Chess thread

[Tal]

You need to be aware of the variations that your opponent can play but you only need to pick one for yourself.

So, by all means have an awareness if you play 1.e4 of the different sorts of Sicilians, but when you are black, playing against 1.e4, you can pick the sort of variation that suits you - Dragon is aggressive, Scheveningen is a little more patient.

FWIW, my advice would be to focus only a small amount on the specific moves. Instead, it is the themes and ideas that run through the openings that matter. In Sicilians, as White, you often want to get d4 in and open the position up for your bishops. Black has to counter that in different ways: by keeping the position solid, by countering on the kingside, by defending d4 heavily...etc.

Against 1.e4, the black responses are:

1...e5 (which could lead to a Lopez if you play that or a Petroff)
1...c5 (Sicilian)
1...d5 (Scandinavian)
1...d6 (Pirc - pronounced peertz)
1...Nf6 (Alekhine)
1...e6 (French)
1...c6 (Caro-Kann)

There can be others and you can already see how much there is to learn.

The big three are 1...e5, 1...c5 and 1...e6. Just have an awareness of the others.

[TightEnd]

thank you

why have the "Indian" defences become so unfashionable? was theory worked out to show they were sub-optimal?

[Tal]

thank you

why have the "Indian" defences become so unfashionable? was theory worked out to show they were sub-optimal?

It is just a fashion thing. Whatever the top people are playing, that filters down. It's the reason so many pub footballers have beer bellies and £90 Nike boots.

It isn't because they have been solved or anything like that. Someone will come along and play a Queen's Indian and everyone will be playing it. The Catalan was completely unpopular a few years ago but it frequently used now in Super-GM circles.

Nakamura plays the King's Indian a fair bit, although a lot of others prefer not to play it. Polgar plays the Queen's Indian every now and then.

[Tal]

One of the stand-out games from the London Chess Classic was Carlsen's win against Polgar, in which the Norwegian took apart the Hedgehog. The Hedgehog is an odd little opening, designed to encourage the opponent on and play on the counter.

Some very strong players have advocated it over the years - most famous of these is Aron Nimzowitsch - and it is far from refuted as an opening; just not à la mode.

Here is a detailed analysis of the Carlsen-Polgar game that I hope you will find instructive.

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8707

The Hedgehog is explored as well and there is also some chess satire (I know...), with a game a player devised for a joke when Nimzowitsch was advocating this opening, against a notional fictional player "Systemsson". All a bit silly really.

Click to see full-size image.

[Tal]

[titaniumbean]

smoooth moooooooove

[Tal]

There at loads of chess DVDs now and they will likely - if they haven't already - overtake the number of books on sale. One prolific author of these DVDs is Danny King, who we saw commentate on the London Chess Classic.

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8715

Above is a teaser and a few other instructional titbits about his new 'Power Play' release. There is also his latest What Happens Next? Interactive quiz.

[Tal]

Highlights of the blindfold competitions in the World Mind Sports Games for you:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8718

It is incredible what these guys are able to "see". It is also forgivable when they forget something or when they miss a clever trick. Above are some neat examples.



Aronian took the gold - he is a strong blindfold player, even if his OTB (over the board) form has been indifferent of late.

Nakamura with his clarity of calculation (probably the best bullet chess (<2min) player in the world) is always a danger and took silver.

Azeri GM Shak Mamedyarov was third.

[Tal]

To illustrate my point, have a look at this position between Mamedyarov and Aronian (eventual third v eventual first). This was a crucial game for both players and here is the position after Aronian has played 20...Rf4 (in notation, we put three dots after the move number to denote it having been Black's move):



This is a tough position to assess. White has the more active pieces but Black has a bishop pair (which generally work better together than bishop and knight) and the threat of Rxh4+.

Mamedyarov likely looked at a number of possibilities here andthese might have included looking after the h-pawn. He can't play 21.Nf3 because the bishop can take that and then the rook can capture the h-pawn. I suspect - although with these chaps it is always difficult to speculate - that Mamedyarov thought his bishop was on e6 or had calculated a few variations where he played Be6 followed by Nf7+ and had forgotten when he tried to recall the board position to move the bishop back.

Whatever his reason, he now played 21.Rc4, thereby preventing Rxh4. Not, however, preventing Rxc4!

Oops...

[Tal]

We are a week on from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. 60million possibles and one mod-shaped winner. Who won the equivalent poll in India? 1.2billion possibles.

Sachin Tendulkar, right? The guy is worshipped like a god. Nope.

Dravid retired so he might have got the nod. Nope.

Ah then the World Cup winning captain, M S Dhoni must have...no?

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8720

Bet Chess Thread in India gets more than 8k views

[Tal]

A lot was spoken about in the London Chess Classic regarding the ability of Carlsen and Kramnik in endgames. They and many of us owe something to the work of the oldest living grandmaster: Yuri Averbach

Here is a short piece about this nonagenarian and the tournament he has been a guest of, with a group of veterans playing a group of young and up-and-coming ladies:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8716

[The Baron]

We are a week on from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. 60million possibles and one mod-shaped winner. Who won the equivalent poll in India? 1.2billion possibles.

Sachin Tendulkar, right? The guy is worshipped like a god. Nope.

Dravid retired so he might have got the nod. Nope.

Ah then the World Cup winning captain, M S Dhoni must have...no?

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8720

Bet Chess Thread in India gets more than 8k views

Incredible really.

[Tal]

It is, Baron, yes. It shows just how popular chess is in India.


As for Mr Aberbakh, here's his wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Averbakh

He produced a tremendous series of books on the endgame that is vastly underrated today called Comprehensive Chess Endings. It came in different volumes, relating to the different types of endgames you get (depending on which pieces are left).





He also devised one of my very favourite openings, which is a response to the King's Indian Defence. It looks flashy and aggressive but the idea is quite the opposite; Black wants to attack down the Kingside, so White blocks it up with pawns and thereby prevents Black from getting the counterplay he wants.

[kinboshi]

What's most incredible is that chess isn't a sport!

[Tal]

What's most incredible is that chess isn't a sport!

It is in some countries, I believe.