Once again one my opponents played the dubious Bf5?! after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3. And once again 4.Qb3! refutes this as far as I understand.
Couple of moves later we reach this position on the picture and his bishop is threatening my queen. I was happy to find the winner. In fact I seem to remember this from some previous game where the same tactic endured. So this time around everything was at its right place.
White to move
What is the winner?
I’ve been nagged by my lousy tactics by a friend in FICS so I spent some days at chess.ermrald.net trying to improve. Here’s a position from recent blitz game against 1458 player where he had major tactical oversight with ..Qb6. I am sure the hours spent on tactics helped here to see the oversight. Actually I saw the possibility even before black move and kept summoning (shouting aloud) the possibility to play it.
White to move.
White to move
Here’s pretty neat and unorthodox mate in three for you to solve.
Black to move
Here I have penetrated white position with doom hanging over whites king. This was from chess.com 60 30 game. I saw the right idea but executed the combination the wrong way. Do you see the right order to execute the threat of mate and capturing the queen? (Stop here if you want to work it out.)
I played Qa1+ when after Kd2 Bb4+?? is serious mistake as Rxa1 Bxc3+ Kxc3 I essentially sacrifice a bishop for nothing. So instead of BB4+ I just have to retreat the queen.
Before we get back to the key moments in my recent slow time control games I wanted to let you know in the case you missed excellent coverage of Biel tournament on excellent Chessbases youtube channel. Here example of Alexei Shirov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave going at their game with lot of insights.
White to move
This is from very nice 60 30 game against Amneziya on Chess.com. It was a roller coaster where I was already winning but went wrong but maintained the advantage. What is the clean finish for white?
My latest involves going through Alekhines games. There is this tendency now in my games to draw for blood when there isn’t none as was the case here against Dragonfish when I played Ng5 after which Bxf4 must be close to equal. After h6? though it all comes ugly for black sooner than he expected I believe.
White to move
What is whites best?
(Stop here if you don’t want to know the answer.)
Now if fx, Qx+, Be7 trying to preserve the bishop, what is the quickest?
Recent months more and more “The Master Game” videos have popped up into Youtube and here’s two part video of excellent Donner – Miles game.
The exhilirating feeling of being under persons skin is hooking. Also I recommend everyone to write down these notes. I don’t think its particularly their opening play but overall thought process that is captivating.
Vasik Rajlich is of course man behind Rybka that has been banned by ICGA in its evets for using other programs code and not claiming it – so once again it wasn’t wrong to use that code but not to address that.
As the interviewer Nelson Hernandez says it is up to anyone to judge by themselves what they think of the answers. My take is that Rajlich is admitting he used this code as ICGA claims but he defines original and what is the kind of code that should be addressed differently then ICGA and that ICGA hadn’t stated the norms for that specifically enough to gives this decision.
Andrew Martin, guy whose Czech Benoni DVD is my holy bible – for instance, has released videos of his own on his youtube channel for quite a while now. This is the best you can get and you don’t have to even pay for it. Much recommended. Here quite plain look on the essence of time in the opening – to wet your appetite.
I had this really nice game against e4d4 with this luxurious 60 30 time control (60 minutes and 30 seconds extra for each move). My opponent used time really wisely compared to all my previous opponents who lived basically on inrements or close to that. I myself played pretty fast but in the end I am quite happy with my overall judgement of position. Still one critical position was misplayed by each player.
First:
Black to move
Here I get better with right move.
Second:
White to move
Here black is just gone beyond saving his game. What is winning for white?
Some superb video coverage of Bazna Kings Tournament with GM analysis!
The next position is from the game in ICC this morning, I had played sort of relying on improving the position thus far but now tactics are there. It is just as my basic belief in chess: tactics arise from good position so just play for good position and it pays you back in the end.
White to move
What is best move for white?
(Don’t look ahead if you want to figure this out on your own.)
and if after this move Rx what is best move?
and afterr black moves and white Nx why Qx is bad idea?
White to move.
Watching my forthcoming fourth round opponents KillerWolfs games is a bit scary. It is rarely that he misses any obvious tactics or has tactical oversights – blunders.
But here he was white in slow time control game and misses how he is winning a piece.
So. What do you think is winning move and what is such a great threat that it would make black loose a piece?
Here’s a position from StefanGERs game where he was black against blackjokercz.
White can win a piece.
Black to move and seal the deal
Again position from calcomar game where him with black has mate in four.
I am currently studying my second round opponents – calcomars games and found this fascinating endgame position.
White to move.
There’’s 24 seconds in whites clock when there is one minute and 43 seconds in blacks clock. White is rated –70.
So white takes, right?
So what would you play after that as black? The reason I am showing the position before white to move is that I am trying to represent blacks mindset. Black was very happy with the draw and took on f5.
I guess the question of the mindset and energy on the field. There are great change in energies and for instance Josh Waitzkin talks about this. You are playing the position but sometimes you also play the energies on the field.
Ponomariov-Nakamura-Finegold-Robson matches have really nice coverage at Saint Louis Chess Club website.
Also from Kramnik-Radjabov I have some great coverage. It was quite widely spread so probably you already found these.
First here is the excellent translation of Kramnik Radjabov post-match press conference. Chessdom talked with Radjabov a bit and when asked about the team he remained silent. I haven't heard or read about it but I do think Kasparov was somehow involved. Why would Radjabov stay silent otherwise? At least it is not general custom - maybe he doesn't want to show his hand before next major events - which is another possibility.
After the match with Grischuk this clock thing was brought up again as Ponomariov had tweeted about similar incident with Kramnik. So. The thing was the clock shut down after Radjabov pressed it soooo. I don't think Kramnik is to be blamed.
I find it incredible that in the match where world championship candidate is chosen such a clock can be used! Radjabov took it the right way - what can you do if meteor hits you - kind of approach.
Blitz 1:
Blitz 2:
Blitz 3:
Blitz 4:
It is interesting question to try to figure out what Radjabov will play today. Last slow time control game Radjabov played e4, I think which lead to Petroff 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Mfxe4 after which in last encounter Radjabov played Nc3 and two previous times d4.
I gotta tell you my instinct tells this is where Radjabov has gone. If he hasn't found anything there after 1.d4 Kramnik has played d6 in Moscow blitz world championship and in my database that is their latest encounter after 1.d4 ..d5 was played in 2007 and ..Nf6 last time 2003.
Ok. My favourte in forthcoming world championship candidate matches is Teimour Radjabov. I find he is able to produce brilliant games even he hasn’t yet proved he is solid enough for upmost spot in chess.
Ok. I am still loving Visualwize. I am thinking how to achieve something similar by my own means but still haven’t come up with one complete idea. Somehow I think Chessbase manouvre search when you can have couple of moves in between something specific like mate and the current position could do. But how do I check if both players played best moves or not? Maybe this is not a problem as you try to work out the mate anyway and get to visualize while doing it.
Anyway here’s when it gets confusing:
White to move.
This is a position we are asked to visualize from couple moves back. This is a game between Jan Timman – Artur Yusupov 1987.
In actual game the move given as right answer actually worked. As Nxd4 Qxd4?? You see why the queen takes is a blunder? It’s quite typical ladder. You make the “ladder” of queen and rook fall down with fork - Re8+! After this it’s quite simple. If Rdxe8 Qxd4 and if Kh7 Qxd4 Rxd4 we win the second rook on a8.
But. What if Nxd4 Rxd4!? isn’t this just equal? What am I missing?
Edit: Got a quick response from Louis Holtzhausen that confirmed that Rxd4 just had slipped his attention and he promised to correct the problem and send to link for that one to me. Soooo. Now I feel pretty good about spotting that one!
White to move.
I don’t think I want to give too much hints on this one.
Since I begun with the visualization exercises some tactics seem to get simpler and feel natural . You have to look at white moves three moves forward.
Edit: It's still win but of course black doesn't have to give fast win. But still you need to work out the lines to see how and why white wins.
UPDATE: Demo version is worth the time in itself. After the purchase though, you get quite extensive visualization training. The payment is through paypal so it seems it should be safe. The visuals look a lot like they are from Peshk but I could not find such a course in the ChessOk site.
Here’s a position from my morning exercise with Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition.
This is mate in two.
1K6/2N5/3k3B/8/8/5N2/5Q2/8 w - - 0 1
I find these exercises quite rewarding actually. I feel they improve visualization and calculating. I guess it is question of what motivates you. Finding mate is such a concrete reward I guess it just gives me some determination not to give up.
Even little improvements on visualization show as you find it easier and easier to work out variations at least a bit deeper.
On this third video my opponent plays me out of book and ignores own development.
In the fourth game my opponent was fast and accurate and I was in big trouble.
The fifth game is finished fast.
In the sixth game my opponent sacrifices or drops a piece.
I save the seventh game by miracle.
On the eight game I rule.
Here’s a first video of two from my sunday game against NokiaTwenty.
