Sunday, 3 April 2011
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Breaking down Kasparov's Art of War into Chunks Part One
Hello Chess Lovers
I was hesitant in addressing the games of Kasparov because so much has been written about him.
However I found a lacuna or "black hole" in the writing where authors addressed the moves and the
variations but not the man's own concept of how the game should be played. After reading Kasparov's book
how Life Imitates Chess, I started to connect the dots in how he worked off the board and over the board.So here I will try and condense my reading into simple blogs.
Kasparov took opening research in the 1980s to new levels.He was not satisfied with playable positions.
He wrote candidly that he loved finding the unclear positions in books.With a Sun in Aries, Kasparov was the archetypal warrior.He clearly read a lot on the history of warfare and applied it.For example he emphasised opponent research.This was not just a matter of looking at the opponent's opening choices.He followed Sun Tzu's Art of War to its logical extreme: learning what made the opposition uncomfortable.
He was also guided by the MTQ formula- Material,Time and Quality.Time was an essential component of his opening choices.He sought temporary advantages in time with pawn sacrifices and breakthrough moves which were based on the efforts of past masters.He also developed the concept of cutting the board in 2. He tried to get into positions where he would dominate the important side of the board-left or right-depending on the opening and the occasion.
Having mentioned all of that, lets see how it worked in action:
Kasparov v Marjanovic 1979 Banja Luka
1.d4Nf6 2.c4e6 3.Nf3b6 4.a3 This move became quite a lethal part of Kasparov's weaponry.He never allowed his opponent active possibilities.Bb7 5.Nc3d5 6.cd5Nd5 7.e3Be7?! 8.Bb5! provoking ..c6c6
Now black's bishop is not so influential.Kasparov always looked for ways to induce weaknesses.9.Bd30-0 10.e4Nc3 11.bc3c5 12.0-0h6 a slight weakening of the g6 square which will become worse later on.
These are the types of moves that alert aggressive players.
13.Bf4cd4 14.cd4Nc6 Having studied hundreds of Kasparov's games I found that quality of development was vital to him.He never embarked on committal attacks before development. Here developed and then starts with a breakthrough:
15.d5! Breakthrough. Kasparov sends the black knight to a5.This creates and imbalance on the board.
15...Na5 now black has 4 pieces on the Queen side which are not really achieving anything practical in the next 4-5 moves. 16.de6fe6 Now g6 is gravely weakened. 17.Bg3Rc8 18.Ne5! Pouncing on the g6 square and freeing g4 for the Queen. 18...Bf6 19.Qg4 Black still has 4 pieces on the queen side and white has 4 pieces which can assault the black king.
19...Qe8 20.Ng6Ba1 21.Nf8Bb2 22.Ne6and now g7 is in danger 22...h5?! Black tries to unseat the white queen from a superb outpost.
23.Qe2Bf6 24.Nc7Qf7 25.e5! Opening the b1-h7 diagonal.Qc7 26.Qh5 once again Kasparov goes for the imbalance he achieves a favourable attacking ratio.
26...Qc6 27.f3Be7 28.Bh7The queen and bishop hit black on the white squares.Kf8 29.Qf5Ke8 30.Bg6Kd8 31.Rd1Qd5 32.Rd5Rd5 33.Qd3Rc1 34.Kf2 1-0 Its important to note Kasparov always made sure that his king was secure before launching an attack.
The crucial moves were :
15.d5! -The battering ram
16.de6- weakening g6
25.e5! Opening the b1 -h7 diagonal.
The way the young Kasparov conducted this offensive game was a sign of things to come.
I was hesitant in addressing the games of Kasparov because so much has been written about him.
However I found a lacuna or "black hole" in the writing where authors addressed the moves and the
variations but not the man's own concept of how the game should be played. After reading Kasparov's book
how Life Imitates Chess, I started to connect the dots in how he worked off the board and over the board.So here I will try and condense my reading into simple blogs.
Kasparov took opening research in the 1980s to new levels.He was not satisfied with playable positions.
He wrote candidly that he loved finding the unclear positions in books.With a Sun in Aries, Kasparov was the archetypal warrior.He clearly read a lot on the history of warfare and applied it.For example he emphasised opponent research.This was not just a matter of looking at the opponent's opening choices.He followed Sun Tzu's Art of War to its logical extreme: learning what made the opposition uncomfortable.
He was also guided by the MTQ formula- Material,Time and Quality.Time was an essential component of his opening choices.He sought temporary advantages in time with pawn sacrifices and breakthrough moves which were based on the efforts of past masters.He also developed the concept of cutting the board in 2. He tried to get into positions where he would dominate the important side of the board-left or right-depending on the opening and the occasion.
Having mentioned all of that, lets see how it worked in action:
Kasparov v Marjanovic 1979 Banja Luka
1.d4Nf6 2.c4e6 3.Nf3b6 4.a3 This move became quite a lethal part of Kasparov's weaponry.He never allowed his opponent active possibilities.Bb7 5.Nc3d5 6.cd5Nd5 7.e3Be7?! 8.Bb5! provoking ..c6c6
Now black's bishop is not so influential.Kasparov always looked for ways to induce weaknesses.9.Bd30-0 10.e4Nc3 11.bc3c5 12.0-0h6 a slight weakening of the g6 square which will become worse later on.
These are the types of moves that alert aggressive players.
13.Bf4cd4 14.cd4Nc6 Having studied hundreds of Kasparov's games I found that quality of development was vital to him.He never embarked on committal attacks before development. Here developed and then starts with a breakthrough:
15.d5! Breakthrough. Kasparov sends the black knight to a5.This creates and imbalance on the board.
15...Na5 now black has 4 pieces on the Queen side which are not really achieving anything practical in the next 4-5 moves. 16.de6fe6 Now g6 is gravely weakened. 17.Bg3Rc8 18.Ne5! Pouncing on the g6 square and freeing g4 for the Queen. 18...Bf6 19.Qg4 Black still has 4 pieces on the queen side and white has 4 pieces which can assault the black king.
19...Qe8 20.Ng6Ba1 21.Nf8Bb2 22.Ne6and now g7 is in danger 22...h5?! Black tries to unseat the white queen from a superb outpost.
23.Qe2Bf6 24.Nc7Qf7 25.e5! Opening the b1-h7 diagonal.Qc7 26.Qh5 once again Kasparov goes for the imbalance he achieves a favourable attacking ratio.
26...Qc6 27.f3Be7 28.Bh7The queen and bishop hit black on the white squares.Kf8 29.Qf5Ke8 30.Bg6Kd8 31.Rd1Qd5 32.Rd5Rd5 33.Qd3Rc1 34.Kf2 1-0 Its important to note Kasparov always made sure that his king was secure before launching an attack.
The crucial moves were :
15.d5! -The battering ram
16.de6- weakening g6
25.e5! Opening the b1 -h7 diagonal.
The way the young Kasparov conducted this offensive game was a sign of things to come.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
If it ain't the Dutch, it ain't much (Below 2500 of course)
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
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
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
..
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