What do you all use as a chess notebook? Is it solely chessbase, or is it a handwritten notebook or a combination of the two? Would love to hear your feedback. As for me, I’m thinking of using Chessbase but also printing out the diagrams and notes and adding them to a binder for easy offline reference.
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Annotated Game: Mattison Vs. Nimzovich
Matisons,Hermanis – Nimzowitsch,Aaron [E21]
Karlsbad Karlsbad, 1929
[Irving Chernev]The following game so beautifully annotated by Chernev in ‘The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played’ shows the power of centralized knights and rooks on open files.Â
Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 The Nimzo-Indian defense. 4…Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 d6 6.Qc2 Qe7 7.Ba3 c5 This fixes White’s pawn at c4, making it a stationary target at which Nimzowich can aim an attack. 8.g3 White prepares to fianchetto the bishop and control the long diagonal. Ordinarily, this is a comendable development, but here this has the drawback of depriving the weak pawn at c4 with a defender. [8.e4 A better course followed by 9.Bd3.] 8…b6Black intends to dispute control of the long diagonal. 9.Bg2 Bb7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Nh4 White is anxious to exchange bishops, since Nimzowich has more scope, and bears down (together with the knight) so strongly on the e5 square. A better way to bring about the exchange would have been 11.Nd2. The knight would then not only exert more influence on the center, but would be a useful protector of the pawn on c4. 11…Bxg2 12.Kxg2Better would have been 12. Nxg2 retaking with the knight. 12…Qb7+
13.Kg1 Better would have been 13. Nf3, which gets the knight back from the sidelines, and gives White a fighting chance. 13…Qa6 Attacks both the bishop and the c4 pawn, forcing White’s reply. 14.Qb3 Nc6 15.Rfd1 Na5 16.Qb5 Qxb5 17.cxb5
 17…Nc4! The doubled pawn has been dissolved, but the weakness of the square on which it stood remains. Nimzowich anchors his knight on this vital square, and with that move he secures new advantages: (1)The knight is posted aggressively. It attacks the bishop and drives it back to its original square. (2) The knight is posted defensively. It protects the d6 pawn and the b6 pawn against possible attack. (3) the knight has a great deal of influence on the important central squares. (4) The knight cannot be disloged by pawns, nor by the bishop (which operates on the dark squares only).18.Bc1 a6 This forces open the a file, since White must capture or lose a pawn.
19.bxa6 Rxa6 Now the rook has a fine target in the isolated a2 pawn.20.dxc5 bxc5 21.Ng2 The knight returns, but it is too late.
A comparison of the positions shows the superiority of Black’s in that his knights are strongly centralized, and his rooks can operate on the two open files. White’s minor pieces are widely scattered, and his rooks out of touch with each other.
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Triangulation
Triangulation refers to a King maneuver which aims to lose a tempo, and leave the opponent with the move. (Dvoretsky) The d5 and d7 square are in correspondence. White in this position can easily “lose” a tempo and place his opponent in zugzwang.
1.Ke5! Kc6 2.Kd4 Kd7 3.Kd5 White has acheived his aim, by creating a triange with his King. We are now back to the starting position, except that White now has the opposition and it is Black’s turn to move, and the rest is a matter of technique. 3…Kc8 4.Ke6! Attaining the diagonal opposition. 4…Kd8 5.Kd6 Attaining the vertical opposition. 5…Kc8 6.Ke7 Kb8 7.Kd7 Ka8 8.c6+-
Position after White’s 8th move.The game would continue as follows: bxc6 9.Kc7 c5 10.b7+ Ka7 11.b8Q+.
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Key Squares
Key squares are squares whose occupation by the King assures victory, regardless of whose turn it is to move. (Dvoretsky)
White to move is a draw.
It is important to note that a pawn on the 4th rank or below has 3 key squares, whereas a pawn on the 5th rank or higher has six key squares.
A Pawn on the 5th rank or higher has 6 key squares.
In the example below the key squares are a6, b6 and c6. The key to winning in this position is for the White king to head to the square furthest away from the enemy King (a6), since that square will be the hardest to defend.
1.Kc2! Ke7 2.Kb3 Kd6 3.Ka4 (3.Kc4? Kc6=) 3…Kc6 4.Ka5 Kb7 5.Kb5 +- and Black is in zugzwang.
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Purdy’s Thinking System
This blog has been around for a while, so I will begin promoting older posts to the front page every once in a while, for the benefit of new readers.
In Search for Chess Perfection CJS Purdy details his ‘System’ for for evaluating a position and picking a candidate move.
I. My turn to move1. What are all the moves I have to consider?
If there is a commonsense move you may be able to choose it without following the rest of the system. For each move ask, “What could he do if I did this?” looking for combination motifs from the other side.2. How has his last move changed the position? What are his threats? What are his objectives?
Part one of this questions allows you to bring your reconnaissance up to date. Part two asks you to look for checks, captures and threats. If you see a threat, your first reaction should not be to search for a defense to it, but rather for a way of ignoring it3. Complete your reconnaissance if not already done:
a. material (two bishops, bishops of opposite colors, pawn majorities);b. king positions (exposed, lack of flight squares);
c. weaknesses (weak pawns [double, isolated, backward], weak squares, confined pieces, cramped game, overworked pieces);
d. strengths (greater space, greater mobility, well posted pieces, command of central squares, domination of open lines and diagonals);
e. development (count the # of moves needed by each army to complete its development. Credit 1 tempo to the player whose turn it is to move.) ;
f. Where could either side breakthrough?
You should be able to tell which side is better using the following descriptors: ∞ unclear, = even (0.0-0.29) , +/- white is slightly better (.30-.60), += white has a moderate advantage (.61-1.40), +/- white has a decisive advantage +- (1.41 or >).
4. Have I a good combination?
look for possible combination motifs if 3 of the following exist in the position:
1. Loose pieces, 2. Pieces that can be easily attacked by an enemy piece of less value, 3. Discovered attack, 4. Weak back rank, 5. Pinned or “skewerable†pieces along the same rank, file or diagonal, 6. overworked pieces, 7. lack of development (overwhelming force), 8. Unsafe King, 9. Open enemy lines, 10. Pawns nearing promotion. (Heisman)
Combinational Motifs:
a. geometrical;
b. nets;
c. jump moves;
d. zugzwang (endgame motif);
e. stalemate (endgame motif).5. If not satisfied that the answer to (4) is yes, what is my best plan?
Use the reconnaissance to answer this question. How can I best exploit his weaknesses and establish my strengths, etc.Now return to 1
II. I am considering a certain move
1. Visualize the move as though made, firmly.
2. does it leave my vulnerable to any combination.III. It is his move
1. Reconnaissance
2. Visualize
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Evaluation and Analysis in Chess
Sometimes the definitions for evaluation and calculation are used interchangeably, but they are quite different things, and understanding what they mean is the first step to improving your thinking process during a game.
Evaluation: You evaluate a position to determine the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Based on your evaluation you develop a short term plan to either attack your opponents weaknesses or fix your own. Dan Heisman defines evaluation as determining which side stands better.Analysis: The generation of candidate moves and the response to each. For example, “If I move here, and he moves there what would be my response?”
It is important to put these to together and perform an evaluation of the position at the end of the line of analysis you have performed to see if one candidate move is better than another. I have yet to master this integration of the two, but doing this is the hallmark of strong players.
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Chess Symbols
Symbol Meaning # Mate + Check ++ Double check ! Good move !! Excellent move +/= Slight advantage to White =/- Slight advantage to Black +/- Clear advantage to White -/+ Clear advantage to Black +- Winning advantage to White -+ Winning advantage to Black ∞ Unclear ? Bad move ?? Blunder !? Interesting move ?! Dubious move -
Chess Boards Take Two
We have had to upgrade our bulletin board software due to unwanted spam that was becoming unmanageable with the previous package.
Please take a look around the boards, and feel free to contribute.
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Becoming a Grandmaster
I have always been interested in the complex process that Grandmaster candidates need to go through to attain their title, so I figured I post it here in case others were curious as well.The Grandmaster title is awarded by FIDE and the requirements as follows:
1. A player must have an ELO of at least 2500 at some time or other.
2. Two winning results (norms) must be attained in tournaments involving other Grandmasters, including Grandmaster’s from countries other than than the applicant’s.
3. The minimum rating of the opponents must be greater than 2250.
4. The applicant must play at least 9 games in each of the tournaments to qualify and needs a total of 27 games in 2 or more norms.
5. Title results remain valid for life.
More details can be found on the online FIDE handbook.
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Things I Need To Do To Improve
1. Play less blitz games.
2. Be more willing to consider candidate moves that require a Queen sacrifice.
3. Be more vigilant towards tactical opportunities that involve a pinned piece (a king pin in particular).
4. Go over my games (especially losses).
5. Go over annotated master games (Tal & Alekhine come to mind).
6. Play stronger opponents, and then try to go over the game with them.
7. Learn how to deal with early bishop pins.
8. Stick with and master the openings I have selected for my repertoire (The Scotch Gambit as White, The Accelerated Dragon as Black against 1.e4, and the Nimzo-Indian against 1.d4) no matter my win record.
9. Improve my thought process, and try to use it on every move (play ‘real chess‘ 100% of the time).
10. Have fun.
Feel free to add your own list.
CJS Purdy details his ‘System’ for for evaluating a position and picking a candidate move.