Blog Profile / Chess Skills
| URL : | http://chessskill.blogspot.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Hobbies / Chess | |
| Posts on Regator: | 382 | |
| Posts / Week: | 1.9 | |
| Archived Since: | August 3, 2009 | |
Blog Post Archive
Slight Advantage
In the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, there are main lines, secondary lines, variations, and sub-variations. Each stem in the tree ends with an evaluation. ECO code C53 is one of the codes for the Giuoco Piano. C53 has four lines. One...Show More Summary
Pattern Recognition
In a bullet game yesterday, I had a position that I recognized immediately from my work on Andre Danican Philidor. My annual youth chess camp is next week. For this camp, I always create a new workbook with fresh tactics exercises. Each year, I pick one or a few chess players. Show More Summary
Philidor on Gambits
I am reading some old chess books, and entering their games into my database. The ChessBase Onine database (the largest, to my knowledge) lacks many of these classic instructive games from the works of Pedro Damiano, Ruy Lopez, Gioachino Greco, and even François-André Danican Philidor. Show More Summary
Logic of En Passant
Philidor's Fable François-André Danican Philidor (1726-1795) was ahead of his time in positional understanding. He also had strong views concerning the rules of chess at a time while there were still local variations. In parts of Germany, for instance, Philidor reports that the en passant capture was not observed. Show More Summary
Understanding Defensive Resources
Problem 147 in level 3 of Chess Quest gave me some trouble this morning. Spotting the sacrifice to open the h-file took me a few seconds, but after that the problem became more complicated. In retrospect, the ability of the knight on...Show More Summary
The Knockout Blow
Tactics training emphasizes winning material to gain an advantage or sacrificing material to deliver checkmate. Occasionally, problems are presented where one must find the most efficient win from a position where most routes lead to victory. Show More Summary
Where's the Lesson?
Yesterday, I played five online blitz games, the most since my last binge last week. Today, so far, I have exercised self-discipline. After some work on the Spanish Opening in preparation for my lecture at the Spokane Chess Club this...Show More Summary
Good Morning!
This morning I exercised self-discipline. No endless blitz. Rather, I looked through the games from the first round of the Thessaloniki Grand Prix (played two weeks ago; round 9 is today). I played one blitz game, defeating an exchange French. Show More Summary
Training Log: May 2013
Improving Focus
An excess of online blitz continued to reveal weaknesses in my training focus in May, although discipline was evident for most of the month (see "Improving through Blitz"). A good portion of the last week of the month...Show More Summary
Gioachino Greco on the Game of Chess
In 1819, William Lewis published an English translation of a French edition of the games of Gioachino Greco (c.1600-c.1634). William Lewis, Gioachino Greco on the Game of Chess (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1819) offers Greco's games and commentary from one of England's strongest players in the early nineteenth century. Show More Summary
Improving through Blitz
I am a blitz addict in recovery. In recent months, I have played as many as 115 games of blitz chess in a single day. I play mostly three minute and five minute with no increment. These blitz marathons produce plenty of slop, but these days are punctuated by days when I play half a dozen or fewer games. Show More Summary
Can White Win?
Can White win this position? Black appears to be near zugzwang, but how does White make progress?
White to move
Checkmate with Two Queens
I challenged a group of students to find a position with two queens against a lone king that took me more than three moves to deliver checkmate. After several failed efforts, they came up with the key idea: place White's king where it interferes with the mobility of both queens. Show More Summary
Tactics, Tactics, Tactics
During a blitz marathon, a player misses things. After many games, some strong moves will have been played as well. I offer the positions below as evidence either than there is much to learn from blitz, or as evidence that too much blitz is deleterious to the improvement of chess skills. Show More Summary
Misleading Review
Flaws in a Review of Chess Quest
Chess Quest has been among my principal sources for tactics training through the past three months. I have solved nearly half of its 1200 problems, including all of levels 1 and 2, and slightly more than half of level 3. Show More Summary
Alternate Solutions
When I get something wrong, I must know why. Many of my tactics training resources offer limited explanation, which helps force me to study the problem in more detail. If I am stumped after careful examination, I must set up the problem in ChessBase 11 (or in a similar resource that enables engine analysis). Show More Summary
Shifting Targets
For five minutes, I looked for ways to break through to the Black king. Alas, Black's defense of h6 appeared to be more than I could overcome. Suddenly, I saw another target. This problem is number 182 in the Anthology of Chess Combinations. White to move
Yep, the Gift is There
I had this nice position in my fourth or fifth (and therefore last) blitz game this morning.
White to move
Training Log: April 2013
Fighting Addiction
My progress towards my training goals in April ran aground of my need to play. In particular, I went on blitz binge, decided to temper it with new discipline, and then played 320 bullet games over a twenty-seven hour period. Show More Summary
Better than Checkmate
While I was struggling for an advantage in a must-win game, my opponent became cooperative. He played 26.Kh1?? from the diagram position.
White to move
This error made possible the combination of my fantasies. 26.Nxe4 keeps the struggle...Show More Summary