Hello Chess Lovers
I have decided to indulge myself a bit and discuss a game of mine.I have had some success with a line of the Dutch and I believe some lighthearted chess is also so here is my game played tonight against Richmond Chess Club.
Kuhn vs Tobisch
1.d4e6 2.c4f5 3.Nc3Nf6 4.Nf3Bb4 5.Qc2b6 6.e3Bb7 7.Be20-0 8.0-0Bc3 9.Qc3Ne4 10.Qd3Qe8!?
Ever since I saw Botvinnik use this idea in a game I have come to like it. My opponent started to look worried here as he played 8.0-0
11.Nd2Nd2 12.Bd2Qg6 - I decided to make opponent feel a bit defensive. 13.f3d6 14.g4?h5 15.h3Nbd7
16.Kh2hg4 17.Rg1Qh7 18.fg4Be4! I think my opponent did not see this. 19.Qc3fg4 20.Bg4 forced Rf2
It took me some time to calculate sacrificing the e6 pawn and the d7 knight for a mating attack.
21.Kg3Raf8! Rooks are doubled. Now 21.Be6Kh8 22.Bd7Rf3 23.Kg4Qg6 24.Kh4Qh6 and Qh3+ is curtains for white.
22.Raf1?Rf1 23.Rf1Rf1 24.Be6Kf8 25.Bd7g5! And Qh4+ cannot be stopped so 0-1
Thursday 31 March 2011
Monday 28 March 2011
Taoism and the Art of Playing Black: Karpov the Feng Shui artist
Hello Chess lovers,
In the the third part of this series it gives me deep satisfaction to present a game of the highest quality
by Karpov who I liken to a feng shui artist because he places pieces the way a feng shui expert would arrange furniture: in search of the ultimate harmony. Karpov faced Shirov, the ultimate "yang style" player and simply waited patiently for the game to evolve.Shirov has shown a tendency to make very committal pawn moves in this variation.
Karpov beautifully optimized his pieces and then proceeded to stretch white between the defense of pawns on the queen side and the kingside. Lets see this exhibition of Taoism on the board.
Shirov v Karpov Las Palmas 1994
1.e4c6 2.d4d5 3.e5Bf5 4.Nf3e6 5.Be2c5 6.0-0Nc6 7.c3cd4 8.cd4Nge7 9.a3?! A yang move intending b2-b4. 9...Nc8! This solves the problem of the e7 square in this variation. The knight and the bishop like the square.Also if white plays b2-b4 black will then embark on a light square strategy with the well timed moves Nb6-c4.
10.Nbd2Be7 11.b3?! This involves a slight weakening of a3.Its this type of move which gives black the information he needs to implement an appropriate and workable plan.
11...a5! Simple. The a7 square is freed for the knight which will head to b5 and leave c8 for a rook.Also the white b-pawn is restrained.So Karpov has let the game evolve and mostly moved his pieces on his first two ranks. He adjusts himself according to his opponent's plans and so it appears as if Shirov is doing the work and Karpov shows it up!
12.Bb2Na7 13.Re10-0 14.Nf1Rc8 -Simple useful moves. 15.Ng3Bg6 16.Qd2Qb6! -A reminder to white.
17.Bd1 this move must have been annoying to Shirov. 17..Rc7 18.h4?! Another committal pawn move by Shirov.This pawn will later become a target. 18...h6 19.Re2Rfc8 20.Qf4Nb8! now for the next stage. Black wants his queen at f8 where it will pressure a3.The c7 rook will go to c6 the queen to f8 via d8.This is an amazing demonstration of using pieces in limited space.
21...Re3Nb5! 22.Ne2Nd7 23.Nh2 -Four knight moves in a row. Regrouping is the name of the game now.
23...Rc6 24.Ng4Qd8 25.Rh3Qf8! Mission accomplished. A3 is under serious threat.
26.a4Na3! 27.Ba3 Shirov wants to divert the e7 bishop. 27...Ba3 28.Rg3h5 29.Ne3Bb2 30.Ra2Bc1 ! Now the bishop slows down white's momentum on the king side-Just in time.
31.Qf4Qb4 32.Nf4Be3 33.fe3Rc1 penetration in a way similiar to Nimzovitch v Capablanca. Karpov
is now to counter attack on the back rank.
34.Ng6Rd1 35.Kh2fg6 36.Qg6Qe7 -hitting h4. 37.Rf2Qh4 38.Rh3?Qf2 and Shirov had enough 0-1
So what can we take from this game.
1) Karpov developed while Shirov played committal pawn moves.
2)Shirov strove for "yang" type moves where he sought to build momentum on the Kingside.
3) Karpov switched attacks from b3 to a3 to h4 in the game.Each time Shirov had to misplace his pieces.
4)Karpov played within the confines of his position by skillfully moving on the first three ranks.
5) In most of Karpov's games regrouping occurs as he seeks the optimal places for the pieces.This is not a matter of linear calculation but schematic thinking.
Hopefully you found this blog entertaining.
John
In the the third part of this series it gives me deep satisfaction to present a game of the highest quality
by Karpov who I liken to a feng shui artist because he places pieces the way a feng shui expert would arrange furniture: in search of the ultimate harmony. Karpov faced Shirov, the ultimate "yang style" player and simply waited patiently for the game to evolve.Shirov has shown a tendency to make very committal pawn moves in this variation.
Karpov beautifully optimized his pieces and then proceeded to stretch white between the defense of pawns on the queen side and the kingside. Lets see this exhibition of Taoism on the board.
Shirov v Karpov Las Palmas 1994
1.e4c6 2.d4d5 3.e5Bf5 4.Nf3e6 5.Be2c5 6.0-0Nc6 7.c3cd4 8.cd4Nge7 9.a3?! A yang move intending b2-b4. 9...Nc8! This solves the problem of the e7 square in this variation. The knight and the bishop like the square.Also if white plays b2-b4 black will then embark on a light square strategy with the well timed moves Nb6-c4.
10.Nbd2Be7 11.b3?! This involves a slight weakening of a3.Its this type of move which gives black the information he needs to implement an appropriate and workable plan.
11...a5! Simple. The a7 square is freed for the knight which will head to b5 and leave c8 for a rook.Also the white b-pawn is restrained.So Karpov has let the game evolve and mostly moved his pieces on his first two ranks. He adjusts himself according to his opponent's plans and so it appears as if Shirov is doing the work and Karpov shows it up!
12.Bb2Na7 13.Re10-0 14.Nf1Rc8 -Simple useful moves. 15.Ng3Bg6 16.Qd2Qb6! -A reminder to white.
17.Bd1 this move must have been annoying to Shirov. 17..Rc7 18.h4?! Another committal pawn move by Shirov.This pawn will later become a target. 18...h6 19.Re2Rfc8 20.Qf4Nb8! now for the next stage. Black wants his queen at f8 where it will pressure a3.The c7 rook will go to c6 the queen to f8 via d8.This is an amazing demonstration of using pieces in limited space.
21...Re3Nb5! 22.Ne2Nd7 23.Nh2 -Four knight moves in a row. Regrouping is the name of the game now.
23...Rc6 24.Ng4Qd8 25.Rh3Qf8! Mission accomplished. A3 is under serious threat.
26.a4Na3! 27.Ba3 Shirov wants to divert the e7 bishop. 27...Ba3 28.Rg3h5 29.Ne3Bb2 30.Ra2Bc1 ! Now the bishop slows down white's momentum on the king side-Just in time.
31.Qf4Qb4 32.Nf4Be3 33.fe3Rc1 penetration in a way similiar to Nimzovitch v Capablanca. Karpov
is now to counter attack on the back rank.
34.Ng6Rd1 35.Kh2fg6 36.Qg6Qe7 -hitting h4. 37.Rf2Qh4 38.Rh3?Qf2 and Shirov had enough 0-1
So what can we take from this game.
1) Karpov developed while Shirov played committal pawn moves.
2)Shirov strove for "yang" type moves where he sought to build momentum on the Kingside.
3) Karpov switched attacks from b3 to a3 to h4 in the game.Each time Shirov had to misplace his pieces.
4)Karpov played within the confines of his position by skillfully moving on the first three ranks.
5) In most of Karpov's games regrouping occurs as he seeks the optimal places for the pieces.This is not a matter of linear calculation but schematic thinking.
Hopefully you found this blog entertaining.
John
Taosim and the Art of Playing Black: Smyslov the Smoothie...
Hello Chess Lovers
It gives me great joy to present this game as an example of playing in accordance with the principles
of Tao and Wu Wei. Smyslov was known for his gift in handling the pieces. I get the impression that Karpov studied this style deeply. In what follows Smyslov plays very much like Capablanca, simple but profound moves where absorbs white's initial thrusts and then gradually dominates switching from "ying" to "yang".
Gligoric vs Smyslov Amsterdam 1971
Tchigorin Defence
1.d4d5 2.c4Nc6 3.Nc3dc4 4.d5! A very active "yang" move. 4...Ne5 5.Bf4Ng6 so black has absorbed
the initial pressure of having to relocate his knight. 6.Bg3e5!? Claiming some space.
7.de6 Gligoric opens the game and will want some room for the f1 bishop. 7...Be6 8.Nf3Nf6 9.Nd4Bd7
Again black parrys these attacks on his pieces.He does not seek complications. 10.e3Bb4 One of the virtues
of the Tschigorin is that the black pieces come out to active squares. Smyslov seeks dominion over the e4 square.
11.Bc40-0 12.Qc2c6 13.h3 creating an escape for the g3 bishop. Its important to note how the GMs play useful moves prior to initiating some plan.
13...Qe7 harmonising the rooks. Smyslov's pieces are all protected and serve a function. 14.0-0Bc3!
The first crucial moment of the game. A key defender of e4 is removed. An imbalance is created 15.Qc3Ne4 followed by Ng3 bad for white.
15.bc3Ne4 16.Bh2c5! 17.Nf3Bc6 more control over e4. 18.Bd3f5! in three natural and simple moves
black has assumed control over a vital square and can increase pressure on c3.
19.Rad1Rad8 -Minimal effort and simple useful moves.Facing off on the d-file.
20.Be2Qf6! Compelling white to exchange. White is tied to c3. 21.Rd8Rd8 22.Rc1h6 one of those useful
moves a GM makes when improving the pieces is difficult.
23.Bd3Kh8 another useful, prophylactic move. Kramnik and others learnt from these types of games.
24.Ne1 -white has had enough. So he prepares f2-f3. 24...c4! Now black takes over!
25.Be4 (25.Bc4Rd2 26.Qb1Qh4 27.f3Ng5 28.Bb5Nf3) 25....fe4 26.Qe2b5 27.Bg3Ne7! Black improves his worst piece.The knight will go to d5.Notice how natural and almost effortless these moves seem.
28.Qb2Nd5 29.Qa3a5 30.Kh2h5! with the threat of ...h4. First we saw ..a5 then ...h4.The black pieces are optimized.Smyslov follows Rubinstein by playing wing moves when the pieces are optimal.
31.h4Qf8! Smyslov wants to exchange white's best piece. 32.Qb2Nf6! 33.Kg1Ng4 34.Qe2Qf6!
With a simple plan: Rd7 and then Qd8. 35.f3ef3 36.gf3Ne5 37.e4Nd3! 38.Rc2Ne1 39.Be1Rd3 with pressure on f3 and c3.The principle of the two weaknesses in action.
40.Kg2Qg6 41.Bg3Kh7 !! Zugzwang. The big threat is Qf6 hitting f3 and c3. 42.Rc1Qf6 43.Be1Qf4 0-1
In view of 44.Rc2Rf3
So what can we take from this exhibition of Taoism.
1) In the early stages black simply moved out of the way of white's lunges. The knight moved from c6 to g6, the Bishop moved from e6 to d7 to c6.
2) After the extremely crucial Bb4 black began to exert "yang" energy with minimal effort.
3) After f2-f3 by white black stretched white between two pressure points : c3 and f3.
4) Black exchanged off defenders but had enough pieces to make the final blow.
5) It must be noted that the presence of bishops of opposite colors in the middlegame swung in black's favour.The dark squared bishop of white simply hit empty squares....
I hope this was instructive and enjoyable.
John
It gives me great joy to present this game as an example of playing in accordance with the principles
of Tao and Wu Wei. Smyslov was known for his gift in handling the pieces. I get the impression that Karpov studied this style deeply. In what follows Smyslov plays very much like Capablanca, simple but profound moves where absorbs white's initial thrusts and then gradually dominates switching from "ying" to "yang".
Gligoric vs Smyslov Amsterdam 1971
Tchigorin Defence
1.d4d5 2.c4Nc6 3.Nc3dc4 4.d5! A very active "yang" move. 4...Ne5 5.Bf4Ng6 so black has absorbed
the initial pressure of having to relocate his knight. 6.Bg3e5!? Claiming some space.
7.de6 Gligoric opens the game and will want some room for the f1 bishop. 7...Be6 8.Nf3Nf6 9.Nd4Bd7
Again black parrys these attacks on his pieces.He does not seek complications. 10.e3Bb4 One of the virtues
of the Tschigorin is that the black pieces come out to active squares. Smyslov seeks dominion over the e4 square.
11.Bc40-0 12.Qc2c6 13.h3 creating an escape for the g3 bishop. Its important to note how the GMs play useful moves prior to initiating some plan.
13...Qe7 harmonising the rooks. Smyslov's pieces are all protected and serve a function. 14.0-0Bc3!
The first crucial moment of the game. A key defender of e4 is removed. An imbalance is created 15.Qc3Ne4 followed by Ng3 bad for white.
15.bc3Ne4 16.Bh2c5! 17.Nf3Bc6 more control over e4. 18.Bd3f5! in three natural and simple moves
black has assumed control over a vital square and can increase pressure on c3.
19.Rad1Rad8 -Minimal effort and simple useful moves.Facing off on the d-file.
20.Be2Qf6! Compelling white to exchange. White is tied to c3. 21.Rd8Rd8 22.Rc1h6 one of those useful
moves a GM makes when improving the pieces is difficult.
23.Bd3Kh8 another useful, prophylactic move. Kramnik and others learnt from these types of games.
24.Ne1 -white has had enough. So he prepares f2-f3. 24...c4! Now black takes over!
25.Be4 (25.Bc4Rd2 26.Qb1Qh4 27.f3Ng5 28.Bb5Nf3) 25....fe4 26.Qe2b5 27.Bg3Ne7! Black improves his worst piece.The knight will go to d5.Notice how natural and almost effortless these moves seem.
28.Qb2Nd5 29.Qa3a5 30.Kh2h5! with the threat of ...h4. First we saw ..a5 then ...h4.The black pieces are optimized.Smyslov follows Rubinstein by playing wing moves when the pieces are optimal.
31.h4Qf8! Smyslov wants to exchange white's best piece. 32.Qb2Nf6! 33.Kg1Ng4 34.Qe2Qf6!
With a simple plan: Rd7 and then Qd8. 35.f3ef3 36.gf3Ne5 37.e4Nd3! 38.Rc2Ne1 39.Be1Rd3 with pressure on f3 and c3.The principle of the two weaknesses in action.
40.Kg2Qg6 41.Bg3Kh7 !! Zugzwang. The big threat is Qf6 hitting f3 and c3. 42.Rc1Qf6 43.Be1Qf4 0-1
In view of 44.Rc2Rf3
So what can we take from this exhibition of Taoism.
1) In the early stages black simply moved out of the way of white's lunges. The knight moved from c6 to g6, the Bishop moved from e6 to d7 to c6.
2) After the extremely crucial Bb4 black began to exert "yang" energy with minimal effort.
3) After f2-f3 by white black stretched white between two pressure points : c3 and f3.
4) Black exchanged off defenders but had enough pieces to make the final blow.
5) It must be noted that the presence of bishops of opposite colors in the middlegame swung in black's favour.The dark squared bishop of white simply hit empty squares....
I hope this was instructive and enjoyable.
John
Sunday 27 March 2011
Taosim and the Art of Playing Black: Capablanca
Hello Chess Lovers,
Today I want to explore a bit of philosophy with you in order to make a certain approach to
playing black more accessible and easily understood. Firstly I will explain how I reached this point.
From the mid nineties to now, I was always in search of lateral thought as far as finding new insights into
the game were concerned. Just as military commanders read the Art of War I wanted to find something else that would help me with this ancient war game. When I encountered Mark Bowen, an extremely well read young man in 1995 I realised he had a breadth of knowledge which encompassed ninjitsu and an exploration of tai chi.
I realised that different chess players manifested a certain energy on the chess board.
Fast forward to 2006 England. GM Rowson wrote the wonderful book Chess for Zebras.In that book
at page 141 he digressed unto the subject of chess and taosim.Taoism is a philosophy and religion built around the teachings of Lao Tzu in the 6th century and it advocated a harmonious coexistence with nature and natural events. Two forms of energy were in a constant state of flux- Yang (male) energy which is active and
often initiates projects and missions and then there was ying (female) energy which was a receptive energy which in real life could be interpreted to absorb, adapt and to let things happen without sweating too much.
So how does this all relate to chess. Well as GM Rowson has put it, many players believe they should be active all the time, hence the pseudo active moves which end up nowhere after the opponent defends himself.
In chess we often switch between the active "yang" mode and the receptive "ying" mode. Then there is the concept of "Wu-Wei" which involves minimizing energy at the board and absorbing events and letting things happen. This requires a wholly different type of thinking. It is the kind of thinking that anticipates.
Now, how does this apply to playing black. Well I read some of the new literature by Rowson and Watson
and one black advantage is information gathering advantage. By virtue of awaiting the moves white black anticipates white's ideas. White has to show his move first.
Now I wish to give an example of this starting with one of the greatest "Taoists" in chess history: Capablanca. I believe that Capablanca invented the "chillled out" style of playing black. A style which simply involved anticipation and absorption of the energy of the player using the white pieces then gradually taking over.
Nimzovtich vs Capablanca New York 1927
1.e4c6 2.d4d5 3.e5Bf5 - I believe Karpov was heavily influenced by this game. 4.Bd3?! this move allows black an easier time in th opening. Short began the intense movement to 4.Nf3 and 5.Be2.The point is that the bishop should be left on the "active" square in order to be attacked later on.
4....Bd3 5.Qd3e6 6.Nc3Qb6 7.Ne2c5 8.dc5 because Nimzovitch played Nc3 he preferred to surrender the
pawn centre.
8..Bc5 9.0-0Ne7 10.Na4Qc6 11.Nc5Qc5 12.Be3Qc7 13.f4?! The start of white trying to exert "yang" energy.The problem with this is that the dark squares are weakened and the f4 square becomes vulnerable to attack later on.
13...Nf5 14.c3Nc6 15.Rd1g6 and now a f4-f5 push will be harder. 16.g4!? more yang energy white believes he has to "do something" Ne3 17.Qe3h5! Capablanca is poised to open the h-file.
18.g5- A critical moment. This change in the pawn structure means that the f5 square is a nice piece of real estate for black. It also means that in an ending the f4 point will become a pressure point. Note that all Capablanca has done so far is develop and respond to each of these f and g pawn pushes by white.
18....0-0 19.Nd4Qb6 20.Rf2Rfc8 21.a3?! This is the first sign that Nimzovitch is running out of things to do.
He wants to ensure that there is no attack on a2 and of course he need to "do something".
21....Rc7 22.Rd3Na5 and now black pursues a light square strategy. 23.Re2Re8!? A mysterious move
which I believe is simply an information gathering move before it goes to c8.
24.Kg2Nc6 25.R2d2 (Not the Star Wars robot) Rc8 26.Re2Ne7 27.R2d2 this is the sign that white has now run out of ideas. Now the yang energy is used by black.
27...Rc4 28.Qh3Kg7 29.Rf2a5!? Black is poised to take ownership of b3 and to exchange on b4 should white push the b-pawn. That is an example of thinking in anticipation of something.
30.Re2Nf5 31.Nf5gf5This exchange leads to the change in the dynamic of the struggle.
It is now black that exerts "yang" energy. 32.Qf3Kg6! the King gets involved. 33.R2d2Re4
34.R3d4Rc4 35.Qf2Qb5 36.Kg3Rcd4 37.cd4Qc4 and now black has two targets : the pawns on d4 and f4 and the white King.
38.Kg2b5 39.Kg1b4 now white cannot obstruct the c-file with a rook on c3. 40.ab4ab4 41.Kg2Qc1
And Capablanca prepares an attack on f4 and on the white king.
42.Kg3Qh1 43.Rd3Re1! 44.Rf3Rd1 ...probing. 45.b3Rc1 46.Re3?Rf1 and white resigned in view of ...Rg2.
0-1
I believe that this game had a massive impact on players like Karpov and Seirawan and later Kramnik and
Jobava as well Arkell. Now to the crucial moments of the game :
4.Bd3 -made life easier for black. a potentially lethal white piece was exchanged.
13.f4 and 16.g4 were commital moves which openned up the white king position greatly.
After white pushed g4-g5, white could push no more.This is where the ying yang polarity in the game changed so black was gradually taking over. The last exchange of minor pieces meant that the heavy pieces had no problem infiltrating white's position. Capablanca did not over exert himself in the opening. However that
is not to say that he was alert to the changes in the pawn structure. I recommend going over this game in some detail.The top GMs all learned from this "Taoist" of the black pieces.
Blessings
John
..
Today I want to explore a bit of philosophy with you in order to make a certain approach to
playing black more accessible and easily understood. Firstly I will explain how I reached this point.
From the mid nineties to now, I was always in search of lateral thought as far as finding new insights into
the game were concerned. Just as military commanders read the Art of War I wanted to find something else that would help me with this ancient war game. When I encountered Mark Bowen, an extremely well read young man in 1995 I realised he had a breadth of knowledge which encompassed ninjitsu and an exploration of tai chi.
I realised that different chess players manifested a certain energy on the chess board.
Fast forward to 2006 England. GM Rowson wrote the wonderful book Chess for Zebras.In that book
at page 141 he digressed unto the subject of chess and taosim.Taoism is a philosophy and religion built around the teachings of Lao Tzu in the 6th century and it advocated a harmonious coexistence with nature and natural events. Two forms of energy were in a constant state of flux- Yang (male) energy which is active and
often initiates projects and missions and then there was ying (female) energy which was a receptive energy which in real life could be interpreted to absorb, adapt and to let things happen without sweating too much.
So how does this all relate to chess. Well as GM Rowson has put it, many players believe they should be active all the time, hence the pseudo active moves which end up nowhere after the opponent defends himself.
In chess we often switch between the active "yang" mode and the receptive "ying" mode. Then there is the concept of "Wu-Wei" which involves minimizing energy at the board and absorbing events and letting things happen. This requires a wholly different type of thinking. It is the kind of thinking that anticipates.
Now, how does this apply to playing black. Well I read some of the new literature by Rowson and Watson
and one black advantage is information gathering advantage. By virtue of awaiting the moves white black anticipates white's ideas. White has to show his move first.
Now I wish to give an example of this starting with one of the greatest "Taoists" in chess history: Capablanca. I believe that Capablanca invented the "chillled out" style of playing black. A style which simply involved anticipation and absorption of the energy of the player using the white pieces then gradually taking over.
Nimzovtich vs Capablanca New York 1927
1.e4c6 2.d4d5 3.e5Bf5 - I believe Karpov was heavily influenced by this game. 4.Bd3?! this move allows black an easier time in th opening. Short began the intense movement to 4.Nf3 and 5.Be2.The point is that the bishop should be left on the "active" square in order to be attacked later on.
4....Bd3 5.Qd3e6 6.Nc3Qb6 7.Ne2c5 8.dc5 because Nimzovitch played Nc3 he preferred to surrender the
pawn centre.
8..Bc5 9.0-0Ne7 10.Na4Qc6 11.Nc5Qc5 12.Be3Qc7 13.f4?! The start of white trying to exert "yang" energy.The problem with this is that the dark squares are weakened and the f4 square becomes vulnerable to attack later on.
13...Nf5 14.c3Nc6 15.Rd1g6 and now a f4-f5 push will be harder. 16.g4!? more yang energy white believes he has to "do something" Ne3 17.Qe3h5! Capablanca is poised to open the h-file.
18.g5- A critical moment. This change in the pawn structure means that the f5 square is a nice piece of real estate for black. It also means that in an ending the f4 point will become a pressure point. Note that all Capablanca has done so far is develop and respond to each of these f and g pawn pushes by white.
18....0-0 19.Nd4Qb6 20.Rf2Rfc8 21.a3?! This is the first sign that Nimzovitch is running out of things to do.
He wants to ensure that there is no attack on a2 and of course he need to "do something".
21....Rc7 22.Rd3Na5 and now black pursues a light square strategy. 23.Re2Re8!? A mysterious move
which I believe is simply an information gathering move before it goes to c8.
24.Kg2Nc6 25.R2d2 (Not the Star Wars robot) Rc8 26.Re2Ne7 27.R2d2 this is the sign that white has now run out of ideas. Now the yang energy is used by black.
27...Rc4 28.Qh3Kg7 29.Rf2a5!? Black is poised to take ownership of b3 and to exchange on b4 should white push the b-pawn. That is an example of thinking in anticipation of something.
30.Re2Nf5 31.Nf5gf5This exchange leads to the change in the dynamic of the struggle.
It is now black that exerts "yang" energy. 32.Qf3Kg6! the King gets involved. 33.R2d2Re4
34.R3d4Rc4 35.Qf2Qb5 36.Kg3Rcd4 37.cd4Qc4 and now black has two targets : the pawns on d4 and f4 and the white King.
38.Kg2b5 39.Kg1b4 now white cannot obstruct the c-file with a rook on c3. 40.ab4ab4 41.Kg2Qc1
And Capablanca prepares an attack on f4 and on the white king.
42.Kg3Qh1 43.Rd3Re1! 44.Rf3Rd1 ...probing. 45.b3Rc1 46.Re3?Rf1 and white resigned in view of ...Rg2.
0-1
I believe that this game had a massive impact on players like Karpov and Seirawan and later Kramnik and
Jobava as well Arkell. Now to the crucial moments of the game :
4.Bd3 -made life easier for black. a potentially lethal white piece was exchanged.
13.f4 and 16.g4 were commital moves which openned up the white king position greatly.
After white pushed g4-g5, white could push no more.This is where the ying yang polarity in the game changed so black was gradually taking over. The last exchange of minor pieces meant that the heavy pieces had no problem infiltrating white's position. Capablanca did not over exert himself in the opening. However that
is not to say that he was alert to the changes in the pawn structure. I recommend going over this game in some detail.The top GMs all learned from this "Taoist" of the black pieces.
Blessings
John
..
Saturday 26 March 2011
Chasing bishops in the opening Part Three: The Slav
Hello Chess lovers,
We will look at the theme of chasing bishops in the Slav defence where the consequences are more long term.
In the following game Dreev demonstrates truly original opening play and uses his pawns to generate a king side attack which then lead to an ending where he won by a small margin. This leads to a brief exploration of what
Jonathan Rowson likes to call practical subjectivity.During a game of chess at any level, various emotions are experienced. Stress levels can fluctuate. Often dealing with the pressure of an attack and then bailing out of the attack can really be a stressful experience. I had to endure that in a recent tournament. I managed to bail out and then I found that the calculation of the ending was another mental barrier to be broken. One has to prepare physically for this especially when playing black.
Now unto Dreev v Huebner Essen 2000
1.d4d5 2.c4c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.e3Bf5 5.Nc3e6 6.Nh4 That move again.Bg4 7.Qb3Qb6 8.h3Bh5 9.g4Bg6
10.c5!?Qc7 11.g5Ng8 12.Ng6hg6 White has got a space advantage and the two bishops. Lets see how Dreev builds on this. 13.e4Rh4 (13...Be7 14.Bf4!Qf4 15.Qb7;13...b6!?) 14.ed5ed5 15.Ne2! With the idea of Qg3.
15...Na6 16.Qg3Rh8 17.Bf4Qa5 18.Bd2Qc7 19.h4Ne7 20.Bh3Nf5 21.Bf5gf5 22.Bf4Qa5+? 23.Kf1
Dreev does not really explain why his position is better but there are a few indicators.The white pieces are very harmonious,the e-file is ready for a rook and the f4 square can also be used for a knight.Black has difficulties with his king. If for example 23...0-0-0 24.g6!.
23...Be7 24.g6Qd8 25.h5Qd7 26.gf7 The g-pawn has reached the end of its journey.Kf7 27.Qg6+Kg8 28.h6 The h-pawn goes as far as it can.Rh7 29.Be5Qe8 29...Bf8?30.Qh7
30.Qf5Qf7 31.Qf7Kf7 32.Bg7Bf6 33.Bf6Kf6 34.Re1Rah8 35.Rh3?!Rh6 36.Rf3+Kg5 37.Ng3Rf6
38.Re5Kg6 39.Rb3Rh2 40.Re2Rf7
White has an extra pawn but black has active defensive possibilities. As the ending goes beyond the scope of the article I will make some general comments from this point onwards.
41.Kg1Rh4 42.Re6Kh7 43.Ne2Rg7 44.Rg3Rf7 45.Ree3b6 46.cb6abc6 47.Re6Rh6 48.Rh6Kh6 49.Kg2c5 50.Rb3Rf6 51.Nc3Nb4? The one serious misstep by black. 52.Na4Rg6 53.Kf3Na2 54.dc5bc5
55.Nc5Rc6 56.Nd3Nc1 57.Nc1Rc1 58.Ke3 and here black missed the active ...Rc2 and played instead
58...Rc4? 59.Rb5Re4 60.Kd3Rf4 61.Rd5Rf2 62.b4Kg6 63.Re5Kf6 64.Re1 1-0
It would be interesting to divide the game into 3 phases:
The opening phase involved waiting for 5...e6 to pounce with 6.Nh4. White then chased the bishop till he got it on g6.The next phase involved manoevring the queen to g3 after after 15.Ne2. Once the queen got to g3, Dreev set in motion the pawns on g5 and h4 and then targeted g7.Its interesting to note he un doubled the pawns on the g-file in order to get another advantage.The final phase occurred after getting the extra pawn.
I may be speculating on Dr Huebner's condition here but he faltered in the ending after a long period of defense.Its very important to bear this in mind when playing and also when selecting a defense to play.
Hopefully this was instructive and of value.
Cheers, John
We will look at the theme of chasing bishops in the Slav defence where the consequences are more long term.
In the following game Dreev demonstrates truly original opening play and uses his pawns to generate a king side attack which then lead to an ending where he won by a small margin. This leads to a brief exploration of what
Jonathan Rowson likes to call practical subjectivity.During a game of chess at any level, various emotions are experienced. Stress levels can fluctuate. Often dealing with the pressure of an attack and then bailing out of the attack can really be a stressful experience. I had to endure that in a recent tournament. I managed to bail out and then I found that the calculation of the ending was another mental barrier to be broken. One has to prepare physically for this especially when playing black.
Now unto Dreev v Huebner Essen 2000
1.d4d5 2.c4c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.e3Bf5 5.Nc3e6 6.Nh4 That move again.Bg4 7.Qb3Qb6 8.h3Bh5 9.g4Bg6
10.c5!?Qc7 11.g5Ng8 12.Ng6hg6 White has got a space advantage and the two bishops. Lets see how Dreev builds on this. 13.e4Rh4 (13...Be7 14.Bf4!Qf4 15.Qb7;13...b6!?) 14.ed5ed5 15.Ne2! With the idea of Qg3.
15...Na6 16.Qg3Rh8 17.Bf4Qa5 18.Bd2Qc7 19.h4Ne7 20.Bh3Nf5 21.Bf5gf5 22.Bf4Qa5+? 23.Kf1
Dreev does not really explain why his position is better but there are a few indicators.The white pieces are very harmonious,the e-file is ready for a rook and the f4 square can also be used for a knight.Black has difficulties with his king. If for example 23...0-0-0 24.g6!.
23...Be7 24.g6Qd8 25.h5Qd7 26.gf7 The g-pawn has reached the end of its journey.Kf7 27.Qg6+Kg8 28.h6 The h-pawn goes as far as it can.Rh7 29.Be5Qe8 29...Bf8?30.Qh7
30.Qf5Qf7 31.Qf7Kf7 32.Bg7Bf6 33.Bf6Kf6 34.Re1Rah8 35.Rh3?!Rh6 36.Rf3+Kg5 37.Ng3Rf6
38.Re5Kg6 39.Rb3Rh2 40.Re2Rf7
White has an extra pawn but black has active defensive possibilities. As the ending goes beyond the scope of the article I will make some general comments from this point onwards.
41.Kg1Rh4 42.Re6Kh7 43.Ne2Rg7 44.Rg3Rf7 45.Ree3b6 46.cb6abc6 47.Re6Rh6 48.Rh6Kh6 49.Kg2c5 50.Rb3Rf6 51.Nc3Nb4? The one serious misstep by black. 52.Na4Rg6 53.Kf3Na2 54.dc5bc5
55.Nc5Rc6 56.Nd3Nc1 57.Nc1Rc1 58.Ke3 and here black missed the active ...Rc2 and played instead
58...Rc4? 59.Rb5Re4 60.Kd3Rf4 61.Rd5Rf2 62.b4Kg6 63.Re5Kf6 64.Re1 1-0
It would be interesting to divide the game into 3 phases:
The opening phase involved waiting for 5...e6 to pounce with 6.Nh4. White then chased the bishop till he got it on g6.The next phase involved manoevring the queen to g3 after after 15.Ne2. Once the queen got to g3, Dreev set in motion the pawns on g5 and h4 and then targeted g7.Its interesting to note he un doubled the pawns on the g-file in order to get another advantage.The final phase occurred after getting the extra pawn.
I may be speculating on Dr Huebner's condition here but he faltered in the ending after a long period of defense.Its very important to bear this in mind when playing and also when selecting a defense to play.
Hopefully this was instructive and of value.
Cheers, John
Chasing bishops in the opening Part Two-The Trompovsky
Hello Chess lovers,
In this part, I will explore one opening which has proven to be rich and fertile for imaginative players
who wish to pose opponents and themselves with new challenges. The exotic school of chess includes
Julian Hodgson, Luke McShane,Igor Miladinovic and Stefanova as well as Chernyshov and Moskalenko.
Today we will look at one of McShane's games and see how he grabs space boardwide
while chasing a bishop.
McShane v Jansa Bundesliga 2003
1.d4Nf6 2.Bg5Ne4 3.Bf4d5 4.e3Bf5 5.f3Nf6 6.c4e6 Black is trying to be as solid as possible and get the
pieces out.White realises that the black pieces are in the way of a tsunami of pawns. So he grabs space all over.It should be noted that all the great GMs grabbed space.
7.Qb3b6 8.Nc3c6 9.g4Bg6 10.h4h5 11.g5Ng8
Now we can assess what has been achived by this. Black has played his king knight to f6,e4,f6,g8 in the first 11 moves.The black bishop went from c8 to f5 and then to g6. So two black pieces moved a total of 6 moves within the first 11 moves.Incredibly the rest are pawn moves.White is poised to castle, and has moved out his queen,c1 bishop and knight to c3.
12.cd5ed5 13.e4 grabbing more space and denying f5 to black. 13...Bd6 14.Nh4Nge7 15.0-0-0 0-0
finally black has made some progress but only as far as getting the pieces out his concerned. Mcshane continues to engage in what I like to call square-denial.
16.Bd3a5 17.Rhe1Na6 18.a3 Square denial. The great Karpov always insisted on removing active possibilities from the opposition.
18...b5 19.ed5b4 20.Bd6Qd6 21.Ne4Be4 22.fe4 and a great transformation has occurred.White has centralised rooks and a highly mobile centre.
22...a4 Black is worried about being squeezed in the centre so he tries to be active.
23.e5! Mcshane comes up with the equal or stronger threat following the great Fischer who was a master at that. 23...ab3 24.ed6 and black is not out of the woods. White has an e-file and an entry point on e7.
24...Nd5 25.a4g6 26.Nf2 with the idea of Ne4. 26...Nb8 27.Bc4Ra4 28.Bb3Ra5 29.Kd2! The amazing aspect of this game is how simple the following moves are. 29...Nd7 30.Ra1Ra1 31.Ra1 in 4 simple moves,
white has improved his position tremendously. Every piece is active and poised for action.
31...f6 -Almost inevitable. Black has had enough of passive defense and whats to activate something-anything! 32.Ne4fg5 33.Ng5Rf6 34.Ra8Kg7 35.Ra7Rd6 36.Ne4 1-0 And there is a simple ending. Black will lose a piece.
The deeper point of showing this game is that the chasing of the bishop led to more squares being denied to black.This is what can happen when pieces are in the way of the pawns.I hope this part will be of value and inspire you.
In this part, I will explore one opening which has proven to be rich and fertile for imaginative players
who wish to pose opponents and themselves with new challenges. The exotic school of chess includes
Julian Hodgson, Luke McShane,Igor Miladinovic and Stefanova as well as Chernyshov and Moskalenko.
Today we will look at one of McShane's games and see how he grabs space boardwide
while chasing a bishop.
McShane v Jansa Bundesliga 2003
1.d4Nf6 2.Bg5Ne4 3.Bf4d5 4.e3Bf5 5.f3Nf6 6.c4e6 Black is trying to be as solid as possible and get the
pieces out.White realises that the black pieces are in the way of a tsunami of pawns. So he grabs space all over.It should be noted that all the great GMs grabbed space.
7.Qb3b6 8.Nc3c6 9.g4Bg6 10.h4h5 11.g5Ng8
Now we can assess what has been achived by this. Black has played his king knight to f6,e4,f6,g8 in the first 11 moves.The black bishop went from c8 to f5 and then to g6. So two black pieces moved a total of 6 moves within the first 11 moves.Incredibly the rest are pawn moves.White is poised to castle, and has moved out his queen,c1 bishop and knight to c3.
12.cd5ed5 13.e4 grabbing more space and denying f5 to black. 13...Bd6 14.Nh4Nge7 15.0-0-0 0-0
finally black has made some progress but only as far as getting the pieces out his concerned. Mcshane continues to engage in what I like to call square-denial.
16.Bd3a5 17.Rhe1Na6 18.a3 Square denial. The great Karpov always insisted on removing active possibilities from the opposition.
18...b5 19.ed5b4 20.Bd6Qd6 21.Ne4Be4 22.fe4 and a great transformation has occurred.White has centralised rooks and a highly mobile centre.
22...a4 Black is worried about being squeezed in the centre so he tries to be active.
23.e5! Mcshane comes up with the equal or stronger threat following the great Fischer who was a master at that. 23...ab3 24.ed6 and black is not out of the woods. White has an e-file and an entry point on e7.
24...Nd5 25.a4g6 26.Nf2 with the idea of Ne4. 26...Nb8 27.Bc4Ra4 28.Bb3Ra5 29.Kd2! The amazing aspect of this game is how simple the following moves are. 29...Nd7 30.Ra1Ra1 31.Ra1 in 4 simple moves,
white has improved his position tremendously. Every piece is active and poised for action.
31...f6 -Almost inevitable. Black has had enough of passive defense and whats to activate something-anything! 32.Ne4fg5 33.Ng5Rf6 34.Ra8Kg7 35.Ra7Rd6 36.Ne4 1-0 And there is a simple ending. Black will lose a piece.
The deeper point of showing this game is that the chasing of the bishop led to more squares being denied to black.This is what can happen when pieces are in the way of the pawns.I hope this part will be of value and inspire you.
Chasing bishops in the opening Part One
Hello Chess Lovers
I want to continue the theme built up with g-force: chasing bishops in opening theory. Bishops can be chased
from active positions by both sides and my aim is to demonstrate how this is done with gains of space and time or complex positions. Rather than go through entire games in part one, I will present excerpts from different openings. Lets get into the meat of the matter:
Egger vs Papaioannou
1.e4d5 2.ed5Qd5 3.Nc3Qa5 4.d4c6 5.Nf3Nf6 6.Bc4Bf5 7.Bd2e6
8.Nd5Qd8 9.Nf6gf6 10.Qe2 - A standard position. White is aiming at the e6 point.
Its always nice to develop bishops to active squares like f5, however they come under attack quite quickly.
10....Nd7 (Black had 10...Bc2!?) 11.0-0-0Qc7?! 12.Nh4 here white does not use a g-pawn.
This type of knight move is common in the Slav as well.
12....Bg6 13.Be6!fe6 14.Qe6Kd8 (14...Be7? 15.Rhe10-0-0 16.Qe7Qh2 17.Rh1) 15.Ng6hg6 16.Rhe1Bd6
17.d5c5 18.Bh6 with the idea of Bg7. 18...Bf4? Understandably black is concerned about Bg7.
19.Bf4Qf4 20.Kb1Kc8 21.d6Rd8 22.Qf7Qg4 23.f3Qa4 24.Re8Qa5 white went on to win here.
However he played 25.Rd8? instead of 25.f4 which would have definitely posed black serious issues in terms of surviving in a passive position. The point of this article however, is to highlight the dangers involved in posting bishops where they can be attacked and that players need to take account of this in preparation. This means that over the board the surprise factor is diminished.
The next example is concerned with the Semi Slav systems where very commital pawn moves are made chasing bishops by both sides:
Atalik vs Dreev Sarajevo 2001
1.d4d5 2.c4c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Nc3e6 5.Bg5h6 Black puts the question to the bishop. 6.Bh4dc4 7.e4g5Once black chooses this course the game enters a highly commital phase where the pawn structure changes radically. 8.Bg3 b59.Be2Bb7 10.h4b4 11.hg5bc3! Notice that black goes for the equal or stronger threat.12.gf6cb2 13.Rb1Qa5 14.Nd2c3 15.0-0Ba6 16.Nb3Qa2 17.Nc5Bb5 18.Qc2Qa3 19.Rfd1Rg8!
An amazing unbalanced position arises.Dreev admitted to feeling uneasy about keeping his king in the centre.
However a d4-d5 thrust is really tactically wrong now because of the knight on c5.
20.Bb5cb5 21.Qe2..the point of Qe2.Qb4 22.Ne6Qc4!! 23.Nc7Kd8 24.Qh5 the only active move.
24....Rg5 25.Qh3Rg3 26.Qg3Qc7 and black went on to win. A truly thrill-a-minute game. One important guide is to calculate and assess the consequences of making commital moves like ..g5 and ...b5.The emphasis here was on finding active moves like...Rg8, ....Qa5,....Ba6,Qc4!!
The next example is quite famous.
Shirov v Nisipeanu 1999
1.e4c6 2.d4d5 3.e5Bf5 4.Nc3e6 5.g4Bg6 6.Nge2 in this line of the Caro-Kann Advance the idea is to gain both time and space with attacks on the g6 bishop.Shirov takes it to extremes:
6...c5 7.h4 (7.Be3Nc6 was featured in Grischuk v Shirov) 7....h6 8.f4!Be7 9.Bg2!clearing f1 for the King.
9...Bh4 10.Kf1 Shirov has made a very big commitment. What this means is that his concept has to work with very sharp lines coming up. 10..Be711.f5! no turning back now....Bh7 (11...ef5? 12.Nf4Nc6 13.Ng6fg6 14.gf5) 12.Nf4Qd7 13.Nh5!?Bf8 14.dc5Nc6 15.Nb5Bc5 (15...Ne5 16.Qe2) 16.c4!!
A brave choice in view of the fact that he had Ng7. Shirov is preparing for the moment black castles Queenside but he also shows how he values momentum over material.John Watson is quite effusive
in his praise of Shirov because it is clear he has gone way beyond calculation and into the realm of
intuition.He grasps that opening the position is of great importance here and open lines are needed.
16...Ne5! Active defence which hits at the c4 the pawn that supports the knight on b5. 17.Qe2Nc4 18.Bd5!Qb5 19.Bc4Qb6 20.fe6?! after this move black fought hard and went on to win with
20...0-0-0 21.ef7Ne7 - Had Shirov played 20.Ng7Kf8 21.Nh5 with the idea of Qe5 -d5 and Nf5 the game
would be totally different. However its one of the most marvellous examples of fantasy at the highest levels.
Finally I will present an example from one of my games:
Tobisch v O'Gorman
Christmas Congress 06
1.d4d5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.g3Bg4 4.Bg2e6 5.0-0Be7 6.c4c6 7.b3Nbd7 8.Bb20-0
9.Nbd2h6 10.Ne5Ne5 11.de5Nfd7 12.Kh1 This a slow version of the Catalan.
12...Nb6 13.f3Bh5 14.Rc1dc4 15.Nc4Nc4 16.Rc4Qd1 17.Rd1Rfd8 18.Rcd4Kf8
19.Ba3!! This possibility occurs because of the back rank weakness.
19...Rd4 20.Be7+ the check makes it work. 20...Ke7 21.Rd4Rd8 22.Rd8Kd8
23.Kg2Kc7 24.Kf2c5 25.e4Kb6 26.Ke3Kc5 27.g4 here I found that I could entomb the
bishop. 27...Bg6 28.a3b5 29.Bf1Kb6 30.f4a5 31.f5Bh7 and the bishop was entombed.
White won in 20 moves.
So, from all of these examples we can see how chasing bishops with pieces or pawns
by either black or white creates space and gains time. However there are very commital aspects
to such moves. The side which moves a lot of pawns to do this loses time. The side which retreats the bishops
has to understand how to exploit the long term weaknesses inherent in such pawn moves. I hope the examples given were enjoyable.
Cheers, John
I want to continue the theme built up with g-force: chasing bishops in opening theory. Bishops can be chased
from active positions by both sides and my aim is to demonstrate how this is done with gains of space and time or complex positions. Rather than go through entire games in part one, I will present excerpts from different openings. Lets get into the meat of the matter:
Egger vs Papaioannou
1.e4d5 2.ed5Qd5 3.Nc3Qa5 4.d4c6 5.Nf3Nf6 6.Bc4Bf5 7.Bd2e6
8.Nd5Qd8 9.Nf6gf6 10.Qe2 - A standard position. White is aiming at the e6 point.
Its always nice to develop bishops to active squares like f5, however they come under attack quite quickly.
10....Nd7 (Black had 10...Bc2!?) 11.0-0-0Qc7?! 12.Nh4 here white does not use a g-pawn.
This type of knight move is common in the Slav as well.
12....Bg6 13.Be6!fe6 14.Qe6Kd8 (14...Be7? 15.Rhe10-0-0 16.Qe7Qh2 17.Rh1) 15.Ng6hg6 16.Rhe1Bd6
17.d5c5 18.Bh6 with the idea of Bg7. 18...Bf4? Understandably black is concerned about Bg7.
19.Bf4Qf4 20.Kb1Kc8 21.d6Rd8 22.Qf7Qg4 23.f3Qa4 24.Re8Qa5 white went on to win here.
However he played 25.Rd8? instead of 25.f4 which would have definitely posed black serious issues in terms of surviving in a passive position. The point of this article however, is to highlight the dangers involved in posting bishops where they can be attacked and that players need to take account of this in preparation. This means that over the board the surprise factor is diminished.
The next example is concerned with the Semi Slav systems where very commital pawn moves are made chasing bishops by both sides:
Atalik vs Dreev Sarajevo 2001
1.d4d5 2.c4c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.Nc3e6 5.Bg5h6 Black puts the question to the bishop. 6.Bh4dc4 7.e4g5Once black chooses this course the game enters a highly commital phase where the pawn structure changes radically. 8.Bg3 b59.Be2Bb7 10.h4b4 11.hg5bc3! Notice that black goes for the equal or stronger threat.12.gf6cb2 13.Rb1Qa5 14.Nd2c3 15.0-0Ba6 16.Nb3Qa2 17.Nc5Bb5 18.Qc2Qa3 19.Rfd1Rg8!
An amazing unbalanced position arises.Dreev admitted to feeling uneasy about keeping his king in the centre.
However a d4-d5 thrust is really tactically wrong now because of the knight on c5.
20.Bb5cb5 21.Qe2..the point of Qe2.Qb4 22.Ne6Qc4!! 23.Nc7Kd8 24.Qh5 the only active move.
24....Rg5 25.Qh3Rg3 26.Qg3Qc7 and black went on to win. A truly thrill-a-minute game. One important guide is to calculate and assess the consequences of making commital moves like ..g5 and ...b5.The emphasis here was on finding active moves like...Rg8, ....Qa5,....Ba6,Qc4!!
The next example is quite famous.
Shirov v Nisipeanu 1999
1.e4c6 2.d4d5 3.e5Bf5 4.Nc3e6 5.g4Bg6 6.Nge2 in this line of the Caro-Kann Advance the idea is to gain both time and space with attacks on the g6 bishop.Shirov takes it to extremes:
6...c5 7.h4 (7.Be3Nc6 was featured in Grischuk v Shirov) 7....h6 8.f4!Be7 9.Bg2!clearing f1 for the King.
9...Bh4 10.Kf1 Shirov has made a very big commitment. What this means is that his concept has to work with very sharp lines coming up. 10..Be711.f5! no turning back now....Bh7 (11...ef5? 12.Nf4Nc6 13.Ng6fg6 14.gf5) 12.Nf4Qd7 13.Nh5!?Bf8 14.dc5Nc6 15.Nb5Bc5 (15...Ne5 16.Qe2) 16.c4!!
A brave choice in view of the fact that he had Ng7. Shirov is preparing for the moment black castles Queenside but he also shows how he values momentum over material.John Watson is quite effusive
in his praise of Shirov because it is clear he has gone way beyond calculation and into the realm of
intuition.He grasps that opening the position is of great importance here and open lines are needed.
16...Ne5! Active defence which hits at the c4 the pawn that supports the knight on b5. 17.Qe2Nc4 18.Bd5!Qb5 19.Bc4Qb6 20.fe6?! after this move black fought hard and went on to win with
20...0-0-0 21.ef7Ne7 - Had Shirov played 20.Ng7Kf8 21.Nh5 with the idea of Qe5 -d5 and Nf5 the game
would be totally different. However its one of the most marvellous examples of fantasy at the highest levels.
Finally I will present an example from one of my games:
Tobisch v O'Gorman
Christmas Congress 06
1.d4d5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.g3Bg4 4.Bg2e6 5.0-0Be7 6.c4c6 7.b3Nbd7 8.Bb20-0
9.Nbd2h6 10.Ne5Ne5 11.de5Nfd7 12.Kh1 This a slow version of the Catalan.
12...Nb6 13.f3Bh5 14.Rc1dc4 15.Nc4Nc4 16.Rc4Qd1 17.Rd1Rfd8 18.Rcd4Kf8
19.Ba3!! This possibility occurs because of the back rank weakness.
19...Rd4 20.Be7+ the check makes it work. 20...Ke7 21.Rd4Rd8 22.Rd8Kd8
23.Kg2Kc7 24.Kf2c5 25.e4Kb6 26.Ke3Kc5 27.g4 here I found that I could entomb the
bishop. 27...Bg6 28.a3b5 29.Bf1Kb6 30.f4a5 31.f5Bh7 and the bishop was entombed.
White won in 20 moves.
So, from all of these examples we can see how chasing bishops with pieces or pawns
by either black or white creates space and gains time. However there are very commital aspects
to such moves. The side which moves a lot of pawns to do this loses time. The side which retreats the bishops
has to understand how to exploit the long term weaknesses inherent in such pawn moves. I hope the examples given were enjoyable.
Cheers, John
Friday 25 March 2011
G-Force in chess: The rise of the g-pawn thrust in chess theory Part Three
Hello Chess lovers
I will now go to a famous example played by Indian World Champion Anand.
Anand v Lautier
1.e4d5 2.ed5Qd5 3.Nc3Qa5 4.d4Nf6 5.Nf3c6 6.Bc4Bf5 7.Ne5e6 Whenever black develops
his bishop to f5 and then plays the commital move ...e6 the g-pawn always comes handy for white.
8.g4!?Bg6 9.h4 white can do this because black cannot develop a sufficiently potent counter attack
in the center.
9...Nbd7 10.Nd7Nd7 11.h5Be4 12.Rh3!Bg2 13.Re3 it is this move that sets the stage for what is
to come....Nb6? at this point Lautier could still have played 13...Bd5 14.Bd30-0-0.
14.Bd3Nd5 15.f3! entombment.Bb4 16.Kf2Bc3 17.bc3Qc3 18.Rb1 Anand goes for the open lines.
Its amazing that black seems unconcerned about his King.
18...Qd4 19.Rb7Rd8 and here Anand sees the black King in danger and finds a way to connect some dots...
20.h6!! gh6? -This is a sign that Lautier has not sensed danger.The loose black Queen and the bad black King are key factors. Lautier stilll had 20...Ne321.Be3Qe5 22.hg7Rg8 23.Qg1Bf3 24.Kf3 according to Anand. 21.Bg6!! Lovely -the black queen is under attack and the f7 pawn is pinned which means that e6 is
under attack.
21...Ne7
21...Qe322.Be3fg6 23.Bc5
21....Qf6 22.Bf7Qf7 23.Rf7Ne3 24.Qd8Kd8 25.Be3Bh3 26.Ra7
21...Qd1 22.Re6Kf8 23.Bh6Kg8 24.Bf7#
22.Qd4Rd4 23.Rd3Rd8 24.Rd8Kd8 25.Bd3 1-0 The g2 bishop will be trapped. Here is a summary:
Black seemed solid but then the g4-h4 advance forced black to move his bishop several times.
Eventually the bishop was entombed.Then black lashed out seeking active play by piling pressure on c3.
Taking the pawn on c3 was a turning point as Anand got activity for his rooks.The trouble really began after ...Qd4.
Its important to see how much pressure the g-pawn put on black's position.
Hopefully this was instructive.
I will now go to a famous example played by Indian World Champion Anand.
Anand v Lautier
1.e4d5 2.ed5Qd5 3.Nc3Qa5 4.d4Nf6 5.Nf3c6 6.Bc4Bf5 7.Ne5e6 Whenever black develops
his bishop to f5 and then plays the commital move ...e6 the g-pawn always comes handy for white.
8.g4!?Bg6 9.h4 white can do this because black cannot develop a sufficiently potent counter attack
in the center.
9...Nbd7 10.Nd7Nd7 11.h5Be4 12.Rh3!Bg2 13.Re3 it is this move that sets the stage for what is
to come....Nb6? at this point Lautier could still have played 13...Bd5 14.Bd30-0-0.
14.Bd3Nd5 15.f3! entombment.Bb4 16.Kf2Bc3 17.bc3Qc3 18.Rb1 Anand goes for the open lines.
Its amazing that black seems unconcerned about his King.
18...Qd4 19.Rb7Rd8 and here Anand sees the black King in danger and finds a way to connect some dots...
20.h6!! gh6? -This is a sign that Lautier has not sensed danger.The loose black Queen and the bad black King are key factors. Lautier stilll had 20...Ne321.Be3Qe5 22.hg7Rg8 23.Qg1Bf3 24.Kf3 according to Anand. 21.Bg6!! Lovely -the black queen is under attack and the f7 pawn is pinned which means that e6 is
under attack.
21...Ne7
21...Qe322.Be3fg6 23.Bc5
21....Qf6 22.Bf7Qf7 23.Rf7Ne3 24.Qd8Kd8 25.Be3Bh3 26.Ra7
21...Qd1 22.Re6Kf8 23.Bh6Kg8 24.Bf7#
22.Qd4Rd4 23.Rd3Rd8 24.Rd8Kd8 25.Bd3 1-0 The g2 bishop will be trapped. Here is a summary:
Black seemed solid but then the g4-h4 advance forced black to move his bishop several times.
Eventually the bishop was entombed.Then black lashed out seeking active play by piling pressure on c3.
Taking the pawn on c3 was a turning point as Anand got activity for his rooks.The trouble really began after ...Qd4.
Its important to see how much pressure the g-pawn put on black's position.
Hopefully this was instructive.
Wednesday 23 March 2011
G-Force in chess: The rise of the g-pawn thrust in chess theory Part Two
Hello Chess Lovers,
In the second part of this series I will look at a game of the very strong GM, Ivan Sokolov.
This player once defeated Kasparov and is especially lethal with the white pieces in the Slav
and Semi-Slav lines. He can play a very good variety of lines and at the board he is quite deep.
He does not simply search for single moves he searches for conceptual approaches which
involve a line of moves.
We will see how he handles Devereaux in the Reykjavik Open 2011
Sokolov v Devereaux D18
1.d4d5 2.Nf3c6 3.c4Nf6 4.Nc3dc4 5.a4Bf5 - A very popular line. In return for conceding e4 by ...dc4 black gets piece activity and to hit at the d4 square from the d-file.
6.e3e6 7.Bc4Bb4 -Fighting for e4 indirectly. 8.0-00-0 9.Nh4!?This move comes up in many Slav lines.
White wants to get the bishop pair. 9....Bg4 10.f3Bh5 11.g4Nd5 12.Ng2Bg6 so once again we see how theory is built around chasing bishops. Modern theory suggests that space and time can be gained in one move.
13.Na2Bg6 14.e4Nb6 15.Bb3a5 - 16.Be3N8d7 17.Nc3Bb4 18.h4h6 19.Qe2 when building up a space advantage, positioning the pieces behind the pawns for a breakthrough is very important.
19...Bh7 20.Rad1Re8 21.g5! This puts black on guard and it means having to look out for assaults on
the h-file.
21....hg5 22.hg5Nf8 23.Qf2Ra6 24.Bc2Nc4 25.Bc1Nd6 26.Na2 a funny sequence. Both knights retreat.
26...b5 -A sign that black has had enough of shadow boxing. Its a hallmark of experienced 2600+ GMs that they do not always force the issue against the lower rated player who may make pseudo active moves that go nowhere.
27.ab5Nb5 28.Nb4ab4 -There has been a positional transformation. c4 is now available for white.
The dark squares in black's camp may need more protection. 29.Be3Nd6 30.Bc2 Where as white has this scope for manoevering black has to wait in passivity.
30....Qe7 31.Bd2Nb7 32.Rc1Na5 33.Bd1Rb8 34.Qg3Rd8 -Both sides are making the most useful moves.
35.Be3Nb7 36.Ne1Nd6 37.Nd3 and now white dominates c4 and c5. Note how the SuperGM does simple things.
37....Nb5 38.Rc4c5!? This is the sign that black is tired of sitting behind weaknesses.39.Nc5Rd6 40.Nb3R6d7 41.Na5Nd6 42.Rc1Ra8 43.Nc6Qe8 44.Nb4Qb8 45.Nd3 Sokolov is patient.The knight went on a holiday trip and he is not losing on time. In the meantime black struggles to find an idea.
45...Qb5 46.Be2Rd8 47.Rc5Qb6 48.Qf2Nd7 49.Rc3Qb7 50.Rfc1 all very logical. Rooks are doubled and
the bishops are poised. 50...Bg6 51.Rc7 -penetration. ....Qb8 52.Bf4Nf8 53.Rc6Ra4 54.Bf1Bh5
and the desperate bishop seeks action. Its actually going to meet its fate on this square.
55.b4!Rb4 56.Nb4Qb4 57.Kg2Ng6 58.Bg3Ne7!? 59.Rc7Ng6 60.Be2Ne8 61.Rc8Qe7 62.Qe3 Sokolov holds on to g5 and prepares an eventual Rh1.
62...Qd7 63.Rd8Qd8 64.Rh1 1-0
So what can we take from this game:
1) The gain of space and time in chasing a bishop.
2)Using the g-pawn as a battering ram.
3)After gaining space regrouping the pieces. Now this takes schematic thinking not calculation.
4)Preserving the two bishops.
5)Not forcing the game
6)Piece coordination
I hope this was helpful and instructive.
Blessings John
In the second part of this series I will look at a game of the very strong GM, Ivan Sokolov.
This player once defeated Kasparov and is especially lethal with the white pieces in the Slav
and Semi-Slav lines. He can play a very good variety of lines and at the board he is quite deep.
He does not simply search for single moves he searches for conceptual approaches which
involve a line of moves.
We will see how he handles Devereaux in the Reykjavik Open 2011
Sokolov v Devereaux D18
1.d4d5 2.Nf3c6 3.c4Nf6 4.Nc3dc4 5.a4Bf5 - A very popular line. In return for conceding e4 by ...dc4 black gets piece activity and to hit at the d4 square from the d-file.
6.e3e6 7.Bc4Bb4 -Fighting for e4 indirectly. 8.0-00-0 9.Nh4!?This move comes up in many Slav lines.
White wants to get the bishop pair. 9....Bg4 10.f3Bh5 11.g4Nd5 12.Ng2Bg6 so once again we see how theory is built around chasing bishops. Modern theory suggests that space and time can be gained in one move.
13.Na2Bg6 14.e4Nb6 15.Bb3a5 - 16.Be3N8d7 17.Nc3Bb4 18.h4h6 19.Qe2 when building up a space advantage, positioning the pieces behind the pawns for a breakthrough is very important.
19...Bh7 20.Rad1Re8 21.g5! This puts black on guard and it means having to look out for assaults on
the h-file.
21....hg5 22.hg5Nf8 23.Qf2Ra6 24.Bc2Nc4 25.Bc1Nd6 26.Na2 a funny sequence. Both knights retreat.
26...b5 -A sign that black has had enough of shadow boxing. Its a hallmark of experienced 2600+ GMs that they do not always force the issue against the lower rated player who may make pseudo active moves that go nowhere.
27.ab5Nb5 28.Nb4ab4 -There has been a positional transformation. c4 is now available for white.
The dark squares in black's camp may need more protection. 29.Be3Nd6 30.Bc2 Where as white has this scope for manoevering black has to wait in passivity.
30....Qe7 31.Bd2Nb7 32.Rc1Na5 33.Bd1Rb8 34.Qg3Rd8 -Both sides are making the most useful moves.
35.Be3Nb7 36.Ne1Nd6 37.Nd3 and now white dominates c4 and c5. Note how the SuperGM does simple things.
37....Nb5 38.Rc4c5!? This is the sign that black is tired of sitting behind weaknesses.39.Nc5Rd6 40.Nb3R6d7 41.Na5Nd6 42.Rc1Ra8 43.Nc6Qe8 44.Nb4Qb8 45.Nd3 Sokolov is patient.The knight went on a holiday trip and he is not losing on time. In the meantime black struggles to find an idea.
45...Qb5 46.Be2Rd8 47.Rc5Qb6 48.Qf2Nd7 49.Rc3Qb7 50.Rfc1 all very logical. Rooks are doubled and
the bishops are poised. 50...Bg6 51.Rc7 -penetration. ....Qb8 52.Bf4Nf8 53.Rc6Ra4 54.Bf1Bh5
and the desperate bishop seeks action. Its actually going to meet its fate on this square.
55.b4!Rb4 56.Nb4Qb4 57.Kg2Ng6 58.Bg3Ne7!? 59.Rc7Ng6 60.Be2Ne8 61.Rc8Qe7 62.Qe3 Sokolov holds on to g5 and prepares an eventual Rh1.
62...Qd7 63.Rd8Qd8 64.Rh1 1-0
So what can we take from this game:
1) The gain of space and time in chasing a bishop.
2)Using the g-pawn as a battering ram.
3)After gaining space regrouping the pieces. Now this takes schematic thinking not calculation.
4)Preserving the two bishops.
5)Not forcing the game
6)Piece coordination
I hope this was helpful and instructive.
Blessings John
Tuesday 22 March 2011
G-Force in chess: The rise of the g-pawn thrust in chess theory. Part 1
Hello everyone
I would like to cover the topic of the use of the g-pawn in modern opening theory and how it ties in with another topic not discussed by many books: the danger of certain openings for black where the pieces are in the way of a tsunami of pawns.
We will start with Dautov v Lputian Istanbul 2000 Olympiad
1.d4d5 2.c4e6 3.Nc3Be7 4.cd5cd5 5.Bf4c6 6.e3Bf5 7.g4!? GMs never talk about this a lot but the
paradox of developing the black bishops out to active squares involves them being later chased by pawns which gain both time and space.
7...Be6 8.h4c5 here Lputian goes for the standard procedure. He hits out at the centre in response to a flank attack. In another game he tried 8...Nf6 9.g5Ne4 10.Bd3Qa5 11.Kf1Nc3 12.bc3Nd7 13.Ne20-0-0 14.a4h6 15.ghgh6 -Georgiev v Lputian 8....Bh4 9.Qb3b6 10.Nf3Be7 11.Ne5Nf6 12.g5Nfd7 13.g6!
would be nice for white.
9.Be5! At the time this was new. The idea is to provoke ...f6 and thereby protect h4. 9....Bf6
10.Bb8 White takes away a crucial counter attacking piece.Over the board its not easy to meet this sequence. If one plays the g4 advance one is burning bridges with such a commitment.It means that the King position requires some deep thought.Rb8 11.g5Be7 12.Bg2h6 13.Nge2hg5 14.hg5Rh1 15.Bh1Bg5 16.Qa4Kf8 (16...b5?17.Qa7b4 18.Nd5 winning) 17.dc5Ne7 18.Qa7Nc6 19.Qb6Qf6 20.Qc7Rc8 21.Qh2 Its remarkable how the queen finds so much work in this game....Nb4 22.Rd1Kg8 23.a3Nc2 24.Kd2Nd4 25.Nd4Qd4 26.Ke1Qc5
27.Bd5Qb6 28.Be6Qe6 29.Qg2Bf6 30.Qb7Bc3 31.bc3Rc3 32.Qb8Kh7 33.Qh2Qh6 34.Qh6gh6 and now Dautov shows his technique. 35.Ra1h5 36.a4Rc6 37.a5Ra6 38.Kf1Kg6 39.Kg2Kg5 40.Kh3f6 41.f4Kg6
42.e4 1-0 So what can we take from such a game?
1) Its important as black not to naively place pieces on pseudo active squares when they can be chased back.
2)If you play with g-pawns like this then you have to calculate the variations thoroughly beforehand and work out the follow up.
3)Playing such moves involves an understanding of momentum in chess.
I would like to cover the topic of the use of the g-pawn in modern opening theory and how it ties in with another topic not discussed by many books: the danger of certain openings for black where the pieces are in the way of a tsunami of pawns.
We will start with Dautov v Lputian Istanbul 2000 Olympiad
1.d4d5 2.c4e6 3.Nc3Be7 4.cd5cd5 5.Bf4c6 6.e3Bf5 7.g4!? GMs never talk about this a lot but the
paradox of developing the black bishops out to active squares involves them being later chased by pawns which gain both time and space.
7...Be6 8.h4c5 here Lputian goes for the standard procedure. He hits out at the centre in response to a flank attack. In another game he tried 8...Nf6 9.g5Ne4 10.Bd3Qa5 11.Kf1Nc3 12.bc3Nd7 13.Ne20-0-0 14.a4h6 15.ghgh6 -Georgiev v Lputian 8....Bh4 9.Qb3b6 10.Nf3Be7 11.Ne5Nf6 12.g5Nfd7 13.g6!
would be nice for white.
9.Be5! At the time this was new. The idea is to provoke ...f6 and thereby protect h4. 9....Bf6
10.Bb8 White takes away a crucial counter attacking piece.Over the board its not easy to meet this sequence. If one plays the g4 advance one is burning bridges with such a commitment.It means that the King position requires some deep thought.Rb8 11.g5Be7 12.Bg2h6 13.Nge2hg5 14.hg5Rh1 15.Bh1Bg5 16.Qa4Kf8 (16...b5?17.Qa7b4 18.Nd5 winning) 17.dc5Ne7 18.Qa7Nc6 19.Qb6Qf6 20.Qc7Rc8 21.Qh2 Its remarkable how the queen finds so much work in this game....Nb4 22.Rd1Kg8 23.a3Nc2 24.Kd2Nd4 25.Nd4Qd4 26.Ke1Qc5
27.Bd5Qb6 28.Be6Qe6 29.Qg2Bf6 30.Qb7Bc3 31.bc3Rc3 32.Qb8Kh7 33.Qh2Qh6 34.Qh6gh6 and now Dautov shows his technique. 35.Ra1h5 36.a4Rc6 37.a5Ra6 38.Kf1Kg6 39.Kg2Kg5 40.Kh3f6 41.f4Kg6
42.e4 1-0 So what can we take from such a game?
1) Its important as black not to naively place pieces on pseudo active squares when they can be chased back.
2)If you play with g-pawns like this then you have to calculate the variations thoroughly beforehand and work out the follow up.
3)Playing such moves involves an understanding of momentum in chess.
Sunday 13 March 2011
A pretty queen sacrifice in the French Tarrasch C03
Hello Chess lovers
Iam happy to share with you this short game in which I was able to find the most unusual
Queen sacrifice:
NN v Tobisch Playchess.com
1.e4e6 2.d4d5 3.Nd2Be7 4.e5Nh6 This move has served me very well.5.Bd3c5 6.c3Nc6 7.Ne2cd4 8.cd4Qb6 9.Nf3Nf5 10.Bf5ef5Moskalenko has written about this. 11.0-0Be6 12.Rb1h6 13.Nf4Rc8 14.Ne6fe6 15.Be3g5 16.Qa4Kf7 17.Rfd1f4 18.Bc1Rcg8 19.g4h5 20.h3hg4 21.hg4Rh3 22.Kg2Rfh8
23 .Bd2 I was happy to find this mating idea: 23....Nd4 24.Nd4Qd4 25.Qd4f3+ 0-1 And white resigns.
Chess brings these gifts!!
Iam happy to share with you this short game in which I was able to find the most unusual
Queen sacrifice:
NN v Tobisch Playchess.com
1.e4e6 2.d4d5 3.Nd2Be7 4.e5Nh6 This move has served me very well.5.Bd3c5 6.c3Nc6 7.Ne2cd4 8.cd4Qb6 9.Nf3Nf5 10.Bf5ef5Moskalenko has written about this. 11.0-0Be6 12.Rb1h6 13.Nf4Rc8 14.Ne6fe6 15.Be3g5 16.Qa4Kf7 17.Rfd1f4 18.Bc1Rcg8 19.g4h5 20.h3hg4 21.hg4Rh3 22.Kg2Rfh8
23 .Bd2 I was happy to find this mating idea: 23....Nd4 24.Nd4Qd4 25.Qd4f3+ 0-1 And white resigns.
Chess brings these gifts!!
Wednesday 9 March 2011
The Keres Enigma Part Two
Hello Chess Lovers
In Part Two of the Series on Paul Keres the focus will be on a game with his nemesis, Botvinnik. Stories abound of the Soviet authorities being against Keres as a World Champion. Rather than get into speculation I want to look on their game played in the Alekhine Memorial 1956. In this game the battleground is the Sicillian Richter Rauser Variation. My aim is to look on the aspects of chess thinking one can bring to the critical positions reached in this game.
Keres v Botvinnik
1.e4c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4cd4 4.Nd4Nf6 5.Nc3d6 6.Bg5e6 7.Qd2 -The trend is clear. White's development of his queen side pieces indicates that he will go for queen side castling and pressure on the d6 square which paid off.
7...h6 8.Bf6gf6 - A commital move. Botvinnik had a penchant for doubled pawns and the open files that
came with them. Black is hoping to create a central fortress which gives him scope for play on the g and c-files. Keres continues in a forthright manner.It is usually at this point that modern players will look for a variety of plans.
9.0-0-0a6 10.f4 gaining a space advantage and allowing for a rook to come to f3. 10...h5!?
Botvinnik stops any expansion with g4 and also is ready to play ...Bh6. Keres, using some prophylactic thinking improves his king. In this position white must look for a target to hit while securing his king.
11.Kb1- no more attacks on h6-c1. 11....Bd7 12.Be2Qb6 13.Nb30-0-0 14.Rhf1Na5 15.Rf3Nb3 16.ab3Kb8 - Both sides have castled and now the time has come for a deep evaluation.
Black's pawn structure has left targets for white.The h5 pawn is one. The dark squares a5,b6,d6 also will get attention. The two black bishops did not get any joy in this game. The black bishops never got going in this game.
17.Na4!?Qa7 18.f5 -Keres spots a tactical possibility.Generally the question facing white is whether to play e4-e5 or f4-f5, conceding squares but also attacking vulnerable points.
18...Be7?! -A perfectly natural developing move. However the bishop is overloaded.
19.fe6fe6 20.Rf6! -The rook is taboo because of Qd6 and Nb6.
20....Rh7 21.Rg6b5 22.Nc3Qc5 and here Keres comes up with a long term plan in which he must have looked at the big picture.His knight will go to f4 via a2-b4-d3 and he will target the e6 pawn. The way he does this against Botvinnik is impressive.In this position it was important to analyse counter play.The problem for black is that having castled on the same side as white, he has no way of mounting pressure on the c-file.
His central pawn structure is fine as long as it is static.
23.Na2Ka7 24.Nb4Rf8 25.Bf3-closing the f-file. 25....h4 26.h3 fixing the target. 26...Bc8 Botvinnik has really few useful moves to choose from so he will eventually place the bishop on b7. When an opponent regroups the important task is to see where it leads. Asking yourself what the most potent and active plan for the opponent is will help a lot.
27.Nd3 Keres gets the knight to f4 with a tempo. 27...Qc7 28.Nf4Rf6 29.Bg4Rg6 30.Ng6Bb7 31.Be6Bd8
Botvinnik is reduced to defensive regrouping. 32.Bd5 removing black's best piece. 32....Bd5 33.Qd5Rf7 34.e5! and Keres will bag another pawn.In this game there were no long forced variations. The early changes in the pawn structure hurt black and Botvinnik never got active piece play. The way in which Keres exploited the black king position and the overloading of the black bishop is exemplary.
Feedback is appreciated.
In Part Two of the Series on Paul Keres the focus will be on a game with his nemesis, Botvinnik. Stories abound of the Soviet authorities being against Keres as a World Champion. Rather than get into speculation I want to look on their game played in the Alekhine Memorial 1956. In this game the battleground is the Sicillian Richter Rauser Variation. My aim is to look on the aspects of chess thinking one can bring to the critical positions reached in this game.
Keres v Botvinnik
1.e4c5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.d4cd4 4.Nd4Nf6 5.Nc3d6 6.Bg5e6 7.Qd2 -The trend is clear. White's development of his queen side pieces indicates that he will go for queen side castling and pressure on the d6 square which paid off.
7...h6 8.Bf6gf6 - A commital move. Botvinnik had a penchant for doubled pawns and the open files that
came with them. Black is hoping to create a central fortress which gives him scope for play on the g and c-files. Keres continues in a forthright manner.It is usually at this point that modern players will look for a variety of plans.
9.0-0-0a6 10.f4 gaining a space advantage and allowing for a rook to come to f3. 10...h5!?
Botvinnik stops any expansion with g4 and also is ready to play ...Bh6. Keres, using some prophylactic thinking improves his king. In this position white must look for a target to hit while securing his king.
11.Kb1- no more attacks on h6-c1. 11....Bd7 12.Be2Qb6 13.Nb30-0-0 14.Rhf1Na5 15.Rf3Nb3 16.ab3Kb8 - Both sides have castled and now the time has come for a deep evaluation.
Black's pawn structure has left targets for white.The h5 pawn is one. The dark squares a5,b6,d6 also will get attention. The two black bishops did not get any joy in this game. The black bishops never got going in this game.
17.Na4!?Qa7 18.f5 -Keres spots a tactical possibility.Generally the question facing white is whether to play e4-e5 or f4-f5, conceding squares but also attacking vulnerable points.
18...Be7?! -A perfectly natural developing move. However the bishop is overloaded.
19.fe6fe6 20.Rf6! -The rook is taboo because of Qd6 and Nb6.
20....Rh7 21.Rg6b5 22.Nc3Qc5 and here Keres comes up with a long term plan in which he must have looked at the big picture.His knight will go to f4 via a2-b4-d3 and he will target the e6 pawn. The way he does this against Botvinnik is impressive.In this position it was important to analyse counter play.The problem for black is that having castled on the same side as white, he has no way of mounting pressure on the c-file.
His central pawn structure is fine as long as it is static.
23.Na2Ka7 24.Nb4Rf8 25.Bf3-closing the f-file. 25....h4 26.h3 fixing the target. 26...Bc8 Botvinnik has really few useful moves to choose from so he will eventually place the bishop on b7. When an opponent regroups the important task is to see where it leads. Asking yourself what the most potent and active plan for the opponent is will help a lot.
27.Nd3 Keres gets the knight to f4 with a tempo. 27...Qc7 28.Nf4Rf6 29.Bg4Rg6 30.Ng6Bb7 31.Be6Bd8
Botvinnik is reduced to defensive regrouping. 32.Bd5 removing black's best piece. 32....Bd5 33.Qd5Rf7 34.e5! and Keres will bag another pawn.In this game there were no long forced variations. The early changes in the pawn structure hurt black and Botvinnik never got active piece play. The way in which Keres exploited the black king position and the overloading of the black bishop is exemplary.
Feedback is appreciated.
Monday 7 March 2011
The Keres Enigma Part One
Hello Chess Lovers
Its always an honour to present the games of Paul Keres who perhaps will go down in history as the strongest player not to win a World Championship. He towered above the chess fraternity for many years and had to cope with immense difficulties at many times during his life. Despite this, he was one of the first truly universal players of the game. He played an immense amount of opening variations and wrote on the theory of the variations. He was also an avid Correspondence player. His style evolved as he aged and from the 1930s onwards he was always a threat to the very best players.
Lets look at one of his earlier games to see how brutally he punished inaccurate opening play.
Keres v Winter
1.e4c5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.e5Nd5 4.Nc3e6 5.Nd5ed5 6.d4d6 7.Bg5Qa5+? Already there is a crisis point.
Keres, like many great attacking players sought the most active moves and had a reverence for the element of time. Playing 1.e4 puts a great responsibility on the shoulders of the player with the white pieces as accuracy and timing are so important.
8.c3cd4 9.Bd3 At this point it is clear that Paul made a critical decision.One of the serious turning points.
He decided to go straight for development 9...dc3 10.0-0cb2? 11.Rb1de5 12.Ne5Bd6
At a very early stage in the game a crisis point has been reached. Black has reaped a harvest of pawns in the hope that he can withstand the punishment. White, on the other hand has made a commitment. He is simply at the point of no return as black is poised to castle and then escape.So...
13.Nf7!Kf7 14.Qh5 At this point Keres has the right ratio of pieces for an attack.Three in the vicinity of the black king. g6 15.Bg6hg6 16.Qh8Bf5 17.Rfe1 Perhaps the last critical moment. White brings up reinforcements. The greatest attacking players always allow for this moment in an attack.
17...Be4 Trying to cover e8.Keres had other ideas.
18.Re4de4 19.Qf6+ and black resigned. A possible finish could be
19...Ke8 20.Qe6Kf8 21.Bh6 mate. Now how would this apply to the serious amateur player:
1) A high level of alertness for inaccuracies in the opening when playing 1.e4
Kasparov, Anand, Nunn,Svidler,Short, Velimirovic,Fischer,Keres and Tal as well as Shirov are famous for this alertness.
2) A deep respect for timing in chess. Keres sacrificed in a commital way knowing that his huge lead in development would pay off.
3) A strong visual sense for radical changes in positions.
4) The ability to sense the crisis points in a game.
5) Accurate conversion technique.
Its always an honour to present the games of Paul Keres who perhaps will go down in history as the strongest player not to win a World Championship. He towered above the chess fraternity for many years and had to cope with immense difficulties at many times during his life. Despite this, he was one of the first truly universal players of the game. He played an immense amount of opening variations and wrote on the theory of the variations. He was also an avid Correspondence player. His style evolved as he aged and from the 1930s onwards he was always a threat to the very best players.
Lets look at one of his earlier games to see how brutally he punished inaccurate opening play.
Keres v Winter
1.e4c5 2.Nf3Nf6 3.e5Nd5 4.Nc3e6 5.Nd5ed5 6.d4d6 7.Bg5Qa5+? Already there is a crisis point.
Keres, like many great attacking players sought the most active moves and had a reverence for the element of time. Playing 1.e4 puts a great responsibility on the shoulders of the player with the white pieces as accuracy and timing are so important.
8.c3cd4 9.Bd3 At this point it is clear that Paul made a critical decision.One of the serious turning points.
He decided to go straight for development 9...dc3 10.0-0cb2? 11.Rb1de5 12.Ne5Bd6
At a very early stage in the game a crisis point has been reached. Black has reaped a harvest of pawns in the hope that he can withstand the punishment. White, on the other hand has made a commitment. He is simply at the point of no return as black is poised to castle and then escape.So...
13.Nf7!Kf7 14.Qh5 At this point Keres has the right ratio of pieces for an attack.Three in the vicinity of the black king. g6 15.Bg6hg6 16.Qh8Bf5 17.Rfe1 Perhaps the last critical moment. White brings up reinforcements. The greatest attacking players always allow for this moment in an attack.
17...Be4 Trying to cover e8.Keres had other ideas.
18.Re4de4 19.Qf6+ and black resigned. A possible finish could be
19...Ke8 20.Qe6Kf8 21.Bh6 mate. Now how would this apply to the serious amateur player:
1) A high level of alertness for inaccuracies in the opening when playing 1.e4
Kasparov, Anand, Nunn,Svidler,Short, Velimirovic,Fischer,Keres and Tal as well as Shirov are famous for this alertness.
2) A deep respect for timing in chess. Keres sacrificed in a commital way knowing that his huge lead in development would pay off.
3) A strong visual sense for radical changes in positions.
4) The ability to sense the crisis points in a game.
5) Accurate conversion technique.
Sunday 6 March 2011
Tal Demystified Part Two
Hello Chess Lovers,
In Part One I explored some of the various components of Tal's attacking methods. In this wild but short game I wanted to explore with you his attitude to active defense. In this wonderfully wild bronco ride of a game Tal plays the counter attacking French Defence against Fischer who appears to be a bit rattled by black's active possibilities.
Fischer v Tal Leipzig Olympiad 1960
1.e4e6 -Tal explained why he chose this opening along with his trainer Koblents. He thought Fischer would have less confident in unfamiliar positions.Fischer was accustomed to facing 1...e5 or 1...c5.He also candidly wrote that he took 10 minutes to play this move.
2.d4d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5c5 5.a3Ba5 -The Armenian Variation championed by Vaganian and Lputjan.
6.b4cd4 7.Qg4Ne7 According to Moskalenko 7...Kf8 is still worth a try.
8.ba5dc3 I think this position may hold the key to why Tal and Koblents liked this against Fischer. Black has play on the queen side and also imbalances which were unfamiliar to Fischer over the board. Its one thing to read about these lines. Its another to confront the types of decisions one has to make when playing the position.
9.Qg7Rg8 10.Qh7Nbc6 11.Nf3 (11.f4Qa5) ...Qc7 12.Bb5Bd7 13.0-0 - Now here we see the pattern in Fischer's play. In most openings with white Fischer went for efficient and straightforward development. He never tried to hide behind slow elaborate schemes. For Fischer timing was vital.He took the right to make the first move seriously. In the French defence timing often takes second place to quality.Pawn structure, weaknesses, attack and counter attack, imbalances become a major part of the picture.Fischer must have been aware of the 3 tempi he spent with the queen (Qg4-g7-h7).However 0-0 is very commital against Tal.
13....0-0-0 - Vaganian played 13...Ne5 much later in 1985. Tal explained that he could not see how to strengthen the position at the board after taking the pawn on the board. At the time the freshly minted World Champion must have reckoned that it was better to mobilize against Fischer's king.
14.Bg5 Its interesting to note how Fischer saw the role of the bishops here.He clearly looked for the most active squares. Now, having completed development, Tal goes on a fantastic roller coaster ride. However its not magic.
14....Ne5! Active defence. 15.Ne5! (15.Be7Nf3 16.Kh1Rh8 shows just how sharp the position is)
15...Bb5! -Tal goes for the most active and complicated line.Here we get an insight into Tal's concept of the game: Perpetual activity even at the expense of material. It should be noted that very few players had such a hold on Fischer like Tal up to 1961 in Bled.
16.Nf7Bf1! - Threat for threat. Tal hits g2. 17.Nd8Rg5 once more Tal focuses on g2.Its this sort of attitude that is important no matter who we face-the question of being able to mount active defense is paramount in many lines and in the database era decisions are made based on whether a variation contains active possibilities.
18.Ne6Rg2 19.Kh1Qe5 20.Rf1Qe6 21.Kg2Qg4 and perpetual check was unavoidable. So what are the instructive features of this game:
1) The choice of an active defense with imbalances can build one's understanding.
2) Tal and his coach Koblents took opposition analysis seriously. If we go through any database of Fischer's
games between 1959 and 1960 we will not see many French Defence games.
3) Tal clearly understood the dangers in such positions but Fischer's classical concept of development
would be to his detriment. It is clear that when Fischer took on g7 with the Queen that he believed he could take pawns and survive the ensuing onslaught. 13.0-0 gives us deep insight into the thinking of Fischer.
Just as he developed and castled as white in open games he did so here -in opposition to a black rook on an open file.His bishops were posted optimistically on g5 and b5-the most advanced posts.Both bishops became targets. Later on Fischer was to show a more nuanced idea of development against the French Defence.
4) Instead of avoiding a crisis, Tal provoked one, maximising problems for his opponent as well as giving himself some problems to solve.
5) At the basis of his concept of defence was piece activity. I hope I have enriched the understanding of this wonderful giant of chess.
In Part One I explored some of the various components of Tal's attacking methods. In this wild but short game I wanted to explore with you his attitude to active defense. In this wonderfully wild bronco ride of a game Tal plays the counter attacking French Defence against Fischer who appears to be a bit rattled by black's active possibilities.
Fischer v Tal Leipzig Olympiad 1960
1.e4e6 -Tal explained why he chose this opening along with his trainer Koblents. He thought Fischer would have less confident in unfamiliar positions.Fischer was accustomed to facing 1...e5 or 1...c5.He also candidly wrote that he took 10 minutes to play this move.
2.d4d5 3.Nc3Bb4 4.e5c5 5.a3Ba5 -The Armenian Variation championed by Vaganian and Lputjan.
6.b4cd4 7.Qg4Ne7 According to Moskalenko 7...Kf8 is still worth a try.
8.ba5dc3 I think this position may hold the key to why Tal and Koblents liked this against Fischer. Black has play on the queen side and also imbalances which were unfamiliar to Fischer over the board. Its one thing to read about these lines. Its another to confront the types of decisions one has to make when playing the position.
9.Qg7Rg8 10.Qh7Nbc6 11.Nf3 (11.f4Qa5) ...Qc7 12.Bb5Bd7 13.0-0 - Now here we see the pattern in Fischer's play. In most openings with white Fischer went for efficient and straightforward development. He never tried to hide behind slow elaborate schemes. For Fischer timing was vital.He took the right to make the first move seriously. In the French defence timing often takes second place to quality.Pawn structure, weaknesses, attack and counter attack, imbalances become a major part of the picture.Fischer must have been aware of the 3 tempi he spent with the queen (Qg4-g7-h7).However 0-0 is very commital against Tal.
13....0-0-0 - Vaganian played 13...Ne5 much later in 1985. Tal explained that he could not see how to strengthen the position at the board after taking the pawn on the board. At the time the freshly minted World Champion must have reckoned that it was better to mobilize against Fischer's king.
14.Bg5 Its interesting to note how Fischer saw the role of the bishops here.He clearly looked for the most active squares. Now, having completed development, Tal goes on a fantastic roller coaster ride. However its not magic.
14....Ne5! Active defence. 15.Ne5! (15.Be7Nf3 16.Kh1Rh8 shows just how sharp the position is)
15...Bb5! -Tal goes for the most active and complicated line.Here we get an insight into Tal's concept of the game: Perpetual activity even at the expense of material. It should be noted that very few players had such a hold on Fischer like Tal up to 1961 in Bled.
16.Nf7Bf1! - Threat for threat. Tal hits g2. 17.Nd8Rg5 once more Tal focuses on g2.Its this sort of attitude that is important no matter who we face-the question of being able to mount active defense is paramount in many lines and in the database era decisions are made based on whether a variation contains active possibilities.
18.Ne6Rg2 19.Kh1Qe5 20.Rf1Qe6 21.Kg2Qg4 and perpetual check was unavoidable. So what are the instructive features of this game:
1) The choice of an active defense with imbalances can build one's understanding.
2) Tal and his coach Koblents took opposition analysis seriously. If we go through any database of Fischer's
games between 1959 and 1960 we will not see many French Defence games.
3) Tal clearly understood the dangers in such positions but Fischer's classical concept of development
would be to his detriment. It is clear that when Fischer took on g7 with the Queen that he believed he could take pawns and survive the ensuing onslaught. 13.0-0 gives us deep insight into the thinking of Fischer.
Just as he developed and castled as white in open games he did so here -in opposition to a black rook on an open file.His bishops were posted optimistically on g5 and b5-the most advanced posts.Both bishops became targets. Later on Fischer was to show a more nuanced idea of development against the French Defence.
4) Instead of avoiding a crisis, Tal provoked one, maximising problems for his opponent as well as giving himself some problems to solve.
5) At the basis of his concept of defence was piece activity. I hope I have enriched the understanding of this wonderful giant of chess.
Saturday 5 March 2011
Tal Demystified Part One
Hello Chess Lovers
I would like to use this space to demystify Tal and his "total chess". Any serious chess player who has read a lot about the world champions will see that Tal is one of the most loved of all the Champions.According to Seirawan in his book on facing champions, Tal's presence in any tournament hall was a celebration of chess.
Humour, sharing chess wisdom, writing analyses. He embraced life and chess in a complete way. This blog is about celebrating his zenith brand of chess but also to demystify his voyages of discovery on the board.
We will look now at one of his signature violent attacks on the board. When playing with white Tal would assemble a huge repertoire-something copied by Kasparov- and like a versatile tennis player he would learn to hit his opponents in many different ways.This of course bolstered his reputation.
Tal v Tolush
Moskow 1957
1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3g6 3.e4d6 4.d4Bg7 5.f3e5 6.Nge2Nbd7 7.Bg5c6 and here we have the Saemisch system of the King's Indian Defence. This variation is characterised by uncompromising play and requires a number of different skills: calculation, fantasy,knowledge of opening specific tactics, understanding of the sustainable initiative in chess.
8.Qd2 Tal is direct here. He seeks the removal of the dark square defender. 8....0-0 ?! Looking back at this game I would say this was a critical decision against Tal who has not committed his King.
9.d5c5? A very bad strategic mistake. This cuts of black's counterplay. 9...Nb6 keeps the tension. It is a phenomenon in chess that one can have this string of bad moves which together gives the signal to the opponent.
10.g4!a6 11.Ng3Re8 12.h4Qa5 As the position is still closed the attacker must mount a pawn storm.
Its important to see that now the second rank is open for the Queen on d2.This means the ability to switch to h2. Its also noteworthy that the greatest players opted for space with white.
13.Bh6Nf8 14.h5Qc7 15.Bd3b5 16.0-0-0 having made as many active moves as he can, Tal commits his King to the left side.This requires no small amount of courage.
16....bc4 17.Bb1!Bh8 18.Rdg1 Tal invites everyone to the party. 18...Rb8 19.Nf5! This is where pattern recognition and fantasy come into play. Material takes second place to opening lines. Tal has built up as much as he can.Now to engineer a breakthrough.
19.....N6d7 20.Bg5! and now the threats increase. Tal threatens Nh6. 20...Bg7 21.Ng7 A small success for white. A vital defender has been removed.
21....Kg7 22.Bh6Kg8 now for the next wave and this is where we must demystify and break down Tal's methods:
1) Aggressive development dictated by the variation and the opponent's decision to commit his king to the right of the board.
2) Bringing as many pieces to bear against the king.
3) Keeping central lines closed
4) Castling queenside knowing that b2 is held by the King and queen.
5) Hunting and seeking the removal of important defenders around the white king
6) Opening lines.
23.f4! threatening f4-f5. 23...ef4 24.Qf4Qd8 25.hg6Ng6 26.Qh2Nde5 27.Bf4Nf8 black tries to defend h7.
28.Qh6Neg6 29.Bg5f6 and here Tal finds the line opening
30.e5! now every white attacking unit is released! Its important to break the attack into chunks.
30....Re5 31.Bg6Rb7 second rank defense. 32.Ne4!fg5 33.Rf1Re4 34.Be4Rg7 black defends resourcefully but Tal continues
35.Rf6Bg4 36.Rhf1Nd7 37.Rd6Qe7 38.Ra6 and the rook is rampant. What started as a king side attack is now becoming a oard wide raid.
38....Kh8 39.Bh7Nb8 40.Bf5+Kg8 41.Be6Be6 42.Re6 and black had enough.So what were the important points that we could take from the game:
1) The choice of variation.
2) Decision making. Once the opponent castled king side Tal made up his mind to throw every thing at the black fortress. This is a commitment.
3) Inviting everyone to the party. Rooks, knights, bishops, pawns and the Queen were all used.
4) Opening files and diagonals and attacking along ranks.Attacks have a certain geometry to them.
5) Finding decisive moves which have a bit of fantasy about them. Nf5 was one and e4-e5 was another.
These are highly commital.
6)Ensuring king safety throughout.
I hope this is clear.
I would like to use this space to demystify Tal and his "total chess". Any serious chess player who has read a lot about the world champions will see that Tal is one of the most loved of all the Champions.According to Seirawan in his book on facing champions, Tal's presence in any tournament hall was a celebration of chess.
Humour, sharing chess wisdom, writing analyses. He embraced life and chess in a complete way. This blog is about celebrating his zenith brand of chess but also to demystify his voyages of discovery on the board.
We will look now at one of his signature violent attacks on the board. When playing with white Tal would assemble a huge repertoire-something copied by Kasparov- and like a versatile tennis player he would learn to hit his opponents in many different ways.This of course bolstered his reputation.
Tal v Tolush
Moskow 1957
1.c4Nf6 2.Nc3g6 3.e4d6 4.d4Bg7 5.f3e5 6.Nge2Nbd7 7.Bg5c6 and here we have the Saemisch system of the King's Indian Defence. This variation is characterised by uncompromising play and requires a number of different skills: calculation, fantasy,knowledge of opening specific tactics, understanding of the sustainable initiative in chess.
8.Qd2 Tal is direct here. He seeks the removal of the dark square defender. 8....0-0 ?! Looking back at this game I would say this was a critical decision against Tal who has not committed his King.
9.d5c5? A very bad strategic mistake. This cuts of black's counterplay. 9...Nb6 keeps the tension. It is a phenomenon in chess that one can have this string of bad moves which together gives the signal to the opponent.
10.g4!a6 11.Ng3Re8 12.h4Qa5 As the position is still closed the attacker must mount a pawn storm.
Its important to see that now the second rank is open for the Queen on d2.This means the ability to switch to h2. Its also noteworthy that the greatest players opted for space with white.
13.Bh6Nf8 14.h5Qc7 15.Bd3b5 16.0-0-0 having made as many active moves as he can, Tal commits his King to the left side.This requires no small amount of courage.
16....bc4 17.Bb1!Bh8 18.Rdg1 Tal invites everyone to the party. 18...Rb8 19.Nf5! This is where pattern recognition and fantasy come into play. Material takes second place to opening lines. Tal has built up as much as he can.Now to engineer a breakthrough.
19.....N6d7 20.Bg5! and now the threats increase. Tal threatens Nh6. 20...Bg7 21.Ng7 A small success for white. A vital defender has been removed.
21....Kg7 22.Bh6Kg8 now for the next wave and this is where we must demystify and break down Tal's methods:
1) Aggressive development dictated by the variation and the opponent's decision to commit his king to the right of the board.
2) Bringing as many pieces to bear against the king.
3) Keeping central lines closed
4) Castling queenside knowing that b2 is held by the King and queen.
5) Hunting and seeking the removal of important defenders around the white king
6) Opening lines.
23.f4! threatening f4-f5. 23...ef4 24.Qf4Qd8 25.hg6Ng6 26.Qh2Nde5 27.Bf4Nf8 black tries to defend h7.
28.Qh6Neg6 29.Bg5f6 and here Tal finds the line opening
30.e5! now every white attacking unit is released! Its important to break the attack into chunks.
30....Re5 31.Bg6Rb7 second rank defense. 32.Ne4!fg5 33.Rf1Re4 34.Be4Rg7 black defends resourcefully but Tal continues
35.Rf6Bg4 36.Rhf1Nd7 37.Rd6Qe7 38.Ra6 and the rook is rampant. What started as a king side attack is now becoming a oard wide raid.
38....Kh8 39.Bh7Nb8 40.Bf5+Kg8 41.Be6Be6 42.Re6 and black had enough.So what were the important points that we could take from the game:
1) The choice of variation.
2) Decision making. Once the opponent castled king side Tal made up his mind to throw every thing at the black fortress. This is a commitment.
3) Inviting everyone to the party. Rooks, knights, bishops, pawns and the Queen were all used.
4) Opening files and diagonals and attacking along ranks.Attacks have a certain geometry to them.
5) Finding decisive moves which have a bit of fantasy about them. Nf5 was one and e4-e5 was another.
These are highly commital.
6)Ensuring king safety throughout.
I hope this is clear.
Fischer Decoded Part One Continued
Hello
In this segment of Fischer decoded I will present th third example of Fischer's love affair with the Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez. Once again we see the deceptively simple way in which he develops. However he also showed he could play by analogy and respect chess heritage. In the next game he follows the example of Lasker.
Fischer v Unzicker Siegen 1970
1.e4e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5a6 4.Bc6dc6 5.0-0f6 6.d4ed4 7.Nd4Nge7 The other idea is 7...c5 8.Nb3Qd1 Fischer v Portisch Havanna 1966.
8.Be3Ne7-g6 9.Nd2Bd6 10.Nc4 -Simple pure development. Efficiency is the name of the game.
10...0-0 11.Qd3 Kasparov found this interesting. Fischer departed from other tries by White.
What is so appealing about these moves is that there is no magic to them.
11...Ne5 12.Ne5be5 13.f4Bd6 14.f5! - Here Fischer is playing by analogy in following Lasker v Capablanca
1914.This was another hallmark of Fischer. He respected chess heritage and he always sought inspiration from previous generations of chess players. Clearly he had a massive store of patterns.
14...Qe7 15.Bf4Bf4 -Fisher has accomplished the removal of a defender with a simple aim in mind-break through with either e4-e5 or g4-g5.It is all built around the pawn structure.
16.Rf4Bd7 17.Re1Qc5 18.c3Rae8 19.g4!Qd6 20.Qg3Re7 21.Nf3c5 22.e5! Break through. 22...fe5
23.Rfe4Bc6 24.Re5Rfe8 25.Re7Re7 26.Ne5h6 27.h4 with the idea of g4-g5.Fischer from some time back saw that his king side majority was going to be decisive.This is the sustainable initiative in action.
27...Bd7 28.Qf4Qf6 29.Re2! Bc8 (29..Qh4 30.Ng6!) 30.Qc4Kh7 31.Ng6Re2 32.Qe2Bd7 and here Fischer converts in a simple but deadly way.He understood so well when to let go of one advantage to get a better one.
33.Qe7Qe7 34.Ne7 here Fischer's knight dominates. 34...g5 35.hg5hg5 36.Nd5Bc6 37.Nc7Bf3 38.Ne8 Fischer combats a threat with a threat if ...Bg4 then Nf6. 38...Kh6 39.Nf6Kg7 40.Kf2! That is the hallmark of Fischer. The equal or stronger threat. 40....Bd1 41.Nd7c4 42.Kg3 1-0
So what can we learn and apply from this trilogy of Spanish games?
1) Clear and simple development is the key
2) Playing by analogy is important.This means respecting chess history and stop pretending that
chess began with Kasparov.
3) Build plans around the pawn structures and pawn majorities.
4) Look for opportunities to create favourable imbalances.
5) Seek the most efficient plans by creating weaknesses, creating pressure, removing key defenders
6) With white its important to break through in many positions.
7) Meet threats with equal or stronger threats.
I hope I made Fischer's games easier to understand. Lets not look at him as if he visited us from another planet. Its important to note that Michael Adams and Anand have some of the traits of Fischer. Straightforward development is a component of their chess.Kasparov followed Fischer in preferring the white side of the Spanish game. I hope everyone reading this will find something they can apply to their games.
In this segment of Fischer decoded I will present th third example of Fischer's love affair with the Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez. Once again we see the deceptively simple way in which he develops. However he also showed he could play by analogy and respect chess heritage. In the next game he follows the example of Lasker.
Fischer v Unzicker Siegen 1970
1.e4e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5a6 4.Bc6dc6 5.0-0f6 6.d4ed4 7.Nd4Nge7 The other idea is 7...c5 8.Nb3Qd1 Fischer v Portisch Havanna 1966.
8.Be3Ne7-g6 9.Nd2Bd6 10.Nc4 -Simple pure development. Efficiency is the name of the game.
10...0-0 11.Qd3 Kasparov found this interesting. Fischer departed from other tries by White.
What is so appealing about these moves is that there is no magic to them.
11...Ne5 12.Ne5be5 13.f4Bd6 14.f5! - Here Fischer is playing by analogy in following Lasker v Capablanca
1914.This was another hallmark of Fischer. He respected chess heritage and he always sought inspiration from previous generations of chess players. Clearly he had a massive store of patterns.
14...Qe7 15.Bf4Bf4 -Fisher has accomplished the removal of a defender with a simple aim in mind-break through with either e4-e5 or g4-g5.It is all built around the pawn structure.
16.Rf4Bd7 17.Re1Qc5 18.c3Rae8 19.g4!Qd6 20.Qg3Re7 21.Nf3c5 22.e5! Break through. 22...fe5
23.Rfe4Bc6 24.Re5Rfe8 25.Re7Re7 26.Ne5h6 27.h4 with the idea of g4-g5.Fischer from some time back saw that his king side majority was going to be decisive.This is the sustainable initiative in action.
27...Bd7 28.Qf4Qf6 29.Re2! Bc8 (29..Qh4 30.Ng6!) 30.Qc4Kh7 31.Ng6Re2 32.Qe2Bd7 and here Fischer converts in a simple but deadly way.He understood so well when to let go of one advantage to get a better one.
33.Qe7Qe7 34.Ne7 here Fischer's knight dominates. 34...g5 35.hg5hg5 36.Nd5Bc6 37.Nc7Bf3 38.Ne8 Fischer combats a threat with a threat if ...Bg4 then Nf6. 38...Kh6 39.Nf6Kg7 40.Kf2! That is the hallmark of Fischer. The equal or stronger threat. 40....Bd1 41.Nd7c4 42.Kg3 1-0
So what can we learn and apply from this trilogy of Spanish games?
1) Clear and simple development is the key
2) Playing by analogy is important.This means respecting chess history and stop pretending that
chess began with Kasparov.
3) Build plans around the pawn structures and pawn majorities.
4) Look for opportunities to create favourable imbalances.
5) Seek the most efficient plans by creating weaknesses, creating pressure, removing key defenders
6) With white its important to break through in many positions.
7) Meet threats with equal or stronger threats.
I hope I made Fischer's games easier to understand. Lets not look at him as if he visited us from another planet. Its important to note that Michael Adams and Anand have some of the traits of Fischer. Straightforward development is a component of their chess.Kasparov followed Fischer in preferring the white side of the Spanish game. I hope everyone reading this will find something they can apply to their games.
Fischer Decoded Part One
Hello
As all serious chess players know Fischer brought chess to new levels of professionalism and quality. Many books have been written on Fischer and each has its own distinct flavour. My aim is to show two major hallmarks in Fischer's games: Efficiency and the pursuit of the sustainable initiative with an emphasis on piece activity even in the endgames. In this Part I will look at Fischer's love affair with the Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez- a variation which brought him a lot of success, especially in the 1966 Olympiad in Havanna.
My belief is that Fischer looked deeply at the pawn formation and saw a lot of potential in his 4-3 majority on the Kingside as well as scope for simple but very effective piece play. So lets see how Fischer did the simple things well in this variation.
Fischer v Rubinetti 1970
1.e4e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5a6 4.Bc6dc6 5.0-0f6 - A good positional move which bolsters e5 and black has no fears of light square exploitation by white in view of the exchange on c6.
6.d4Bg4 7.de5Qd1 8.Rd1Bf3 9.gf3fe5 10.Be3 now its important to demystify Fischer. He is doing the natural thing- moving out the pieces.
10....Bd6 11.Nd2 -First the bishop then the knight. Harmonious piece development was the key to Fischer's impressive use of his pieces.
11....Ne7 12.Nc40-0-0 a decisive moment. Fischer now has a target- b7. 13.Rd3b5 14.Na5Bb4 15.Nb3
White has achieved something significant.The inducement of weaknesses on the c-file. Super GMs were to follow this aspect of Fischer's play. After development, the probing and inducement of weaknesses.
15...Rd3 16.cd3Ng6 17.Kf1 -Notice Fischer has not done anything magical here. He has simply activated his King. 17...Rf8 18.Ke2Nf4 19.Bf4Rf4 20.Rg1Rh4 21.Rg7Rh2 22.a3Bd6 23.f4! -This is the difference between the sides. Fischer will now create a passed pawn.1970 was the year when Fischer's inner giant woke up. It would appear that the sides were equal but this move breaks the deadlock.
23....ef4 24.d4Kd8 25.Na5-Fischer had a knack for this kind of move. Paradoxical knight moves which threatenned vital squares.
25....c5 26.e5Bf8 27.Nc6+ Fischer always responded to a threat with an equal or stronger threat.
27....Ke8 28.Rc7 and 1-0 Queens were exchanged and still the game lasted only 28 moves.
Its important to note Fischer did nothing fabulous or spectacular. He did simple accurate moves.
Next game:
Fischer v Gligoric 1966
1.e4e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5a6 4.Bc6dc6 5.0-0f6 6.d4Bg4 7.c3!? Fischer wanted to set Gligoric different problems.
7...ed4 8.cd4 The effect of this exchange is to open the c-file and release the c3 square for the knight.
Later on GMs learnt to keep the tension as much as possible in general.
8....Qd7 9.h3Be6 (9...Bh5 10.Ne5! was Fischer v Jimenez) 10.Nc30-0-0 11.Bf4Nge7 12.Rac1
In three simple moves development is nearly complete. Notice the order, knight, bishop and then rook.
I really believe this simple efficiency was attractive to Fischer.
12....Ng6 13.Bg3Bd6 14.Na4 Once again we see very simple chess.We also see Fischer's desire to improve the pieces here.Note how simple the moves become. 14...Bg3? The game is transformed to black's detriment.White has just been given an open invitation to the c5 square. Again Fischer will target the b7 and c6 pawns.
15.fg3Kb8 -A sign of discomfort facing the white rook on c1. 16.Nc5Qd6 17.Qa4 in two simple moves Fischer has increased his attacking assets around the black king.This must have been the other motivation for playing this variation.The apparent simplicity of the opening was bound to have a GM let down his guard.
17....Ka7? Fatal. 18.Na6! the knight is not to be taken otherwise 19.Rc6 and mate ensues or black has to part with his darling queen.
18....Bh3 19.e5Ne5 Gligoric faced with mortal blows seeks to muddy the waters.
20.de5fe5 21.Nc5Kb8 22.gh3e4 23.Ne4Qe7 24.Rc3b5 25.Qc2 1-0
So there you are , two Fischer victories with simple traits:
1) Creation of an imbalance on move 4.
2) Simple development
3)Expoiting weaknesses
4) Organising simple attacks.
5) Converting advantages in the simplest most efficient manner.
6) Responding to threats with equal or stronger threats.
As all serious chess players know Fischer brought chess to new levels of professionalism and quality. Many books have been written on Fischer and each has its own distinct flavour. My aim is to show two major hallmarks in Fischer's games: Efficiency and the pursuit of the sustainable initiative with an emphasis on piece activity even in the endgames. In this Part I will look at Fischer's love affair with the Exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez- a variation which brought him a lot of success, especially in the 1966 Olympiad in Havanna.
My belief is that Fischer looked deeply at the pawn formation and saw a lot of potential in his 4-3 majority on the Kingside as well as scope for simple but very effective piece play. So lets see how Fischer did the simple things well in this variation.
Fischer v Rubinetti 1970
1.e4e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5a6 4.Bc6dc6 5.0-0f6 - A good positional move which bolsters e5 and black has no fears of light square exploitation by white in view of the exchange on c6.
6.d4Bg4 7.de5Qd1 8.Rd1Bf3 9.gf3fe5 10.Be3 now its important to demystify Fischer. He is doing the natural thing- moving out the pieces.
10....Bd6 11.Nd2 -First the bishop then the knight. Harmonious piece development was the key to Fischer's impressive use of his pieces.
11....Ne7 12.Nc40-0-0 a decisive moment. Fischer now has a target- b7. 13.Rd3b5 14.Na5Bb4 15.Nb3
White has achieved something significant.The inducement of weaknesses on the c-file. Super GMs were to follow this aspect of Fischer's play. After development, the probing and inducement of weaknesses.
15...Rd3 16.cd3Ng6 17.Kf1 -Notice Fischer has not done anything magical here. He has simply activated his King. 17...Rf8 18.Ke2Nf4 19.Bf4Rf4 20.Rg1Rh4 21.Rg7Rh2 22.a3Bd6 23.f4! -This is the difference between the sides. Fischer will now create a passed pawn.1970 was the year when Fischer's inner giant woke up. It would appear that the sides were equal but this move breaks the deadlock.
23....ef4 24.d4Kd8 25.Na5-Fischer had a knack for this kind of move. Paradoxical knight moves which threatenned vital squares.
25....c5 26.e5Bf8 27.Nc6+ Fischer always responded to a threat with an equal or stronger threat.
27....Ke8 28.Rc7 and 1-0 Queens were exchanged and still the game lasted only 28 moves.
Its important to note Fischer did nothing fabulous or spectacular. He did simple accurate moves.
Next game:
Fischer v Gligoric 1966
1.e4e5 2.Nf3Nc6 3.Bb5a6 4.Bc6dc6 5.0-0f6 6.d4Bg4 7.c3!? Fischer wanted to set Gligoric different problems.
7...ed4 8.cd4 The effect of this exchange is to open the c-file and release the c3 square for the knight.
Later on GMs learnt to keep the tension as much as possible in general.
8....Qd7 9.h3Be6 (9...Bh5 10.Ne5! was Fischer v Jimenez) 10.Nc30-0-0 11.Bf4Nge7 12.Rac1
In three simple moves development is nearly complete. Notice the order, knight, bishop and then rook.
I really believe this simple efficiency was attractive to Fischer.
12....Ng6 13.Bg3Bd6 14.Na4 Once again we see very simple chess.We also see Fischer's desire to improve the pieces here.Note how simple the moves become. 14...Bg3? The game is transformed to black's detriment.White has just been given an open invitation to the c5 square. Again Fischer will target the b7 and c6 pawns.
15.fg3Kb8 -A sign of discomfort facing the white rook on c1. 16.Nc5Qd6 17.Qa4 in two simple moves Fischer has increased his attacking assets around the black king.This must have been the other motivation for playing this variation.The apparent simplicity of the opening was bound to have a GM let down his guard.
17....Ka7? Fatal. 18.Na6! the knight is not to be taken otherwise 19.Rc6 and mate ensues or black has to part with his darling queen.
18....Bh3 19.e5Ne5 Gligoric faced with mortal blows seeks to muddy the waters.
20.de5fe5 21.Nc5Kb8 22.gh3e4 23.Ne4Qe7 24.Rc3b5 25.Qc2 1-0
So there you are , two Fischer victories with simple traits:
1) Creation of an imbalance on move 4.
2) Simple development
3)Expoiting weaknesses
4) Organising simple attacks.
5) Converting advantages in the simplest most efficient manner.
6) Responding to threats with equal or stronger threats.
Navigating chess lore and literature.
Greetings chess lovers.
Coming back into serious chess circa 2007, I took a less acquiescent route and decided to examine the quality of the literature and audio visual media out there which is marketed in a way that meets our insecurities/needs head on. GM Jonathan Rowson wrote extensively about this. Here is my view as a coach -turned-player.
Chessbase has had a profound impact not just in terms of preparation but also in terms of the mental skill set and tools we use.It has also placed players of all levels in a major quandary.
Prior to Chessbase, we tried to remember reams of analysis from pages of informants, over the board analysis
and then at a certain point we played using to the best of our abilities the visualisation/ calculation methods preached by Kotov, Dvoretsky, Silman and others. We tried to plan on our own. Chess base has brought in a new aspect to chess. One could call it "front end loading". We no longer just memorise by rote but actually
build large amounts of patterns by being able to go through 1000s of games much faster than we could by turning pages in a book. Thus pattern recognition and memory skills have become as important as creativity.
The creativity is no longer an over the board phenomenon. Creativity is now checked for quality through the search engines of that other invention -Fritz and Rybka software- and so we have quality management of preparation. Its not hard to imagine that the most disciplined of GMs study the search engines and look for the truth. There are a number of virtues and pitfalls with this approach. Doing this on a daily basis requires amazing amounts of time.The freshness over the board can be endangered. Coming to definitive conclusions may depend on an intimate knowledge of how the software works. The danger of relying on the evaluations made by the machine was revealed in 2004 Brissago between Leko and Kramnik. Then there is the great danger that over the board we end up playing on auto pilot. Like the bus driver who drives the same route every day.Pattern recognition which then overrides calculation, trend spotting, idea generation, prophylactic thinking and originality.
Obsession with remembering openings will undermine efforts at refining conversion technique. Kramnik v Carlsen 2010 London Chess Classic was an example. Kramnik was in a winning position against Carlsen.
The Kramnik of 1997-2000 would have found the solution more easily perhaps because he would be less reliant on Rybka's evaluations. The simple exercise of going through certain positions with a clock is still valid to this day.Even going through problems in a book with a clock can be valid. Building visual skills and somehow connecting the dots between research on Cbase, quality management of opening preparation,developing skill sets, performance reviews of past games/events, breaking with bad habits and knee jerk reactions to different situations on the board as well as facing up to various psychological barriers is a monumental task that requires the single minded devotion of a monk. And we have not even gone deep into exercise, sleep and diet.
Then, as if that was not enough there is the state of chess literature. Dvoretsky, Kasparov, Stohl, Watson, Rowson have produced truly seminal works and there are amazing DVDs out there as well. However what has not been explored is the nexus between certain openings and certain skill sets. Personal preferences and styles have always been linked with openings. However that simply is not enough. Having played a variety of openings, I have found that the structures and the piece configurations all require different types of thinking.For example playing the Classical Caro-Kann would require what Aagard calls "schematic thinking" as the trend is toward endgames and positions which are simplified. Now you could never use such a skill set with the Najdorf variation of the Sicillian. Historical research, attention to detail, vast knowledge of subvariations and tactical skill as well as a sense for the initiative are the basic requirements and of course lots of experience.Often the player of the black pieces fights of an onslaught and if he/she survives then there is an endgame to negotiate with lots of active play. Lutz v Kasparov 2002 Bled is a classic example.The Short v Kasparov World Championship1993 is yet another classic example of Kasparov demonstrating very high levels of calculation in entertaining chess battles. Of course Short made a massive mistake in allowing Kasparov to show what he could do.
The other problem comes up with the amazing plethora of websites out there. The chess player already bombarded with books, software, magazines, NIC database surveys, DVDs now has to contend with the fact that his opponents are playing online and looking at all sorts of websites.Very few are of a high standard like Crestbook, Chess Cafe, Chessdom and Chessbase. However the emphasis on Super GM chess blinds us to chess which is accessible. The non expert player with ambitions does not need to prepare as if he is playing in Dortmund or Linares or Wijk Aan Zee. However the massive wealth of literature and other forms of instruction are overwhelming.The assumption of course is that the player will spend all day on the chess and live an unbalanced life.
What does all of this mean or lead to. Here are a number of points which I think are valid:
1) Learning strategies which are practical like reflecting on the learning or mind maps to remember loads of stuff.
2) Being very selective with material.
3) Creating your own theory then checking it for soundness.
4) Examining loads of games featuring a particular opening of interest and breaking down the trends
and then looking at the skill sets and types of thinking necessary.
5) Identifying crisis points in openings. For example in the Najdorf and the Dragon variations the crisis point can come quite early. In a French Defence it can come much later after exchanges when endgame skill is at a premium. Openings which feature opposite side castling require immense calculating ability and switching from defence mode to attack mode.
7) Monitoring one's progress in training.
8) Not being satisfied with passive learning.
9) Reviewing one's games thoroughly and with great self honesty. Kasparov had this
vital quality and the signs are there that Anand and Carlsen have this self critical quality. The other aspect of these players is an immense flexibility and the desire to master a wide array of positions.
Coming back into serious chess circa 2007, I took a less acquiescent route and decided to examine the quality of the literature and audio visual media out there which is marketed in a way that meets our insecurities/needs head on. GM Jonathan Rowson wrote extensively about this. Here is my view as a coach -turned-player.
Chessbase has had a profound impact not just in terms of preparation but also in terms of the mental skill set and tools we use.It has also placed players of all levels in a major quandary.
Prior to Chessbase, we tried to remember reams of analysis from pages of informants, over the board analysis
and then at a certain point we played using to the best of our abilities the visualisation/ calculation methods preached by Kotov, Dvoretsky, Silman and others. We tried to plan on our own. Chess base has brought in a new aspect to chess. One could call it "front end loading". We no longer just memorise by rote but actually
build large amounts of patterns by being able to go through 1000s of games much faster than we could by turning pages in a book. Thus pattern recognition and memory skills have become as important as creativity.
The creativity is no longer an over the board phenomenon. Creativity is now checked for quality through the search engines of that other invention -Fritz and Rybka software- and so we have quality management of preparation. Its not hard to imagine that the most disciplined of GMs study the search engines and look for the truth. There are a number of virtues and pitfalls with this approach. Doing this on a daily basis requires amazing amounts of time.The freshness over the board can be endangered. Coming to definitive conclusions may depend on an intimate knowledge of how the software works. The danger of relying on the evaluations made by the machine was revealed in 2004 Brissago between Leko and Kramnik. Then there is the great danger that over the board we end up playing on auto pilot. Like the bus driver who drives the same route every day.Pattern recognition which then overrides calculation, trend spotting, idea generation, prophylactic thinking and originality.
Obsession with remembering openings will undermine efforts at refining conversion technique. Kramnik v Carlsen 2010 London Chess Classic was an example. Kramnik was in a winning position against Carlsen.
The Kramnik of 1997-2000 would have found the solution more easily perhaps because he would be less reliant on Rybka's evaluations. The simple exercise of going through certain positions with a clock is still valid to this day.Even going through problems in a book with a clock can be valid. Building visual skills and somehow connecting the dots between research on Cbase, quality management of opening preparation,developing skill sets, performance reviews of past games/events, breaking with bad habits and knee jerk reactions to different situations on the board as well as facing up to various psychological barriers is a monumental task that requires the single minded devotion of a monk. And we have not even gone deep into exercise, sleep and diet.
Then, as if that was not enough there is the state of chess literature. Dvoretsky, Kasparov, Stohl, Watson, Rowson have produced truly seminal works and there are amazing DVDs out there as well. However what has not been explored is the nexus between certain openings and certain skill sets. Personal preferences and styles have always been linked with openings. However that simply is not enough. Having played a variety of openings, I have found that the structures and the piece configurations all require different types of thinking.For example playing the Classical Caro-Kann would require what Aagard calls "schematic thinking" as the trend is toward endgames and positions which are simplified. Now you could never use such a skill set with the Najdorf variation of the Sicillian. Historical research, attention to detail, vast knowledge of subvariations and tactical skill as well as a sense for the initiative are the basic requirements and of course lots of experience.Often the player of the black pieces fights of an onslaught and if he/she survives then there is an endgame to negotiate with lots of active play. Lutz v Kasparov 2002 Bled is a classic example.The Short v Kasparov World Championship1993 is yet another classic example of Kasparov demonstrating very high levels of calculation in entertaining chess battles. Of course Short made a massive mistake in allowing Kasparov to show what he could do.
The other problem comes up with the amazing plethora of websites out there. The chess player already bombarded with books, software, magazines, NIC database surveys, DVDs now has to contend with the fact that his opponents are playing online and looking at all sorts of websites.Very few are of a high standard like Crestbook, Chess Cafe, Chessdom and Chessbase. However the emphasis on Super GM chess blinds us to chess which is accessible. The non expert player with ambitions does not need to prepare as if he is playing in Dortmund or Linares or Wijk Aan Zee. However the massive wealth of literature and other forms of instruction are overwhelming.The assumption of course is that the player will spend all day on the chess and live an unbalanced life.
What does all of this mean or lead to. Here are a number of points which I think are valid:
1) Learning strategies which are practical like reflecting on the learning or mind maps to remember loads of stuff.
2) Being very selective with material.
3) Creating your own theory then checking it for soundness.
4) Examining loads of games featuring a particular opening of interest and breaking down the trends
and then looking at the skill sets and types of thinking necessary.
5) Identifying crisis points in openings. For example in the Najdorf and the Dragon variations the crisis point can come quite early. In a French Defence it can come much later after exchanges when endgame skill is at a premium. Openings which feature opposite side castling require immense calculating ability and switching from defence mode to attack mode.
7) Monitoring one's progress in training.
8) Not being satisfied with passive learning.
9) Reviewing one's games thoroughly and with great self honesty. Kasparov had this
vital quality and the signs are there that Anand and Carlsen have this self critical quality. The other aspect of these players is an immense flexibility and the desire to master a wide array of positions.
The Profound Revelations arising out of Facebook
The online social network has come to redefine our daily lives. Prior to the online social network we met in public places and discussed issues, shared gossip, voiced fears and exchanged insults and barbs. Facebook and other networks changed this social dynamic and means of interaction in so many profound ways. On the surface it appeared to be a piece of online real estate where someone could chart for the world the details of their existence on the planet. Family albums, peaks and valleys of fortune,likes and dislikes, desires and fears.The looking glass into the human zoo/aquarium.
However there are more profound revelations. Take intimate relationships. Facebook as become the new medium of manipulation in a relationship.The single/in a relationship/its complicated status has come to be seen as a either a badge of honor or shame. Cultural differences are shown up. For example many Jamaican women will say they are in a relationship so as not to appear the odd one out. Women will check out the ex girlfriends of a man whether married or not. Men will display hyper competitive behaviour over female attention. Of course facebook has the potential for marketing and dating and for liaisons. It also has immense potential for conflict and the humiliation or attempted humiliation of people through various means. Pictures and the reactions to the pictures are examples of this. So the "social network" has become the psychic mirror of humanity. Knowing what's important to someone at a mouseclick gives marketing companies a paradise
for analysing tastes. Ipad worship for example.
Attention seeking behaviour has found a new outlet. From odd pictures to semi nude pictures, to sexual networks and other networks-facebook has a plethora of avenues for like minded people. This has implications for the quality of our time. As much as we treasure material possessions, exchanging thoughts and sharing ideas and communicating on the network has become the new priority. Take the Arab revolutions. In repressed societies this became the ideal tool for organising revolt. No longer are the rabble rousers out on the streets. They are covertly online using coded language for revolt or some other organised activity.
Our spectrum of emotional reactions are so clear on facebook and it is now the ideal tool for venting
rage and anger. Its also the tracking device for hyper competitive individuals. The alpha males paradise.
Such is the power and potential of facebook.
However there are more profound revelations. Take intimate relationships. Facebook as become the new medium of manipulation in a relationship.The single/in a relationship/its complicated status has come to be seen as a either a badge of honor or shame. Cultural differences are shown up. For example many Jamaican women will say they are in a relationship so as not to appear the odd one out. Women will check out the ex girlfriends of a man whether married or not. Men will display hyper competitive behaviour over female attention. Of course facebook has the potential for marketing and dating and for liaisons. It also has immense potential for conflict and the humiliation or attempted humiliation of people through various means. Pictures and the reactions to the pictures are examples of this. So the "social network" has become the psychic mirror of humanity. Knowing what's important to someone at a mouseclick gives marketing companies a paradise
for analysing tastes. Ipad worship for example.
Attention seeking behaviour has found a new outlet. From odd pictures to semi nude pictures, to sexual networks and other networks-facebook has a plethora of avenues for like minded people. This has implications for the quality of our time. As much as we treasure material possessions, exchanging thoughts and sharing ideas and communicating on the network has become the new priority. Take the Arab revolutions. In repressed societies this became the ideal tool for organising revolt. No longer are the rabble rousers out on the streets. They are covertly online using coded language for revolt or some other organised activity.
Our spectrum of emotional reactions are so clear on facebook and it is now the ideal tool for venting
rage and anger. Its also the tracking device for hyper competitive individuals. The alpha males paradise.
Such is the power and potential of facebook.
Friday 4 March 2011
Accessing tools for maximising potential
Hello Everyone
I am John Tobisch, law teacher, chess coach, lawyer, and writer. In this era of cuts, rapid changes and the destruction of an old order and way of doing things many young people will react in one of many ways. In the Arab world, the younger generation, with its back to the wall, went all out against their oppressors. They reasoned that they had nothing to lose. In other parts of the world youngsters in school are wondering about their future. They see celebrities in sexy cars, wonderful houses and engaging in telegenic relationships. Not everyone has a popular in-demand talent. Therefore it leaves the question: how does one begin to maximise potential in such a daunting and challenging world.
I have taught in many schools in different countries- Jamaica and England- and it struck me that these vital skills and areas of knowledge were not part of the curriculum- soft skills, mindfulness, neuro linguistic programming. Life coaches were not around in the 70s and 80s. Many students may have excellent grades in school but simply do not understand the need to cope in the harsh competitive world out there with an array of skills for inter action. So I would like to encourage everyone to simply read on soft skills, impression management and neuro linguistic programming.
Bless you.
I am John Tobisch, law teacher, chess coach, lawyer, and writer. In this era of cuts, rapid changes and the destruction of an old order and way of doing things many young people will react in one of many ways. In the Arab world, the younger generation, with its back to the wall, went all out against their oppressors. They reasoned that they had nothing to lose. In other parts of the world youngsters in school are wondering about their future. They see celebrities in sexy cars, wonderful houses and engaging in telegenic relationships. Not everyone has a popular in-demand talent. Therefore it leaves the question: how does one begin to maximise potential in such a daunting and challenging world.
I have taught in many schools in different countries- Jamaica and England- and it struck me that these vital skills and areas of knowledge were not part of the curriculum- soft skills, mindfulness, neuro linguistic programming. Life coaches were not around in the 70s and 80s. Many students may have excellent grades in school but simply do not understand the need to cope in the harsh competitive world out there with an array of skills for inter action. So I would like to encourage everyone to simply read on soft skills, impression management and neuro linguistic programming.
Bless you.
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