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pokerfan
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« Reply #915 on: February 22, 2013, 06:13:24 AM »

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Tal
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« Reply #916 on: February 22, 2013, 08:08:17 AM »

Er...imaginative..!
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Tal
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« Reply #917 on: February 22, 2013, 08:18:22 AM »

I was asked a couple of weeks ago to give some basic rook endings. These are just about the most difficult of all the endgames, such that a player of my level is only so confident of being accurate in them. If you're playing against a weaker opponent, don't agree to a draw in a rook and pawn endgame unless you are losing, as there will often be so many inaccuracies, all you need to do is make fewer than the othwr guy and not make the last one Smiley

There are some basics of any endgame like playing actively, focusing on your opponent's weaknesses and looking to queen a pawn if you can. Rook and pawn endings have their own little rules, tho. We discussed the Philidor and Lucena positions a few weeks ago, but here is a video to explain them in more detail:

http://www.chess.com/video/player/rook-endgames-beginner-to-master-part-1

There are a few of these videos about, but part 8 is a practical exploration of some of the basics you'll likely encounter:

http://www.chess.com/video/player/rook-endgames-beginner-to-master-part-8

If they seem difficult, there's a reason for that: they are. Just remember to play actively (attack if you can) and watch what the villain is trying to do.
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« Reply #918 on: February 24, 2013, 01:40:31 PM »

Not persuaded that "Chess instead of Maths" is a good idea.

Nor am I. He's one of a kind, that man, in fairness.

His anti-Putin expoits recently have been fascinating. Good luck to the man.
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Tal
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« Reply #919 on: February 25, 2013, 08:23:26 AM »

With less than 3 weeks to go before the Candidates Tournament, there is a small event going on in Zurich, featuring two of the contenders, the 'next best' and the the current World Champ.

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Here are Vlad Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Fabiano Caruaua and Boris Gelfand.

It is only a short, six round tournament but it is interesting that Kramnik and Gelfand have decided to play when everyone else will be preparing for the big dance.

These are two old heads who have been there and done that, of course, but in Gelfand's case, he probably needs to find a bit of form and, in Kramnik's, he's been playing well, so why slow down?

Anyway, one round in and the four are all square:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8874



Here is Caruana against Anand.

Betfair has started its market on the Candidates. Carlsen 8/11, Kramnik and Aronian 9/2, 12-1 bar.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2013, 08:39:53 AM by Tal » Logged

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Tal
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« Reply #920 on: February 26, 2013, 08:21:39 AM »

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8877

The Zurich tournament has reached its halfway stage and no one had managed to penetrate another's defences as yet. The table after three rounds looks awfully like this:



Kramnik and Caruana have looked the most likely to break through but Caruana couldn't convert on round 2 and Kramnik made one too many inaccuracies to get a full point yesterday.

Kramnik's decision to play a Benoni system (a challenge to the White centre) against the typically stodgy Catalan system (a popular opening among the super-GMs because it is hard to beat with accurate play) of Caruana was certainly a statement of intent; Kramnik hasn't come to Zurich for the prize money.

We have three more rounds to go, which are if you like the reverse fixtures.

Anand and Gelfand have two white games left of their three, with Kramnik and Caruana two black.

We'll see what happens.
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« Reply #921 on: February 26, 2013, 11:00:52 PM »

Some big news in Chess World, as 13 year old Wei Yi has become the youngest current Grand Master. He achieved the final qualification by dint of a win against the very strong Maxime Vachier-Lagrave:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8880

The above link also puts Wei Li's achievement into context by comparing it to other young grandmasters in chess history.

Li isn't the youngest ever to get that title, but he is currently the youngest GM around.



Well done that man.

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Tal
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« Reply #922 on: February 27, 2013, 08:16:51 AM »

I hope this is a more straightforward puzzle than some I've put up ITT before:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/daily-puzzles/2272013---mate-in-2

You're looking to checkmate as White in two moves. That means you move and, when black responds, you then deliver checkmate.

Have fun with it and feel free to post your thoughts here.

If you work out the answer, explain how you came to it.
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Tal
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« Reply #923 on: February 27, 2013, 08:22:07 AM »

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/daily-puzzles/2262013---constructing-the-mate

For more eager beavers, this one is a coffee time teaser. A little note challenge going in terms of technique, but oughtn't detain you too long.

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kinboshi
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« Reply #924 on: February 27, 2013, 09:14:23 AM »

I hope this is a more straightforward puzzle than some I've put up ITT before:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/daily-puzzles/2272013---mate-in-2

You're looking to checkmate as White in two moves. That means you move and, when black responds, you then deliver checkmate.

Have fun with it and feel free to post your thoughts here.

If you work out the answer, explain how you came to it.

Mate in two puzzles are usually very straightforward, as the first move is often a check, forcing the opponent to make a move that then gives you the mate. My first thought with this one was Q+, but there are options that prevent mate in two. So that doesn't leave many other avenues to explore...
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kinboshi
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« Reply #925 on: February 27, 2013, 09:16:27 AM »

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/daily-puzzles/2262013---constructing-the-mate

For more eager beavers, this one is a coffee time teaser. A little note challenge going in terms of technique, but oughtn't detain you too long.



With fewer options open to white, I reckon this one's more obvious?
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Tal
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« Reply #926 on: February 27, 2013, 09:37:31 AM »

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/daily-puzzles/2262013---constructing-the-mate

For more eager beavers, this one is a coffee time teaser. A little note challenge going in terms of technique, but oughtn't detain you too long.



With fewer options open to white, I reckon this one's more obvious?

Perhaps. I suppose it is about how you think. If you're tactically-minded, the first one is straightforward. The second one has fewer pieces but the rationale behind the combination (it's a 3 move mate for those who weren't sure) is more complicated.
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« Reply #927 on: February 27, 2013, 10:58:54 AM »

I only dropped in to mention that The Telegraph has a piece about chess in the Sports Section today.
Viswanathan Anand was india's Sportsperson of 2012.
Just in case you chess types had missed the news really.

Tried today's two puzzles and solved both pretty quickly, but that's kind of easy when you know that the crucial moves are available to find.
Would I spot them in game? Probably not, it's years since I exercised my chess muscles and I can't beat the app I downloaded unless I slide the ability level a long way to the left.
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« Reply #928 on: February 27, 2013, 11:27:00 AM »

I only dropped in to mention that The Telegraph has a piece about chess in the Sports Section today.
Viswanathan Anand was india's Sportsperson of 2012.
Just in case you chess types had missed the news really.

Tried today's two puzzles and solved both pretty quickly, but that's kind of easy when you know that the crucial moves are available to find.
Would I spot them in game? Probably not, it's years since I exercised my chess muscles and I can't beat the app I downloaded unless I slide the ability level a long way to the left.

Thank you for stopping by, David.

That is the problem with problems, as it were: it takes some guts to do it over the board, as you have to be confident you've found an answer to a question no one asked.

It's like we mortals in our approach to PHA questions. We might say "c/raise all in because he definitely has a flush draw" but would we do it in the heat of the moment?
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« Reply #929 on: February 28, 2013, 08:17:38 AM »

Here's an interesting article about how Carlsen's rating lead compares to World Number Ones past, including some backdated estimates to when there were no ratings. Some nice pictures of the great players at the board, including one or two you will surely recognise:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8881
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