Thoughts of Chess players please.................

Originally posted by Sirdubalot
Hello again everyone,

Sorry I have not responded sooner just been busy with work.

I've had a few hours this afternoon to look through the replies and have an in-depth look at the game analysis that greenpawn34 kindly posted up.

My games are reducing slowly and I have ordered the two books that Paul recommended.

I was thinking if its worth whil ...[text shortened]... I wanted to thank everyone for their replies and advice, I appreciate it.

Willy.............

Absolutely join a club.
Best way to learn is by playing and learning from friends at the chess club.

Join a club.

Feel free to send me over a couple of unrated games; we can discuss the games as we play.

I am going to read your dairy, Burning Castles,.....I am lost in a world of 1400-1500 rating.....I can't go up...I can't go down.

maybe your dairy will be the solution for me.

Hello again all,

Sorry yet again for not responding, I have been working up in Northumberland. Very cold and very limited access to the internet.

Well as it was recommended my other book understanding chess move by move has been ordered and should arrive within the next few days.

Wormwood, I read through your blog and then found myself signing up to CTS, my opinion is that unfortunately my chess is just not strong enough and my lack of experience meant that the problems timed out before I could decide which move to play. I will keep visiting and stick with it( I wont give up).

Ok, I have looked in my area on the internet, and have found one but I'm not 100% certain that they are still running, Ill keep looking.

I am working through the book Logical Chess and I am finding it an excellent book, I wondered if I may ask a question please I was reading in the book and Tarrasch speaks of the kings Bishop being the best attacking piece on the board, I thought about this for some time and wondered why this would be? If anyone could perhaps explain this I would be very grateful.

Once again many thanks for all the help and advice.

Willy..........

Originally posted by Sirdubalot
Hello again all,

Sorry yet again for not responding, I have been working up in Northumberland. Very cold and very limited access to the internet.

Well as it was recommended my other book understanding chess move by move has been ordered and should arrive within the next few days.

Wormwood, I read through your blog and then found myself signing up ...[text shortened]... ould be very grateful.

Once again many thanks for all the help and advice.

Willy..........

It's because wBf1 can go to c4 and attack f7, which is the weakest square in Black's position at the start of the game.

Thanks very much, I also wanted to update that my games are coming down slowly. I don't want to let my clan leaders down as they have been brilliant with me, so I am going to keep these games if possible.

Willy..........

I totally agree with Sirdubalot, I feel his situation is similar to mine.... I read every comment posted.....so I opened an account in the CTS.

I have never ever though about tactics as important in chess....but wormwood blog has a lot of evidence that tactigcs is one of the chess secrets.

But....in this moment I think the CTS time is not important at the very beginning...maybe is better to focus just in solve the problems....accuracy is the key in this moment... not the rating.

Even better......CTS tactics are addictive

Hi Sirdubalot

Re - the Chernev statement about Tarrasch and his beloved WKB.
SG. Is correct with Bc4 hitting f7 but Tarrasch also employed the Ruy Lopez
and the Lopez Bishop going to B5-a4-b3-c2 hitting h7 after Black castles was
always on his mind.
And yet his famous Tarrasch trap with which he caught two masters involves
chopping the c6 Knight with the WKB, so he knew when to trade it.

Also in the Queen's Gambit the WKB plays a big role coming to d3 again
hitting h7 after castles.
This was another Tarrasch opening he liked.
He rarely fianchettoed his WKB (I can only find 20 odd examples from all the games he played.)

Slightly confused. (though it is modt likely my fading grey cells.)
You say you are reading Logical Chess (my copy was lent out years ago).
I cannot recall word for word, But I know Chernev mentions Tarrasch's
love for Bishops in 'The Most Instructive Games Ever Played.'
When he gives the Tarrasch v Von Scheve game.
Are you reading that as well? Good for you. Excellent Book.
(or does he mention this again in Logical Chess.)

It's the game where Tarrasch played a brilliancy and yet never moved his King's Bishop.

So just in case you are not reading 'The Most Instructive Games Ever Played.'
and for anyone who may happen on here and have never seen this game
(or have heard of the book .)

Moving the WKB was not part of the Tarrasch plan. (read on).

Here. Von Scheve has just played 7...Ne5.


Tarrasch writes:

""The decisive mistake. After the following exchange, 8.Nxe5 dxe5 9.Nd2


"Black is left with a weak KP which requires protection.
If it is to be maintained permanently, ..f5 must be played, but then f3
renews the attack. Black must capture, whereupon the g-file is opened for White.

The result is a combined and irresistible attack with both rooks, queen & bishop against g7.

In all chess literature I do not know of another game in which, after the eighth (!) move,
it is possible to conceive a plan in such detail, almost leading to mate,
and which in the remaining 20 moves consistently leads up to a catastrophe"

Tarrasch wrote that in 1894. Here is how it panned out.

Originally posted by Sirdubalot
Well I started playing chess when I joined Red Hot Pawn, and to be honest all bar just a handful of days I have visited the site, I suppose one could say that chess is something that I really enjoy. From day one I’ve tried to improve however this seems to have evaded me, so I thought Id ask a few fundamental questions that I have been mulling over in my m ...[text shortened]... nd sharing your thoughts, Id be very interested to hear them.

Thanks everyone.

Willy………………

Your post reminds of many I've written in years past. Like many things, chess is easy to play, but very difficult to play well. Improving your chess skills is a long, time consuming process, even for those with natural gifts. The best chessplayers are a combination of talent and hard work. The best advice I can give you is to:

1. Balance your study and playing time. You'll need plenty of both in order to improve.

2. Don't carry an excessive game load. If you work at a job, or run a business 8-20 games should be enough. Focus on playing fewer high quality games, rather than more low-average quality games.

3. Don't try to memorize too many opening lines. Study tactics, combinations, positional play, and endgames. remember...the vast majority of games are decided in the middle and endgame, not the opening.

4. Anaylize your finished games with a strong player. This can be painful if you've lost, but it's one of the best chess education's you'll get. This will keep you from making the same mistakes over and over.

5. Don't beat yourself up if you're not doing well. It's part of the process.🙂

Chess is something that puts you away from surrounding world, therefore a dangerous enterprise. Unless you are a wonderkind and naturally talented, you can go astray and become a weirdo, difficult to be told apart from a vagabond who play chess for 5 cents in Central Park.

If you "only" love chess and do not expect to be next World Champion, good for you. Be prepared to meet bunch of outsiders, unshaved, with bad digestion, divorced or widowed eccentric persons (*and crazy old women as well)...

The difference between literature and chess is in that, that one can hope to write a great book in later stage of his life, and get rich, but one can not nourish such hopes in chess.

In some sport, like poker, bridge, billiard, chess, pikado / it seems there is no age limit, and one must not be physically fit - and one can challenge World Champion in those sports, but... but... not in chess.

As for books for beginners, Andrew Soltis' book is the best.
(*Since Vladimir Vukovic's boojs for begnners is not translated /Art of Attack in Chess is to advanced for beginners/).

I've been reading wormwoods blog and found it very informative, CTS I've struggled with, i need more time to think about the problems, the site tells you the solution well before I've even started to think about the solution.

Willy...........

Hello again Greenpawn,

Many thanks for your reply, I have done some reading on the Ruy Lopez and it would appear that its has many variations but I do see its merits and unknown to me I have been doing something similar in some of my games.

I am reading the Most Instructive Chess games ever played, I seem to have amassed quite a few chess books over the past few months I had a collection which I bid on on Ebay and this book was in the box.

May I ask what fianchettoed means please I have heard this term many times.

May I thanks you very much for adding the games I have worked through them and really enjoyed and learnt from them.

Regards

Willy.........

Hi Sirdubalot.

To Fianchetto means you develop your Bishop on b2,g2,b7 or g7.


Usually by playing the relevant Knight's pawn forward one square.

Fianchetto is Italian for 'move played to flank'. (or something like that.)

Early writers on the game possibly referred to it as 'Indian Bishop Development'
In India, where the game originated, this was the best way of developing
a Bishop because at one time it could only move 2 squares max.

Hence the names King's Indian, Queen's Indian, Old Indian...
However just to make things awkward, in the Nimzo-Indian Black develops
his Bishop on b4. Why they tagged the word 'Indian' on it I've no idea.
Maybe it was the chief opening of Sitting Bull!!!
(geddit?....Chief opening?....Sitting Bull?.....Chief?.....geddit?)

The Oxford Companion to Chess say the name caught on after a
player called Valentine Green (1831-77) returned from India and
introduced the fianchetto into tournament play.

So next time you are watching a game and someone fianchetto's a Bishop you can remark:

"Ahh...The Valentine Bishop's Opening."

And when you explain why they will hold you in great awe and whisper
your name in the corridors of power.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hi Sirdubalot.

To Fianchetto means you develop your Bishop on b2,g2,b7 or g7.

[fen]8/5pbp/6p1/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1[/fen]
Usually by playing the relevant Knight's pawn forward one square.

Fianchetto is Italian for 'move played to flank'. (or something like that.)

Early writers on the game possibly referred to it as 'Indian Bishop Development' ...[text shortened]... ou explain why they will hold you in great awe and whisper
your name in the corridors of power.

I read somewhere that pawns could only move one square in India (or perhaps it was all of the pieces), and that when Indian players came to Europe, they tended to begin the game by moving pawns only one square forward, and the term "Indian Defense" came to be.

I'm sure Mr Winter has a far better and more thorough explanation somewhere on the net.

Originally posted by bill718
Your post reminds of many I've written in years past. Like many things, chess is easy to play, but very difficult to play well. Improving your chess skills is a long, time consuming process, even for those with natural gifts. The best chessplayers are a combination of talent and hard work. The best advice I can give you is to:

1. Balance your study and p ...[text shortened]... ver and over.

5. Don't beat yourself up if you're not doing well. It's part of the process.🙂

Hi Bill718

Many thanks for your advice, Im trying to achieve what you have written, get my games down a little. I found that I was playing all the time and had insufficient time to do any study, seems to be changing now though.

Thanks for your post.

Willy...........