Mysteries of Chess

[Roger de Coverly]

You can play up to 12 games at a time on gameknot without subscribing and on chess.com you can play as many you want.

The other question is whether the original poster is looking for over the board style play or turn based play. Turn based play is equivalent to correspondence play, where you play a move, send it and then do something else while waiting for your opponent to reply. It's a form of chess where consulting books and databases between moves has always been allowed.

There's a (mostly) turn based site called www.redhotpawn.com. I don't believe the average standard of play is terribly high.

[Clive Blackburn]

You can play up to 12 games at a time on gameknot without subscribing and on chess.com you can play as many you want.

The other question is whether the original poster is looking for over the board style play or turn based play. Turn based play is equivalent to correspondence play, where you play a move, send it and then do something else while waiting for your opponent to reply. It's a form of chess where consulting books and databases between moves has always been allowed.

There's a (mostly) turn based site called http://www.redhotpawn.com. I don't believe the average standard of play is terribly high.

Yes I should have made it clear that I was talking about turn based games.

Because you are allowed to consult online databases, Peter should be able to reach a playable middlegame position, even if he has never seen the opening before.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I've said this before - the only reliable way for somebody to improve their chess strength is to play, a lot.

And yes, online chess is very useful - especially for bridging that notorious gap between beginners and even "weak" club players.

[Jonathan Bryant]

The only way to get better in club play Peter, is to go along, and take the beatings for about 6 months before you start winning ....

Well, yes. Go along and get walloped. True but not appealing. I would second the idea of getting some practice in by playing online. Especially turn-based. From when I played there a few years ago I’d say that redhotpawn would be ideal. Alhtough if memory serves you can only play 6 games for free there. So perhaps gameknot would be a better start.



BTW:

... a book advocating the “Shuffleduck” which is apparently 1.h4 (we called it the crab in my day!).

I read somewhere that Keene and Botterill invented the name "Modern Defence" when they published their (great) book on the opening in the early 70s. No idea if that’s true or not, but what I am pretty sure of is that these days if a book invents its own name for an opening it is disproportionately likely to be junk.

[Roger de Coverly]

I read somewhere that Keene and Botterill invented the name "Modern Defence" when they published their (great) book on the opening in the early 70s. No idea if that’s true or not

They comment in the introduction that sequences involving g6, Bg7 and (usually) d6 had been termed "the King's Fianchetto Defence" but also variously named after Antal, Ufimtsev, Pirc, Kotov and Robatsch. As a consequence they proposed the name "Modern Defence". The name of Pirc has stuck to sequences involving Nf6 as has "Modern" to almost everything else. But that's in part due to the Botterill and Keene books which subdivided the systems and material despite the possibilities of transposition.

What is now called the "Tiger Modern" was played by Keene in the 1970s, but as noted in the relevant chapter of "The Modern Defence" also by Smyslov whose game with Peter Clarke from the 1968-69 Hastings had started 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 d6 . These days even 150 players would continue their attack with 5. Be3 or 5. Bg5 but Clarke played 5. g3 .

[NickFaulks]

I am worried that Peter's obsession with learning opening moves will destroy his chances of either improving or enjoying competitive chess. After 1. e4, a5, if Black is the stronger player it is quite likely that he will outplay his opponent and win. However, this will be despite the opening, not because of it, and it will be counterproductive for White to convince himself that he lost because he lacked a book which told him he should just play 2.d4 and get on with it.

[Niall Doran]

The only way to get better in club play Peter, is to go along, and take the beatings for about 6 months before you start winning. I first attended Leeds CC about 9 years ago during a period of unemployment (before then I had not played since school) and it took me something like 8 months to win on anything more than luck.

I don’t know if the difference between beginner and club player is necessarily that big.

When I first started playing in a club, I won my first games within a couple of weeks. My only experience of playing before that was playing with my brothers when I was young (we taught ourselves from a rule-book, so probably didn’t play correctly), playing against a chess computer and reading “The Mammoth Book of Chess”. So I wouldn’t worry about going to a club.

Don’t worry too much about openings, you can pick that up bit by bit in post-mortem analysis. Generally starting out, just develop your pieces, castle early, develop the rest of your pieces, and don’t try attacking with just a queen.

[Matt Fletcher]

Peter, please correct me if I'm wrong but I think the club you came to was my club, and one of the players you played was me...

If I'm right, I can understand the issues that you had - the times you came, most of the players were 150-180, the corner of the pub we played in wasn't great (and thinking back, I probably wasn't the best host).

Again, if I'm right, please do come along and try again if you feel you would like to. Our new venue is much more conducive to competitive (upstairs) and social (downstairs) chess. We don't have any regular attendees below 100 grade but there are a few around that mark who you should be able have a decent game with.

If you're inclined to try again, please do send me a PM and I can let you know some good dates to come along - I can't promise that you'll love it second time round but I do think the venue now is better and that you were a bit unlucky as to who was around (particularly in terms of playing strength) when you came last time.

Re openings, at the weekend I managed to lose as White against 1. e4 e6 2. d4 a6 which I've never had played against me before - it's hard to have something prepared against everything!

[Jonathan Bryant]

Generally starting out, just develop your pieces, castle early, develop the rest of your pieces, and don’t try attacking with just a queen.

Pretty sound advice.

If you wanted to get more detailed you might go for:-

1. As White start with 1. e4. As Black start with 1 ... e5 unless it would be captured (in which case start 1 ... d5).
1a. White or Black, if your opponent lets you push both central pawns forward at the beginning then do so.
2. Develop your minor pieces. Knights usually going to bishop 3.
3. Castle. Usually short (it’s quicker)
4. Find a square for your queen/connect rooks.
5. Do 1-4 as quickly as possible.
6. Try to prevent your opponent doing 1-4 or at least slow them down if you can.

7. Commence the middlegame.


Examining games and seeing how the players foliow these rules - Hartston wrote a pretty good book about basic opening play but it must be long out of printed. No doubt you could pick up a copy second hand - is definitely worthwhile. Learning chains of theory probably not.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

It is good advice, but learning from mistakes and when things go wrong is crucial to move beyond that. But you need to make the mistakes first to learn from them. There are plenty of players out there who will win games off you even when you follow the above advice. Ask them why the advice didn't work in those particular positions (usually short-term tactical reasons, sometimes long-term positional reasons), and that will help you a lot. Though for many (most) opening positions the above rules will work. (Also, ask Jonathan what he means by "commence the middlegame", and then ask him what comes after that... )

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Nick,

"I am worried that Peter's obsession with learning opening moves will
destroy his chances of either improving or enjoying competitive chess."

We have all gone through that stage and if memory serves then advice to the contary falls on deaf ears.

But you are correct and in time he will get over it.

Chris is also correct about mistakes/blunders.
You can read about and be warned 10001 times against getting back rank mated.
But it won't sink in till it happens to you.

The advice about playing the game every chance you get is the best one can give.

Opening books at that stage stifle a player's imagination.
All they really need are the basics, Develop the bits, castle, the centre.... and off they go.

Roger mentioned Red Hot Pawn, recently I posted a column begging my readers
not to get better because the freshness of their ideas kept me in column inches.
(I also lamented the fact I cannot play like that anymore.)

http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread ... postid=204

Here Black to play, what would you do.

r2qk2r/pbpp1ppp/1p6/4P1n1/2BQ4/B1P5/P1P2PPP/R4RK1 b kq - 0 1

The idea is unsound, the concept is brilliant and it worked!

Black can see the White King and Queen are in a Knight fork pattern, (Nf3+).
But the g2 pawn is stopping Nf3+.

But wait! If Nf3+ and gxf3 then the Black Queen can give a check on g5.

No that is no good because with a pawn on f3 the White Queen can interpose with Qg4.

4k3/8/8/6q1/6Q1/5P2/5P1P/6K1 w - - 0 1

So Black figured out. Nf3+ and Qg5+ and to stop Qg4 he played. 11...h5.

r2qk2r/pbpp1pp1/1p6/4P1np/2BQ4/B1P5/P1P2PPP/R4RK1 w kq h6 0 1

The possiblity that White may not take the Knight on f3 never entered his mind.
It never entered White's mind either.

r2qk2r/pbpp1pp1/1p6/4P1np/2BQ4/B1P5/P1P2PPP/R4RK1 w kq h6 0 1

12 e6 Nf3+

White resigned because he losing his Queen or getting mated. But....

13.Kh1 Nxd4 14.exf7.

r2qk2r/pbpp1Pp1/1p6/7p/2Bn4/B1P5/P1P2PPP/R4R1K b kq - 0 3

Is Chess not a wonderful game.

So please no more advice about how to improve. I need these people, I love these people.

[John Townsend]

I learned a lot from The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, by Reuben Fine. Perhaps it is a suitable book for Peter.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi John,

This is good advice, a book you know helped you get a leg up.
What more can you say. It did you good.

With me it was Du Mont's 200 Miniatures, I went through it again and again.
You soon learn about wasting time in the opening and spotting mistakes,
gambit play and see wonderful inspiring combinations coming from all the openings.
Still one of my favourite books.

[Steven DuCharme]

[quote="Clive Blackburn"]Peter I can recommend 2 sites from personal experience:-

http://www.chess.com

gameknot.com

You can play up to 12 games at a time on gameknot without subscribing and on chess.com you can play as many you want.

I can only play 10 games on chess.com as a non subscriber

[Clive Blackburn]

I can only play 10 games on chess.com as a non subscriber

I really don't understand that Steven. I don't subscribe to chess.com but at present I have 34 games in progress there and at times I have had more than 50.