Unlucky 13 by Mark Donlan Tutorial: How to install ChessBase 13, by ChessBase, DVD, Various pricing Thirteen might be a lucky number for Garry Kasparov, but it’s not for ChessBase. This column was designed to be a walk-through for installing the latest iteration of their flagship product ChessBase 13. Yet things didn’t go quite so smoothly as I’ve come to expect from ChessBase products. Perhaps it has something to do with only meeting the minimum requirements rather than the recommended requirements. I’ve found it is usually beneficial to meet the latter, rather than the former. However, even though I was installing on a Windows Vista machine, it is one that meets the recommended … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2014
Smorgasbord V: December Sweets
Smorgasbord V: December Sweets This week our dessert menu features a selection of six puzzles with a variety of flavours. Try one, or try them all. We hope you find something to your taste. The types of problems presented in this column have appeared previously on The Puzzling Side of Chess. If you are unfamiliar with any of them, examples with more detailed explanations are available in the archives. 1. Triple Loyd #40 Place the black king on the board so that: A. Black is in checkmate. B. Black is in stalemate. C. White has mate in one. The holiday season means lots of travelling from point A to point B. And sometimes a late trip home. Take care. Take a cab. 2. Passing … [Read more...]
Garry Kasparov, Part III 1993-2005
Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov, Part III 1993-2005 by Garry Kasparov Match with Anand World Championship Match Kasparov - Anand (New York, 10 September - 10 October 1995): 10½-7½. Initially it was planned that my match with the winner of the PCA cycle would be held in Germany - such an offer had been made to me during the 1994 Moscow Olympiad by the organisers of the Dortmund tournaments. The venue had already been selected and all the conditions agreed. However, the German Chess Union, who were one of the Federations unhappy with the outcome of the FIDE Congress in Moscow and the conditions of the proposed agreement with the PCA, effectively announced a boycott of the match. Early … [Read more...]
Senior Moments
Senior Moments by Tim Harding Senior chess tournaments are increasing in popularity and this year the FIDE World Senior team tournament was revived. Although it drew a quite small entry, interest in future years is likely to increase and in 2015 team and individual championships are scheduled for both World and Europe seniors. A big change this year, not universally popular, was that instead of the traditional 60+ age group events (50+ for women), FIDE introduced a two-tier structure. The "real" seniors are now 65+ (players born 1949 or earlier were eligible) while a 50+ "junior senior" category was introduced. The 2014 World Seniors Congress was held at the Mediterranean Village … [Read more...]
Held Captive by the Computer’s “Top Line”
Held Captive by the Computer's "Top Line" by Mark Dvoretsky In the fifth issue of New in Chess magazine for 2014, an article appeared by GM Matthew Sadler, entitled "Puzzles? Must be easy!" In it, Matthew recalls how he traveled to Moscow twice, in 1994 and 1995, in order to train with your author, and he presented two tasks he had to solve during training. In Issue #7 of the same magazine, a letter from Bogdan Lalic appeared, disputing the solutions to both tasks. Here are those two tasks: you see if his criticism was deserved. Hort – Mestel London, 1982 1.? White stands significantly better. Vlastimil Hort protected the f4-pawn by means of a most unexpected move: 25. Rf3 … [Read more...]
Chess Mazes #378
Chess Mazes #378 There are two types of chess mazes: checking and mating. For bishop, rook, and knight mazes the play is to check the black king. For queen, pawn, and king mazes the object is to checkmate the enemy king; here checks are not allowed. The rules in common for each type of maze are as follows: Black never moves. Only the maze piece (in the case of pawns – the maze units) may move. A maze piece may never move to a square where it can be captured by enemy forces. A maze piece may capture undefended enemy forces. Plus we look for the shortest solution. Helpers in queen and king mazes are frozen to the diagram position, unable to move or be removed. In pawn mazes … [Read more...]
The King’s Gambit [C30]
The King’s Gambit [C30] by Abby Marshall Recently I have become interested again in a particular way of declining the King's Gambit, my favorite. 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d6 This is hardly Black's most challenging response, so I never studied it deeply. It is solid and Black can equalize if White is not aggressive. For the sake of providing an overview of other common sense moves Black can also try moving the knights. 2...Nf6 This is a decent option with some preparation, but White can get an edge. 3.Nf3 (3.fxe5 This is what I used to play. I eventually decided there is not enough juice in the position for White to win. 3...Nxe4 4.Nf3 Ng5 The knight will be a target in the center. 5.d4 … [Read more...]
Go!
Go! by Gary Lane How to beat the Dutch with 1 Nf3? This is the question posed by Marin Thomas from England who has been trying numerous lines against the Dutch but with little success. He e-mailed to say, "I play 1 Nf3 but when they play the Dutch Defence how should I continue? I have played the risky 2 e4 which I like but don't trust. Which attacking opening should I play?" I think someone with experience with gambit lines should go for it by playing the Lisitsyn Gambit. This is a clever line which involves the sacrifice of a pawn and has been well known since the 1940s. It has enjoyed a recent surge of popularity with many elite players employing it, including on a couple of … [Read more...]
Kasparov, Patterns, and Rulebreakers
Kasparov, Patterns, and Rulebreakers by Jim Rizzitano Reviewed this Month Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov Part III: 1993-2005 by Garry Kasparov Improve Your Chess Pattern Recognition by Arthur van de Oudeweetering Play Unconventional Chess and Win by Noam A. Manella and Zeev Zohar This month I will review three recent titles: two from Everyman Chess and one from New in Chess. These books should satisfy both master level and club players. Game collections written by world champions belong to a special category of timeless chess books – classics by Alekhine, Botvinnik, Tal, and Fischer spring to mind. This type of book may seem less relevant in the age of instant information and … [Read more...]