway companies.
Taimanov is the author of more than 20 books on the theory and practice of chess, and has been published in many different countries and languages. Mark Taimanov has opening variations named after him in the Sicilian Defense and Nimzo-Indian.

In one of interview he compared certain Grandmasters with great composers:

"Well, for me the resemblance between Capablanca and Mozart is absolutely evident.
I would compare Lasker with Beethoven,
and Steinitz with Bach.
Alekhine with his wealth of ideas and sense of harmony is akin to Rachmaninoff.
Smyslov's harmony is closer to that of Chaikovsky's.
Fischer is as monumental as Liszt.
Tal reminds me of Paganini - the same self-abandon and fatalism.
Botvinnik is associated for me with Wagner.
Karpov's chess is as simple and as complicated as Prokofiev's music.
Kasparov with his dynamic play brings to mind Shostakovich and his symphonies..."

Interesting match of style :

Capablanca - Mozart
Lasker - Beethoven
Steinitz - Bach
Alekhine - Rachmaninoff
Smyslov - Chaikovsky
Fischer - Liszt
Tal - Paganini
Botvinnik - Wagner
Karpov - Prokofiev
Kasparov - Shostakovich

Why Sicilian Kan is not as popular as the other Sicilian?

2006-10-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

From one of message board of opening discussion, I found a funny humour article about why Sicilian Kan variation is less popular then Najdorf or Dragon or Sveshnikov variation. This is the the link

Sicilian Kan variation is : 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6
Sicilian Najdorf variation is : 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6
Sicilian Dragon variation is : 11.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6
Sicilian Sveshnikov variation is : 11.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5

Here is some part of that posting article by one of discussion's member :

Well, I can tell you. The Kan got picked on at school. The Najdorf and Sveshnikov used to beat up the Kan and steal its lunch money. All the cool kids play Sveshnikov, Najdorf, or Dragon. The Kan is just a French defence that pretends to be a Sicilian. Like a wimpy surburban yuppie poser kid who pretends to be a ballin gangsta. Sveshnikov sounds like a weapon, that's why the book is called Sveshnikov Reloaded. Weapons are metal. Dragon is also acceptable. A dragon has teeth and breathes fire, that's metal! Najdorf sounds kinda gimpy (probably it's the "DORF" part) but Fischer and Kasparov played it so you won't get made fun of for playing Najdorf.

In other words, if you want to be cool and fit in with the "cool" chess kids, you really need to stop playing Kan. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. The other Sicilian players will not let you sit at their table. I wouldn't, and I play Scandinavian! Scandinavian is like the stoner/slacker opening for lazy underachievers. Sicilian players tell themselves they are cooler and "better", but secretly they are jealous that Scandinavian has 5% as much theory. You know you are. Your other option is 1...e5, the manliest opening. 1...e5 is where boys fear to tread. One misstep and it's game over. 1...e5 players are like the ripped bodybuilder dudes with Harleys and tattoos. Those guys have no fear. I try to stay away from them. French and CaroKann are also for those who like shortcuts; typically reformed Scandinavian players will go to the French or CaroKann after they get out of rehab and are sober for awhile. Kan used to be a French, but it started pretending to be Sicilian. Now the French doesn't even want it back anymore.

In my opinion : Some opening or opening lines might be more popular than others, but I don't agree that opening A is the only best, etc. All major opening or opening variation is playable and good, as long you understand the idea behind

Child of Internet?

2006-10-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

GM Boris Gelfand was recently asked about the chess future of US Champion 2005-Hikaru Nakamura. His answer was very interesting: Nakamura is a player of a new generation. He does not hide, he shows off that he has not read a single book and does not know the endgame theory. Instead of studying the works of Tarrasch he prefers to be 24 hours on the ICC (Internet Chess Club). However, he has convincing competitive results. This is a very interesting phenomenon.

Gelfand puts his finger on a new phenomenon, whereas Petrosian called the generation of players who came to the fore in the 60s the Child of Informant, now we have the Child of the Internet, and Nakamura is a good example.Nakamura is still a teenager and his maturity level has not yet come to grips with his status as the leader of American chess, for example he still acts oftentimes like a spoiled brat and delights in pushing his weight around. There have been too many reported incidents of his shouting at his elders with stupid tirades like "what's your rating? do you know who I am??" (yes, that's why sometimes you read about him being beaten up in tournaments). Nakamura is something like Fischer, in order to stomach his games you have to ignore the person. Good thing it is his chess that concerns us today.Nakamura's willingness to bring the battle to his opponent, no matter who it may be, his tactical genius, the constant striving for the initiative, and the insistence on fighting to the last drop in any game, these characteristics distinguish him as a warrior trained in the internet.

A perfect example of such an internet warrior is Matthew Herman, a New Yorker who was 11 and rated USCF 1431 when he first discovered the Internet Chess Club in 1998. The ICC and its never-ending supply of opponents appealed to Mathman (his handle, or nickname) very much and soon he was logged in 24 hours at a time playing day and night. In a few months' time he was already rated 2600+ at blitz.His mother recognized the kid's talent and tested him by entering the prodigy in the Under-1600 section of the Philadelphia World Open. The result was a shocking 8.5/9 and a US $10,000 check for first prize. The mother and child then went to the Bradley Open in Connecticut, in the stronger Under-1800 section with identical result, 8.5/9 and a check for several thousand dollars.Then came the test of fire, they entered the Mohawk Valley Open in New York State, in the Open Section (the strongest section, where all the GMs and IMs play). He took clear second place and once again was several thousand dollars richer.These results must have scared them, for in 1999 at the ripe old age of 12 Mathman retired from chess. You can read the complete Bobby Ang's article here

Hypermodern Classical?

2006-10-08T05:38:00.000-07:00

1.d4 d5 or 1.e4 e5 or 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 or 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 is some of several openings that is a classical way of starting the game (that is putting pawns at center at the first chance),

while

Gruenfeld 1.d4 Nf6 2.c6 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3

Alekhine 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 (Four Pawns Attack)

Pirc or Modern 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 (Austrian attack)

is some of several openings that is hypermodern way of starting the game, as Black allowed White build a big pawn centre, then to counterattack it later.

But let's compare with this below

This position is from Topalov-Kramnik, Game-9, Wch Elista 2006
After 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. a3 Nbd7 9. g3 Be7 10. f4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 O-O 12. e4

GM Mihail Marin at chessbase.com quoted : Looking at this position, I cannot stop asking myself: what does it mean to play a hypermodern opening? 1...d5 is supposed to be a classical way of starting the game, but isn't here White's advantage in the centre just as big or maybe even bigger than, say, in the Gruenfeld? One of the reasons why the Slav is so popular nowadays is that it allows Black choose any type of structure he wishes, according to the style of play or, why not, the mood in that specific moment. It can lead to more or less symmetrical positions or to very unbalances situations. As a compensation for White's advantage of space and powerful pair of bishops in the current position, Black is few tempo ahead in development. It remains an open question whether this is enough. Black (Kramnik)'s play in the next phase of the game does not really sustain this hypothesis.

This is about the same as assuming the generalization that 1.d4 lead to more positional play, and 1.e4 lead to more tactical play, while Vaselin Topalov or Mikhail Tal is known able to play 1.d4 with dynamic and tactical aggresive style, and Michael Adams or Peter Leko play 1.e4 with positional style!"

World Champions' Style

2006-10-07T02:39:00.000-07:00

The 14th World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik sharing his views on thirteen chess kings...

Should young chess players study the classics?

In my view, if you want to reach the heights, you should study the entire history of chess. I can't give any clear logical explanation for it, but I think it is absolutely essential to soak up the whole of chess history

A very interesting view from Kramnik about the style of each of former World Champion.

Wilhelm Steinitz The Experimenter
Emanuel Lasker The Undogmatic
Jose Raul Capablanca The Magnificent
Alexander Alekhine The Dynamic
Max Euwe The Versatile
Mikhail Botvinnik The Conceptual
Vasily Smyslov The Accurate
Mikhail Tal of Another Planet
Tigran Petrosian The Well-Balanced
Boris Spassky The Comphrehensive
Bobby Fischer The Vigorous
Anatoly Karpov The Amazing
Garry Kasparov The Flexible

the detail of each can be read here

Can Internet Chess Help Us ?

2006-10-06T23:53:00.001-07:00

This article was wrriten by Susan Polgar
for chesscafe.com
on February 2005.

At one time, the Internet Chess was mostly for those who were younger, hipper, and more technically astute. But today, it is for just about everyone and it has had a very big impact in developing younger and younger grandmasters. If you are an avid chess lover, there is nothing better than Internet Chess.

I strongly believe that Internet chess can help most players. Despite some drawbacks, the Internet offers a great opportunity for players, especially novices, to learn and play the game at their convenience, which is not true in over-the-board games.

Some of us are so busy with our daily lives that between our jobs, family, and other obligations, it is hard to play chess over-the-board. That is why Internet chess has thrived in the past seven to eight years. So, what can it offer that regular over-the-board chess can’t?

Overall , the advantages of Internet chess outweigh the disadvantages.

The rest of the article can be read here.

Me in the middle of Giant Chess

2006-09-18T04:27:00.000-07:00

My favourite chess article and quote

2006-09-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

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

About my services and analysis

2006-09-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

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.

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