Peter Lalic chess database

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What do you think about the database?

The games are high quality and instructive.
3
13%
The games are patzerish; I could learn more from GMs.
1
4%
I couldn't be bothered to open it.
6
25%
I looked through all the annotations; they were useful.
1
4%
Why should I look at somebody else's games?
0
No votes
I enjoy learning from the commentary of others.
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8%
The commentary was good; variations, evaluations, text, etc.
2
8%
The guy doesn't know how to analyse games.
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No votes
I prefer the YouTube version; entertaining with awesome music!
2
8%
Studying the games with ChessBase is easier and more flexible.
4
17%
It needs improvement (please reply with your thoughts, thanks).
0
No votes
Keep up the good work, and keep your updates posted.
3
13%
 
Total votes: 24

Peter Lalic

Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Peter Lalic » Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:55 pm

Hello, everbody!

Welcome to my database: essentially, a growing story of my chess career. It is a desire of mine to add a touch of humour to my notes, and these commentaries are meant for entertainment just as much as tuition. Therefore, please enjoy playing through the games at your leisure. I recommend that you first look at the games without the notation window, in order to calculate variations, and to appreciate for yourself the complexities of the games. Then view the annotations next to the board (ctrl-alt-n) in order to check your analysis, see the things you might have missed, and understand the games through the eyes of the player.
I hope that the annotations I have diligently made are correct, and that the many variations prove instructive and useful for the improving player. The games are generally accompanied by the following information: an introduction to the game, theoretical opening knowledge (mainlines; reference games; strategies and themes in that opening), time status, match (team) situation, my thoughts, evaluations, assessments of moves, strategies in that kind of position, latent tactics, influential sidelines, variations of interest, the result, and a brief summary of the game. There is also an assortment of artistic Chessbase multimedia functions: green, yellow and red highlighters of squares and arrows, which I frequently use to facilitate the viewer's understanding of general tactics and strategies in the positions.
It would be much appreciated if you could spare the time to contact me (E-mail address: [email protected]) with your comments on this database. Questions are welcome, and I would gladly listen to your ideas about the games and/or their annotations. Enjoy! And remember the words of the great Robert James Fischer: "Chess is Life".

Peter Dragan Lalic.
Surrey, England. 15/02/2009.

This is an older version on chess.com:
http://www.chess.com/download/view/pete ... es-updated

THE LATEST (UPDATED) VERSION IS ATTACHED TO THIS POST.

NOW THERE IS A YOUTUBE VERSION!

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... 864CFA7853

This is the video version of my ChessBase database: a collection of my best chess games. The text includes analysis, variations, comments, etcetera. Please enjoy the games, and I hope that they prove instructive. The background music is all from my favourite songs: classics from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Rock on!

Thank you very much.
Peter Lalic.
Best wishes, and good luck with all your chess!
Attachments

[The extension zip has been deactivated and can no longer be displayed.]

Last edited by IM Jack Rudd on Tue Apr 06, 2010 5:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Large blocks of text in a non-default colour are hard to read.

David Sedgwick
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by David Sedgwick » Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:47 am

I couldn't open the cbv file, but I managed to locate and open the pgn version.

You seem to have taken particular pleasure in duffing up SCCA President Mike Gunn.

I wasn't ecstatic to read that Cherniaev is an idol of yours. I have to say that I think there are better role models.

Simon Spivack
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Simon Spivack » Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:46 am

David Sedgwick wrote:I wasn't ecstatic to read that Cherniaev is an idol of yours.
Priceless! :lol:

Paul McKeown
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:55 am

Pretty impressive, Peter, some nice games in there. Obviously, with your mum and dad you have an ideal environment to learn chess, if you should really want to. And seeing the evidence of your games, it is quite apparent that you do want to. In general, I like playing juniors, as they often have glaring weaknesses, but your game seems instead to have many strengths. You seem to be improving very, very rapidly. Within a couple or three years you should be 200+, how much further you can push will be interesting to see. The best of luck!

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:51 pm

David Sedgwick wrote

"I wasn't ecstatic to read that Cherniaev is an idol of yours. I have to say that I think there are better role models."

Of course, Peter isn't an arbiter... I played Cherniaev once, and after he finished messing around before the game (demanding an appearance fee, demanding his two half point byes be scrubbed and the tournament re-scheduled so he could play people, refusing to play me because I was too weak), his behaviour at the board was exemplary. (Congratulations to Scott Freeman for sorting all that out without resorting to Jack Bauer impersonations.)
When Cherniaev's lunch was delivered, he even consumed it away from the board so as not to distract me.

I will now go away and look at the games...
"Kevin was the arbiter and was very patient. " Nick Grey

Paul McKeown
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:08 pm

One thing, Peter, why have you given up on 1.d4 and taken up insipid Nf3/b3 type stuff. You write that after 1. d4, Black has lots of good defences, but surely that applies even more so to Nf3/b3 stuff? You won a very impressive looking game from John Littlewood with 1. d4, and JEL was a really, really good player, even into old age. He beat Gligoric, Bisguier, Speelman and Mestel, for example and drew with Bondarevsky, Flohr, Smyslov, Unzicker and Gligoric; not a great player, but nevertheless, not a player that the truly great could afford to treat lightly. Thought your comment that your dad thought it was good to be lucky in chess; it usually means that there is something more than first meets the eye.

Paul McKeown
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:15 pm

Also interesting to see your analogy between chess and language; my feeling is that they exercise the same (or similar) mental skills.

Peter Lalic

Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Peter Lalic » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:27 pm

Paul McKeown wrote:One thing, Peter, why have you given up on 1.d4 and taken up insipid Nf3/b3 type stuff. You write that after 1. d4, Black has lots of good defences, but surely that applies even more so to Nf3/b3 stuff?
Paul, I am very grateful for your replies; I am honoured that people have taken an interest in the games. You're absolutely right about what I said. :wink: I was being stupid when writing about the openings; I sometimes edit the database very late into the night, so I can't trust what I end up with in the morning! :)
As to why I have changed my repertoire...I guess I got uncomfortable about needing to learn how to respond against certain Black openings. 1.d4 can frequently be met with highly theoretical and sharp lines in the King's Indian - I don't know, but it's too orthodox for me. I am not a fan of theory (unless it's some of my own wacky stuff), so I prefer to play b3 and to be inventive. I agree with what people say - it's innocuous and wet. But it's still my harmless way of playing, if you know what I mean; one can be creative in the less trodden paths. Thanks again. Best wishes!

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Ben Purton
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Ben Purton » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:34 pm

I have to disagree paul as that as a general statement regarding lingo learning and chess.
I love sleep, I need 8 hours a day and about 10 at night - Bill Hicks
I would die happy if I beat Wood Green in the Eastman Cup final - Richmond LL captain.
Hating the Yankees since 2002. Hating the Jets since 2001.

Paul McKeown
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:40 pm

Ben,

Do you speak Nimzo-Indian? To me chess is a bit like that, sometimes I play fluently, sometimes I struggle to put the grammar together in an unfamiliar position. When you have to think about a position, it is usually where you are not fluent, and then you make mistakes.

Regards,
Paul

Paul McKeown
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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:45 pm

Peter Lalic wrote:Paul, I am very grateful for your replies; I am honoured that people have taken an interest in the games.
Peter,

It's always refreshing to come across someone who writes what they really think, rather than what people think they should think.
Peter Lalic wrote:As to why I have changed my repertoire...I guess I got uncomfortable about needing to learn how to respond against certain Black openings. 1.d4 can frequently be met with highly theoretical and sharp lines in the King's Indian
Best to put in the hard yards now; it only gets harder later.

Kind Regards,
Paul McKeown.

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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Alex Holowczak » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:49 pm

The problem with wild and wacky opening theory, is that there comes a point when it doesn't work anymore.

Around here, Dani and Kaiser Malik, along with one of their friends, always worked on strange novelty openings for fun. That's fine, and it worked well when bashing up juniors or players in the lower sections. Now they're playing in the Opens, they're not entering them, because they know they're not likely to win. This is probably due to 200+ players being able to pick holes in their opening play. However, they managed to come 1st and 2nd in the Terafinal Challengers last year playing 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Ng8 as black. It's probably not going to be a long-term plan for success though.

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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:52 pm

Peter,

Just one specific point about b3 type openings.

You opened one game as follows (from memory, probably a transposition, but the important point remains):

1. b3 g6 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. Bxf6 exf6 4. Nf3

The idea of b3 followed by Bb2xf6 is an interesting one, which I have myself played in the (distant) past. There is one thing though that I think is important to remember, which is that is often best to develop the king's knight via e2, as this prevents Black from eliminating his doubled f-pawns by f6-f5-f4 and then exchanging with White's e-pawn. If you can keep Black's f-pawns doubled, then you can try to develop play against them later... and they tend to get a little bit in the way of Black's bishops, either the dark squared bishop when the pawn is on f6 or the light squared one when the pawn is on f5. White often plays e3, Ne2, g3, Bg2, 0-0 with his eyes closed in this line, then looks up to see what to do next.

Regards,
Paul M

Peter Lalic

Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Peter Lalic » Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:11 pm

Paul McKeown wrote:White often plays e3, Ne2, g3, Bg2, 0-0 with his eyes closed in this line, then looks up to see what to do next.
Thanks a lot, Paul - this is useful. :D
This is a good plan; I will implement it when I next get a chance.
You might have noticed that I am quite positional in style; this kind of strategic plan makes me feel at ease.

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Re: Peter Lalic chess database

Post by Paul McKeown » Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:16 pm

Peter,

Perhaps you might like to pick up a book of Julian Hodgson's games; he often played this sort of way. Indeed one of the many possible plans in his beloved Trompovsky is 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 g6 3. Bxf6, with similar themes. Of course, Hodgson played many, many difficult and theoretical main lines before he took to the unexplored byways, which he enriched with ideas that he had learned from the main theoretical paths. Just a thought.

Paul.

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