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Think like a Master.Some general overviews in positional strategy...
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 Think like a Master.Some general overviews in positional strategy...First lets examine some advanced positional facts regarding positional "controlled space".There is a simple fact regarding most of the game positions on the board,especially by midgame.The fact is that the player who controls more space on the board,has an advantage.So basically,this means that your pieces are on a specific square or "attacking" a specific square.There are exceptions(like hypermodern games)but this will be covered in the future.The key is to use a simple math trick and count the attacked squares on both sides of the board.If your side has less pieces that are attacking your opponents side,then the strategy is to INCREASE the pressure on those squares that are not giving threat to the enemy,especially towards the center,or to push your pawns forward without necessarily overextending them!If you have more positional space than your opponent,then following through on positional development varies by a game being open/closed and how to develop and/or exchange based upon where your opponents weakness's exist. So lets get back to the "math". In this diagram which I copied from an older Larry Evans book of mine,illustrates the simple math concept behind immediately determining who has the "spacial advantage"....white or black.And as I mentioned,knowing who has this advantage can then determine a better "chess recipe" to properly develop your pieces.I could have set up any random position and used it as an example(counting spaces) in this math test,but this one is already done and saves me time! So the math formula to assess who has better spacial advantage is to simply count the number of squares attacked or occupied on each side of the board and see who has "more"for the spacial advantage.In the above diagram,black attacks four squares on whites side of the board....(d4,e4,f4,g4).White attacks seven squares on blacks side of the board...(b5,c6,e6,f5,g5,h6). The square b5 is counted twice due to the pawn on c4 and the Knight on c3. So the math follows that white has a huge spacial advantage of 8 to 4.Black is indeed more cramped.So what would be one immediate thought that comes to mind?Black is more cramped and the game is closed in the above diagram,right?So in addition to proper development,a positional goal would then be to try and maneuver your pieces(on the white side) and perhaps exchange or threaten with your Bishops... blacks Knights in a closed cramped game.For in the diagram above the Knights reign in supreme and taking them away from your opponent only increases the value of whites Knights.On the other hand,black may have the same idea,so in a case like the diagram above,I would not suggest exchanging whites Knights,even if it means retreating them temporarily with a temporary "loss of tempo".(Something I will discuss at a later time!) More to come later.This is just one of many positional strategy ideas I have coming up in time. "good players pay as much attention to all the empty squares on the chessboard as they do to all the occupied ones. In this way they are able to decide in advance which are the important squares to dominate." This is pretty much an idea that you must keep in mind as your game progresses.When you combine light and dark square control in this math formula by counting who has the advantage,this will give you a plan of approach.One approach may be to amplify your dark square control or increase your white square control which is lacking... depending upon the determining "math factor"of your advantage or disadvantage.See the link on dark/light square control in the club posts for more help on this subject.This all involves long term positional goals,not "tactical"ploys...although "tactics"can be intertwined as a subset of the positional strategic goals you have in mind. |
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Some overview in positional strategy: the pieces influence the center, the line pieces are on open lines, the pawn structure is good, and the King's role is appropriate to the phase of the game. A bad position is one where: the pieces ignore the center, the line pieces are on closed lines, the pawn structure is weak, or the King's role is inappropriate. In a game between masters,an advantage in any one of these factors can be enough to win the game. Keep in mind as well that:White has a weak square at f2 and Black has a weak square at f7. These squares are weak because they are protected only by the King, who is not a fierce fighter until the later stages of the game.Learning to exploit these 2 squares through opening up files or by placing constant pressure on these squares(with a Bishop for example)is one of the keys to winning successfully more often than not. Your King must be prepared to be very "mobile"in the endgame.Many,many players have no concept of lengthy King mobility and how to be able to sweep it across the board.When there are many pieces on the board, particularly the major pieces, the King is weak.When there are few pieces on the board,the King is strong.Just keeping the King behind your castled position in an endgame can many times prove fatal.But moving it out correctly can be a huge advantage.If your opponent has,for example,a black squared Bishop present in the endgame,it may be best to move your King about on primarily the white squares for better King safety while at the same time moving your King towards the weakened pawn structures as mentioned below.This may involve sometimes more than 20 moves alone,just with your King.So be prepared. As to pawn structures,this can take pages to explain relative to positional play and will come at a later time,but some different pawn structures are below. Pawn structure – describes features of the positions of the pawns. Pawn structure may be used for tactical or strategic effect, or both. Backward pawn – pawn that is not supported by other pawns and cannot advance. Connected pawns – pawns of the same color on adjacent files so that they can protect each other. Doubled pawns – pawns of the same color on the same file. Half-open file – file that has pawns of one color only. Isolated pawn – pawn with no pawns of the same color on adjacent files. Maróczy Bind – formation with white pawns on c4 and e4, after the exchange of White's d-pawn for Black's c-pawn. Open file – file with void of pawns. Passed pawn – pawn that can advance to its eighth rank without being blocked by an opposing pawn and without the possibility of being captured by a pawn on an adjacent file. Hanging pawns- A pair of pawns on adjacent files that are separated from all other pawns. Its extremely important to note that the current view is that hanging pawns are weak if their side is behind in development but strong if their side is ahead in development.Many simply believe that hanging pawns are simply weak,and this is false. Pinwheeling pawns-Where you can pinwheel or pivot a major piece off of a pawn to launch a sudden attack or force an exchange to improve your play like a Knight over a Bishop in an open game.Or it can be used as a "pinwheel" to move forward and backwards perpetually causing a series of attacks or even a drawn position in some cases where you are normally losing. www.youtube.com www.youtube.com Structures with mutually attacking pawns are said to have "tension".They are ordinarily unstable and tend to transpose into a stable formation with a pawn push or exchange. Play often revolves around making the transposition happen under favorable circumstances. Pawn structures often transpose into one another, such as the Isolani into the Hanging Pawns and vice versa. Such transpositions must be considered carefully and often mark shifts in game strategy. |
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The plan with NO plan?Hmmmm... Must every move you make have a definite plan,attack or defense purpose in mind to be that best,better or more perfect game? Answer:NO! And this is a common misconception among many players,even 2200-2300+ players!Yes! How many times have you read in chess literature that you should or must have a definite plan in mind for EVERY move?There is definitely much TRUTH to this,HOWEVER,there are more hidden,subtle moves that take place on the chessboard,that many chess players in the 2500 and higher GM range(and other sometimes lower ratings) label as...."the waiting game".Sometimes,if one has mastered the knowledge in positional strategy that the current position is equalized(and this is a tough thing to understand with players in the lower rating ranges)....then sometimes one,or BOTH opponents try to "wait out"the other player attempting to seek or hope for drawing out some "weakness"in their opponents and/or pulling them closer into either a trap or your side of the board that will enable you to then SUDDENLY spring an offensive attack on the piece you have drawn them to enter your chess "zone".It may be just one move or several. Well,how can one "wait"if each players has to move every time its their turn to move? Do you know? Answer:King moves! And sometimes on the higher levels of chess play,like I get involved in,I know that there is sometimes no "next best move"and the game is relatively equalized in that present position.So what do I do?Make a "stall move"or waiting game move with either just one King move(or several King moves),instead of using my pawns or Knights or other pieces that MAY INDEED get into trouble if I advance them.But I also know that my opponent may move forward and get himself into hot water...so I wait like a shark in the "shadows"! Now it does not always have to be a King,but many times in the endgame,it does statistically BECOME the King for this high level "wait" and seek weakness ploy.A knight or even a Bishop,for example may move back and forth between one or several squares,seemingly appearing to "look"like it is a loss of tempo with repeated moves...but is it really?Not necessarily!!!!!!Not in many games,especially ones that are very equalized in that snapshot position! Sometimes there simply is NO next better or best move,so the dance of the King for one step(or several steps) or occasionally your other pieces must shuttle back and forth in seemingly a redundant way,almost looking like brain dead moves!This is an advanced and in some case's "hyperadvanced" positional strategy ploy! I have 2 games below that illustrate some of this ploy.They are not my best examples,I have better.But I have to find them when I have more time,maybe this upcoming Easter weekend.But I think you can get the idea from these games.If you go to the endgame of each game(the last 10 moves or less) you will find my King shuttling move(s).Many of those King moves were not necessarily "necessary" but used as an exploitation weapon to try and draw out a plan to "beckon"my opponent to make an aggressive move towards me in a relatively equalized position.Sometimes the position is not always "equalized"and I may have the initiative and STILL engage this "system" of a King move or moves.Or i could be down in positional "value"and be losing,but cannot or do not have any real attacking chances,so I must wait it out and hope for my opponent to make a weaker move that I can suddenly exploit and spring on with my wrecking ball! deeper_insight 28-Nov-15, 08:22 [ report abuse ] So you do not know what to move next? |
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So you do not know what to move next? First of all when you want to make a certain move, try to look for arguments why your move is bad. The difference in thinking between a beginner and a master is that beginners try to find reasons, why a specific move they want to make is good, whereas masters try to find reasons why the intended move is bad and they look for ways how the opponent could possibly refute the move. Think more about the moves and plans of your opponent and less about yourself, falsify your hypothesis then your game will improve in the long run. Change the way you think. ------------------- Additional positional strategies(basic): 1.In your opening avoid loss of tempo.This generally means that you should NOT move a specific major piece more than once in the first 7 moves.Develop other pieces instead.There are exceptions to this rule like in an Alekhine Defense,but I would not suggest playing hypermodern defenses at ratings below 1500. 2.Activate major pieces as soon as possible off of your first rank.Dead,frozen,locked in major pieces have little value.Many times my opponents Rooks(one or both)have not moved in over 20 moves(or more),including lack of castling.This is generally a big mistake,even with many masters. If then you have developed one or both of your Rooks,you have gained positional tempo on your opponent. 3.If you are not using the "hypermodern approach"to playing chess(which delays direct central control of the board through piece placement),then try to develop your central pawns and open up the diagonals for your Bishops.The French Defense will tend to lock in blacks light squared Bishop and my opinion is to avoid the French Defense as a learning beginner or perhaps have a rating below 1500. 4.Look for ways to avoid your Knights being pushed off of their advanced squares with opponent pawn attacks. 5.Develop your Bishop to control(example) the c4 square for white and the c5 square if playing black.Placing pressure on these key squares contributes to overall game initiative control.Keep Bishops controlling as many open diagonals as possible. 6.Rooks are stronger positionally when '"connected".Its best many times to NOT place other pieces between them and develop those "other"Rook connection blocking pieces on other squares leaving the Rooks free to control files and later on the ranks of your opponent.Doubling your Rooks on an open file in mid or endgame has powerful value in many circumstances. ------------------------------ UNFORCED SACRIFICES and misc info: 1.Zeroing in on where to sacrifice(but exchange) your higher point value piece for a lesser valued one is difficult many times for players south of 2100 in rating.So is,may I add,when to equally exchange your Knights and Bishops in open/closed games.Generally,other than my Q sacrifices which is another issue entirely,I will seek out two areas to sacrifice my piece(s): a.)"Where my opponent is blocking the mate with a piece, say a knight posted on "f6" to guard the capturing square on "h7" then your new goal can be to dislodge the knight. You might even look for sacrifices. The rook is worth more than the knight, generally, but you might threaten to sacrifice it for the knight so that you can remove th knight from guarding the square where you can checkmate." b.)Sacrificing edgefile pawns to open up the file For Rook control of that file,usually the a/b files or g/h files on the white side(example).This super file control is a positional strategy that is worth the loss of one pawn on many occasions,but not all situations.Depends upon the tempo and positional development of your opponent and if he has half file control or not on that specific file. 2.Timing of advanced pawn storms against your enemies King usually occurs statistically better after edgefile pawns have been sacrificed or exchanged on those edge files.This allows the open file to be accessed along with your Rook or Queen to back up those marching pawns.Pawns storming from the 5th rank and beyond(that are properly defended) usually spells doom for your opponent and presses him to retreat causing loss of tempo. 3.Seek out spacial advantage and control not just on one side but both sides of the board. 4.Attack the single base pawn in inverted "V"positions that cannot be defended properly.This is accomplished by attacking any pieces guarding that base pawn.Seek out to displace that major piece guarding that base pawn.Even a temporary displacement can create initiative on your side.If your opponent replaces that displaced piece of his with a Bishop instead of the displaced Knight of his,this may add to his positional degradation by forcing your opponent to block in his own Bishop,causing loss of positional point value in that Bishop.Please picture what I just said,this is important.No need to diagram right now. 5.Piling up pieces to attack just one pawn,causing your opponent to defend it may indeed cause a winning combination on your side IF you can obtain more pieces to attack than he can obtain to defend.Again,picture this.No diagrams are necessary right now. |
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Think like a master,even before positional strategy... 1.Opening or opening defense.What is my opponents first few moves as white or black. 2.Do I immediately recognize the opening or opening defense? 3.Do I immediately recognize the opening variation and name of that variation within that particular opening? 4.Do I have the capability of recognizing a possible "transposition"of that variation moving to another type of chess opening or variation within that initial opening? 5.Based upon my most up to date opening book like Houdini or Hiarcs,can I immediately recognize the statistical performance level of direction that my opponent is pursuing?Is my opponents choice of opening variation at the top of the stat win performance and popularity lines as observed in the book line list?Or is it in the medium range of performance or near the bottom of my book stat % list? 6.Did my opponent move out of book very early,possibly leading to a disadvantage,advantage or probable equality lines with no particular advantage? 7.Do I have the capability of moving his opening variational line into my transpositional line that has better stat wins for my color?Other than,for example,a single wing pawn move that moved the opening variation "out of book",can I redirect the opening very close to the line I was most comfortable with or within the better % win range as illustrated in the Houdini opening book? 8.Do I have in front of me other sources of that opening variation?Perhaps a book on the Pelikan Variation of the Sicilian which my opponent moved into?If not,I must research further and not proceed with any moves until I am absolutely SURE of the Pelikan(example).When I find the appropriate source,what has the author or GM of that source mentioned about the better success rate of one particular line over another WITHIN that variation of the Pelikan? 9.Critical past record checks!What was MY past experience,success rate,draws or losses with that particular variation of the opening that is unfolding?And equally important:What was or is the success win,draw or loss stats of my OPPONENT on that variation?Can I find them,both in my records and my opponents record?If not immediately,I must take the time to go through a good # of his past games and mine,if it ios still early in the game...like move 3 or 10.Many times opponents "string together"a bunch of mirrored openings+variation,due to a good win success rate within that variation.If my opponents win stat on that variation is very high,is there a way for me to vary or pull AWAY from that variation to put HIM into a discomfort zone or make him tread into uncharted waters?Does any of my book sources illustrate the best one or two moves to steer my opponent AWAY from those next 10 moves that gave him greater success with his OTHER opponents?Can I,for example,move into one of the ANTISICILIANS like an Alapin or Rossolimo which may indeed throw a monkey wrench into his win streak of the Sicilian/variations he has been using? 11.Critical:Can I find a few games(or even just one game)where my opponent lost to an opponent and I can find a way to steer him into that same variation that he lost?This is especially important if my opponents opponent was lesser rated than him and won against him! 12.If I do not want to steer(or cannot steer) my opponent out of "his"book,do I personally feel comfortable and confident enough to throw my own punches back at him to gain a win or at least equality?If he does gain the upper hand(especially if he is higher rated than me)... am I prepared to find ways to force a draw through techniques of simplification? 13.Am I prepared to cancel a game after move #2 if I see that my opponent has had the last ten games won by an opening or opening defense that I tend to be uncomfortable with and need further research on before I commit myself to a game that I am not as familiar with and thus have a higher probability of losing based upon MY PAST losses with that opening/opening defense?Or cancel the game due to a suspicion of being a cheat with "too perfect"a win stat record? My personal checklist BEFORE I accept a game with my opponent: 1.Profile record check,# of games played,win ratio too high vs draws or losses to indicate a possible cheat?Then no game played if I have even the slightest suspicions. 2.My best opening book.Activated and prepared to analyze with full stats.GK's book...no. 3.Best supplemental opening DVD's or paperback books from my collection,open and ready to seek any immediate knowledge with that opening or opening defense to chart the best way to proceed in the game based upon success GM or master games in the past. 4.Ready to immediately check win/loss/draw stats on myself and my opponent in order to decide to play or not to play for the moment. 5.Prepared to steer my opponent into HIS uncharted waters(but not MY uncharted waters) based upon my research of his past games.(A Trompowsky Attack would be one example).Since there are MANY variations of a Tromp,the opening many times moves out of book early.My past record of wins on GK is never complete(on purpose!).So my record of wins on a Tromp cannot be fully researched by my opponent.So,in theory,my checklist must contain some untraceable games and game variations that my opponent cannot do detective work on me!And my checklist will strive to play those types of variations!Eventually they may be uncovered with the game wins or draws adding up,but perhaps not at that very moment in time.On the senior master level,steering my opponent away from his comfort zone where,(for example),I move the game away from standard Indian Defense lines,this can give me an "edge"by boating him down an uncharted river....but a river "I"am familiar with! www.youtube.com  game ll of these things to think about?I'm usually prepared in less than 5 minutes with all of this!Are you?If I happen to playing someone 2400-2700,I will take maybe a full day to decide on my best course of action against this player BEFORE I accept a game with him!Caution to the wind!! This is the difference between those still learning,those who just want to play and let the cards fall as they may without doing any prepared study of the game or their opponents.... and those who take their game much more seriously with dedication,patience and caution to gain every possible advantage and edge like the masters,senior masters and GM's usually do before those first few pieces on the board are moved! If you ever have the desire or dream to move up the ladder in rating,say for example,from 1400 to 2200....many of the same thoughts above will have to enter your mind eventually.If you do not have any of those tools or desires,how do you expect to excel?Or do you have some of those tools,but they are old and rusty?Need the best opening book beyond GK's?Then invest!The payoff will always be better in the long run! TA |
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Books...take them or leave them?Hmmmmm... I have written a number of things so far about opening books(in another post).I have mentioned about Hiarcs,Rybka,Houdini and other books,including paperback and DVD books,MCO reference books,ect. How many players on GK are truly aware that some games are played out to great lengths and won,loss or drawn SOLELY on the content of a players opening book/lines....even without the "in book"player even making one of their own moves in "out of book"and without even giving the game any thought whatsoever? Yes,its true!And no,its not cheating!And yes it chess legal,morally and ethically correct. There are books like Houdini or Hiarcs that are updated all the time,Hiarcs is updated in content every 3 months.Others,maybe once a year. But then some of the top players(including myself),not only have the best up to date opening books in DVD,but program and add in their own additional opening book line variations either on the commercially available opening book(like Houdini)or in a completely custom self made opening book in DVD form.There is info on how to make opening books in one of my posts and you can obtain the same info on youtube. Again these are opening books,NOT a chess program to start "analyzing"the moves out of book.Many players get confused about this difference! But remember I mentioned above,about some games are won,drawn or lost solely based upon the opening book? Well,some books on the commercial side can run very deep,depending upon the opening.A Ruy Lopez is one of the best examples.So many players use the Ruy and it has such an ancient history over the centuries of use,that it has become one of the highest and deeply exhausted/analyzed games you can play.This means that a good book like Hiarcs,Houdini,Rybka or others may have as many as 50 moves already preprogrammed into that opening book,from move #1 onwards.In many cases,no matter what the opponent moves,there will be an instant response from the better opening book listing not only the opponents move but perhaps 10 more "in book" moves the book user has a choice in pursuing based upon stats,ELO games listed and more,like more obscure or not fully researched lines(usually appearing near move 40 or later).The higher the numbered chess move,the lesser and lesser subvariational moves will remain,of course. So,as you can now well imagine,any user who has a really great opening book and one who adds there own special lines into a more custom book can be literally playing a game to move 50 or 60(example) based upon their book,not their present sit down and carefully analyze the game moves as others who are not using any books are doing!This includes books that their opponent are using that are more inferior,incomplete or not "updated"often enough like GK's opening book...(had to say that)!So,chances are that if you only use GK's opening book against me,even if you are 2400-2500 rated.. your chances of winning against me are statistically much less,because "MY"perfect play with a perfect book continued long after GK's book ENDED!!!Kapish???? Many games therefore have been won solely based upon the users book,especially if their opponent attempts to move "out of book"too early by making their own move or a move based upon a weaker book and then the better book user opponent can then see the negative stat value of that opponent move.In other words,one player who has a better,more complete and up to date book may be able to be in their book to move #50,while their opponents book may only go to move #40!See now readers? So you heard the phrase..."his book runneth deep"? Well,same with an opening book...whether it be on disc,paperback or some chicken scratch on a wet towel!Games can and ARE statistically won more often with that user having a superior and deeper book.The deepest books are the customized books that include all of the info you get when you purchase the book,but also include the users opening line variations they researched from other sources or their own past games and then,they include and add this info in the book they purchased or obtained to round out the knowledge of their book. Yes,in summary,many games(at least on the higher levels of play)have been won on the better book.On the senior master level and above,there is more "perfect play",not only due to both opponents playing razor sharp in all of their moves,but both may have equal or very close to equal quality books........thus many more DRAWS will come about!I cannot tell you how many draws I have had asked for or asked of me by move 30-40 because we BOTH knew the books on both sides were "perfect" and it would simply be a waste of time to continue.Now,notice I mentioned this in relationship to senior masters or GM's.This may not be the same case scenario on a master level or below.Those same players(like a 2000 rated or below) may not actually understand that the game is drawn,because it may not necessarily be a forced draw and cannot see ahead,say another 20 moves.But in reality,the best books can make or break a player.I have just barely "edged out"a 2300-2400 many times,with just one game out of a thousand,where my move #52 was "in book"yet based upon a very slightly weak response from my 2400 friend and my book instantly showed me the past game line with my next best move based upon that position in a game I had 5 years ago! So my club friends...when I mention to you that I am trying to improve your game through theory and other things you may not have considered(like these better books and how to use them),you can now better understand the importance of the book! Are you thinking to yourself that you never use an opening book and if you do,only GK's book?Well,take a look at your rating!More than likely it need serious improvement!Unless your a child chess prodigy who does not need an opening book and your rating is above master level,then ok,your right!But most of us in this chess world need to improve with the best opening books!Even I need them.I have a partial photographic memory of long chess positions from games that I retain from over 40 years ago.This also helps me in my blitz games to crush opponents with my Q sacs and more.But with all my experience,I still rely on a good opening book on DVD or one of my thick paperbacks by my side.It gives me a warm comfy feeling of security and I would feel that I was missing something without a good deep book! Now do not misread me!I'm not saying that opening books/study are for all rated levels!That was not the intention of this post!But when you begin to climb the rating scale and want to "begin"thinking like a master...well then start taking my posts with more than a grain of sand!Maybe two grains of thought? TA |
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Profile analysis-tips for any level,but especially 2200+.... Sometimes I wait months before deciding to play some opponents.At my level,even a draw can cost me a bunch of points.I may,for example,spot which games tend to end up draws with a perspective opponent and stay clear of games that my opponent is a master at drawing with relative to a specific opening.Sure,draws occur all the time on the 2200+levels,even more than the lesser rated levels,but if you look closely in to the records,some opening variations have a much higher percentage of draw rates than other opening based upon sheer number of games played with some opponents.My wisdom tells me to stay clear of that type of style game!The exception might be if my opponent was 2500-2700...then ok,a draw will gain me points! Or I will only seek out which games my opponent lost from...especially games months or years earlier.I may decide to go that pathway. I just recently checked a 2300+ players profile.I am not going to play any games till summer of 2017.But I am keeping an "eye"on him! I noticed that he is now playing 177 games and has an average move time of about 20 minutes a move. What does this tell me? Among other things,it tells me that this player,even though he is at a nice 2300+rating,is playing in semi-blitz fashion.His deep thought process is hurried with that overloaded amount of games being played(177) and will have a higher statistical chance of errors on the deeper positional strategy level....when he finally meets ME in a few months!!!!I have seen that most of his wins are from 2100 players and below with very few wins against 2300 and above....those are usually draws.Another story about him that stands out like a sore thumb! See what I mean about profile and game research?Its important,even on levels below 2200! After a few months,I will hone in like a tick and find just the right opening or opening defense to take the best shot at winning against him.Going against this opponent blindly could be a big mistake. So take the time to research your opponents ahead of time! I suppose in some tournament,team and ladder games you may not always have the choice of who to play and when,but you can still do the profile research,if only briefly. I personally seer clear of teams and other tourney games on GK.Certainly nothing wrong with any of those things.However,my style of play,my dedicated long term research on opponents,my exclusive "pick and choose"who I want to play and not to play does make me a good candidate for team and other group play.I am that lone wolf and always will be!And I find personal comfort in that way to,play. Truth is,I have won a great deal of my games on the senior master level based upon my profile and game research studies of my opponents WEAKNESS'S that I discover.Sometimes the weakness is hidden.It may be some game or series of games where he exchanges Bishops too many times in an open game.Or its may be more pronounced with losing against early out of book games...like a Trompowsky.This is why it may take me weeks or months of painstaking detective work to get what I deem as just the "right"game to be played against an upcoming opponent. Not you?Too much work?Too boring to do what I do?Who cares? Fine! But that is the difference between a very strong player(like me)and you! Changing the way you do things,taking the time and effort,making notes and more can one day bring you into my arena to cross swords!If you remain at those 1400-2000 levels,that is fine,but you will never cross swords with me with a rated game,ever.And I could care less what other fine players do...like cyrano.Play him,not me.But set the goal of reaching 2200! You can do it! TA |
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One more tip on past game record analysis I mentioned about observing an upcoming opponents loss's,spotting which openings tended to lose more than others.Did your upcoming opponent(that you have not even challenged yet)lose more 1.e4 games than 1.d4 games?Or maybe the loss ratio is about=? Well,go with the opening that they lost the most.But go one step beyond!Seek the same opening variation of that lost game that illustrated the SHORTEST number of moves that your potential opponent lost in.This may indeed be a key indicator that possibly or probably this particular variant style of that opening is a weak spot in this players understanding of the position and theory!I have used this method personally to defeat many senior masters over the years. Now,of course,in the lower rating levels of the past game play records,a players game record can fluctuate greatly since they are still in the learning mode.But,in a sense the same theoretical rule applies,its just not as accurate.So,if your possible upcoming opponent has lost a number of times to 1.c4(English Opening) and it did not transpose to a QGD game.You may want to go with that..or go a step farther and see if there are more losses to that opening with some wins,draws,ect.But concentrate on the losses that are the shortest via a particular variation within that 1.c4 opening.Your opponent,for example,may have won or drawn with The Four Knights Variation but lost to the Closed Variation with 3.g3,g6. Then,your job can be either easy or harder!You can go move for move with that game that HIS opponent made and see if he makes the SAME mistake!Trust me,it does happen,especially if that lost game is buried in his game history from a long time ago!Or do the harder.... some side research up to that point in that lost game where your opponent BEGAN to lose,just IN CASE he DOES RECOGNIZE where he went wrong in that variation.But it does not matter!Why?Because at that hot spot,you have already done your homework and have become prepared to follow through on either an equally devastating counter move or a move that will simply be about =and the game still becomes very playable,especially if you chose wisely....a game that was shorter with a past loss of your potential next opponent! See the logic? Now,this is the "think like a master"routine that goes on everyday on GK!Try these things once in a while!You may be surprised at an increased success rate of wins you have.Rarely does the opposite happen,its only logical! Sure,sure,I know...its a lot of work and it is boring and you just want to play,so who cares about all this detective work and more? Well thinking like that is fine,ok,wonderful,excellent and acceptable!But then let me hope that you are very satisfied with your lower rating for LIFE and never expect to reach a masters level!And by some RARE chance you do reach a 2100-2200 level watch out!Because now,you may have to contend with me in the distant future,forgetting all that "nonsense"I wrote about in some obscure GK club about doing detective work on a players past games so you just move as the expert or early master you are without looking at MY past losses or wins,but just moving with confidence because of all your wins with that Ruy Lopez.All the time,however,you have not been aware of my preparation for you to enter my arena of death!!!!And my prep included not only a few of your Ruy losses or even draws that I have found ways to ALTER,but weaker spots in your square control using your BIshops or late development of your Rooks!!! And we did not even start the game yet!!! Yes,that is why even most 2100-2200 players are not in my league!Notice the rating level of my present opponents?2300-2400,not 2200.I will go the 2200 opponent challenge after I get over the hard research stuff!The 2200's are mainly a piece of cake,because they do not do what I do above. Can a 1700 player do as I do?Sure!But not in the depth I do.But "depth"takes time and rating increases!How to increase your rating?One way out of 50 is to study your opponent before you and he crosses swords!Just looking in more depth at the critical areas of his weakness...any weakness that perhaps the GK analysis detected or your own program detected(like Fritz) with better and more accurate math...can be the doorway to your own improment.That research will stimulate your mind to get in the habit and mood...especially if you begin to see results! Or are you simply content to play as the pieces fall?Then you will never touch swords in a rated game,ever with me or almost all other masters/senior masters on GK.If that is ok with you,then fine. TA |
