How to improve your chess

Posted on June 28th, 2010 by Richard

Here is a fascinating interview with my chess coach Bob Jones on how to improve your chess:

Bob is a well known local chess player and coach and tournament oraniser. Hear his views on how a near beginner can try to improve their chess rating. He gives sound advice which will help any beginner become a better player!

Tags: Chess analysis, Chess game, Chess Openings
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Written by: Richard

Puzzle at poginina.com

Posted on June 13th, 2010 by Richard

This is the puzzle at pogonina.com (see side bar link to pogonina site)

The match is Anand vs Kamsky 1990 and Anand (white) to play and win.

Hint-there is a lot of pressure on h7!

Here is the solution- the game continued 1. Rd1 Bg6 2. Rdd7 Re1+3.Kg2 f3+ 4.Kh3 Kamsky (black) resigns 1-0

However I checked this position out with Rybka engine and it gives a draw! Here is my Rybka 2.2 analysis:

[pgn  parameter=value height=500 autoplayMode=none]

[Event “New Analysis”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1990”]
[Round “-“]
[White “Anand”]
[Black “Kamsky”]
[Result “1-0”]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.O-O Qc7 7.Qe2
d6 8.c4 g6 9.Rd1 Bg7 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Bf4 O-O 12.Bc2 e5 13.Be3
Nb4 14.Nc3 Nxc2 15.Qxc2 Qxc4 16.Rxd6 b5 17.Bb6 Bb7 18.Nd2 Qc8
19.Qd3 Nh5 20.g3 Qh3 21.Nd5 Kh8 22.Qf1 Qxf1+ 23.Nxf1 f5 24.Rd1
Nf6 25.Nxf6 Bxf6 26.exf5 gxf5 27.Rd7 Be4 28.Ne3 Rac8 29.b4 Bf3
30.Re1 f4 31.Nf1 Bg7 32.Nd2 Bg4 33.Ra7 Rc2 34.Ne4 Rxa2 35.Bc5
Rd8 36.Be7 Re2 37.Rf1 Rc8 38.Bf6 Bxf6 39.Nxf6 Bf5 40.g4 Rf8
41.Rd1 Bg6 42.Rdd7 Re1+ 43.Kg2 f3 {At this point Kamsky resigns

BUT my Rybka analysis seems to show he could have got a draw!
Rybka 2.2 analysis from here on is
1.Kh3 Rxa7 2. Rxa7 Rg1 3. Rxa6 Rg2 4. Re6 Rxf2 5. Kg3 Rb2 6. Kxf3 Rb3+ 7.
Ke2 Rxb4 8. Rxe5 Kg7 9. g5 h6 10. Nd5 Rb2+ 11. Ke3 Bf7 12. h4 Rb1 13. Kd4
b4 14. Ne3 hxg5 15. Rxg5+ Kf8 16. Rb5 b3 17. Rb8+ Kg7 18. Rb6 Rh1 19. Ke5
Rh2 20. Nf5+ Kh7 21. Kf6 Bd5 22. Ke5 Bf7 23. Kf6 Bd5 24. Ke5 Bf7}
44.Kh3 Rxa7 45. Rxa7 Rg1 46. Rxa6 Rg2 47. Re6 Rxf2 48. Kg3 Rb2 49. Kxf3 Rb3+ 50.
Ke2 Rxb4 51. Rxe5 Kg7 52. g5 h6 53. Nd5 Rb2+ 54. Ke3 Bf7 55. h4 Rb1 56. Kd4
b4 57. Ne3 hxg5 58. Rxg5+ Kf8 59. Rb5 b3 60. Rb8+ Kg7 61. Rb6 Rh1 62. Ke5
Rh2 63. Nf5+ Kh7 64. Kf6 Bd5 65. Ke5 Bf7 66. Kf6 Bd5 67. Ke5 Bf7
Draw by repetition}1-0[/pgn]

Here is the text/pgn analysis:
[Event “New Analysis-Rybka”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1990”]
[Round “-“]
[White “Anand”]
[Black “Kamsky”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]

1… Rxa7 2. Rxa7 Rg1 3. Rxa6 Rg2 4. Re6 Rxf2 5. Kg3 Rb2 6. Kxf3 Rb3+ 7.
Ke2 Rxb4 8. Rxe5 Kg7 9. g5 h6 10. Nd5 Rb2+ 11. Ke3 Bf7 12. h4 Rb1 13. Kd4
b4 14. Ne3 hxg5 15. Rxg5+ Kf8 16. Rb5 b3 17. Rb8+ Kg7 18. Rb6 Rh1 19. Ke5
Rh2 20. Nf5+ Kh7 21. Kf6 Bd5 22. Ke5 Bf7 23. Kf6 Bd5 24. Ke5 Bf7
{Draw by repetition} 1/2-1/2
Very interesting! A very complex position- anyone have any more analysis? Let me know!

Tags: Chess analysis, Chess game
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Written by: Richard

My first ever Youtube video and on chess!

Posted on June 5th, 2010 by Richard

Yesterday I changed my chess blog theme to this GoNatty WPress theme and I am still adjusting it.

Today I made & uploaded my first ever Youtube video and it is on my favourite chess opening the Scotch game.

This was a very interesting exercise especially limiting my video to just 10 minutes! I had many takes to make it under 10 minutes!

It features on the sidebar here and in this post! Hope you like it!…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDl7jfNA2LA[/youtube]

Tags: Chess Openings, my chess games
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Trialling ‘chess-by-blog’ WPress plugin

Posted on June 3rd, 2010 by Richard

1. e4 {RPD-This game is famous and known as ‘The Immortal Chess Game’
-Opening is C33: King’s Gambit Accepted: 3 Nc3 and 3 Bc4} 1… e5 2. f4 {White offers a pawn

to gain better development and control of the center.} 2… exf4 3. Bc4 Qh4+ 4. Kf1 b5?!

{Bryan’s Counter Gambit. A dubious gambit in modern times, but typical of the attacking style

of that time. Here black lures the Bishop from it attacking diagonal against the sensitive

f7-pawn, and provides a diagonal for development of his own Bishop to b7 where it will bear

down on white’s King side. All this value for the price of a pawn.} 5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3 Qh6 7.

d3 Nh5 {The immediate, cheap, and shallow threat of … Ng3+ is easily defended.} 8. Nh4 {The

position is sharp and getting sharper.} 8… Qg5 {Again, playing for cheap threats. In this

case, black attacks two pieces at once.} 9. Nf5 c6 {9… g6 10. h4 Qf6 is another complicated

position for another day.} 10. g4 {A brilliant move made with a steady hand. Note that white

cares little for defensive moves, and is always alert for attack. Now black plays to win the

g4-pawn.} 10… Nf6 {Black should have played 10… cxb5 11. gxh5 with a better game.} 11.

Rg1 {Now Anderssen sacrifices his Bishop, the first of many sacrifices in this game. White

cares little for defensive moves, and plays always for the initiative.} 11… cxb5 12. h4 Qg6

13. h5 {White gets more space.} 13… Qg5 14. Qf3 {White now has the ghastly threat of Bxf4

winning black’s Queen next.} 14… Ng8 {Black is forces to clear a path of retreat for his

Queen by also retreating one of his only developed pieces.} 15. Bxf4 Qf6 {Black should

quickly develop his pieces.} 16. Nc3 Bc5 17. Nd5 {Inviting black to indulge his greed. Also

good is 17. d4 Bf8 (17… Bxd4? 18. Nd5 when the Knights savage the board.) 18. Be5.} 17…

Qxb2 18. Bd6 Qxa1+ {And why not capture with check!} 19. Ke2 {Now who can resist the tender

morsel on g1, but resist he must.} 19… Bxg1 {Black is just too greedy. He has too few

pieces developed, and what is developed is sent to the far corners of the board. Now it is

white’s turn to play. Black may have won after 19… Qb2 (to guard against Nxg7+) 20. Rc1 g6

21. Bxc5 gxf5 (not 21… Qxc1 22. Nd6+ Kd8 23. Nxf7+ Ke8 24. Nc7#).} 20. e5 {Slipping the

noose around the neck of the black King.} 20… Na6 {Perhaps 20… Ba6 would have put up more

resistance by giving black’s King more room to run.} 21. Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Qf6+! {A final pretty

sacrifice that ends the game.} 22… Nxf6 {A deflection.} 23. Be7# 1-0 [/pgn]

I came across another WordPress chess plugin called ‘chess-by-blog’ and thought I would try it out! It doesn’t want to work for some reason on any of my other blog pages on site here but it does have tags in the admin posts editor on this home page. I am trying to contact the author, Julian Fong to see if I can fix this.

Meanwhile I am going to try it with a great chess game- ‘The Immortal Game’

between Anderrsen & Kieritsky.

The game was a King’s Gambit opening and features some interesting sacrifices leading to a minor piece mate. Amazing play really! Enjoy…

{EDIT: I could not get chess by blog plugin to handle this. Probably my fault but I think this plugin is more for playing chess between blogs and I need to test that out. Meanwhile I have put the above game back in ‘Embed Chessboard’ game viewer}

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Written by: Richard

Philidors Opening C41

Posted on June 1st, 2010 by Richard

As I usually open with 1.e4 as white I quite often face the Philidor defence. I do not mind this at all! It seems quite a passive defence for Black and does not seem to trouble me too much. Of course some people who play the defence as Black really know it inside out and in their hands it can be a dangerous opening against White. Thankfully most people who play the Philidor opening against me do not know it in much depth!

I prefer playing the 4.Qxd4 line. Here is a recent game of mine showing a win with Qxh7#:

The Philidor defence:
[pgn height=500 initialhalfMove=16 autoplaymode=none]
[Event “rated blitz match”]
[Site “Free Internet Chess Server”]
[Date “2010.06.01”]
[Round “?”]
[White “me”]
[Black “AN”]
[Result “1-0”]
[WhiteElo “1045”]
[BlackElo “1115”]
[ECO “C41”]
[TimeControl “300”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 Be7
8. Bf4 Nf6 9. O-O-O O-O 10. e5 Nh5 11. Be3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 dxe5 13. Qxe5 Qc8
14. Qxh5 Bb4 15. Nd5 Bd6 16. Rhg1 g6 17. Nf6+ Kh8 18. Qxh7# {AN
checkmated} 1-0
[/pgn]

Tags: my chess games
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Written by: Richard