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wrecking_ball 17-Apr-14, 06:17	Any game you wish to post and chat about... This post is for any fun game you wish to discuss or ask questions or input.Blitz games,weird games,quick mates or any game theme,any opening...no limit. This first post(by darknite13) was moved from another thread and relocated here in this new thread: A fun blitz game... This isn't a Basman Defense, but still felt like sharing it...it's a non-standard opening which caught my opponent off guard quickly, and led to his downfall: Event: Casual Club Blitz Date: 04.16.2014 White: NN (1744 USCF) Black: Myself (1986 USCF) 1. g4 d5 2. Be2 Bxg4 3. c4?! dxc4?? --Here he was thinking, hmm this guy has no idea how to play the game 4. Bxb7! Nd7 5. Bxa8 Qxa8 6. f3 e5 --Trying to recover from his overconfidence with some developing moves Position after 5. Qxa8 7. Nc3 Bf5 8. e4 Be6 9. d4 cxd3 e.p. --Time for white: 4:12 min Black: 2:33 10. Qd3 Bb4 Position: 11. Be3 Ngf6 12. a3 Bxc3+ 13. Qxc3 0-0 14. Ne2 Rb8 15. b4 a5 16. Kf2 axb4 17. axb4 Qb7 -- Time: white - 2:46 Black: 0:43 Position: 18. Ra7 Qc8 19. Rxc7 Qd8 20. Rc1 Ne8 21. Rc8 Rxc8 22. Qxc8 Qxc8 23. Rxc8 Nb6?? -- and with 1 second on Black's clock: 24. Rxe8# Notice how I make Black's queenside completely collapse. You may be wondering the rating: 1744 was this person's rating, but due to his unfamiliarity with the opening his mindset never really recovered after the opening blow. Then as he fell in time, as the position worsened, he had a mental breakdown and was stuck reacting to what I did, rather than make a plan. Any thoughts on this game?
wrecking_ball 17-Apr-14, 15:50	Deleted by wrecking_ball on 17-Apr-14, 16:09.
wrecking_ball 17-Apr-14, 16:09	Hi Ken,moved your post to a more general kind of post,or if you like,just start a post on the Grob or spike! In any case,you wrote Be2...I assume you meant Bg2,not Be2,correct? Also in your second diagram with 10.Qd3,Bb4,your Bishop is not on the diagram on square b4. Also,you may have thought that I did it when I transferred the info,but not so.I triple checked when I simply copied your second diagram that you did have with FEN and compared your old diagram to mine and it was a mirror image.But that's minor,no biggie. But i'm confused!In the game description,you said you were the black(myself 1986 USCF) and white was NN.You meant that you were the white...correct? In any case,earlier on...the game was kind of even for quite a while even with black slipping on a few moves.As white I would have castled instead a bit back to activate the Rook even earlier.But on a quick glace,it appears to me that the main queen side collapse for black spawned from blacks move #18....Qc8?.A bit better(but not much) would have been 18....Nxe4+ 19.fxe4,Qxe4 20.Ng3,Qh4.But black dug a hole for himself in any case much earlier in the game as I can see without going through every move.With 19. Rxc7 the collapse begins as you said.As black,I would have resigned long before move # 19.Funny,I can't even remember playing that bad in HS when I was around blacks rating!But that is the nature of blitz,indeed.Wonder if black would have done the same in a regular time control?Maybe,maybe not? The Grob or spike mirrors the Basman in some ways but on the reverse side of the board.In the Basman,for example, after Bg7 in the opening,white makes many times a blunderous move and I take whites b2 pawn and then his Rook on a1.Happens in blitz all the time!Kind of reminds me of your Grob in its opening,just in reverse! I have not covered the Grob's yet.One day I will.But Ken,this is a fine example of how irregular games(especially in blitz) can quickly devastate opponents.This is why I kind of recommend irregular games as a surprise weapon.Trouble is,for you and I its ok to play these gems but on the lower rating levels both blitz,let alone things like the Grob and Basman are not recommended very much for those players still learning the early ropes!But i'm highly guilty of playing Grobs,Basmans and Sokolskys(1.b4) more often in blitz than ANY other openings(except when the rating of my opponent that appears above the board is 2400-2800!).Then and only then,I back down and do the normal d4 and e4 openings.Yes,even I have a limit on irregulars(even in blitz)and that hovers around a ceiling of my opponent being 2300+. Side note: The spike(Grob)as many know(but many do not know) has been used as a successful psychological weapon in postal play debuts for decades.For many decades it was kind of dreaded and moved out of book quite rapidly. One difficulty with playing chess against more experienced players is that they have a common response to common openings. Every time you use a certain opening they will respond with a certain defense that has worked for them in the past. This is where the Grob comes into play, since it is so unusual for someone to use it, opponents are often unsure of how to respond to it. The Grob opening is particularly useful in speed, or blitz, chess games.For a good tactical player,it is a wise choice,even though there are many unsound aspects related to this opening for white.GM's of course,run away from the Grob,but not masters.I have seen 2200+players use the Grob on a regular basis at my club. And for the most part,forget the critics of the Grob!It is not nearly as sound as say,the Sok.at 1.b4(my strong and provable opinion) with stats and more,but its a fine tactical weapon to the unwary as Ken has proved here!
baddeeds 17-Apr-14, 17:01	I have one, and believe it or not, it's in the form of an annotation. At the time, however, I did not realize that theory was more important then an annotation, and I annotated way before this club, probably about a year ago. But, believe it or not, I pulled a win and the game was inspirational. Why? I got an idea from you. You showed me some spectacular wins with a Q sac. And, I realized that no matter how far behind, you don't resign, until mate is inevitable. Well, here the opening was quite horrible, and I did not even know about the 7 point checklist. Plus, I forgot how important central control, openings, and castling was. PS, I wound up blundering two pieces away. But, instead of resigning, which is what I used to do, I decided to play on. And, there was a line, that I did not miss. I sacked another piece, but this time, not a blunder. It was actually trap, and he took the bait. I knew he wanted another piece, given that he was ahead, and when you're ahead you try to take advantage of your opponents. But, I kept in mind that if he took, it will allow me to get rank mate, which is what happened. And, taking advantage is what you emphasized in the snap shot thread. So, the annotation to that game, which is also instructive as it shows why we don't resign is shown in the thread below. gameknot.com
baddeeds 17-Apr-14, 19:19	Deleted by baddeeds on 17-Apr-14, 21:26.
baddeeds 17-Apr-14, 19:22	Although I never really annotated the game, I have to keep the format because it's not feasible for me to just copy and paste the game, since it's been a very long time. Now, my opponent was fvtmini99. This long and hard fought game is shown below. gameknot.com
baddeeds 17-Apr-14, 19:36	Deleted by baddeeds on 17-Apr-14, 21:27.
baddeeds 17-Apr-14, 21:25	originally posted it in the WTWLR ("Walking the Walk and Learning How to Run") as this is a major part of the what the club was about, or as stalhandske put it, "in the spirit of the club". Well, you'd have to go way back in time when I was still a beginner, and by that, I don't mean in specific, but rather, much more serious. It's going by beginner, according to GK, so when my rating was below 1000. But, interestingly enough, I actually defeated an opponent, whose rating was about 500 points above mine, while I was a still a beginner. At the time, my rating was about 979, and his was about 1480. So, that's over 500 in rating, however. This was a very tough and long game. To make things even more complicated he played more then 100 points north of his rating, so like a 1600-1700 rated player. Here's the thing, my opening was quite weak, and I actually attempted the four move trick which is way too obvious. That's because against much stronger opponents, for whatever reason, I didn't follow basics. And, it was in an attempt to throw him off guard in the long run so that later on he'd feel pressured and start making mistakes by playing something that he's not used and getting him out of his comfort zone. Usually this is a bad idea that will cause harm as the plan usually backfires since the opponent knows what you're up to. Well, this time, it worked, and I managed to defeat him.
baddeeds 17-Apr-14, 21:27	The reason why I brought that game against ftvmini99, is that it gave me the confidence and is one thing that inspired me to coach players.
darknite13 18-Apr-14, 04:26	My apologies... First off, the mistakes wrecking_ball point out are correct. Guess I was more tired than I thought when writing this: 1 - Quote: But i'm confused!In the game description,you said you were the black(myself 1986 USCF) and white was NN.You meant that you were the white...correct? Yes I was white, lol sorry for the confusion. 2 - The board notations I believe are 1 move sooner than the post indicates. This should clarify some of those errors. 3 - I will comment further, when they turn my internet on (using a friend's internet currently as mine has been down for a few days -- stupid AT&T).
wrecking_ball 18-Apr-14, 05:44	Hi Ken.I really never went through the game moves until after the post was transferred,then I seen it later.I could have did a correction of everything,but that's not my etiquette way of messing with someone else's post and changing anything,even errors.But that is all minor.I enjoyed your post on the Grob and hope you did not mind me transferring it to this new general post.Start a whole new post/thread on a Grob or any other opening for that matter if you like! take care for now and have a great Easter!
darknite13 21-Apr-14, 16:01	Comments about my posted game This player (my opponent) is our 3rd strongest board at the club and we frequently play to see how he is doing. Blitz matches are a favorite amongst 1500+ players because they feel it is the best way to test if you can correctly execute tactics. I feel blitz can be beneficial as well, but there is still a such thing as too much of a good thing here! I played this particular player this opening because he came to me and said he felt like he was slumping (his top rating was 1790ish) but couldn't figure out way. His lack of knowledge of this particular line led to his downfall and I think he limits his opening knowledge to those I teach with in the club. This may be effective in some scenarios, but I don't cover everything! Just not enough time. I may never cover everything there is in chess due to 1 - not being a master! I am a good, solid player, but even I have holes in my game; 2 - not enough time to cover every topic. No matter how well I feel I prepare, I still add/remove stuff sometimes as I am going over a lesson; 3 - as this is a volunteer role I have, I have to earn a living somehow. Can't devote all my time to chess because I don't make money off of it! I am a devoted player, but I have this thing called a life as well. But I digress, the game showed me how he crumbled due to unfamiliarity with this opening. But I felt as he spent more and more of his clock thinking, he became much more reactive in his moves, rather than developing a plan. While I don't necessarily mind having 1 or 2 "tournament openings," you also need a surprise element to your game--something you can throw against your opponents from time to time. Otherwise you become a one-dimensional player. So back to the opening book he goes...
joveyboy1 21-Apr-14, 16:24	Here's my best game ever! This game between me and my black opponent was pretty impressive. Currently my best game, both of us fought hard! White (me) won, but what's really impressive on my part is how this was my very first game against this opponent who is rated much higher than me, and I still won! (1077 vs. 1498) Here is the annotation: gameknot.com Here is the game with the computer analysis: game It was a wonderful and blunderful game! lol Here are two puzzles based on how the game may of ended: puzzle #121163 puzzle #121164 I continue to look at this game in shock that I beat someone so strong! I haven't won against him since, but our most recent game did end in a draw. I hope you enjoy it!
wrecking_ball 21-Apr-14, 17:28	Hi joe, Interesting with that game and analysis.I see you have done what is called...."moving out of book"already on move #4.a3.By any chance,do you use the GK opening book ever or other opening books?Just curious.But great game!
baddeeds 21-Apr-14, 18:15	Yep, what wrecking_ball is said is correct, and I added comments to that annotation. Something caught my eye, as early as, move 3, with 3.Bb5 being most common. As you saw in the club, yes one can go out of book and still do well. It's actually called, "Trying fancy stuff." Now, sometimes it works, and this time it did. But, in general, against stronger opponents, like the one you played against, I don't recommend it. Instead, I suggest playing moves that are studied by masters and GM's as noted there and follow the general guidelines by doing what darknite13 suggested, which is a very well known chess fact that many GM's including Judit Polgar, Susan Polgar, Kasporov, and Magnus Carlson emphasize. That is, develop your pieces, get your K to safety by castling, and control the center. Plus, the other idea and which is a very important thing to remember. Connected pawns are very powerful because I noticed that, on your 21st move, I believe it was, you advanced a pawn which was connected to the other two. You can find a very good example in this club from a video under the thread about thinking like a master. Remembering this will help you become a stronger player.
wrecking_ball 21-Apr-14, 18:35	Joe mentioned a key factor.Kudos to your win with that stronger player,but as Joe said,moving out of book,especially early in the game and against players 300 or more rating points above you is not generally recommended.But even doing that is a learning tool(moving out of book early).Because if you use the same technique over and over again against those same rated players and you do lose,you can learn just from your losses too and learn how to "correct"those moves to improve your play.That is why I had asked if you use the GK database or others.Not that you "must"use a database at your stage of learning,but I was curious about it.
joveyboy1 21-Apr-14, 23:40	Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for commenting about it jkarp. When this game was started, it was shortly before I got into learning more about chess by joining clubs about it and getting advice from others like you jkarp. I never really had a fixed strategy or opening, although I was quite fond of the King's Pawn Game and Ruy Lopez. I was hardly focused on the book then. I do know to castle though and protect my king, always have. That is what makes this game more incredible for me though, because I was simply not that good then. I also think my opponent may have underestimated me, being my rating was so much lower than his, so he may of went easy on me. I think that because I haven't beat him in the 7 games that followed that first one. He also plays I think 150-200 simultaneous games, so he could of been playing simply too many at the time. Either way, I had no strong strategy but to find a way to win, and I did that. I'll do my best to remember all these important moves, like connecting pawns, jkarp, I know it will help improve my game all the more   wrecking_ball, I did not use any opening books then, as I pointed out above. Today though, it's much different. I'm fond of the chess openings "King's Pawn Game" and "Ruy Lopez" as I pointed out. I do often look at the GK games database to try to improve my openings, but advice from jkarp about looking closely at moves and planning your strategy has helped me out plenty too. You made a very good point though in your most recent comment! Using and practicing a unique opening that takes you out of the book early can make you much better as you learn it and try to improve it. Ironically, that's exactly what i'm doing right now! I've been experimenting with the opening "Van Kruijs Opening" and the "Amsterdam Attack." It's a very unique opening that prevents the opponent's knights from progressing far into your territory. I'll explain how it may go in some cases later, but I do not follow the book much with this opening. The book can end with this strategy as early as move 1, depending on how the opponent responds. It also doesn't last beyond move 5 in the Gameknot games database, in fact, likely not even that much! It's a good strategy to open up with though. It can also be the Clemenz (Mead's, Basman's or de Klerk's) Opening, Anderssen's Opening, or the English Opening, but either way you start, it will end up looking the same within usually 4 moves. I'm growing fond of this opening and might use it more often. Here's a game with an example of the opening (against the friend who showed it to me and uses it a lot himself): game I'd say the general opening goes until about move 10, move 11, but again, it will vary depending how the game goes. To wrap up this long post, I use the database quite a bit and have become fond of the "Van Kruijs Opening" and the "Amsterdam Attack," well at least along those lines. I've become much better since that wonderful game, but yet, my rating has not risen. I figured out why. I play so good and I look carefully at my moves, but I just simply still cannot plan ahead far. I can see maybe 3 moves ahead sometimes, but only usually 2. If I can get better at this, then I can probably really raise my rating up! I'll keep trying though, but this game I showed shows the skills I can sometimes bring out. I hope I covered all the points you brought out jkarp and wrecking_ball. FYI this is my longest post ever! lol. Joe
hogfysshe 22-Apr-14, 05:23	very good discussion of number of games in progress... ...as relates to improvement: some of TA/WB's comments on quality vs quantity. gameknot.com [scroll to September 3, post beginning "a few more common chess mistakes..."] discussion of number of games continues from that point. gameknot.com Joe3, I think this subject relates to being able to see deeper into your games. I noticed you have many games in progress and a fast move time. fairly amazing how many games you've completed in the past 3 months! gameknot.com. anyway, some food for thought.
joveyboy1 22-Apr-14, 10:48	I looked, wow I didn't realize I completed that many in 3 months! lol. Until about a month ago, I did have up to nearly 80 simultaneous games. I've already lowered that to below 30, which is good because that was way too much for me! I'd say I had around 40 going a the time of that game I showed. It is good to play less games, but although I do take time to analyze the board, I'm simply a fast player. These are good tips though to go by, thanks hogfysshe.
wrecking_ball 26-Apr-14, 13:38	Just a club game here at the Marshall earlier today. Q sac game against a 1700 rated.Just a lesson in overconfidence.He felt that bringing out his Queen early in the game was now ok due to my Q sacrifice on move #3.Many times not even then,is it simply ok to bring out that powerful piece and subject it too constant attack.And the price he paid?A nice Q trap that he got himself into!Sure,he had no choice but to take my Knight,but that was little compensation for the loss his Queen.His game fell apart after his lady disappeared. 1. e4 e6 2. Qh5 d5 3. Qxf7+ Kxf7 4. e5 Qg5 5. Nf3 Qf5 6. Bd3 Qg4 7. Be2 Qb4 8. O-O Be7 9. d4 Nh6 10. Na3 c6 11. c4 Nf5 12. Nc2 Qa4 13. b3 Qa5 14. Bg5 Re8 15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. b4 Qa4 17. Rfc1 dxc4 18. Bxc4 Nd7 19. Ng5+ Kg6 20. Nxe6 Nb6 21. Nc5 Qxc2 22. Rxc2 Nxd4 23. Bd3+ Kf7 24. Rd2 Nb5 25. f4 Nd5 26. Bxb5 Nxf4 27. Bc4+ Ke8 28. Rf1 Ne6 29. Bxe6 Bxe6 30. Rdf2 Rf7 31. Nxe6 Rxf2 32. Rxf2 Ke7 33. Nxg7 Rg8 34. Nh5 Ke6 35. Re2 Rg4 36. g3 Rxb4 37. Ng7+ Ke7 38. e6 Rb5 39. g4 Rg5 40. Nf5+ Ke8 41. h3 h5 42. e7 1-0 Position on move #21(Q trap) but right before black takes my Knight with 21....Qxc2: So making believe that your Q does not even exist until many moves later in the game,is one of the keys in many of your games,even ones where your opponent does not sacrifice any pieces at all,like a crazy dude like me will!I had 10 chess players watch,as I beat this moderately strong player in 42 moves,whereas he resigned,being 3 points down in the endgame and spotting that e7 pawn of mine that was surely to Queen a few moves down the line!His 1800 rated friend said to me....WOW!I said to him... "you want to try my Q sac game?"No way",he replied.
wrecking_ball 27-Apr-14, 04:58	Deleted by wrecking_ball on 27-Apr-14, 05:00.
wrecking_ball 27-Apr-14, 05:00	joveyboy1, Joveyboy1(Joe), As Todd alluded to in some of the links above from me,the amount of games being played simultaneously can have an impact on the level of improvement or non improvement in the quality of your games,depth of analysis,study of the position(s) and much,much more. See,opinions will always "vary"as to: 1.How many chess games one can and should play 2.How many games you will play,regardless of what anyone tells you,because your simply going to do as you please 3.How serious you actually take your chess games and TRUE desire to improve...(some players simply play chess for pure fun and actually do not care if they improve and will take no serious effort to even try to improve) 4.Knowing how to improve.5.Setting IMPROVEMENT GOALS 6.Actually listening and having a bit more FAITH in what some of the much stronger players tell you what to do,even if you do NOT want to do it!Did you want to do that Geography lesson and test in school?Probably not,but later in life(AS IN CHESS),you may very well appreciate the stronger effort you took and mentally thank that teacher from the past,as you recently answer some geographic events you learned 10 years ago in HS and present the facts at a CEO meeting gaining you respect and a raise! So Joe,it becomes a matter of how serious you want to take your chess game and what goals you set (if any)....to improve your game play. Now,above Joe you mentioned several things related to game quantity.You said that you were playing originally 80 games or so,then lowered it to below 30(check above).But,in reality,you are presently playing 35 games,not below 30 games.So,you have added more games it appears. Again,its up to you,personally if you want to play 35 games or 200 games,that's your right and decision to do so.BUT,if your going to ask ME how you should improve or what my opinion is(and your going to receive it!)....playing only 20 games is way too much for you!!!!!! Maybe,5 or 6 games tops,or LESS!Ahhhhhhhhh...no way your thinking!Boring,can't do that,dumb,ridiculous! Actually it would be the most intelligent thing you COULD DO! See Joe,your playing kind of in a "blitz fashion".You admit to playing fast.That is ok,IF you have the depth and understanding to do so and make rapid,deep and SMART move decisions in your 35 games that you are presently playing,but that,is not happening(I checked your game and game history). So what Todd and I are alluding to is for you to FORCE YOURSELF WITH YOUR OWN WILLPOWER to slow thew heck down and change your style of play.otherwise you are simply "fooling yourself" that you wish to improve and will improve.Sure,you may improve a bit,but not significantly or to that level that you COULD be at! Ask yourself to slow down and smell the roses.Take for example this general guideline that I posted elsewhere in this club.Are you doing the vast majority of these things perpetually?: 1000-1199: Learn basic opening ideas. It's recommended to play 1.e4 as white and sharp variations as black. Learn basic checkmates (King + Queen vs. King, Queen + Queen vs. King, Rook + Rook vs. King, King + Rook vs. King). Practice them until you are completely confident and can checkmate anyone (even a GM) in these positions. Are you doing a bit of tactical study puzzles?Touching just a tiny bit on some of the theory I post?(Just a tiny bit will not hurt you). So my strong opinion is that playing 20 or more games is going way overboard,if and I say IF you want to take the more serious time to study the position in each game you are playing.Perhaps a number of UNRATED games with 7 day time controls will help by taking the pressure off of you and you can begin to define your weakness's or your opponents strengths. Patience,time,effort and seriousness all add up to a stronger chess player.Are you one of those who simply is playing chess for pleasure and fun and will let the cards fall as they may? Or do you truly and seriously want to learn to improve and will do so? Well,playing as fast as you are doing right now and playing kind of blitz style as I think you are(just my opinion)and doing anywhere from 35 games to,say,50-60 games at one time is not the way to go to improve!Deeper analysis must me done on your level for a quality analysis,not a multi-analysis on a larger quantitative level. Believe it or not,4 or 5 games and no more played at one time is best for you.Not necessarily others,but you.But for me to try and prove that to you?Probably will not happen!You may be thinking....no way,at my speed?Too boring,and that's not fun enough to get my chess fix in! But trust me,this wise old ogre knows what he is telling you!Whether you approve/not approve or take the appropriate action or not is something only YOU can decide to do one day!
wrecking_ball 27-Apr-14, 06:51	Deleted by wrecking_ball on 27-Apr-14, 07:06.
wrecking_ball 27-Apr-14, 07:06	A bit of math.... Joe, Let me add to my overly long post above(I sometimes write too much!).I'm going to run a bit of a math formula for you to sort of prove a point here. Your profile states that your average move time is 3 hours.But what does this actually infer? Does it mean that you are taking 3 hours to think about your move in an individual game as an average?Absolutely not!What that boils down to is that you are averaging about 3 hours total time to respond to ALL of your games as in bulk totality.Sure,some games you may be thinking longer,but others games not nearly as much even in NON OBVIOUS exchange positions and more. So,for example,lets take 35 games.If your average move time is 3 hours and you complete your response to those 35 games in approx 3 hours(regardless of the 3 day,5 day or 7 day time allotment you have)....then its: 3 hours divided by 35 games=.0857142 hours per move. Then you must multiply by 60(for 60 minutes in an hour) to simplfy: 60 x .0857142= 5.14 minutes average move think time per position per game. So,based upon what you have already told us in this thread and what your profile states,then you are probably taking 5 minutes or even LESS think time to make an average move in each of your games.Does that sound about right?Me thinks so! Joe,you need to take more than 3 to 5 minutes(blitz style in 35 games) and even more than 10 minutes(lets double the 5 minute math and give you the benefit of the doubt)per move in your 35 games.Exceptions to this rule would be in very obvious exchange moves.But even THEN,I would question that fast moving.Why?Because,you must analyze beyond that exchange move and look deeper into the position for your next 2 to 5 moves,take some notes perhaps and more. So,if you were taking 3 hours average move time in say only 5 games being played...do the math!Your quality analysis time per game would rise substantially! Again,play all you want,join in all the team,league or ladder games you want.Play 35 to 200 games at one time,that is your rightful choice!Or play less like I mentioned above,which is better. But improving your strength takes willpower and game style changes.Personally for me,I would not even join in anything that required a minimum amount of games to be played to maintain a "section"of games or anything else of that nature.I would first strive to improve my personal level of play and burn the midnight oil on the weekends with 4 books open,an MCO reference guide, an OTB chess board or two,an OTB chess computer and a PC or laptop computer screen with a chess program set down on minimum strength levels and begin to study,study STUDY! Teams,leagues,ladders and more can come later!But that's my opinion,what do I know,right? So there you have it.Play chess as you see fit,but the pathway you take with that "fork in the road" can make the difference with you staying at a 1067 level year after year,maybe getting to 1200 or a lucky like 1300 level.Or(by contrast)... maybe reaching those lofty levels of 1500-2000(or more)by taking your game style and study very VERY seriously,almost as serious as breathing! Now,for someone as young as you Joe,yes,I know...this may seem a bit too much to all take in.But when I was your age I did indeed do everything that I mentioned above EXCEPT the PC or laptop thing.I did not have that at your age.But you do and its not too young at 15 or 16 to specialize your studies and condense your style of play.Hey,many of the Russian families start their kids at age 5 to 8 years old in chess study,and deeper study at that!I want you to reach at the very least,a rating of 1600 in the next 3 or 4 years.You can do it! WB
wrecking_ball 27-Apr-14, 09:25	Getting back to posted game chat.... Just wanted to make a few quick notes on my so called "weak"Sodium Attack"game opening.(Actually better called...the "Sodium-Hydrogen Attack"game! Question?Does anyone ever read or believe what I say about this opening?Apparently not many players based upon the moves I see over and over again in the blitz room as well as longer corresp games.I'm not going to go through this game with a fine tooth annotative comb.No need to!This Sodium games goes on and on to prove my point!Why the hell are you taking one or both of my Knights like this player is doing on move #3 ??????????? Do you find it necessary?Do you think that the weak Knight on the edge needs to be erased off the board?Do you think that you will have even a micro edge of advantage by letting me take your Bishops in the opening in a very apparent open game yet?Do you think that by doubling blacks pawns on the edge files in the beginning of the game(h7,h6) will give me a weaker game?If you answered "Yes"to any of those 4 questions above,you need to reexamine your learned theory and general chess knowledge that you falsely THINK you possess!For you posses very little in knowledge!!!! Hey,I tell you the way it is!I will not beat around the bush or be more "humble"like brigadecommander thinks I should be relative to cyrano's method of mentor approach...I'll tell you upfront,not creme puff it over with cotton candy and sweet words and a handshake!Shaking you violently a bit from time to time with harsher words,works better in many more circumstances!otherwise,you will slide creampuffy comments under the carpet for another day!With 1000-1300 rated opponents I will do a bit of the take it easy cream-puff dance,but players above 1500 should know by now a bit more of this theory stuff,so an occasional paddle with nails in it,is the way to go!Ha ha! Simple basic theory tells you to not exchange your Bishops for your opponents Knights(especially edge file Knights)in an opening.Those knights of mine are already WEAK,so its better to wait and take STRONGER positioned pieces,later in the game.I'm already at a reduced positional value with those silly Knight moves of mine,so let them alone and let me "wallow"in my structural board Knight weakness,while you concentrate on better central development,castling and more....all of which this opponent of mine failed to do!Check for yourself!Notice anything else?My doubled pawns were not captured or illustrated any kind of threat to myself that my game was going to disintegrate due to any "weakness"! And my opponents rating?Almost 1600!So by now,he should have MORE of that basic theory under his belt!No ifs,and's or buts about it!Get the nail paddle!So continue to not heed what I say,not take a lesson in blitz(and I beat this player before using the Sodium)and he repeated his error or never read a club or general GK forum report or study much theory...and I will simply continue to let you catch my wrecking ball with your jaw in any followup games!!!!! I'm only going to post the endgame mate position here.Take serious note to the same thing I say over and over again.Notice anything about that g file?The file became a strong open file and launching point for blacks forces ONLY DUE to the error in whites lack of theory.His mistake was to take that Knight of mine(a theoretical poisoned Knight)which began his demise already.Some players end up taking BOTH my Knights on h6 and a6(or a3 and h3 if i'm doing the Sodium from the white side)...which is even WORSE!Notice how I "pile on"the pressure with my g file Rook,Bishop and then mating Queen...all launched from that wide open file(well,semi open to be exact)!!!See the results in only 28 moves?Technically no need to annotate this game,but your free to do that if you want! Just a mini lesson in NOT what to do,like my opponent in this blitz game.You know,I can tell a lot by how some opponents move in a 5 minute game!Does the "style"of how they move in a 5 minute game many times equate to how they move in a 3 day per move time limit game?As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow....YES! Ready to catch my wrecking ball or dive and dip away from it by NOT taking those Knights of mine?You decide,while I wait with my hand on the quick "release"lever on my huge crane just waiting and smiling at you with a sinister laughter...waiting for YOU to make that same error,over and over again! [Event "GameKnot Blitz"] [Site Gameknot [Date "2014.04.27"] [Round "-"]5 min,zero increment [White "algirdasnov"]1597 rating. [Black "wrecking_ball"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 Nh6 2. d3 Na6 3. Bxh6 gxh6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Nge2 d5 6. exd5 Nb4 7. a3 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Rb1 Bg4 10. h3 Bd7 11. Qd2 O-O-O 12. Nc3 Qc6 13. f3 Qb6 14. b4 Bd4 15. Ne4 f5 16. Ng3 Be3 17. Qe2 Rhg8 18. Nh5 f4 19. c4 Rg5 20. Nxf4 Bxf4 21. c5 Qg6 22. d4 Bg3+ 23. Kd1 Qxb1+ 24. Kd2,Qb2+ 25. Ke3,Re5+ 26. dxe5,Qxe5+ 27. Kd2,Ba4+ 28. Kc1,Qa1#. Now it was already a mate in 5 by move #23,but I did not expect my 1600 rated opponent to see that.This is totally understandable.But the first few moves in this game are very understandable.I have 1300 rated players at my club in NYC that understand the concept of not exchanging Bishops too early,that this 1600 player seems NOT to understand.So rating does not always dictate the comprehension of theory. Footnotes: Also take a close look at: 1.How MY Bishops are much stronger and active than whites Bishop. 2.How Whites f1 Bishop is still "hemmed in".He should have "unhemmed" that Bishop of his a long time ago! 3.The additional wide open d file that I exploit with my ROOK!!!!And how this commands whites demise!Placing your Rook(s) on an open file are one of the most powerful positional tactics that is well known by strong chess players.This game is no exception to that rule! All these problems for white sprouting from(mainly from)white taking that innocent looking Knight of mine early in the game.If he had taken both Knights,I believe the game would have been over in about 20 moves or so...and I speak from 50 years of OTB,postal and Corresp experience! WB
wrecking_ball 27-Apr-14, 10:05	Oh..... One final additional note to my Sodium game above.That early Knight capture by white can occur in many,MANY games that are not a Sodium type of irregular opening!So read between the lines! I figured i'd add this comment,so that the players that say..."well,I will never encounter a silly Sodium game,so this does not apply to my games".With this way of thinking,well,you are sadly mistaken!Because too early a Knight capture as well as Knight captures on edgefiles that may appear in regular games(not just a game like my Sodium) will appear from time to time.So this example of my irregular game carries its own weight with a gold lesson in mind...even in your games that are NOT irregular in nature! Ahhhh...where are all the creampuffs?My dog ate them!
baddeeds 27-Apr-14, 14:39	I have a very interesting game to tell you about. As it turns out, this is the first game on this site, and second one, ever where I remembered wrecking_ball's advice to apply the theory's and concepts, as talked in a couple of threads to achieve a victory against my opponent. One of the things which Jack Stockel has emphasized was about passed pawns. It all started, though, by my 21st move as normally I would made a blunder right about here and turn an advantage into a disadvantage. The game is shown below. gameknot.com
joveyboy1 28-Apr-14, 23:22	WB wrecking_ball, I can have trouble reading tons of info at once, but I understand now. In regards, to your first post to me: I am serious about chess, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I got into Gameknot because of a friend who wanted me to play chess with him and his son. I started playing and it didn't take me long to really get into it! When a got the platinum membership, I wanted to see what it was like to have 80 or even 100 games, but when I got to the high 70s, a realized it was a little too much, okay, way too much! I cut my ladder and league games, which at the time was about 40 games in total! I also cut a couple mini-tournaments, and the result was game amounts in the 30s. It was just in time to, because around that time I became captain of Golden (previously Triton), which can be a lot of work! I do have goals to become stronger at chess. I do try that by looking closely at my moves, looking closely at my opponent's options, and looking for checkmate. I have trouble being able to look far ahead in moves, and that is a good goal for me to aim for. I did take note of what you said here though: "Maybe,5 or 6 games tops,or LESS!Ahhhhhhhhh...no way your thinking!Boring,can't do that,dumb,ridiculous! Actually it would be the most intelligent thing you COULD DO!" You gave me a chuckle, but you are right! I don't want to though because, well, "Ahhhhhhhhh...Boring!" I have so much free time that I just don't see that being enough games for me. Only 5 or 6 is a great way to improve your game play, but I don't think I'm ready to downsize yet. (Emphasis on yet). I do play in a blitz manner though, I admit. I do try to go slow, but I'm really only able to spend 2, maybe 3 minutes on my move, then I get tired and just make it. I know you must think, "That's all??? That's not nearly enough!" I have a reason though. As I said, I am the captain of Golden. The problem is, I am the LONE captain of Golden! The previous co-captains went to follow the previous captain to a new team. It's a long story, so long story short, I ended up being the lone leader of the team. On top of that, the team has 139 members!!! It's not easy to lead a team this big all by yourself! On top of that, there have been issues on the team that I'm slowly resolving. All of this takes up so much of my time, and although I'm only 16, I'm starting to burn out some. My games though don't make things any easier. After working hard on the team, then I have my games to worry about. As a result, I rush, can't be simpler than that. Until I resolve the issues on the massive team (which may not be for at least another month) and until I find 3 co-captains that can really help me, I'm in a pickle. It must make plenty sense to you now I'm sure why I always move fast in team games. I tell you what though, the spike in my games was due to participating in more team games. I felt I should contribute more to team games, but after this conversation, I'm gonna cut my team games all the way down to 2 and cut a couple of my mini-tournaments as well. My # of games should go down to maybe 20 when I get them down, which I think is a good amount for me. Once the team issues are also resolved, I think I'll get pretty good at chess! Before the team issues, I finally reached a rating above 1100 (1127)! That was a goal I was glad to meet. I hope one day I'll reach 1200, so this is another goal I'll strive for. I'd say I want to have fun with chess, but I also want to improve, so you can say I'm a fun guy and a serious chess player, or I guess in between the two. I do trust you (and I don't think you're an old ogre) and your advice is phenomenal!!! Don't take it wrong jkarp, yours is phenomenal to! One thing to know though, in regards to my (emphasis on yet), I currently have tons of free time, but I know that soon I will not. I play a lot of my laptop, but it is from my school, so when I get out of school, I will no longer have it, and I will not be on the regular computer as much. On top of that, of course I'll be getting a job soon. I won't have so much free time two years from now, or maybe even only a year from now, so that is when I think your wonderful advice will be more for me WB! I'll have to see what life brings, but until then, well, I'll start taking some of your advice at least, but I'll remember it all, thanks!   In regards to your second post about me wrecking_ball, I've had my average time per move down to 2 minutes before! So yeah, you're about right. I never really did think about how my pace was just way to fast. Now I am, that;s way too fast! I think I covered everything else up above about why it's so fast and ect., but yeah, I'm a young guy and this is a lot to take in, but it is all so true! I've already taken strides to get better, and I've had results. The team has slowed me down (which was also the reason why I took so long to respond to your posts) and life has also distracted me, but, I will get my full attention back to chess soon! Thank you for your confidence in me! 1600 seems impossible to me now, but I have defeated strong players, including a player rated at 1498 (which was the game I showed that started this conversation). I'll get things resolved and get stronger at chess!   Thanks for your wonderful info! I could say more, but it's almost midnight here and I'm tired so I've wrote long enough. This has to be my longest post ever! lol Thanks WB, and by the way, word of advice, don't leave your cream puffs unattended. Unwanted poachers may (and did) steal them. lol   Thanks, and best regards, Joe
hogfysshe 29-Apr-14, 04:49	regarding "boring" replace some of your "playing" time with "learning & study" time. In other words, you have "overall" chess time which is made up of, in your case, "captaining" time, "playing" time, and "learning & study" time. Let's say for the sake of discussion that currently captaining takes up 35% of your overall, playing takes 55%, and learning and study takes 10%. Now "learning and study" can be fun and not boring; you are reaching those goals after all. So, fun AND satisfying. Rewarding. You will be getting more out of yourself. You can see where I'm going, changing the percentages. Keep captaining at 35% but change playing to 45% and increase learning and study to 20%. If you set your mind to it, you will find all sorts of great learning opportunities to fill this time. As long as you believe that, and follow through, then there you go. You are still having fun but are improving more than if you keep learning and study at only 10%. You might even have MORE fun playing fewer games but with better results. It is not hard to put together an effective and fun learning and study routine. Reading chess books and blogs, solving tactics exercises, reviewing your own games, reviewing master games, asking strong players to comment on your games, etc are all things that can be part of a learning program. Find the tools and resources that fit the level you are at and you will improve, reach higher levels, and play what you may find to be more enjoyable and more satisfying games. Something to think about, changing those percentages within your "overall" chess time.
hogfysshe 29-Apr-14, 15:22	oh, and... taking enough time each move to be sure you make a safe strong move is extremely important. Books and blogs won't necessarily tell you this because it is somewhat taken for granted. so, even within that large portion of time called "playing" time, you may still decide it's a good idea to play fewer games so that you can take the time to try to find the best move.
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