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March 2005
Learning Chess (#03), by A.J. Goldsby I
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Click on links (purple highlighted text) throughout lesson
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This
month, I get to deal with one of my favorite topics ... I even get to stand on
my soap-box and preach a little! But before you tune me out, please give me your
undivided attention - for approximately 10-to-15 minutes. See for yourself ... decide, on your own, if what
I am saying here makes sense to you. (And if you are new to my monthly feature, please review my
earlier lessons,
they are definitely meant to be done in order! If you are an absolute, "bare-bones"
beginner, perhaps you will find this page
to be very useful to you. And - please ... explore the links
to this page
very carefully, I must have created at least 10-15 new web pages for this one
project!)
This
month's feature could be entitled simply, "Finishing the game."
(Or
winning a game.) This is obviously something that is on the minds of nearly
every player on the planet. But exactly how do you go about this?
First
of all, I am a great believer in having a system!!!
(If you don't have one, you will NEVER get very far in chess! All the great
players studied both religiously and systematically.
And they usually were fortunate enough to have a really good teacher!! What if
Bobby Fischer had lived his whole life in Arizona and his mother had never moved
to New York? What if Fischer had not been exposed to the best chess minds in the
country at an early age? What would have happened if Fischer would have never
got to rub elbows - on a regular basis - with the best players in the country?
What if Fischer had never had the tutelage of Carmine Nigro and Jack Collins? Do
you think Fischer would still have been a great chess player? Forget about
it!)
Many
of the other greatest players who ever lived also studied a great deal. Was Garry
Kasparov born with a tremendous amount of talent? I think that is probably a
given! But it was not chess genius alone that allowed him to conquer Mount
Olympus. He was surrounded by the Soviet "Chess School" and he also
had the best chess teachers that the state could provide for him. He had the
latest {chess} materials available; and he also had an enormous capacity for study, analysis and
also {plain, old} hard work!
I
was watching a children's program the other day with one of my girls, it might have
been "Sesame Street." One of the guests was a young tennis super-star,
(sadly) I do not recall his name. He said there were only three secrets to being a great
tennis player:
-
Practice.
-
Practice.
-
And
then ... ... ... practice some more!
The
same could be said of chess!!!
But
do not worry, I am not going to make you re-invent the wheel! I have already
identified the basic elements
of chess, as well as the basic principles
for each phase of the game. I have outlined many of the best
training
tips - which was compiled over many years,
and also amassed from
consulting dozens of great chess books - by the best and most recognized {chess}
authors. I have annotated
dozens of the greatest
chess games ever played, you could learn a great deal about the game
simply by studying each of these contests. I have my own "School
of Tactics," as well as my own "Endgame
School." (This is not done to show off. As a qualified chess
teacher, it is my job to provide you all the resources that you need to succeed.
What you do with these tools ... is entirely up to
you!)
Another
area that I am interested in is psychology. (It is a great hobby of mine. I have
read dozens of books on the subject, taken college courses in this area, and
also spent a great deal of time trying to figure out what works and what does
not; I am especially interested in the field of applied psychology, and how it
pertains to chess
improvement.) [ more
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It
is my opinion that many chess teachers give you learning or study tasks to complete, and
they may or may not be all that useful to the average player. Many of these
study methods have
been simply handed down over several generations ... many are never questioned
or challenged, simply repeated over and over again. (tradition)
I also feel that if you were
to ask most chess teachers what is a good study method or WHY a certain
way of studying was successful - - - all they would give you was a blank look.
(Or a line of patter simply disguised to cover their own ignorance.) And this is
not stated to be mean, spiteful or to put anyone down - it is just a frank discussion of
the facts.
I
do think that I have discovered one of the best and quickest ways for the
beginner/student to learn how to finish a game ... and it may have been as much
sheer luck as anything else; for I have been doing this for well over 30 years
now. (It
is also possible that some other teacher told me this "chess secret"
many, many years ago, and I have simply forgotten who it was that shared this
wonderful chess revelation with me.)
This
is it: I believe that one of the most basic ways that a human being learns any
subject material is something called "PATTERN RECOGNITION."
And since we are talking
about chess here, we are concerned with what the basic chess patterns are, how
they are formed, and exactly how we can personally acquire this information for
ourselves. (This is not idle chatter, many psychologists have studied top chess players. Very often their secret to success is to see the winning position in
their mind and then work BACKWARDS to the current position ... to determine what
the
best method of reaching the optimum position or pattern would be!)
I
also know the exact method for building these patterns up in the brain, dozens
of my students have proven the value of this training tip, over and over and
over again. The first thing that you need to do is isolate exactly what
the BASIC
MATING PATTERNS are. After you have memorized these
positions and patterns in your head, you have to use them! But you have to learn
how to utilize this knowledge first! The way that you do this is to set up a
regular training schedule. Part of your regimen MUST be to solve a certain
number of chess problems every day - looking for and fixing the basic patterns
in your head. (Click here
for more details, see "Training Tip, # 1" for a very precise and
detailed explanation of how to make this valuable advice and this training
technique a part of your own {daily} regimen.)
The
next step - after absorbing a few basic 'moves' - is to try and put these
different chess plays together in a brand-new way. This process involves the first steps in how to really
learn what masters call "tactics."
I define tactics simply as - "The interplay of the pieces."
Very often this interplay of the pieces involves putting the individual elements
together into something
called ... "a combination."
I define a combination as: "Any series of moves - involving and
highlighting the interplay of the pieces - that is usually connected by a single
idea. {Or a group of common ideas - but with a singular
thread.} Very often, but not always, this series of moves is associated
with a sacrifice."
{This is
only a slightly
modified version of GM Mikhail Botvinnik's original definition of a sacrifice.}
For
me this comes as close to the "Holy Grail" of chess as there is. And
you would think that everyone would love to hear this news ... and upon learning
it, would immediately institute this training technique and make it a part of their own daily
schedule. But such is not the case. Often times, the student will tell me:
"I don't need to do this on a daily basis." (Or
that they do not have the
time.) Or - that they solve problems on a fairly regular basis, but have changed
some basic part of this training tip, and are not using the exact, prescribed
method. (This is almost worse than doing nothing at all!)
But
let me tell you that the students who have put this into practice have often had
the most incredible results possible. A few have even seen their rating rise
from 100-to-500 points in a year to 18 months time!!! I am not kidding! {I would
give a few actual examples here, but this might violate someone's privacy -
something I had to learn that a good chess coach would never do.}
OK,
enough esoteric discussion ... lets get down to brass tacks, (and a few actual
examples).
Consider
the two {partial} positions shown above. The one on
the left - to me - is a natural consequence of a battle that involved two
Knights. The one on the right is IM Danny Kopec's "Mating Pattern, Z."
(Each one of the above positions also contains a link, click on it to learn
more.)
Now
I will tell you a funny story. At least 20 years ago, I went to a chess
tournament with a young man who was a candidate pilot in the training program in
the U.S. Navy. (Anyone who watches TV can tell you that Pensacola has one of the
main schools for training Navy pilots {jets}
... and that this has been true for over
seventy-five years now.)
This
young man, let's call him Danny, wanted a few last-minute pieces of advice from
me. You see, Danny was a very low-rated player, (under 1000); while my rating
was already in the 1800-2000+ range. (He privately sought me out when he first
arrived in Pensacola and virtually demanded that I give him lessons. In the
beginning, I said "no," but he was very persistent - I finally
relented and agreed to be his chess instructor.)
At
first, I racked my brains, and I thought I really had nothing to offer him - at
least, not on such short notice. But
then I thought I would give him a brief lecture, I had less than 30 minutes or
so before the first round began. I began to set up some basic mating patterns,
and then show him how each one could come about. A small crowd gathered, I was a
little embarrassed at first, but Danny urged me to continue.
I
went on, gaining steam and confidence with every example. When I finished with
5-10 minutes to spare before the first game of the day began, a few people even
clapped their hands. There was also a master watching, and without being asked
he set up the position on the left, above. (He was rude, sarcastic and even scornful.) He also
told me that he had been playing chess for "x" number of years, had a
solid collection of chess books, and that he had NEVER seen this particular
mating pattern arise in a real game of chess!!! I made a mental note to find an
actual (real) game out of which this mating pattern would actually arise. After
searching for many, many, many years ... I have finally found one! (Click
on the image on the left, above, to see what I am talking about.)
"A
chess problem," White to move in the position given above.
Now
check out the above position. I will confess, it is a composition, as far as I
know this exact position has never actually occurred in any game.
However, I went through great pains to make it resemble a real or actual game of
chess as much as I possibly could. I also took the effort to point out key squares and lines by
highlighting them for you. (White to move here, you may want to study the
position for a few moments and try to solve it in your head - before you look at
the answer below.)
*******
1.Qa2+,
The correct first move, no points for any other tries. (Note how the Queen immediately occupies the key a2-g8
diagonal and gives check to the BK.)
[ Less effective is: 1.b4 Qc7; 2.Rc1, "+/=" ]
1...Kh8;
This is completely forced.
[ Of course not: 1...Kf8??; 2.Qf7#. ]
Now comes a
couple of fairly obvious
moves ... where Black's responses are completely forced.
2.Nf7+ Kg8; 3.Nh6+ Kh8;
Once more this is forced, Black cannot move his King to the f8-square, due to the constant
threat of Qf7 mate.
Black - if he is very inexperienced -
might even believe that his position is quite safe, and that White has no way to make any real progress from
this particular position.
Will White be forced to take a draw
by repeating the position?
(Nf7+, Kg8; Nh6+, Kh8; etc.)
4.Qg8+!!,
Apparently not! Black Resigns, (1-0); as either capture is answered by the
wondrous move, and simple move of Nf7#!
*******
Please
note that this is a true smothered mate. (Kopec's position #
"R" of the basic
mates.)
Now
your reaction ... might be very similar to a student that I had a long time ago.
When I showed this mate he complained that: "Sure, sure, sure. That is all
well and good, but how practical is this mating pattern anyway?" (The
student felt that there was little chance of him ever actually pulling this mate
off in a real tournament game.)
The
simple answer is that I have used this mating pattern many times in my own
games, and dozens - if not hundreds of times - in blitz games. And if my own,
personal testimonial is not good enough for you, then I suggest that you carefully study the
historic clash:
IM D. Byrne - NM Bobby Fischer, New York, NY/USA; 1956.
This contest, from the Rosenwald
Tournament, is commonly referred to as,
"THE GAME OF THE CENTURY." BOTH
players had an opportunity for a smothered mate ... within just one or two moves of
each other! (As far as I know, this fact makes this example unique.) Pay special attention to the variations
that start with 17...Nb5?; for Black and 18.Bxe6? for White. [ more
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OK ... now take a look at the diagram -
just above.
(This is basically the exact same mate as IM D. Kopec's basic
mate, # "G".)
This mate might seem a tad unusual to the
beginner, however, it actually quite common. And while you might think it would
be late in the game before this pattern could actually occur, I actually found one example
in the database where this mate happened on the board - exactly as I give it here
- before move fifteen!!! It is also a lightly annotated game, please study it
now ... or later, at a time that is convenient to you. (The play is also rather
thematic for this type of mating pattern.)
Now
take a look at the position given
... just above here. IF ... it were Black to move, he would have
no problems, and could win as he pleases. However, it is White
to move. White plays 1.Ra8+,
and Black can resign, or throw a few pieces in the way before being mated.
Actually, this position is a little bit of a joke, it would be obvious that if
this position were from an actual game, Black would have had to blunder horribly
to allow such a finish. I wanted to create a game-like setting, (where Black was
as far ahead in material as reasonably possible); that would greatly illustrate
the power of the BACK-RANK
mate. (See the basic
mates, the last position on the list.)
And
this leads us to the next game for this lesson:
E.Z.
Adams - Carlos Torre;
New Orleans, LA/USA; 1920.
This
is a game that I have carefully and deeply annotated. (It even contains some
brief coverage of the opening lines, as well as a couple of the most basic
opening traps.) But its main purpose for being here, is that it clearly and
vividly demonstrates the possibilities that one player can use to exploit if his
opponent has left his back row
open and vulnerable. (Please study it carefully. In fact, I recommend that
you study the games in this lesson several times during the course of the
month.)
Now
take a look at the position given above. (In the basic
mates, its closest equivalent that I could find
was IM D. Kopec's mating position number "B.")
It is White to move,
the finish is the very simple 1.Rh8#. (Note
the Black Pawn on the f7-square, without it there would be no mate.)
Unlikely,
you think? "Impossible," you say?
Then
you should check out the game:
J.R. Capablanca - T.A. Carter;
St. Louis, MO/USA; 1909.
This is (also) a nicely annotated game. It contains a discussion and a review of
the main opening lines, a few traps, and also it amply illustrates a few of the
more common motif's for this particular opening. But - again - the main reason
that I chose it is that it illustrates the mating pattern that I have given
above. (Please study it carefully.)
Now
look at the above position. This is known as an: "Epaulette
Mate."
(Usually two of the defender's own pieces block his King's flight squares -
equally, on two sides. The two pieces that are impeding the King are hindrances
... and equated to the type of decorations that 17th and 18th century officers
used to wear on their shoulders. Hence the term epaulette.)
There
is an almost endless variety of these type of mates, especially when you count
inversions, rotations and mirror reflections. But once you are familiar with the
idea and you know what to look for, you will actually begin finding these type
of mates in your own game. (See the basic
mates page, IM D. Kopec's positions number "T"
and also "U.")
Many
times you will not have a pure mate of this type, it often will be a hybrid mate.
(I.e., a piece will block a defender's escape square on one side while the
opposite side is guarded by an attacker's piece. However, it is still essentially
the same pattern!) This is a good example
of what I am talking about here. The final position of this game will bare more
than a passing resemblance to the pattern given just above. (It is also a
tremendously wild and real tactical melee.)
Also
see this page,
{Diagram # 4.}; for
another example of an epaulette mate. (The final position, with the Pawn and
Rook blocking Black's own flight squares on the diagonals, is a VERY GOOD
example of a perfect epaulette mate.)
*********************
That
about concludes my lesson for this month. Please remember to study chess
problems on a regular basis ... all the while, keeping the idea in the back of
your mind that you want to discover and memorize the basic mating position or
PATTERN for that problem!!!
And
for those who may feel that I did not sufficiently challenge you this month, I
leave you with this final parting
shot. [ more
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Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2005.
All
rights reserved.
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