Chess for Beginners

Tag: Purdy

  • Five Preliminary Endgame Rules

    1. Before even beginning to think of making a passed pawn, put all your pieces into as good positions as possible.

    Queen – Center of board

    Rooks – seventh rank for White, second rank for Black. But if the enemy has two or more minor pieces the rook must be careful about leaving his own camp and must be content with commanding the open file.

    Knights – Square in the center or in the enemy camp, supported by a pawn which is cannot be attacked by a pawn.

    Bishops – Center diagonals; pawn support is not essential but desirable.

    King – Central, provided that he is not dangerously exposed.  If the enemy has a rook, the King is best posted at or adjacent to e2(e7) or d2(d7) – fairly near the center, but still preventing the enemy rook from seizing the second (seventh) or first (eight) rank. 

    2. Avoid pawn-moves while you are getting your pieces well positioned because pawn-moves create lasting weaknesses and thus make your task harder.

    3. Try to free your position from weaknesses; and if possible, make it hard for the opponent to do likewise.

    4. When trying to win, keep pawns on both wings. When trying to draw, play to eliminate all the pawns on one wing. With pawns on one wing only, a pawn plus is usually insufficient for a win.

    5. If you are a pawn up or more, exchange pieces (not pawns) wherever you can do so without losing in position.

    Exception: do not rush an exchange that will leave you with a single bishop running on the opposite color to the enemy’s single bishop. Also, refrain from exchanging if it will give your opponent two bishops against bishop and knight.

    CJS Purdy

  • Purdy’s Chess Opening Rules

    Below are a few guidelines from C.J.S Purdy on playing the opening. Purdy had an incredible gift of explaning difficult chess concepts, and these rules are no exception. I also haven’t seen these rules in many other chess books, so it is important to learn and apply them in your games.
     
    1. When you don’t play 1.e4 (…e5) early, never block your c-pawn
     
    2. Don’t financhetto a bishop if an avenue is already open to it.

    3. Don’t move any pawns other than e4(e5) or d4(d5) in the opening, the general rule is not to move any until development is complete (minor pieces out and the rooks have been connected and one of them placed on an file that is likely to become open or semi-open). With the following exceptions:

    a. If you have played e4 (…e5) and it is impossible to play d4 (…d5), keep the option of f4  (…f5) and play it if you think the time is right.
     
    b. When a piece has come down to b4 (b5) or g4 (g5), you can ask it to move with a3 (a6) or with  h3(h6). DO NOT PLAY a3(a6) or h3(h6) to stop the piece from coming down, that gives up a move for nothing at all.

    4. An exchange loses a move if the opponent captures with a developing move. This should be avoided unless you have to lose a move in development in any case.

    5. When considering in taking a center pawn the rule is:

    a. If the pawn is threatening to take your pawn or advance and hit a piece, usually take it.
     
    6. When capturing, usually capture towards the center. An exception is when something has to be recaptured on c3 (…c6) or f3(…f6), here it is usually good to take with the center pawn instead of with the flank pawn as that makes an avenue for the bishop that was previously shut in by the center pawn.
     
    7. In the opening never hesitate to exchange a knight for a bishop.
     
    8 Exchange a bishop for a knight in the following scenarios:

    a. If bishop is on b5(b4) or g5(g4) pinning a knight and you are hit by the a or h-pawns, exchange rather than lose a tempo retreating – provided that the opponent cannot recapture with a  developing move.
     
    b. If opponent can recapture with a developing move then you lose a tempo regardless and it is best to maintain the pin by retreating to a4(a5) or h4(h5).

    9.  As a general rule develop all other three minor pieces before the Q-bishop.

    a. Only time to develop the Q-bishop early is when you are White in the Queen’s Pawn Game, and you wish to develop the bishop in one move before playing e3.

    10. Develop the rooks on their most effective files as soon as you can.

    11. The Queen has to be moved off the back rank to free the rooks; but she should usually be moved only one square, to the file that is least likely to be opened (usually e2 (e7) is a good square for the Queen).

    12. It is bad to put a Queen on an open file; it only means the loss of a tempo later, when the file is taken by an enemy rook.

  • Purdy’s Thinking System

    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 move

    1. 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 it

    3. 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