Waiting moves

[Kevin O'Rourke]

Waiting moves


I was reading some books and watching clips on the internet about waiting moves. The general is observation is that a club player will play more tactically than a master. This is true if you think back to when you had not long learned the rules – tactics were the most interesting part of the game.

A tactical skirmish game is fine and it’s in those games that you think you are doing well. But what makes a great player is finding waiting moves in the early part of the game. When I 1st started playing I would never play my Knight back to the 1st rank to reposition it. Same goes with brining the bishop back after pinning e.g. I’ve seen grandmasters bring the bishop sometimes all the way back when my first thought was “isn’t there something better to do with it”

True greatness comes mastering these waiting moves.

[Kevin O'Rourke]

Anyone got any help regarding this?



[John McKenna]

Please be patient...

[Kevin O'Rourke]

Very good. lol

[Niall Doran]

Very hard to give any specific advice, Kevin, as each position needs to be judged on its merits. Generally speaking though, long knight manoeuvres are more likely to be possible in a closed position where time isn't of the essence. Or in a position where one badly positioned piece is making your whole position bad.

[Andrew Bak]

A tactical skirmish game is fine and it’s in those games that you think you are doing well. But what makes a great player is finding waiting moves in the early part of the game. When I 1st started playing I would never play my Knight back to the 1st rank to reposition it. Same goes with brining the bishop back after pinning e.g. I’ve seen grandmasters bring the bishop sometimes all the way back when my first thought was “isn’t there something better to do with it”
.

I wouldn't call these examples "waiting moves". What you're describing is repositioning badly-placed pieces when there is nothing immediately tactical going on in the position. If nothing immediate is happening, it doesn't necessarily matter where the pieces temporarily move to as long as they end up somewhere decent.

Having the judgment to decide when playing moves like this is a good idea or not is partly what makes strong players so good! I recently tried a Nc3-b1-d2-f3 maneouvre, as soon as I played Nb1 he immediately sacrificed a pawn in the centre to open things up and got a very dangerous attack and my knight on b1 was looking very stupid.

Waiting moves are either non-specific moves in the opening or more usually moves in the endgame that are deliberately designed to waste a tempo.

[Michael Farthing]

or more usually moves in the endgame that are deliberately designed to waste a tempo.

And in an endgame think twice about advancing pawns too soon, or play a pawn on the second rank one square rather than two: those pawns moves may later be very good waiting moves when the loss of tempo is required.

[John McKenna]

Thank you for your patience.

Following on from what has already been contributed, above, here is my contribution to public safety - a concrete example (I painfully dropped on my foot) of what Michael Farthing, in response to Andrew Bak, warns of -

[Event "Surrey League"]<br> [Site "?"]<br> [Date "2004.??.??"]<br> [Round "?"]<br> [White "McKenna, John"]<br> [Black "Ivanischak, Ivan"]<br> [Result "*"]<br> [SetUp "1"]<br> [FEN "8/p4k2/1p6/1P6/4KPp1/P7/8/8 w - - 0 1"]<br> [PlyCount "0"]<br> <br> *

All to quickly, I played 1.f5??

Instead of that losing lunge can you find a winning waiting move? (Please have patience and give Kevin a chance to reply.)

[Waiting move - generally any move that carries no threat; specifically such a move in an endgame or study that is played with the object of losing the move... (Oxford Companion to Chess)]

[LawrenceCooper]

Thank you for your patience.

Following on from what has already been contributed, above, here is my contribution to public safety - a concrete example (I painfully dropped on my foot) of what Michael Farthing, in response to Andrew Bak, warns of -

[Event "Surrey League"]<br> [Site "?"]<br> [Date "2004.??.??"]<br> [Round "?"]<br> [White "McKenna, John"]<br> [Black "Ivanischak, Ivan"]<br> [Result "*"]<br> [SetUp "1"]<br> [FEN "8/p4k2/1p6/1P6/4KPp1/P7/8/8 w - - 0 1"]<br> [PlyCount "0"]<br> <br> *

All to quickly, I played 1.f5??

Instead of that losing lunge can you find a winning waiting move? (Please have patience and give Kevin a chance to reply.)

[Waiting move - generally any move that carries no threat; specifically such a move in an endgame or study that is played with the object of losing the move... (Oxford Companion to Chess)]

I can see that f5 throws away the win but isn't it then a draw rather than a loss?

[Kevin O'Rourke]

is it a4?

[LawrenceCooper]

is it a4?

Spare pawn moves are very precious in endings so hang on to them for as long as you can.

[John McKenna]

Sorry to have kept you waiting...

Let's see -

In answer to both Lawrence's 1.f5 (= offer) and Kevin's 1.a4 I'd be happy to play for a win with 1... Kf6

What are your next moves, please?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Slightly unfair puzzle, as what I presume is the winning move for White is not really a waiting move, is it? Are you not really trying to re-position your king to reach g3 and only then use the waiting move of a4 to gain a tempo and win the Black pawn on g4 ? That is a plan followed by a waiting move, not a waiting move per se.

[MartinCarpenter]

Must admit I spent a bit of time staring confused wondering how white trying to triangulate here could possibly work

[John McKenna]

Hi Chris,

When is a waiting move a waiting move, and when is a move not a waiting move?

I did supply a definition from the Oxford Companion and I think the right move here meets that standard.

Why is it "a slightly unfair puzzle"?

Because you do not consider the first move in the winning variation a real waiting move?

Please supply a better, different definition if you can.

Both you and Martin are naturally on the right track, by the way.

John