Only Chess
09 Mar 08
09 Mar 08
How to play opening ?
How to play middlegame, how to plan ?
How much to spend on a move ?
How many game is ideal for improving ?
What time controls ?
Does use of analysis feature can harm my overall chess ability ?
Share your thoughts here, so I can benefit from that (hopefully others too 🙂)
Advices from strong correspondence players would be greatly appreciated.
What is YOUR SYSTEM ?
09 Mar 08
1 edit
Originally posted by ivan2908How to play opening?
How to play opening ?
How to play middlegame, how to plan ?
How much to spend on a move ?
How many game is ideal for improving ?
What time controls ?
Does use of analysis feature can harm my overall chess ability ?
Share your thoughts here, so I can benefit from that (hopefully others too 🙂)
Advices from strong correspondence players would be greatly appreciated.
What is YOUR SYSTEM ?
Choose opening systems which suits your style and taste. Use databases to find games played by experts of current opening system. These games will help you understand main plans and ideas.
How to play middlegame, how to plan?
Its depends on middlegame position which arises from opening. Each opening have their typical middle game schemes (and even endgame pawn structures). Expert games (which I mentioned talking about openings) will help you to understand middle game positions which may arise from your opening repertoire. ( GM Sveshnikov has opinion that middlegame does not exist at all as each opening is possible to analyse till the endgame 😉 )
How much to spend on a move ?
It depends on
1) complexity of position - in more complicated positions you should spend more time;
2) if you have a plan. If you dont have a plan - you should spend your time to find one. If you dont know what kind of active actions you can do then you should think for your opponent asking yourself "What kind of plan may choose my opponent?" After you have found good plan for your opponent you should make profilactic moves to prevent it.
About minimal time for thinking - even for simplest and more obvious moves it would be good to spend at least 1 min to make sure is that move is really obvious and only. Than your tactical ability is weaker than more time must consist this "minimum".
How many game is ideal for improving ?
What time controls ?
It depends on time you have for your games. It would be ideal if you could afford to spend average 20-30 mins per move (in real I have them much less, but it compensated by fact that against weaker players I can afford to play faster).
Does use of analysis feature can harm my overall chess ability?
Definetly not.
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by KorchBut do you think that regularly using the analysis board for counting, tactics & simple combinations here can harm your OTB calculation?
Does use of analysis feature can harm my overall chess ability?
Definetly not.
I'm half way through my first OTB season & I think it does.
09 Mar 08
1 edit
Originally posted by SquelchbelchIf OTB is important to you (which I assume is the case) then you need to find a balance. Correspondence chess helps to improve analysis skills, and to explore openings that you can back up with books and databases. But you need enough real-time exercise as well. Online realtime chess, especially the 'longer' type, but blitz too, and tactical exercises are a good complement.
But do you think that regularly using the analysis board for counting, tactics & simple combinations here can harm your OTB calculation?
I'm half way through my first OTB season & I think it does.
To play better in correspondence itself, I would recommend to select a few important games in your gameload and use a real board to analyse, and have the position literally look at you for hours before deciding on a move. Also, always put your move on the board and look at the position afterwards, before committing: most blunders will be avoided. The habit of doing that will also be beneficial in OTB (but then your mind takes over the role of the board).
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by Mephisto2Yes that's true. I think playing here has improved my opening technique no end & given me the chance to gain a repertoire for my club games.
... Correspondence chess helps to improve analysis skills, and to explore openings that you can back up with books and databases...
I rarely make a mistake in the opening OTB, in fact I generally come out slightly on top. Tactical mistakes during the middlegame or a shoddy endgame are my undoing OTB.
09 Mar 08
1 edit
Originally posted by KorchI am with squelchbelch here and understand what he means, it doesnt harm otb skills but at the same time it doesnt improve them either if you use the analasis board here all the time like I do, because you are not practising visualizing your moves in your mind so I think it would be normal to be a good 200 points higher rated CC than OTB, the analasis feature is very handy but to improve at OTB it is important to use the analasis feature as little as you possibly can.
I dont understand how can it harm OTB skills.
Thats my opinion anyway, (nice to see you back on the forums Korch🙂 )
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by SquelchbelchThat's how all OTB games are won and lost - including up to superGM level - though of course 'tactical mistake' and 'shoddy endgame' play means something different to them than us. The errors are of the same kind - just more subtle that's all.
... Tactical mistakes during the middlegame or a shoddy endgame are my undoing OTB.
09 Mar 08
3 edits
Originally posted by Pigface1In my opinion "harm" and "does not improve" are not the same.
I am with squelchbelch here and understand what he means, it doesnt harm otb skills but at the same time it doesnt improve them either if you use the analasis board here all the time like I do, because you are not practising visualizing your moves in your mind so I think it would be normal to be a good 200 points higher rated CC than OTB, the analasis featu ...[text shortened]... e as you possibly can.
Thats my opinion anyway, (nice to see you back on the forums Korch🙂 )
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by KorchI find the analyze board feature hurts my OTB game. I started playing chess as a correspondence game (on this site actually). So I use / rely on that feature alot. Then when I play 30 min, +30 sec/move on the blitz or an OTB game live, I struggle (A) concentrating, (B) visualizing the position 3 moves from current, (C) spotting tactics, (D) avoiding plain blunders.
I dont understand how can it harm OTB skills.
While I can beat 1600-1700 players on CC, I struggle to beat 1200-1300's on 30/30 games soundly.
I am combatting this through playing more OTB and balancing out. I am studying openings and NOT using books / databases in a 30/30 game. I have also purchased a computer that has 73 levels; the level 73 has an approximate ELO of 1750. I am playing each level up to 73 until I beat them all 3/3 times.
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by RamnedBut maybe problem was not in analyse board but in lack of OTB practise?
I find the analyze board feature hurts my OTB game. I started playing chess as a correspondence game (on this site actually). So I use / rely on that feature alot. Then when I play 30 min, +30 sec/move on the blitz or an OTB game live, I struggle (A) concentrating, (B) visualizing the position 3 moves from current, (C) spotting tactics, (D) avoiding plain blu ...[text shortened]... s an approximate ELO of 1750. I am playing each level up to 73 until I beat them all 3/3 times.
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by Ramnedmaybe it's different with otb and internet chess with classical controls, but I used to have the same problem in 30/30 games. I mean, not rating wise, but I found myself missing the analyse board a great deal. up to a point where it felt very annoying to play slow real time chess.
I find the analyze board feature hurts my OTB game. I started playing chess as a correspondence game (on this site actually). So I use / rely on that feature alot. Then when I play 30 min, +30 sec/move on the blitz or an OTB game live, I struggle (A) concentrating, (B) visualizing the position 3 moves from current, (C) spotting tactics, (D) avoiding plain blu ...[text shortened]... s an approximate ELO of 1750. I am playing each level up to 73 until I beat them all 3/3 times.
but it has passed, and I'm not exactly sure why. maybe because I've done a few dozen thousand problems on CTS with a 90+% success rate, thus forcing myself to calculate more. but anyway, I don't miss the analysis board anymore.
09 Mar 08
Originally posted by KorchYou're right, but most people have a limited amount of time for chess. So what happens is that they practice less OTB skills because they are using the time with the analysis board instead, etc.
But maybe problem was not in analyse board but in lack of OTB practise?
Another example... many players play the endgmae poorly because they spend too much time studying openings. And it's not enough to just say "study endgames more", they need to cut back on something too in order to create the extra time.