Quote of the Month: Evaluation tells you how valuable something is. I have devoted many Novice Nooks to the suggestion that the main chess skill is analysis. I have also stated the companion thought process skill to analysis, and thus "second in command," is evaluation. My definition for evaluation of a position is determining which side stands better, how much better, and why? It is also important to differentiate between static evaluation and dynamic evaluation: Static evaluation occurs by considering the static elements of the position, e.g., what material is on the board, positional factors like weak pawns, open files, etc, and "visual" king safety – the apparent ability of the … [Read more...]
The Sharp Endgame Weapon Zugzwang
Ordinarily pure opposite-colored bishop endings have a very large drawish tendency, but in chess there is no rule without exceptions. I want to highlight one attacking method in particular: 156.01 J.Nunn The position is based on an endgame, which John Nunn played in a simultaneous display in 1977. He analyzes it in detail in his excellent Secrets of Practical Chess, 2nd edition, Gambit 2007 and I use his analysis in the following: 1...Be1 2.Kf6 Bh4 3.Kf5 Kd6 4.g3!! fxg3 4...Bxg3 is met by 5.Kxg5 Be1 A) Of course not 6.Kxf4? Ke7 7.Kg5 (7.c7 Kd7=) 7...Bg3 8.h4 Kf7 9.h5 Kg7=. B) 6.h4 Ke7 7.h5 Ba5 8.Kg6 Kf8 And now 9.Bd5! f3 10.h6 f2 11.h7 f1Q 12.h8Q+ Ke7 13.Qe5+ Kf8 … [Read more...]
Nimzowitsch: Move by Move
by Steve Giddins Introduction Although he was neither world champion, nor even a direct world championship challenger, Aron Nimzowitsch was one of the most important and influential players in chess history. He belongs to that select band of players (the other main one, ironically enough, being his arch-enemy Tarrasch) who have influenced the development of chess style as much (or more) by their writings than by their play. His books The Blockade, My System and Chess Praxis have had an enormous influence on the game, and until the computer became the main source of chess experience for the present generation of players, it was hard to find any strong player who had not read these … [Read more...]
Events on the Irish Chess Scene
It has been several years since I devoted a column to chess in Ireland, where I live, but two interesting events in July are worthy of a Kibitzer column. This also makes an appropriate follow-up to last month's column in which I proved that the Armstrong Cup competition, dating from 1888, is one of the three senior inter-club chess leagues in the world. So I shall first report on the 2014 Irish Chess Championship, which was played from 5-13 July in Dublin, and then on grandmaster Alexander Baburin's blindfold chess performance a few days later. I also include at the end, as promised, three games played by members of the winning Trinity College Dublin team in the 2013/14 Armstrong. (All … [Read more...]
In Houdini’s Footsteps, Part One
The famous illusionist of the past Harry Houdini was known for his impressive tricks in which he escaped from apparently impossible situations. His "namesake," the computer program that is popular at the moment, sometimes comes out with similar "tricks" when analysing positions that at first glance look hopeless or very difficult, which have arisen in practical games of the past or present. Getting to know these kinds of examples broadens our conception of the boundaries of the possible in chess and teaches us never to despair, but to stubbornly keep looking for hidden resources in any situation. I already published the article "Saving Combinations" on this topic a few years ago; you can … [Read more...]
Chess Mazes #373
Chess Mazes #373 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...]
Grandmaster Reference Guides
by Carsten Hansen Reviewed this Month The Alekhine Defence: Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala Kotronias on the King's Indian, Volume One: Fianchetto Systems by Vassilios Kotronias A Cutting-Edge Gambit against the Queen's Indian by Imre Hera & Ufuk Tuncer Grandmaster Repertoire 12: The Modern Benoni by Marian Petrov This month we feature four recent titles: one in the popular Move by Move series by Everyman Chess, and three distinctly more complicated and advanced works, all written by grandmasters and opening specialists. It would be nice to say that there is something for everyone in this month's harvest, but they are either decidedly for advanced and strong players or for … [Read more...]
Cards on the Table
A relatively new idea in the Ruy Lopez Exchange causes confusion. Otto Baric from Denmark has been playing the Ruy Lopez Exchange for some time, but is stumped by a new move in a normal position. He e-mailed to say, "1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 Be6?!?! I was expecting either 6...Bxf3 or the sharp 6...h5, and at first I thought it was just an oversight. I played 7.d4 because I did not want simplification after 7...exd4, but upon 7...Nf6 I began to 'analyse' the position. I suddenly saw many opportunities for Black on the open g-line, and weak pawn on h3 and strong bishops. I decided to prevent that with 8.Bg5, but after 8...h6 I gave up 9.Bh4 g5 10.exf6 and played … [Read more...]
Off the Beaten Path in the e6-Sicilian [B40]
This month I take a look at a rare option for White in the mainline e6-Sicilian. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 This is just one of many moves Black can play, whether anticipating White playing the Open Sicilian (3.d4) or something else. 3.c3 This move order is considered off the beaten path. More usual is 2.c3 and if 2...e6, then 3.d4 rather than 3.Nf3. Here there is less to learn for both sides. By playing 3.c3 White avoids certain lines such as 2.c3 Nf6 and 2.c3 d5. 3...d5 On nearly any other move White will play 4.d4. 4.e5 The point of this move order is to transpose to an Advanced French: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3. 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bb5+ is another way to play and … [Read more...]
Chess Mazes #372
Chess Mazes #372 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...]