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| Posted by roblear ajaxwrite.com 8/09/2008 10:55:49 Play online chess |  Subject: am i right?Message: i've noticed that higher rated players don't seem to play pawn moves such as a3 to prevent Nb4 or Bb4, or conversely h3 to attack the g4 square. i've often used these kinds of moves in the past, but i don't see them much from better players. maybe it's a reflection on my poor development? | ||||||||
| Posted by tim_b ajaxwrite.com 8/09/2008 13:15:45 Play online chess | Message: | ||||||||
| Posted by ionadowman ajaxwrite.com 8/09/2008 16:13:49 Play online chess | Possibly... Message: When making the piece move, the mover ought already to have planned a response to an attack by a flank pawn: an exchange on the c-file (if it's a bishop); a sac on f7 (if you've just played Ng5); a retreat - and where to? Sometimes it's not a bad idea fort White, say, to develop a bishop at d2 via g5, losing a tempo, but inducing a small but exploitable weakness in Black's K-side. I've done that myself. On the Black side of a Sicilian Defence, ...a6 is often useful even if it doesn't hit a bishop, partly as apreparation for a central thrust, but also because Q-side expansion is on Black's agenda anyway. So 1.e4 c5. 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxc4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6, the Najdorf Variation, is a very popular line. That little move hides a good deal of aggression. The Sicilian Kan System also involves an early ...a6. Conversely, the Two Knights' Defence often features an early advance of a White Knight to g5: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5!? ... I think the debate whether this is sttronger than 4.0-0, 4.d4 or 4.d3 is still ongoing. Of course it's pointless hitting the knight now. Black will usually play 4...d5 5.exd5 and now 5...Nxd5 is very risky owing to the enormous attack White whips up: the Fegatello, a.k.a. the Fried Liver: 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Ke6 (forced if Black wants to keep the material); 8.Nc3 Ncb4 (the irony of it!) 9.a3! (biffing the knight , hoping to dislodge it fronm its defence of d5. The fork on c2 looks tempting, at that!) 9...Nxc2+ 10.Kc1 Nxa1 11.Nxd5 etc. All this is theory, which continues for several moves more yet. Black has better alternatives at move 5, 5,,,Na4, the "Main" line turning out rather well for Black, despite the pawn deficit. But even at move 4, Black can seriously consider ignoring the attack on f7 by playing 4...Bc5!? Now, if 5.Nxf7 Black has the astonishing 5...Bxf2+!! 6.Kxf2!? (6.Kf1 may be better) ...Nxe4+ 7.Kg1 (I had someone play 7.Ke1?? against me once on GK 7...Qh4+ 8.g3 Nxg3 9.Rg1 Ne5+ 10.Rg3 Nxg3 0-1) 7...Qh4 with an attack probably strong enough at least to balance White's. The alternate capture at f7, 5.Bxf7+, less ambitious is perhaps the harder for Black to meet: 5...Ke2 whereupon White usually retires the bishop to b3 or d5. In the following OTB game, the presence and absence of the flank pawn moves under discussion prove to have further impact: White: N.N. Black: IAD 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke2 6.Bb3 Rf8 7.0-0 h6 The first of the flank pawn moves, played to drive back the knight, and relieve some of the pressure on the light squares - in other words, to prepare to advance the d-pawn. 8.Nf3 d6 w 9.d3?! ... Now this is one point where White might have been better advised to prevent Black's next move by 9.h3! 9...Bg4! Threatening, among other things, to bring a knight in to d4 thence to break up White's K-side pawns. 10.Be3 ... (10.c3 came into consideration) 10... Nd4 11.Bxd4 Bxd4 12.c3 Bb6 13.Nbd2 Qd7 14.Qc2 Rae8 15.h3? ... b A real bad-luck pawn. Correct at move 9, here it is merely weakening: 15...Bxh3! Something you sometimes have to watch for if you want to biff bishops! 16.gxh3 Qxh3 17.Nh2 ... Played to protect g4, but maybe a strike at the centre by 17.d4 offered more hope? 17...Ng4! 18.Nxg4 Qxg4+ 19.Kh1 Qh3+ 20.Kg1 Rf4 21.Qd1 Qg3+ 22.Kh1 Rh4#. I guess in the end you have to think beyond the flank pawn move, and indeed beyond the piece moves against which the flank pawn move is directed, whether as an attack or a deterrent. If the move is part of a longer term plan, or if allowing a piece to land on the "Knight-5" square will really cause you trouble (as indeed it can, quite often) then probably it's OK, but if it's "off the cuff" or "can't think of anything better to do right now", then it's probably un-OK. Cheers, Ion ——— Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen lead the field for London Classic — Last year's London Classic at Olympia attracted large audiences, so its 2010 version on 8-15 December, with the reigning world chess champion Vishy Anand now in the field, will be of great interest. Its added spice is the rivalry at the top of the world chess rankings between Anand, Norway's 20-year-old Magnus Carlsen, and Russia's ex-champion and current world No4, Vlad Kramnik. The global chess body, Fide, still hopes to persuade Carlsen to rescind his withdrawal from the May 2011 candidates matches and has announced a new date of 22 December for contract signing. How he performs in London, just a week before the contract deadline, may affect the talks and whether he can take ... Posted by savage4731 | ajaxwrite.com 8/09/2008 19:55:57 Play online chess Message: 1) It wastes a move that could be used to develop a piece. 2) You can always play it after the pin without a loss of time. 3) It weakens the kingside pawns. 4) Pins arent always bad. For example, the Bxf7+ then Ng5+ then Qxg4 sac. Or the Bg4, Be2, Nd4, Nxd4 trick. Also, using the g-file to attack after Bxf3, gxf3. Also, Legall's mate. 5) The h3 pawn can become a target esp for bishop sacs. 6) After h3, g3 can become weak. Esp. If black is pinning the f2 pawn with a bishop. 7) If your opponent captures the knight with the bishop that gives you the two bishops. 8) Its a bad habit to get into: i.e. making mechanical moves and not paying attention. 9) Its passive. Which not only hurts your chances in the game but passive play will slow down your development as a player. 10) You shouldnt automatically assume things like doubled pawns are bad. 11) You should be careful with pawn moves because you cant move them back. 12) You should be playing to control the center in the opening not making pointless flank pawn moves. 13) When I see those kinds of moves against me I know its usually an easy win. 14) A lot of times beginners will think they can easily win a pawn. For example: 1.e4, e5 2. Nf3, Nc6 3. Bb5, a6 4. Bxc6, dxc6 5. Nxe5. But they miss 5...Qd4!. Chess isnt that simple otherwise no one would play it. If you find yourself losing pawns like that its because you're making mistakes and/or not seeing the whole position not because you didnt prevent the pin in the first place. Usually beginners make that kind of move because they're afraid of missing something. Its better not to play out of fear but to play your best and if you make a mistake to learn from it. ——— The Man With Too Much Chess Talent — Dragoljub Velimirovic used to be one of the world's most feared attackers, always looking for the impossible. His imaginative play was compared to the colorful world chess champion Mikhail Tal's razzle-dazzle. His playing style was unique, daring and often falling off the edge. He made risky moves and so many of them that you wondered how much punishment his chess pieces could take. He loved to create confusion on the chessboard, always believing he could find a beautiful escape from a bad situation. He had enough talent to pull it off, perhaps "too much talent" as Bobby Fischer once put it when we discussed the play of the Serbian grandmaster and champion. At 68, Velimirovic doesn't seem to ... Posted by roblear | ajaxwrite.com 8/10/2008 03:36:25 Play online chess am i right?Message: thanks again rob ——— Chess: A sacrificial rook — Sacrificing a chess piece is a nerve-racking business, but think of the warm glow when it pays off. RB If chess pieces could talk, they would be screaming at me something like: "Can't you take a hint, dummy? We're all pointing in one direction – at c3!" And I would say back to them: "Yes, thank you, I see that, but I have to tell you that I am always nervous of sacrificing a chess piece when I can't calculate a forced mate or win of material." But let's try to get the nerves under control and venture the less valuable piece first: 1...Bxc3. What's to stop White playing 2 bxc3, and if 2...Qxc3 3 Bb3, with threats against f7? That doesn't seem to help Black much, so what about the rook: ... Posted by savage4731 | ajaxwrite.com 8/14/2008 13:53:29 Play online chess roblearMessage: ——— Polgar Defeats a Slumping Topalov at Ajedrez Event — Marriage seems to have hurt Veselin Topalov’s chess career, for now. Topalov, 35, a former world chess champion who was ranked No. 1 in the world as recently as 14 months ago, has seen his ranking slide to No. 5. His manager, Silvio Danailov, said in a recent interview that Topalov married a few months ago and was “enjoying life a little bit,” adding, “He is not motivated to play chess tournaments right now.” Topalov may also be suffering from a sort of psychological hangover after losing a grueling world chess championship match in April and May to Viswanathan Anand. He has not really played well since. His latest setback occurred at the Ajedrez UNAM Quadrangular chess tournament in ... Posted by roblear | ajaxwrite.com 8/23/2008 03:36:00 Play online chess to savage4731Message: rob ——— Magnus Carlsen suffers dramatic collapse at world blitz chess championship — The world blitz chess championship in Moscow has become a popular annual event. Vishy Anand, the world chess champion, stayed away this year but the world No1, Magnus Carlsen, who won in 2009, returned to defend his title in an elite 20-grandmaster field. Carlsen led after the first day's play but had a bad run ("My head went on strike") on the second and Armenia's world No3, Levon Aronian, went three points clear before easing up. Final leading scores were Aronian 24.5/38, Teimour Radjabov 24, Carlsen 23.5. The time limit shortened from four minutes per game plus two seconds per move for each side in 2009 to 3/2. It is tough to play a high-class opponent under such conditions. Quite apart from ... |