Up to now I've been using books to try and inprove my openings and hence the game but I find it frustrating for a variety of reasons.
For example Game 2285088 followed a book line to whites move 12 (BXc5) and ended with the statement "White has a decisive advantage on the dark squares" despite being 2 pawns down. Perhaps I subsequently played it wrong but for the life of me I could not find where my decisive advantage was.
In other circumstances the games frequently transpose between different lines and it becomes impossible to track the game effectively or modern developments have refuted a previously favorable book line.
On the plus side I find a book can explain the tactical and strategic plans behind an opening in the way that a computer programme cannot.
I am now thinking of purchasing Chessbase 9.0 Mega Pack but it is expensive at £230 (although no doubt can be found cheaper by shopping around). Does any one have any experience with this programme? Is it worth the money? Will it fill in those missing gaps (for example help me find those decisive lines) and will it make it easier to track transpositions?
Any help and advice would be gratefully appreciated not only by me but thousands of others I am sure!
Lets Imagine I have just read a book, by a GM, named "refutation of C67"
the book stops at move 16, with the message "after the Queen sac, Black has forced mate in 8.."
Now, if you cannot find the forced mate, or even a way to justify the loss of a queen, only a fool would start playing this opening....
Originally posted by Dragon FireIt wouldn't have helped you find a decisive line here. Neither your 11th nor 12th moves have been played in any game on my 3m-game database.
Up to now I've been using books to try and inprove my openings and hence the game but I find it frustrating for a variety of reasons.
For example Game 2285088 followed a book line to whites move 12 (BXc5) and ended with the statement "White has a decisive advantage on the dark squares" despite being 2 pawns down. Perhaps I subsequently played it ...[text shortened]... and advice would be gratefully appreciated not only by me but thousands of others I am sure!
You should follow book lines with care. At move seven I think Bd3 is better, there is no reason to give up the e pawn. I also think the idea with Na4 is not the best, as after the exchanges black has a clear advantage. He also missed the best move at move 13. ... Ne7. And it is clear black has a dominating game.
I like Ne2 in that position, with the idea of Ng3. The position is equal and a draw would be the likely outcome.
Originally posted by Dragon FireThe basic package ( about half the cost of the mega) gets you the software and database. In the mega package, you get thousands of annotated games within the database (many of the annotations are superficial, or what you can produce easily with Fritz--a older version comes with the database program). In the mega package, you also get one year's worth of ChessBase Magazine (six issues), while the basic package comes with one or two issues.
I am now thinking of purchasing Chessbase 9.0 Mega Pack but it is expensive at £230 (although no doubt can be found cheaper by shopping around). Does any one have any experience with this programme? Is it worth the money? Will it fill in those missing gaps (for example help me find those decisive lines) and will it make it easier to track transposition ...[text shortened]... elp and advice would be gratefully appreciated not only by me but thousands of others I am sure!
I bought the basic package for CB 8 several years ago, and am waiting for them to work out the considerable bugs in CB 9 before I upgrade. A friend of mine that bought the mega package told me that the annotations were not worth the additional cost. However, I find CB magazine to be a tremendous resource, and the cost of a year's subscription is most of the additional cost of the mega compared to the basic (I bought a year's worth of back issues for $10 each at a USCF sale).
Originally posted by dottewellI found
Neither your 11th nor 12th moves have been played in any game on my 3m-game database.
Event "Sicilian - Morra Gambit Themat"]
[Site "Sicilian - Morra Gambit Thema"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Novello, Guido"]
[Black "Quigley, Daniel J"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B21"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]
[Source "ChessliB"]
[SourceDate "2003.01.01"]
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 a6 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nf3 b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. O-O b4 9. Na4 Bxe4 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Nc5 Bxc5 12. Bxc5 Rc8 13. a3 a5 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Qd6 Qe7 16. Ne5 Nd3 17. Nxd3 Bxd3 18. Rfc1 Qxd6 19. Bxd6 Rxc1+ 20. Rxc1 Ne7 21. Rc7 Be4 22. Ba4 Bc6 23. Bxc6 Nxc6 24. Rc8+ Nd8 25. Bc7 Ke7 1/2-1/2
AND
[Event "Seefeld op 14th"]
[Site "Seefeld"]
[Date "2003.09.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kreusch, Frank"]
[Black "Drabke, Lorenz Maximilian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2059"]
[BlackElo "2448"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2003.09.13"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.11.11"]
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 a6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. O-O b4 9. Na4 Bxe4 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Nc5 Bxc5 12. Bxc5 Nge7 13. Re1 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 O-O 15. Re4 d5 16. Rh4 Qa5 17. Qh5 h6 18. Rc1 Rfc8 19. g4 Ng6 20. g5 Nxh4 21. gxh6 Ne5 22. hxg7 Neg6 0-1
- Joined
- 09 Aug 01
- Moves
- 54191
Originally posted by Dragon FireDid you consider Nd2-c4-d6?
Up to now I've been using books to try and inprove my openings and hence the game but I find it frustrating for a variety of reasons.
For example Game 2285088 followed a book line to whites move 12 (BXc5) and ended with the statement "White has a decisive advantage on the dark squares" despite being 2 pawns down. Perhaps I subsequently played it ...[text shortened]... and advice would be gratefully appreciated not only by me but thousands of others I am sure!
Originally posted by tonytiger41No, unfortunately I did not but it looks a reasonable plan although it is not easy to see the best way forward after Nd2 .. Bd5 (preventing Nc4) although BXd5 ruining blacks pawn structure and bringing the R into play on the e file might give adequate compensation. I guess I had a natural inclination against retreating a piece.
Did you consider Nd2-c4-d6?