Chess thread

[curnow]

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/grading/database/

new BCF gradings is out , not sure how they work it but dont care realy

[Tal]

http://www.englishchess.org.uk/grading/database/

new BCF gradings is out , not sure how they work it but dont care realy

Done over a sample size of ≥30 recorded games, preferably over the last 12 months but goes back longer to get to 30 if necessary.

In isolation, you start with your opponent's grade.
- if you win, you get his + 50
- if you lose, you get his -50
- if you draw, you get his grade.

These all average out, in theory, so you end up with a yardstick of where you fit in against the standard of opposition you play against.

The new website gives you the games that counted in the last year for each player, so you can do a sort of Herbie Mob on them, results-wise.

I only played 10 games last year and my grade has been pretty static for five years.

[curnow]

lol checking , they lost all the 2011/2012 games on all the players in my club

my Son won 75% of his games & drew the rest in 2012/2013 season & his grade gone from 148 to 144

[Jon MW]

lol checking , they lost all the 2011/2012 games on all the players in my club

my Son won 75% of his games & drew the rest in 2012/2013 season & his grade gone from 148 to 144

That's the job I used to do at the BCF - needless to say at that point it would have been down to the regional volunteers or club secretaries - but now it could well be down to the central administration

[Tal]

Think you should be getting the calendar out and booking your son in as many weekend congresses as you can, so that he can capitalise on his underrating.

Gotta be done.

[titaniumbean]

brilliantly I often seem to dig myself into a bad position then refuse to surrender and grind out a win.

but yeh i'm pretty sure i'm limp calling 64o utg quite alot in the early/mid game.

[Tal]

A reeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllly good instructional video for one important concept in middlegame play.



Not a long one, but worth evey second. It's a very difficult one to get the balance right on, but even a basic application will help you beat people of your level.

[Tal]

Speaking of mistakes, the first round of the latest Master comp happened in Dortmund, yesterday and China's Wang Hao demonstrated his mortality most impressively against Vladmir Kramnik.

http://www.chessbase.com/Home/TabId/211/PostId/4010578/dortmund-r01-three-wins-caruana-2800-live-270713.aspx

It's not a long game and quite easy to follow, so take a couple of minutes to play through it.

The position after 17 moves or so is quite instructive. When assessing a position, start with the pawns. The pawn structures for both sides are solid and symmetrical, which is a sign of no advantage (it is imbalanced pawn structures - 3v2 - that often lead to decisive games).

Now look at the pieces. White has much more activity and aggression in his pieces and that is why he is better.

You start with the pawns, by the way, because those are the permanent weaknesses/strengths; if the villain has active pieces but weak pawns, you know that swapping off the queens, rooks and anything else will leave him worse off.

Back to the game, Kramnik uses his active pieces to win a pawn, so the plan changes to using that advantage.

Then Hao makes a terrible blunder. It's a mistake I'd expect a 1200 to spot most of the time. Kramnik > 1200.

These guys are only human, after all.

[Tal]

D'oh!

[theprawnidentity]

A reeeeeeeeaaaaaallllllly good instructional video for one important concept in middlegame play.



Not a long one, but worth evey second. It's a very difficult one to get the balance right on, but even a basic application will help you beat people of your level.

Really enjoyed this video.  Seems really obvious when someone points it out to you but can defo plug some mid-game leaks with this!!!

[Tal]

It's a classic example of a simple concept that takes real skill to judge correctly.

As an advance on the idea, if you are contemplating a swap, have your next move ready, so that you are either countering his positional improvement or attacking what he has left behind.

[TightEnd]

"So, I was thinking of re-inventing the Nimzo Indian Tal. Your thoughts?...."


....

[Tal]

Must be Photoshop if I'm smiling.

[theprawnidentity]

Tal in good time shocker!!!

[Tal]

Tal in good time shocker!!!

Was good fun, that SPT. Was below average for pretty much the entire comp, though, just grinding away and picking spots with no cards. 8 hours later, I move tables and immediately run queens into kings.

#skillz