For exercises 1-4 visit the chess exercises page.
It is very important that you have mastered exercises 1-4 before starting on this exercise.
Without looking at the board, tell all the squares controlled by:
- a bishop on g2
- a bishop on g7
- a bishop on e5
- a bishop on b7
- a bishop on d2
- a bishop on c5
Favorite Chess Blogs
1. Chessvibes : News, tournament reports and endgames studies.
2. Chess for all Ages : A little bit about everything about chess.
3. Chess Training : Not a well known blog, but worth checking out. It is not frequently updated, but when it is the content is exactly what I’m looking for in a chess improvement blog.
4. Susan Polgar Chess News and Information : Frequently updates news and puzzles from Susan Polgar.
5. The Kenilworthian : The Kenilworth Chess Club, but don’t let the name fool you, this blog contains lots of news and information not found elsewhere, definitely worth a visit.
Favorite Chess Sites
1. Chess.com: Best chess social networking site
2. Chessbase : Best chess news .
3. Chess Cafe : Best chess related articles.
4. chessgames.com : Best chess game database, also has guess the move feature which is excellent for training.
5. Chess Tempo: Best placed to practice your tactics online.
Honorable Mentions
1. www.chess.fm : Worth the visit, if only for the Dan Heisman training videos. (requires ICC membership to view most videos)
“If you want to get better at chess you need to place much less emphasis on ’study’ whereby you increase your knowledge of positions, and place more emphasis on ‘training,’ whereby you try to solve problems, play practice games, or perhaps try to beat a strong computer program from an advantageous position.” (p.25).
“Chess skill emerges from chess playing combined with chess training, where ‘training’ means working things out by yourself. The main skill a chess-player needs is skill in making decisions, so that’s what you need to do and do repeatedly. If you want to become a better player, you need better habits, and you cultivate better habits through training. The best training is the kind that pushes you up against the edges of your comfort zone, where you force yourself to take responsibility for difficult decisions. It is so much easier to read books that give strategic guidelines, hints and tips, etc., but what you need is ‘know how’ and that means learning by doing.” (p.29)
“…The main function of chess trainers should be to guide the training of their students, rather than to teach them directly. The best thing you can do for a student is to select interesting positions for them and analyse them carefully so you can see the kinds of things that the student is missing. The trouble with this approach is prosaic, but real. Chess tutors are normally paid by the hour, and this tends to make you think that you should be showing the students certain things, imparting knowledge, giving hints and tips, etc. This is understandable, but much more useful, I think, is to give the student difficult positions to solve, to be there in a supportive role as they solve them, and then carefully consider what the student missed and why.” (p.66)
These are my personal and very unprofessional thoughts on the knowledge and skill attributes that amateur chess players have as they climb up the ratings ladder. The idea is to show the estimated chess rating, as well as the time it would take to attaining that level as well as the knowledge and skill attributes that the rating level requires. The idea is to figure out where you fall and what knowledge and skills are needed to go to the next level.
I would love to get feedback from more knowledgeable players and coaches, since I think this might be helpful to chess players that are just starting out all the way to an approximate 1700 rating. The idea is for players to focus on those areas that they need to work on in order to reach the next level.
0-1000 (0-3 months of experience) Player has just learned the game, they constantly leaves pieces en prise, and make many blunders. Player has no tactical, endgame, or positional knowledge. Absolutely No evaluation or analytical skills.
1000-1100 (3-6 months of experience) Beginning player now has several games under their belt. Have a very basic tactical knowledge and they continue to make many blunders and to leave pieces en prise. Plays without plan.
1100-1200 (1-2 years of experience) Beginner player continues to make many blunders. Player has learned basic tactics. Occasionally leaves pieces en prise, but not a common occurrence. Sometimes plays with a plan, but the plan is usually incorrect. At this point the player sees many offensive tactics but they miss almost all defensive tactics.
1200-1300 (2-3 years of experience) Player begins to understand that chess is a two player game, and begins to ask what the opponent’s last move is threatening. On occasion makes serious blunders. Major reason for rating increase is that player stops leaving pieces en prise for the most part. Player has intermediate tactical skills but still misses many defensive tactical shots. Starts to build an opening repertoire, which gets him into the middlegame in a better position. Very limited endgame and positional skills. Starts making better plans due to limited endgame and positional knowledge.
1300-1400 (3-4 years of experience) Advanced beginner. Players at this level have reached an intermediate thought process. player Looks for Checks, Captures and threats after opponents moves. Does not leave pieces en prise. Very good with offensive tactics and improving on the defensive tactics side, but still misses some. Still building opening repertoire. Starts learning basic endgame and middlegame strategy, but knowledge is still very basic. This level is an important milestone for the beginning chess player because they are on the verge of being an intermediate player.
1400-1500 (5-6 years of experience) Intermediate level player. Good thought process, does not leave pieces en prise. Advanced tactically, both on offense and defense (might occasionally miss a defensive tactic). Has an opening repertoire and plays pet openings. Has intermediate endgame, positional and analysis skills. One of the reasons for low rating is players poor positional evaluation abilities. Will probably need a chess coach to improve further.
1500-1700 (6-7 years of experience) Advanced intermediate player. Advanced tactical skills and thought process. Player has Intermediate endgame and positional skills at this stage. Intermediate positional evaluation and analysis skills. Should have a chess trainer, and play against strong opposition in order to improve as well as a strong focus on the endgame, positional and evaluation skills.
1700-1900 (7-8 years of experience) Near expert level player. Advanced tactical skills and thought process. Very strong endgame and positional skills. Intermediate evaluation skills. Very good analyst. Player needs to continue focusing on evaluation and analysis skills. Opening theory knowledge becomes an important component for further improvement. Player has a good database of structures that that can help them when they reach unfamiliar positions in OTB play. Player should reach expert level in approximately 2 more years, which falls in line with expert theory which claims that it takes 10 years to become an expert in any field.
Previous Exercises:
- Exercise 1
- Exercise 2
- Exercise 3
For exercise 4, using the board look at all of the squares controlled by:
- the f1-bishop developed to e2 (place only this bishop on the board)
- the f1-bishop developed to d3, c4, b5
- the f8-bishop developed on e7, d6, c5, b4
- all remaining bishops as above
Then, without the use of the board repeat the exercise again visualizing the squares controlled by the bishops above.
Perform this exercise for 2 sessions or until you feel comfortable.