Online turn based games

I have decided to change my training from 15min online games to turn based on Chess.com. I expect that long term, I will mix and match.

After a week, the early games are not very indicative, because I am working my way up from unrated. Lots of very wild openings, though.

GM Nigel Davies points out this important video by Anand talking about memory, preparation with computers, and making the transition from preparation to playing.

Columbus Open 2012

I played very well and got 3.5 out of 5. I did not play GM Kudrin again, though he was here.

There was another class A player who scored 4 out of 5, so I did not win the top under 2000 prize.

I made an even score against the 3 masters I played! Perhaps I have broken through the plateau I have been on. Certainly the work I have done this past year on endgames helped in all the games but my one loss, (I missed an xray tactic).

I am getting more comfortable with the Catalan structures I am trying to get with white, but I still have more work to do there. When the mixed up schedule of summer is over, I think I will try some turn by turn games on Chess.com.

Update: I achieved my first Candidate Master Norm.

Combinational Motifs

Another of the sessions for the chess camp this summer will focus on the elements of combination, motifs. Usually, a combination will require more than one motif.

It is key to recognize that attacks are against targets (king, material gain, squares) not pieces.

Here is my current list of motifs. Like for the seeds, I intend to update this post as I refine this list:

• Removing Defender
• Geometrical
• Fork
• Pin
• Skewer
• Xray
• Discoveries
• Discovered check
• Double check
• Unmasking (discovered attack)
• Trapping the king (Checkmate--a very large and important topic)
• Trapping other pieces
• Moving an opponents piece
• Distraction(Deflection)-moving a piece off a square, line or task
• Attraction-bringing a piece to a square
• Moving ones own piece
• Clearance-getting a piece off a square or line
• Interference-breaking the connection of opponents pieces
• Blocking-denying squares to enemy pieces (especially the king)
• Desperado-your piece is lost (or mutual hanging), do something good with it, first. 
• Zugswang

Seeds of Tactical Destruction

I am putting together a chess class for this summer of 5 sessions with the ambition to cover all of chess tactics.

No, really, I want to explain it all.

At least a way to classify it all.

One three hour session will be built around Dan Heisman's "Seeds of Tactical Destruction", which he has talked about in a few Novice Nook articles. Seeds are indicators that a combination may be available. This is his list from one article:

• Loose (unguarded) pieces - "Loose Pieces Drop Off" = LPDO
• Pieces that can easily be attacked by enemy pieces of less value
• One or more pieces than can be attacked via a "discovered attack"
• Weak back rank
• Pinned or "skewerable" pieces along the same rank, file, or diagonal
• Pieces (or squares) vulnerable to Knight forks
• Overworked pieces (pieces guarding more than one piece or square) 
• Inadequately guarded pieces
• Falling way behind in development (overwhelming opponent forces)
• Pawns nearing promotion
• King uncastled or lost pawn protection with Queens on the board
• Open enemy lines for Rooks, Queens, and Bishops to your King
• Pieces that have little mobility and might easily be trapped if attacked
• A large domination of one side's forces in one area of the board

I have been working on organizing and distilling this list and concept. I particularly wanted to reinforce the idea of targets (King, material, squares). Some of the seeds mention pieces or king when the idea is generalizable to targets.

1. Forkable targets--be sensitive to all fork geometries
1. Knight
2. Queen
3. Pawn
4. Bishop and rook
5. Even the king
2. Targets (yours and his) in a line 
1. Pins
2. Skewers
3. Xrays
4. Discoveries
3. Un/Under guarded targets
1. LPDO-loose pieces drop off
2. King is always unguarded
3. Removable defenders
4. Overworked pieces point to underguarded targets
5. Zugswang is overworking of all your opponents pieces
4. Exposed high value targets make for forcing moves--check them
1. Exposed king
2. Early queen development
3. Targets attackable by lesser value
4. Weak back rank
5. Weak 7th rank
5. Exposed targets with little mobility
1. King always has little mobility
2. Pinned pieces have little mobility
3. Overloaded pieces have little mobility
4. Squares cannot move
6. Domination of force
1. Development advantage
2. Domination on one of three sides of the board (kingside, center, queenside)
3. Three plus pieces pointed toward king
7. Advanced pawns
8. Your piece in trouble may make a good desperado

I intend to update this post as I refine my list

Why People Play the Sicilian #2

Because safety is an illusion and king safety doubly so. Chessgames.com game of the day for June 1, 2012

2012 Anand v Gelfand Tie breaks World Chess Championship

First four rapid games 25 minutes with 10 second increment each. I got up very early here (3:45 am) and caught the end of the first game. GM Peter Svidler is the expert commentor on the English language video coverage. (Kramnick on the Russian)

The first rapid game is an exciting semi-Slav with Gelfand as white managing to stave off Anands attack, and then Anand staving off Gelfand, by exchanging down to a drawn rook and pawn endgame.

Second Game:
The second rapid game follows the novelty in the Bb5 Sicilian, that Anand introducded in game 12, but becomes much sharper. Anand seems to be in his preparation till Gelfand's 15th move, with which Gelfand sacs a pawn. Anand declines the obvious pawn and snatches up another, which applies more pressure. By move 20, Gelfand finds a way to develop his pieces and achieve counterplay, but his time is short. As his time grows shorter Gelfand forces exchanges that lead to an endgame he should be able to draw. Gelfand plays very well, but makes a mistake when playing on the increment, and Anand gets a won rook and pawn position.

Third Game:
The third rapid game is critical for Gelfand. It is his last rapid game as white. If he does not win, it will be very difficult for him to win as black in the fourth rapid game. Anand choses a very solid Schallopp Slav, but allows conversion to an exciting double edged game, where white has an initiative on the queenside, and black has an initiative on the kingside. If this was not a rapid game, I would give the edge to Gelfand to achieve an endgame with an modest advantage. Houdini sees a combination for Gelfand on move 23 that all the Grandmasters miss.

(hidden text: 23.Nxe4 fxe4 24.fxg5 e5 25.Qd2 exd4 26.Qxd4 Qg7 27.Rdb1 Qh7 28.Rb3 Qf7 29.h4 and white holds the blockade and his kingside pawns give him a great advantage. Nxe4 continues to be a combination starter for the next few moves. The key is the continual threat of the skewer on the h2 b8 diagonal. Svidler comments that Nxe4 is such a move outside the ideas of the position, that it is very hard to see.)
Gelfand chooses a line that gives him an extra pawn and continual pressure, but loses the thread and lets Anand  get counterplay. Gelfand ends up playing on the increment again. Anand saves the game by entering a scary looking endgame (Gelfand R+2P vs Anand R), but he proceeds to demonstrates is a technical draw.

Fourth Game:
Surprising to me, Anand starts the fourth game with 1.e4. I was expecting 1.d4 and an exchange Slav or Gelfand having to use a King's Indian or other uncomfortable opening for Gelfand. They enter a slightly different 3.Bb5 Sicilian as Gelfand plays 2...d6 rather than 2...Nc6. Anand plays a line with an early e5 thrust that looks very exciting, but I expect leads to many exchanges, and by move 12 we have a queenless middle game, but by move 20 Anand has castled long by hand and Gelfand has begun a queenside pawn storm, with his king safely tucked away on f7. Gelfand does not find a breakthrough on the queenside, and begins kingside expansion. He is looking to find some way to open lines for his bishops.

If Gelfand can exchange the rooks, and get his bishops on b1-h7 and c1-h6 diagonals, Anand's king will be pinned to the queenside. Interesting play occurs with Gelfand getting aggressive with his king, while Anand gains control of the e-file. Gelfand slowly falls behind on time. Anand forces exchanges and eventually a draw.

Congratulations to Anand who retains his world championship title.