Chess Basics, Letter 4 (10/19/1996, rev. 12/28/1996) ########################## OPENING: ADVICE HOW TO OPEN A GAME (ctd.) ======================================================================= Here are some annotations about a game. Not hints about the newest XY-variation in the Ruy-Lopez, but more general remarks, based on advice I gave in the CB-letters 2 and 3: Stroman, Patrick - Davies, Peter IECC, M-311, 1996 Opening: Ruy Lopez, Archangelsk (or Miller) variation [C78] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d3 here the 'book' says: 7.Re1 Bc5 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 O-O. 7.- Nd4 ?! - 2nd move with this piece: can be kicked away with useful pawn-move c3 (wB mostly goes here on diagonal c2-h7) - and after exchange on f3 Black had 'invested' 3 tempos in this piece. 8.c3 Nxf3+ 9.Qxf3 Bc5 10.Nd2 ?! - first Bg5, then Nd2 (the N can't go to a better place at once and blocks the further development of pieces on the queens side). Qe7 11.Re1 O-O-O 12.Bc2 Rhe8 13.Qg3 g6 14.Nb3 Nh5 15.Qf3 so 2 tempos for queen moves were lost, q-side pieces still undevelopped. 15.- d5 16.Nxc5 Qxc5 17.Be3 d4 18.Bg5 f6 19.Bh4 dxc3 20.b3 Rf8 21.a3 Rd6 22.b4 Qb6 23.Bg5 Nf4 24.Bxf4 exf4 25.Qxf4 Qc6 26.Rad1 g5 27.Qg4+ Kb8 28.Ra1 f5 29.Qxg5 Rg6 30.Qe7 Rfg8 31.Qxh7 Rxg2+ 32.Kh1 fxe4 33.dxe4 Qf6 34.Rf1 Qf3 0-1 Over all: White made no 'big' mistake, but missed to develop his pieces in time. So these p. only were unconcerned, when Black attacked on the k-side. Solutions for tasks 7-10 from letter 3 ================================================================== Task 7 [*]: W.: Kh3,Qe5,Ra1,Pg3,h4,h6 (6) B.: Kh8,Qf6,Rf8,Pa6,b7,c6,h7 (7) White to move: Find White's key move to win! Answer: 1.Rf1 - and Black will loose his queen after this CROSS PIN (1.- Qxe5? 2.Rf8++, back rank mate) --------------------------------- Task 8 [**]: W.: Kb1,Qc3,Rf1,Rh5,Be2,Nd4,Pa3,b2,c4,d5,e3,f2,g2 (13) B.: Kg6,Qe5,Ra8,Rf8,Bd7,Nc5,Pa4,b7,c7,d6,e4,f5,g5 (13) Game Kuhnle - Richter, 1995, White to move. Black's last move was 26.- Kg6, to attack the rook. White found a surprising answer. Answer: White's move is 27.Rxg5+ . If now 27.- Kxg5, we can see three interesting moves in this variation: *pawn fork* / capsure *en passent* / *knight fork* : 28.f4+ exf3 ep 29.Nxf3+ and wins the queen for the prize of R&N&P, advantage for W. Black realized these consequences in the OTB game, continued 27.- Kf7 and was a pawn down. --------------------------------- Task 9 [**]: W.: Kh1,Rb5,Pa2,b2,b3,g2 (6) B.: Kg6,Pa7,f2 (3) Reti (study), White to move. The f-pawn is nearly through. Is there a possibility for White, to win? Answer: White must gain tempo(s), to come closer to the pawn. To reach this, he can give back the greatest part of his material advantage: 1.Rf4! Kxf4 2.g4+! (and square g2 is free) Kxg4 3.Kg2 .. and White wins with his pawn majority on the queens side. --------------------------------- Task 10 [***]: W.: Kh2,Qb5,Rc7,Rd1,Bb1,Bc1,Pa2,e3,f2,g2,g3 (11) B.: Kg8,Qc8,Re6,Bb7,Be7,Pa7,e5,f7,g7,h7 (10) Seems white has a good position. But it's Black to move. Find out the move sequence for Black to win (mate in 4)! Answer: The trick here is, to use the open h-line and diagonals b7-g7 and c8-h3: 1.Rh6+ (diagonal c8-h3 is free now!) Kg1 2.Rh1+ (forces wK back to the h-line) Kxg1 3.Qh3+ Kg1 4.Qxg2++ --------------------------------- NEW TASKS (solutions see letter 5) ======================================================================= +-----------------+ 8 | r + - + - + k + | Black to move 7 | a a Q - + a + a | 6 | - + - + - + a + | 5 | + N + A r n + - | 4 | A + - + - q - + | 3 | + - A - R - + - | 2 | - A - + - A A A | 1 | + - + - + - R K | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 11 [*]: W.: Kh1,Qc7,Re3,Rg1,Nb5,Pa4,b2,c3,d5,f2,g2,h2 (12) B.: Kg8,Qf4,Ra8,Re5,Nf5,Pa7,b7,f7,g6,h7 (10) Game Judasin - Kramnik, Wijk a.Z., 1994, In this position Kramnik played 24.- Qxe3! . Can you see, what would have happened after 25.- fxe3? Answer: 25. ... --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | - + - + - + k + | 7 | + - + - + a + - | 6 | - a - + - + - a | 5 | a - + - + N a - | 4 | - + - + - q - + | 3 | Q - + - + - + A | 2 | A A r + - + - + | 1 | + - + R + - + K | White to move +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 12 [**]: W.: Kh1,Qa3,Rd1,Nf5,Pa2,b2,h3 (7) B.: Kg8,Qf4,Rc2,Pa5,b6,f7,g5,h6 (8) Game Vidmar - Euwe, 1929, White to move. Black's threat is Qh2++. However, White can win! Answer: 1. ... --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | - + - R - + - + | 7 | + - + - + - + - | 6 | - + - + - + - + | 5 | + - + - + - + - | 4 | - + b + - + - + | 3 | K - + - + - + - | 2 | a + k + - + - + | 1 | + - + - + - + - | White to move +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 13 [**]: W.: Ka3,Rd8 (2) B.: Kc2,Bc4,Pa2 (3) White to move. As in task 9, we have again a black pawn one step to promotion. Any rescue for White here? Answer: 1. ... --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | - + - + - + - k | 7 | a b q - + - a a | 6 | - a n + - + - r | 5 | + - a B + a + - | 4 | - + A + - A - Q | 3 | + A N - + - + - | 2 | A + - + - + - A | 1 | + - + - + R K - | White to move +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 14 [***]: W.: Kg1,Qh4,Rf1,Bd5,Nc3,Pa2,b3,c4,f4,h2 (10) B.: Kh8,Qc7,Rh6,Bb7,Nc6,Pa7,b6,c5,f5,g7,h7 (11) Game Wettstein - Pak, 1981. White's next move here was 1.Qg5. Is this a mistake? Answer: 1.- ... --------------------------------- CASTELLING ======================================================================= About castelling you should know the rules completely. To make this sure, please find the following questions. You can tick your answers here([Y] or [N]). Compare your answers with the solution in the next letter. -------------------------------------- I) W.: Ke1,Qb2,Ra1,Rh1,Pa2,c2,f2,g2,h2 B.: Ke8,Qh6,Ra8,Rh8,Bf8,Pa7,c7,d7,f7,h7 Kings, all rooks in original position. a) White to move, possible moves are: O-O [ ] O-O-O [ ] b) Black to move, possible moves are: O-O [ ] O-O-O [ ] -------------------------------------- II) W.: Kg1,Rf1,Bc6,Nf3,Pf2,g2,h2 B.: Ke8,Rh8,Nd8,Nf6,Pf7,g7,h7 bK is in check, the following moves are possible for black: O-O [ ] Nxc6 [ ] Nd7 [ ] Ke7 [ ] Kf8 [ ] -------------------------------------- CHESS AND CHATS ======================================================================= +++ Again! - about keeping actual positions: In several games I saw impossible moves, blunders, typos, mix-up of positions, which sometimes lead to lost games. Therefore again my hint to improve record keeping and position keeping. In the last letter I wrote in the last letter. Here's Mike Power's method: Comment on record keeping: There are as many systems as there are players but you must find one that is easy and works without error for you. Always double, triple check your move notation (especially transposing b's & d's or e's & c's). Here is my method which I got partly from Lisa Powell. I have a notebook in which I keep all my games in progress with one page for each game. At the top I write the event, names, addresses and other info about the event such as tournament director who gets a copy of completed game. Then when I get the moves I copy them into my bible along with the date recieved. I also have a chess recording program on my computer that allows me to try variations and keep many games and positions. There are many programs available at ftp://ftp.pitt.edu/group/chess/UTIL but the one I like for Windows 3.1 is chess16.zip for Chess Recorder 5.0 by Eric Churchill and it costs only $15.00 US to register for the full version (not an ad!). When I have decided on my move I write in my book and when I return the message I check it off and add the date sent in my book. Here is what the 1st few moves of this game looked like. IECC Chess Basics, Swiss Tourn. #40, Round 1 of 4 Fischer, Bobby vs. Power, Mike 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 - the moves 9/29-9/29 9/29-9/30 - the dates under each line Hope this is useful, Mike Power ------------------------------------------------ First completed game in CH40: [Event "Swiss 40"] [Site "IECC"] [Date "1996.10.09"] [Round "1"] [White "Fernandes, David"] [Black "Power, Mike"] [Result "0-1"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 The **Petrov Defense** [C42] 3.Nc3 Bb4 develop my Bishop with abandon! 4.Nxe5 Bxc3 5.dxc3 d6 Book line continues 6.Nf3 Nxe4 7.Bd3 Nf6 8.O-O O-O with a rating = for both sides. 6.Nc4 A new suprise move that takes me 'out of book' which I had to consider carefully. Thought of O-O;Nc6 but ... Nxe4 rather attacked instead! 7.Qe2 And David parries back. ...O-O King to safety. If Qxe4 then Re8 pins and loses Q 8.Be3 Re8 Now my Rook on open line. Double x-ray on Q & K 9.O-O-O White King to safety ...Nf6 Thought a long time on this. Whether to develop other pieces or move N (again!) and pin his Bishop. 10.Bg5?? Ooops :-( ...Rxe2 0-1 [annotations: Mike Power] --------------------------------------- ... and 2 more tasks from an in-between letter (solutions in letter 6): +-----------------+ 8 | - r - + - + k + | Black to move 7 | a - + - + - a a | after 28.Rxb2 6 | - + - + q + - + | 5 | + - Q - + a A - | 4 | - + - N - + - + | 3 | A - n - A - + - | 2 | - R - B - A - A | 1 | K - + - + - + - | +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 15 [*]: Game Gelfand - Kramnik, European Team Cup, Berlin, 1996, After Kramnik's next move White resigned at once. Answer: Black's move was 28. ... --------------------------------- +-----------------+ 8 | - + - r - k - + | 7 | + - + - + a + - | 6 | - + - + n + a + | 5 | + - + - A - + - | 4 | - + - + - + R A | 3 | + - + - + N + - | 2 | - + r + - + A + | White to move 1 | + - + - + R K - | After 48.- Kf8?? +-----------------+ a b c d e f g h Task 16 [**]: Game Stricovic (YUG) - Dautov (GER), Olympiad, Erevan, 1996. Why is 48.- Kf8 a fault, find White's next move. Answer: Black's move was 28. ... ###############################################