I used to really read a lot of chess. Some of it was for enjoyment. Most of it was in the hope of improvement.
(Right before all the games I started, I read Why Lasker Matters, Petrosian's Best Games By Clarke, and The Most Instructive Games Of Chess Ever Played ... Cover To Cover 🙂 )
Since being a paid subscriber here, my time has been rather limited.
In the beginning, I thought I was playing some really great chess.
I had a passion and loved the game ... every single move of it.
After a big burnout, (overdoing it as I quite often do) I kind of lost my passion for the game.
I still had a good game here and there but feel as though I have mostly been playing from rote (or autopilot).
I am ready to get back into my studies, but as I said, all of the passion isn't really there.
My book reviews got me a little stirred up about chess again, but I did too much too fast (as usual) and got tired all over again.
Today, I picked a few random (gambit/aggressive) books from the shelf and played through a game in each. That's it, just one game.
I'm sure this isn't as instructive as some of my other books, but I think even a few nice tactical games is better than nothing.
(When I get to feeling better, I intend to read one of my Capablanca books again ... for positional play and Alekhine's Games again ... for tactics.)
In the meantime, here are some of the random games I came across.
They are quite enjoyable.
Here are some of the circumstances of this game.
Browne was notorious for time trouble, so Speelman made him start thinking very early on with his choice of defense.
13. ... 0-0-0 was a really risky move as well. All intended to make Browne go into deep thought.
On move 20, Browne only had 15 minutes left on his clock.
30. ... Qf5 was found by William Watson. It may in fact be best, but the complications are really out of this world. 🙂
In the end, white loses his queen or gets mated. 🙂
I'll post another of tonight's game in a few minutes.
The previous game was from The Budapest For The Tournament Player.
Now, to Winning With The Schliemann.
This is a nice sacrificial correspondence game.
13.Nxd4 loses to Re8
13.h3 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Ne4 intending Ng3 is good for black as well.
In the original game, 18. ... Re8 19.Bf4 (and Be5) was played.
18. ... Qd6 prevents this blockading idea.
20.Bg5 is a losing move.
There really aren't any more annotations except a few !'s and 26. ... Qf7 !!.
Another game in a few.
I pulled 200 Open Games By Bronstein by the shelf.
I won't give a whole game but instead an interesting variation of the Bishop's Opening that he gives.
"with hectic play" to say the least !!!
3. ... d5 !
4. ... Qh4 !
In the final position, Bg4 is a major threat for black.
I was playing around with this earlier.
5.Qxe5+ Kf8 6.Qxd5 Qxf2+ 7.Kd1 ... I thought I had a black line worked out. I am missing it now.
Anyway the variation given by Bronstein is nice tactical food for thought.
OK ... The last post for this thread (tonight anyway).
Here is an amazing game.
Game 1 from 100 Soviet Chess Miniatures By Clarke.
It is a very beautiful tactical game.
White exploits the weak f7 square to perfection.
On 11. ... Na5 12.Bxf7+ Kh8 13.Qc2 Ng4 14.Ne6 is one line.
11. ... Qe8 12.Nb5 Na5 13.Bxf7+ Rxf7 14.Qxf7+ Qxf7 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 16.Nc7 (and Bxa7)
A very beautiful game !!!
I hope everyone enjoyed the games.
🙂
Originally posted by jonrothwellArt of Attack in chess is a bit too heavy for your rating...
Hi Paul,
I love your passion for the game. I've just bought Chess by Polgar, Art of attack by vukovic and Art of sacrifice by spielmann I'm hoping there should be some good attacks to inspire me in those three!
There is some good stuff in those books. Disregard the comment about the rating. You don't learn by numbers, you learn by exposure.
If I'm not mistaken, good stuff like the classical bishop sacrifice is in that one (as well as in Greenpawn's Mastering Chess section).
Here are two examples of the classical bishop sacrifice in action.
I don't usually include games from this site with players' names.
I hope the two players in these games will forgive me.
The second of these two games led to a tournament victory.
Game 5322368
Game 5433865
About Chess By Polgar. If it's the big thick one with all the combinations, you will have a nice time. I thought hey 1,2, and 3 move mates. This is going to be so simple. That's not the case at all. Some of those you really have to take a hard look at for quite a bit of time. It's really surprising. (Even for a pretty good 1 minute player like me.)
For weeks, I kept that book by my bedside and played through about 20 or so a knight. I checked them with a pencil as I went along. It was both fun and instructive.
Think those out. Learn the patterns. After enough exposure, they will come second nature to you. 🙂
Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromficsdon't disregard the rating relation part...not your case, but when you are a beginner, you do not read Dzvoresky's endgame manual or Keres Rook+pawns endings, you just learn how to mate with Rook and how to play some simple pawns' endings....
There is some good stuff in those books. Disregard the comment about the rating. You don't learn by numbers, you learn by exposure.
If I'm not mistaken, good stuff like the classical bishop sacrifice is in that one (as well as in Greenpawn's Mastering Chess section).
Here are two examples of the classical bishop sacrifice in action.
I don' ...[text shortened]... d of these two games led to a tournament victory.
Game 5322368
Game 5433865
some things are supposed to be learned before others...
Either Way
I say exposure doesn't hurt.
He says you need a certain rating to read a certain book.
You decide.
(By the way, he didn't mention knowledge of Rook and Pawn Endings or basic mates in the first post. He just mentioned a number. I knew how to mate with Rook and King before my first live tournament.)
Hi, thanks for the replys.
Yes, the polgar book is the big one. It reminds me of bobby fischer teaches chess, but is more comprehensive.
As for art of attack I won't be going to it straight away, I am starting off with tactics and mating combos, and then i'll go onto building up an attack with something like art of the middle game and art of attack.
I going to try to learn all I can about tactics, mates and attacks. As recommended by Euwe amongst others.
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Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromficsIt really surprises me that you have time for any study at all given your volume of posts! You simply can't be married. LOL
I used to really read a lot of chess. Some of it was for enjoyment. Most of it was in the hope of improvement.
(Right before all the games I started, I read Why Lasker Matters, Petrosian's Best Games By Clarke, and The Most Instructive Games Of Chess Ever Played ... Cover To Cover 🙂 )
Since being a paid subscriber here, my time has been ...[text shortened]... r gets mated. 🙂
I'll post another of tonight's game in a few minutes.
One of my first books (after the Seirawan series) was How To Reassess Your Chess by Silman. I wasn't really ready for most of it. I still read it, and it helped me a lot.
I wasn't "ready" for a lot of my books when I got them. Reading them still helped. Rereading them later and understanding more and more helped me see that I was improving.
I do agree that you need to start with the basics and move up, gradually.
I still don't know a lot of endings myself.
I've had maybe 10 knight endings (knight and pawns versus knight and pawn etc) in my 10+ years of playing.
I didn't really know how to play them all that well, but if you consider the thousands and thousands of games I've played knowing endgames like that simply wasn't important.
Many different approaches work.
I won't push this point any further.
I didn't actually recommend those books to him.