Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

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iamachessstudent
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Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:35 pm

Hey all!!

I thought I'd try to help some new comers as well as our established players by posting a few tips about the game itself...now bear with me, beccause some of you might yawn and say "yea yea yea", and "same old same old", but ALLOT might get a little help and learn from these tips I'll try and post weekly!
Id like feedback as always and please, feel free to message or e mail me with things you'd like to see me talk about!

Along with this, my weekly annotation column will be coming back soon, as I have heard that ppl liked it and that made me want to start it up again!

Again any games that you'd want analyzed and posted here let me know, or if u just want to know where in a game you lost the thread, let me know i don't mind !

I hope every1 likes this and the future columns ill be posting on the forum.
Thanks again to all my friends here and Greg for this most excellent chess site!!

Joshua

iamachessstudent
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Tips for the Chess Player..in general. Post 1

Post by iamachessstudent » Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:40 pm

Basic Principles of Chess Opening

Chess opening refers to the first 6-8 moves of the game, in which the players aim to bring their forces into a position which will give them the greatest potential power against their opponent. The following principles apply to this stage of the game (in general, there are ALWAYS exceptions!):

Avoid moving a piece twice.
Unless a piece has been attacked, forcing you to move it, you should refrain from moving a developed piece until the other pieces have also been developed. The case of an attack means it is probable that your opponent has deviated from this rule to your advantage.
It is better to develop the Knights before their respective Bishops.
The rule refers to each side (King or Queen) separately and does not mean that both Knights should be moved before developing a Bishop (see following principle).

It is best to develop both Knights before the Queen's Bishop.

Make sure to develop the pieces on both sides.

It is not advisable to play a piece beyond your own side of the board during the opening stage.
This means that you shouldn't play a piece beyond its 4th square until the other pieces are ready to back up the invasion. One of the exceptions to the rule is the Ruy Lopez form of opening, in which this principle is disregarded in favour of attacking an important piece, which the opponent should need for his defense.

If you have castled, do not allow the opponent to open a file on your King.

Avoid making exchanges which develop another piece for the opponent.
If deviation from this rule results in the development of the Queen, one can compensate for the loss of balance in the development of the forces by attacking the adverse Queen. As a rule though, the Queen should not be brought into action too early.

Refrain from exchanging Bishops for Knights early in the game ( again, in general !).
As in the early stages of the game Bishops have a longer range than Knights, it is best to keep them in the field as long as possible. Later in the game this difference becomes smaller until in the end it is the Knight which is often more powerful, not being limited to one colour of square like the Bishop is.

Do not attack prematurely.
An attack should wait until there is sufficient force in the field to render it successful.

Search for weak spots in the opponent's position.
Even assuming that no gross mistakes have been made by either player, eventually one of them will make a doubtful move and it is up to his opponent to recognize the resulting weakness and take advantage of it. This is a skill which can only be mastered by practice and observation.
A good learning tip is to set up the pieces from a diagram being consulted and try to solve the puzzle alone (which side has the better position, what is the weakness and how to attack it) before playing the moves given.

jpettit
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by jpettit » Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:02 pm

Josh, such a series could be very useful. If I may, I would like to add a comment.

All your rules are more or less correct, but they don't give any justification. There's an old writing axiom of show, don't tell. If you could SHOW why these rules work, as opposed to just telling them, people would get a lot more out of it.

For example, I used to love bringing my Queen out early (still do, really). Other people told me that it was a bad habit, but I was stronger tactically than all the kids I knew, so I always got away with it. But then something like the following happened:

[pgn][White "Young Jonathan"]
[Black "Jonathan's Russian Grandfather"]
1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 {my favourite move, attacking the pawn and preparing for a mate attack!} Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 {okay, so my Queen has to move, so what? It's not like g6 is the most useful move} 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.g4 {A diabolical plan! I will play g5, chase the Knight away and then checkmate on f7! Muahahaha!} Nd4! 6.Qg3 Nxc2+ {Opps.} 0-1[/pgn]

Okay, so that game wasn't very fun. What caused my loss? Can't be my early Queen moving... it must be that evil Knight! If I stop Nd4, then I can go for mate!

[pgn][White "Determined Young Jonathan"]
[Black "Unforgiving, Merciless Grandfather"]
1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 g6 4.Qf3 Nf6 5.c3! {This indeed stops Nd4, but lets really look at White's position. Where will I develop my Knights? f3 is being covered by my Queen, and c3 by a pawn. Black has easy development for most of his pieces; indeed, my early Queen moves have just let Black's Knights go exactly where they wanted to go! Is this really the absolute best strategy I can do as White?} Bc5 6.g4 {Well, you can't say I'm not committed to the attack! Well, how can Black deal with the threat?}
d5! 7.exd5 e4 {Oh no, my Queen is being attacked again, and it's not clear where I should put her.} 8.Qg3 Nxg4 {Look at that, Black is ahead in development and is attacking f2! This looks bad.} 9.Nh3 Nce5 10.Bb3 Nd3+ {Look at this: Black's pieces have been busy pushing around White's Queen, and now they are pushing around the King, too!} 11.Kd1 Bd6 {Aak, attacked again!} 12.Qg2 Nge5 {Black is absolutely dominating here. White can barely move any of his pieces, let alone try to generate threats. Black must be smiling, all because I brought my Queen out too early!} 13.Qxe4? Bxh3 14.Qe2 Bg4 15.f3 Bxf3 {It's only fitting that when all was said and done, it's my Queen that costs me the game.} 0-1[/pgn]

Sure, bringing the Queen out early can generate some cheap threats, but look what happens if Black responds properly: White's attack got stopped very quickly, and Black rather effortlessly took over the game. When Black is ahead in development in less than ten moves, something has horribly, horribly gone wrong. Moral of the story? Bringing the Queen out early is often asking for trouble! (end example)

If you could provide examples like this, Josh, people would understand it better. Hearing that open files near the King is bad is one thing; seeing three examples of how such files quickly lead to mate is another thing entirely. If you are going to continue with this series, and I really hope you do, then I urge to go along this path. Maybe you only list one theme or idea per week, but people will learn much more from it. It's a suggestion, at least.


On a completely different note, I would be very interested to hear how you (and/or other strong players) study the game. Do you memorize entire opening books, or do you just play through the variations enough to get a 'feel' for the pieces? Or how do you study the endgame> Do you set up random piece configurations and work from there? If so, how do you know what to do? How do you what is winning and what is merely drawn? If you (or anyone!) could give tips on how to study, that would be a great addition to a neglected subject. Every strong player says, "Study the endgame!" Few say how to actually do this.

Keep up the good work!

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:25 pm

Hey john and THANKS :)

Ill answer all your questions here as well :)

Id love to do that with diagrams and centralizing on one or 2 themes a week,, but
Im too stupid to know how to make thew diagrams to put in this forum :( Greg has explained and shown me but something justn is NOT clicking, BUT I'm gonna try, over the weekend, to get it right and if I can, then Definitely I will be adding copious diagrams and a theme or 2 a week with my annotated game :)

On the second question you asked about openings, endgames and the like:

I first began with of course, learning how the pieces moves, the general rules of the game and then, once I got seriously interested I started with these steps :

I looked at OPENINGS.... I knew what I felt comfortable playing, positions and activity, so then I started searching for those openings that I felt comfortable with and I was able to understand...It takes LOTS of time and you do need a good online PC to go thru many free sites to look at openings and you have to PLAY, so you know what your style is of course...are you a tactical player, positions, little of both..slow pace, fast paced, forcing variations...there are SO many things to consider as you choose and go thru these openings.
You might not stay with your principal picks always, you will find others you like better and you study..I buy books and look at the Web for my favorite openings and I also have a HUGE database of all my games that I'm grouping by ECO codes and dates so i can catalog and learn from each game...finding similar positions and how i varied from each game...but as said this is VERY time consuming but VERY beneficial as well!
Know yourself; if you like a nice slow game, then you wont want to play A Benko Gambit or a Benoni, probably a Queens Gambit Declined or a Queens Indian...
For instance, I knew early on that against 1.d4,that ...Nf6 followed by..e6 as so so many people play was NOT what I liked..so I used 1..Nf6 with ...g6 or even 1...c6 since 2 of my main openings are the Slav ( 1.d4, d5 2. c4, c6) and Caro-Kann (1.e4,c6 2.d4,d5). This is just a simple thing, but to each player it has lots of personal meaning.

The endings are harder...they do have manuals of endgames for each case i.e. King and Pawn, Queen Endings, Bishops, bishops of opposite colors etc etc BUT playing is what will acquaint you the best. Even good Chess programs have endgame lessons and detailed annotations as to why the moves where made,k which are good and bad but again, you really need to play these thru your own games Or follow games and once it reaches the endgame, start your own separate game and see how u play it out..its very valuable.

Hope this was not too long winded, I could have written more, but will see what responses I get:)

Joshua

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:34 pm

One addendum to my last post:

Once you play your openings and you are comfortable, and happy with the positions you get AFTER the opening, then the middle game is MUCH easier to play.
You have a fundamental understanding from the opening of what your strategy is as that color and a general idea of your opponent's, so from there you begin to go to your own mind and creativity to guide u in that middle game.
<Mistakes will be made and mistakes are ok to me made, we are human, but understanding WHY you made them is, tome, a huge "thing"

I go through my games and do a general annotation, then Ill go back later and really take it move by move and see where my thought process broke down..was it a mental slip, pressure after defending a hard position for move upon move or did i just over look my opponents plan and/or reply?
Its a study to be sure but taking ones time and just setting aside time in what seems to be an overly full day can really help...

I had a great chess partner, and we took my games every week, and went thru them...pointing out errors and good moves as well.. and I tried to recall what mood i was in, what i was thinking... being a Psych major, this really comes into play with me..its fascinating, more so over the board..but really after your openings..you can always get a decent position YOU are happy with as long we you understand that opening and have the idea of what types of positions that openings gives and what your major objectives are....definitely worth the time !

joshua

iamachessstudent
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Annotation Symbols explained

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:39 pm

This is for everyone so you can all relate and understand the annotation symbols I'm going to be using in the games in the column moving forward...it is not hard and there are not many, so I will list them now :


There are a lot of chess annotation symbols, but they are certainly not all that important. We already have seen the 1-0, 0-1 and 1/2-1/2 indications at the end of the game. Sometimes an asterisk (*) is used to indicate that the game isn't finished.

This post focusses on the chess symbols that are added at the end of a move. An overview of these symbols can be found in the following table. I distinguish the symbols that have to be used in the algebraic chess notation to indicate the move itself and the symbols that are used to indicate the quality of the move or to indicate an evaluation of the current position.

To indicate the move itself:

Symbol Meaning
# Checkmate
+ Check
++ Double check. Sometimes this symbol is used to indicate checkmate, but most of the time it is used to indicate that two pieces are checkmating the king at the same time.

To indicate the quality of the move:

! A good move, not trivial.
!! An excellent move, even more difficult to see.
? A bad move
?? A blunder, a very bad move
!? An interesting move, probably it will be good
?! A dubious move, probably very risky

To indicate the current position:

= Equal
+= Evaluating the position as a small advantage for White. White stands slightly better
=+ A small advantage for Black
+/- A clear advantage for White
-/+ A clear advantage for Black
+- A winning advantage for White
-+ A winning advantage for Black
? Unclear

Anymore questions ,just ask and Ill get back to you as soon as I can:)
E mail me at: Vampguy@aol.com if you want more :)

Joshua

ecperreault
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by ecperreault » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:46 pm

I have had a LOT or problems playing White against the Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5).
I don't play the cute moves like 2. Nc3 because it only gets me stuck in a squirrel's nest
So after I play 2.Nf3 Black has a million main lines (Nc6, d6, g6, Nf6, etc, etc).
Therefore I share my SUPER SECRET ULTIMATE Defense to the Sicilian Defense ...
1.d4 !!!

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Feb 25, 2012 5:51 pm

LOL Nicely said but..
Against my favorite d4 (!!!!) black has some nasty games also, the Benoni, Benko Gambit, any of the King's Indian,Blumenfeld Counter-Gambit and my personal nemesis, The Dutch Defense'

Thats the beauty of Chess, you get away from the E pawn only to be presented with some nasties dealing with the D pawn :)

ecperreault
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by ecperreault » Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:09 pm

Yeesh!
Now I gots ta start all over.
How can meself enjoy a game when ev'ry body keeps a changin' things all da times.
... an' you bein' a school laddy a studying it like. 'tis a shame.
Politics ! That's what its a bein' like! Politics !
Greg, ya jes gots ta do somethin' 'bout dis here ! It will ruin da site, I tells ya ! It will !

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:24 pm

LOL
Ohhhh pfffffft you
You can adapt, we ALL adapt...

Ill add more to this column this weekend for u all, just give me feedback!

Joshua

ecperreault
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by ecperreault » Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:57 pm

LOL, good sport, iamachessstudent.
Don't forget to add this OPENING TRAP in your chess database. I have used it 4 times !!! ALL against islanderfan.
1.g4 (islanderfan's signature Opening - I call it The Navy Dud) e6
2.f4 Trying to win the Kingside ??? Qh4++ Checkmate
I sunk another Battleship (or dingy).

iamachessstudent
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When should you resign ??

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:09 pm

WHEN SHOULD YOU RESIGN??

Hey all :)
This is a question that I have asked and most chess players I know at least ask themselves quite a bit...I'm going to try and give some instances and some general guidelines to help every one reading this answer that sticky question~!

Resignation should occur when you feel that you are truly in a lost scenario. Often times, amateur players view grandmasters who resign with no concievable mating threat and think that its "stylish" to resign early. Keep in mind, that when a GM resigns, its because they truly know that they are going to lose. In fact, the most important skill a chess player can learn is to know when they lost. When you are up a pawn,you have to be extra careful as your opponent can force a draw. In fact, if your opponent knows what he's doing and you don't, the game can almost be a guaranteed draw. Furthermore, even if one is down a minor piece, draw is still an option as well. Therefore, I suggest you learn some more theory and get more experienced before you think of resigning so early.

A pawn up in the endgame is a winner, especially if only minor pieces are at play; in the opening or middlegame, it's only a slight advantage. It's a little easier with a piece up, especially as the game progresses and you maintain that advantage. But on resigning--it's based more on the position than material advantage, although material advantage helps a lot.


Beginners usually play to checkmate--nothing wrong with that--even with overwhelming odds. That attitude is best for learning the endgame (how can one learn if your opponent resigns or you resign; best to learn from a loss than a win).
Few things in chess are more inane than an opponent that has his/her game hopelessly lost, i.e., King + Queen (or Rook) vs. King and will not resign. I suppose some players want the checkmate to be worked out on them ("It's not over until it's over - I hope s/he makes a mistake!") or they will not accept being vanquished (i.e., ego issues) or perhaps both. Understandably, like the article suggests, some opponents want to know how to checkmate with pieces such as a King, Bishop and Knight vs. King; not everyone knows how to do this efficiently and/or successfully.

To me, accepting defeat via resignation in a hopeless (key word: "hopeless")situation shows class. Why? Because resignation is optional - it is not forced. After all, ANYONE can play any hopelessly positioned game all the way to the checkmated finale. A TRUE sport will resign a hopeless Chess position and display class for a game that was built around etiquette.

A couple of famous quotes by Chess GM's from the past:
"It’s never too late to resign', GM Savielly Tartakover and GM Larry Evans : "No one has ever won a game by resigning"

Lastly, don’t let people tell you when you should or should not resign. Only resign if you feel comfortable doing so, but please be a gentleman when you do finally decide to give up the ghost.

Personally on a closing note, I do resign when I feel I AM LOST!

Joshua

iamachessstudent
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Open/closed; Positional/Tactical?!

Post by iamachessstudent » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:22 am

This is a question that you will be asking yourself as you go thru potential openings, trying them and looking at the resulting positions arriving from those openings. A very important point to consider and remember is that the position you have AFTER your chosen opening should bear with what you like or are comfortable with...for example, why choose the Tarrasch Defense to the Queens Gambit Declined when you cant understand or defend Isolate Queen Pawn positions, as that is what the Tarrasch gives you every time..it makes no sense!
As you go through your potential openings, play them through to the end of a particular variation, look critically at that position and ask yourself "Will I be comfortable playing from this position"? Do that fort a few critical variations of the opening you are thinking of picking asdone of your mainstays; and if you are happy, comfortable or satisfied with the resulting positions, Use it and see how you do!
This won't be a one time process, we all change up our openings from time to time..Most players have 2-3 openings they favor against each of the openings pawns E and D pawn specifically.
These openings can be tweaked or changed as often as you wish, or if you get bored with one of your staples, you can choose another, but always be sure you like those resulting positions!
Allot of people don't think of this and they might really like the particular opening,the resulting positions are such that they cant play, don't like to play, or don't understand to play! You DO NOT have to limit yourself! There are more than enough openings that you can take you time and sift through, see what works for you, try them out critically and then make your evaluation!

This was a big help for me and I think it night help others
Thanks for the time!

Joshua

cmulligan
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by cmulligan » Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:01 am

Pretty nice thread but I feel you are leaving out some crucial tips. Don't worry though,I got this! Many folks forget that chess is not just the movement of pieces on a board. It's a game played by & against other PEOPLE! This means that the psychological aspects of the game must be considered.

Now,Machiavelli once said something to the effect that a ruler having peoples love was ideal,but if having their love wasn't an option,having their fear was the next best thing. In chess,having your opponents love isn't really any help,so fear & intimidation can be your best friends when facing someone across the board! For starters,always have large,brawny bodyguards standing over your shoulder in suits one or two sizes too small. Ensure they "accidentally" flash their handguns at your opponent. This alone should have a very unsettling effect on your foe. The next step is to smoke a cigarrette. Blow all the smoke in your opponents face. Make sure tournament officials are properly bribed to look the other way in case your opponent complains. If they do complain make sure you toss in a "snitches get stitches" comment. Of course,if it's just a game "for fun",then you can save money on bribes...anyway,back to the game. When you finish your smoke,the next step in intimidating your opponent is to grind it out in your palm..even better is in your opponents palm...Just these few simple steps alone should have you well on your way to victory!

Hope this helped round out the lesson. Maybe later we can discuss advanced strategies involving blackmail,kidnapping and hiding bodies... :D :lol:

ecperreault
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by ecperreault » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:03 pm

Hey ! You just plagiarized my book, '25 Ways To Always Win At Chess'.
You forgot the important section titled 'Harass The Opponent'... Examples: Cut his internet wire on the outside of his house, or if it is a over-the-board game, trip him when he goes to walk by, accidentally spill your juice across the board so it drips on his fancy clothes, break the lead from his pencil when he is gone, when he leaves - grab his tournament game sheet and drop it in the trash as you stretch your legs, don't forget to accidentally kick his chair leg as you return.
Then check out Chapter 18, the part about sabotaging his bag lunch... that's a great section! islanderfan helped with that one.

jpettit
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by jpettit » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:10 pm

On a more serious note, it is possible to intimidate your opponent on the chess board irrespective of body language. I have seen people completely overact to an early h4 thrust; they worry that a huge attack is coming, so they start worrying and play desperate and next think you know they have self-destructed their own position.

Something similar happens with openings. If the game opens 1.e4 c5, you can bet your opponent wants the open Sicilian. No one plays 1...c5 and thinks, “Boy, I sure hope White chooses the Rossolimo variation!” By playing a quieter variation (3.Bb5, 2.c3 or whatever) you may be pulling Black into positions he doesn't like. One of the reasons I stopped playing the Sicilian as Black (besides the fact I wasn't very good at it) was because of all the sidelines. Sure, Black gets a theoretical equal game, but it sure isn't a fun game.

Most of my openings as White play by that feature: which variation would a Black player most likely find uncomfortable? An Exchange French with an early c4 is night and day different from a French Winnawer, and Black is more likely to make an error in such a position than if I let him have his pet line. I currently don't have a set opening list as Black: I mostly play openings that I find hard to face as White, so I can get a different perspective.

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:24 pm

Body Language can be VERY important in an OTB (over the board) chess game!
Leaning forward, eyes intensely on the board!Look at a few videos of Kasparov as he is on the attack, the way he pushes his pawns, leans over the board..these are very important techniques that any1 can use to help intimidate their opponent.
Sitting emotionless less also, even if you are under a hard attack at times can actually throw your opponent off and into making a blunder ( I have seen this myself, and a VERY famous case is the Fischer-Tal game in the 1959 Zagreb/Belgrade Candidates tournament in 1959; the 27th round..Tal had beat Fischer all 3 games in the tournament previously, so Fisher was damn determined to beat Tal in their final head to head game(each player played their opponents 4 times in this event)...he launched a hell of an attack from the White side of a Sozin Najdorf Sicilian, and at the critical 21st move, Fisher wrote on his score-sheet the wining move at which time he gently pushed the score-sheet toward...a generous act to allow Tal to resign, instead, Tal smiled at him, got up from the board, and went to talk to Petrosian and began laughing, acting as everything was ok! Now at the time, Fischer was only 16 so he got very confused and eventually crossed OFF that winning move, and made another totally inept move and lost to Tal in the endgame. After the game, Tal asked Fischer why he did not play that winning 22nd move, and Fisher said "you laughed when I write it down")!!
There are so many little things, people are very observant, as a rule, duting an over the board game!
I have found children less so, they are simply not developed to that point but are playing for sheer love of the game and fun...but among st adults, oh the mental games that can be played !:)

Joshua

PS If any one was curious, he is the unannotated score from that famous B Fisher-M Tal game in 1959 up until the point of the horrid blunder:


R-Fischer M Tal 27th round Belgrade Candidates Tournament 1959

1. e5 c5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 cd4
4. Nd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. Bc4 e6
7. Bb3 b5
8. f4 b4
9. Na4 Nxe4
10. 0-0 g6
11. f5 gxf5
12. Nxf5 Rg8
13. Bd5 Ra7
14. Bxe4 exf5
15. Bxf5 Re7
16. Bxc8 Qxc8
17. Bf4 Qc6
18. Qf3 Qxa4
19. Bxd6 Qc6
20. Bxb8 Qb6+
21. Kh1 Qxb8
Here is where Fischer wrote down the winning move 22.Rae1 ! but after Tal got back to the table he changed it to: 22. Qc6+??
Tal then won in 52 moves and completed a 4-0 sweep of the 15y/o bobby fischer.

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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by energy » Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:38 pm

First, I would like to thank you for pointing to such an interesting episode. Then a small correction that doesn't detract from your point at all. It seems Fisher wasn't winning with his first move, which makes it harder to understand why he would show it to his opponent first. Maybe he was trying to do a little psych warfare himself? If so, he met his match on this occation. But then Tal supposedly said later that "That was when Tal was Tal. But Fischer was not yet Fischer."

From http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044001

"Every player has his own habit: one will first make his move and then write it down, while another will do things the other way around. Incidentally, in recent years Fischer has actively objected to this 'other way round', expressing the opinion that a scoresheet is not a black-board for writing down exercises. However, in our game Fischer first wrote down the move 22.Rae1!, without a doubt the strongest, and wrote it not in his usual English notation but in European, almost Russian! Then he not very deftly pushed the scoresheet towards me. 'He's asking for an endorsement', I thought to myself, but how was I to react? To frown was impossible, if I smiled he would suspect 'trickery', so I did the natural thing. I got up and began to calmly walk up and down the stage. I met Petrosian, made some joke to him, and he replied. The 15-year-old Fischer, who was essentially still only a large child, sat with a confused expression on his face, looking first at the front row of spectators where his second was sitting, and then at me.

Then he wrote down another move. 22.Qc6?, and after 22...Rd7 23.Rae1+ Be7 24.Rxf7 Kxf7 25.Qe6+ Kf8! 26.Qxd7 Qd6 I held on to my extra piece and adjourned the game in a won position. When I later asked Fischer why he hadn't played 22.Rae1, he replied: 'Well, you laughed when I wrote it down!'" - Mikhal Tal

And:

"Fischer plays exactly the same choice as Rybka 4.1 under deep computation move by move, until 16.Bxc8 where Rybka's first choice is basically a toss-up.

17.Bf4 is the first real departure where 17.Rf2 and 17.c3 are evaluated as nearly the same and 17.g3 a very close third. Here, Rybka's evaluation drops by 0.6 to +0.3. These computer results have meaning to me because there are too many continuations to evaluate confidently. Both players are simply amazing to me here. I don't think 17.Bf4 created a missed opportunity as Fischer later stated, white's attack is far from decisive.

After 20.Bxb8 the position is evaluated dead equal where 20.Bxe7 adds around 0.2 in white's favor. After re-capture, Fischer could have played 22.Rae1 for a draw but instead he played the only other good move, 22.Qc6+ giving about half a pawn worth of advantage to black. 24.Rxf7 instead of 24.Qf6 seems to be the first real mistake up to now, evaluated as giving black a whole point more.

Both players continued with great accuracy until Tal simplified with 32...Qc6+ to exchange queens, then both seemed to running into minor time trouble. After move 40, black is evaluated as winning with over two pawns advantage. 45.a3 sealed white's fate after a historical battle!"
Nils

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iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:56 pm

Hey Nils and THANKS:)
Id did not detract at all, it just added more flavor to what I had said :)

I should have quoted the source as you did but Thanks for sure!
I had not checked the game with an engine as you, but it is interesting that Rae1 was not the wining move as Tal had said and Fischer thought at the time!

I usually write my move down about the time I make it, if not a tiny bit before that!
I don't think many people read the opponents score-sheet, but I could be wrong...I never have and it would be pretty hard to do so.

Thanks again and also for showing every1 the entire score to the game :)

Joshua

islanderfan
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by islanderfan » Fri Mar 02, 2012 8:57 pm

any reason why move 10 he castled kingside but he put his king on an open file?

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:11 am

Brian,

Bobby wanted to use the F pawn as a battering ram to the Black King, which as you see is just what he did...
that is why he castled short, to utilize that half open F file ! :)

Joshua

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general. last of my posts.

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Mar 10, 2012 11:04 am

First, Id like to thank the FEW of you all that commented on this post and asked questions and adde dinformation, I really sincerley apprecioate that allot!

I have decided not to continue any other postings like this because of lack of responses, interest and or caring..
I do know the handful of you that did mail or message me liked it and I'm sorry I wont be contributing anymore, but to me, its not worth really pouring my energy into something and having it just sit and be stale because of any responses or just no one cares..

I will keep playing on the site,l and if anyone needs to ask anything my e mail is in my profile and u can message me thruour games, Im just done trhyiong to contribute...it seems like it does no good and i s just a no win for me. I take time and lots of excitement to try and make a decent column or post, and then to have it sit and stagnate because of lack of interest or caring, well, I cant do it anymore;

I hope every one has a good weenbd and Illbe playing and takikng to someof youthru email and games!

Thanks
Disappointingly yours,


joshua

islanderfan
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by islanderfan » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:24 pm

Josh, one footnote, maybe a lot of players don't need help? Just saying.

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:28 pm

Understood, BUT i wasn't doing it only to HELP It was to show more of the way Chess is played and how to be better and the games to analyse and questions in general about the game
thanks but that's not an excuse, as I said before its lack of caring or just not wanting to take time to write
either way Im done
TY anyhow Bri

joshua

islanderfan
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by islanderfan » Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:41 pm

ok but Josh look at how you play the game and your rating. Look at Nils, Dave Cliff angelofthenight, Pete(pcmvr), asoka, etc the list goes on and on. I don't see what a lot of times you and the others mentioned, see. That is why I do look for these. MAybe it's my laziness to not always fully look at the board, but what you bring is something that does help me. Don't give it up just because a few ***holes don't care.

cmulligan
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by cmulligan » Sat Mar 10, 2012 6:23 pm

Don't take lack of response as lack of caring either. Many folks will read,enjoy then go on about their day. Not making a comment here doesn't mean they didn't appreciate it. If you enjoy writing helpful stuff then do it,if you don't,then don't,but don't assume lack of constant feedback is lack of giving a damn. You're doing a good job,just don't read anything into minimal responses. There aren't really many folks who actively post here in the first place. I'm sure there are many more who do read the forums though & just don't post. Mainly saying do what you want but don't let a perception that may not even be true spoil things for you. :)

ecperreault
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by ecperreault » Sat Mar 10, 2012 11:12 pm

Josh, I think your writings are very good. There does indeed seem to be interest. However, you need to pay attention to a few things maybe.
A) There are players better than you - who read your articles that don't add remarks so they might not offend you.
B) There are players the same experience and strength as you - who read your articles and silently evaluate everything, but can't add anything to them.
C) There are players of less talent who love your articles - who are scared to add remarks because they might seem 'bad'.
D) Then there are players who just push wood because its a fun game and they never actually learned HOW to play the game.
Keeping all those 'type' players in mind, maybe you might expand your audience if you include 'simple' stuff with medium stuff, and add 'expert' stuff also. In other words, write for everyone.
If you read my articles, though they are mostly humorous, I try to include different things to keep everyone 'happy'. Some articles are better than others, but as a total, it works. Maybe a picture (small) once in a while might help.
Don't be afraid to make your articles 'Personal'. Include a small picture of you sitting at a chessboard, in time EVERYONE will relate those articles to you and will know what to expect.
Make or get a couple small icons to use at different parts of your articles. Like an exclamation mark ( :!: ) icon before the EXPERT stuff (2800+), maybe a question ( :?: )icon before the hard stuff (2500-2799), and maybe a Happy Face ( :D ) icon before the stuff for the sub 2500 players.
But whatever you do keep it the same whatever you write and everyone who follows your writings will know what to expect - and your audience will grow.
Last note, stay steady at the articles as good as you can.
Hope some of this helps. Give me a couple more days to really get back. I shall add more.

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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general. last of my posts.

Post by energy » Sun Mar 11, 2012 4:34 am

iamachessstudent wrote:First, Id like to thank the FEW of you all that commented on this post and asked questions and adde dinformation, I really sincerley apprecioate that allot!

I have decided not to continue any other postings like this because of lack of responses, interest and or caring..
Been there, done that! :)

I think you make the right choice, do things you like for themselves, then if you get something back from others it'll be pure bonus.
Nils

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Consider donating some computer time to science!
Read more here: http://folding.stanford.edu

iamachessstudent
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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by iamachessstudent » Sun Mar 11, 2012 11:49 am

Thanks Nils!
that was a hell of a game you annotated, lots of good strategic points, I liked it
I understand and thanks :)

joshua

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Re: Tips for the Chess Player..in general.

Post by dstephens » Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:48 pm

iamachessstudent wrote:Body Language can be VERY important in an OTB (over the board) chess game!
So is watching your opponents actions during a game. I have played games where I have seen my opponent react negatively to a move that they have just made. Sometimes it is verbal, other times it is non-verbal. I know that there have been times that I have shown a grimace and then quickly calmed down before my opponent noticed.

When you encounter this type of situation, focus closely on the next move and look for the mistake that your opponent thinks that they made. That is your chance to take control of the game.

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