Friday, April 27, 2007
Basic Knight Strategy (Part 1)
Basic Knight Strategy (Part 1)
Because of its odd moving pattern, the Knight often presents the most difficulty for beginners to learn and understand its moving pattern, and to use the Knight effectively and defend against on the chessboard. Even more advanced players often have difficulties using and defending against one or both Knights, so beginners should not be discouraged. Yet, it has been said that effective and destructive use of Knights is, 'a hallmark of the Grandmasters.' With that said, taking the extra time to study and learn the Knight moving patterns, for both attacking and defending, is well worth the effort.
Moving and Capturing.
The Knight is the only non-linear piece on the chessboard, and the only chess piece which is allowed to jump over other pieces and pawns when moving. Additionally, the Knight is the only piece with which a player may make an opening move to his or her game other than a pawn advance.
Because of the non-linear movement of the Knight, provides some restriction for using a Knight(s) adeptly in an endgame. This is shown by the principles that a Knight and a King against a lone opposing King can never checkmate the opposing King, and two Knights and a King against a King can never force mate.
Note: It is possible to mate with two Knights and a King against a King if the opponent makes a mistake in moving his or her King.
To start with, take a look at the image to the left showing a Knights positioned at various squares on a chessboard. with visual depiction of the squares to which each could move, move and capture, control, or interact with opposing Knights or be supportive of a player's other Knight. The following basics elements for moving, moving and capturing, controlling, and interacting may be deduced from these patterns for the Knight:A Knight located on any of the four corner squares (a1, h1, a8, or h8) may only reach two squares.
Due to the Knight's non-linear movement, a Knight located on one of eight squares (a2, b1, g1, h2, a7, b8, g8, or h7), may only reach three squares. These are the only squares upon the chessboard for which the Knights do not have an "even" number of squares in multiples of two to which the Knight may move, move and capture, control, interact with opposing Knights or be supportive of a player's other Knight, or provide defense and protection for a player's pieces and/or pawns. These squares may be viewed, then, as the Knight's "odd" squares.
A Knight located in any other squares in either of the wings (a and h files: a3, a4, a5, a6, h3, h4, h5, & h6) or in the back ranks of the players (1st and 8th ranks: c1, d1, e1, f1, c8, d8, e8, & f8) or one of the four adjacent squares diagonally from the corner squares (the second and seventh squares in each of the 2nd and 7th ranks: b2, b7, g2, & g7), a total of 20 squares, may only reach four squares.
A Knight located on any other squares in the c through f files in the 2nd and 7th ranks (c2, d2, e2, f2, c7, d7, e7, & f7) or in the b and g files for the 3rd through the 6th ranks (b3, b4, b5, b6, g3, g4, g5, & g6), a total of sixteen squares, may reach six squares.
A Knight located on any other square (c3, c4, c5, c6, d3, d4, d5, d6, e3, e4, e5, e6, f3, f4, f5, & f6), a total of sixteen squares, may reach eight squares.
General observation: As a Knight moves off either wing and off either back rank, its mobility increases in multiples of two squares (2, 4, 6, & 8) as it nears the center of the chessboard, except for the Knight "odd" squares (a2, b1, g1, h2, a7, b8, g8, or h7) where the mobility jumps from three squares to either six squares if moves to an adjacent file or rank, or to eight squares if it moves to a rank or file toward the center of the board and two away from where it starts.
In Basic Knight Strategy (Part 2) we will talk about,
Principles and concepts involving the Knights.
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Thursday, April 26, 2007
Basic Knight Strategy (Part 2)
Basic Knight Strategy (Part 2)Principles and Concepts Involving the Knights
Now we turn the focus toward basic principles and concepts involving the Knights. Consider two Knights (White's King Knight and Black's Queen Knight) positioned on the chessboard after development through the first four moves in the standard French Defense opening as shown in Diagram N-II-A below, which shows White developed the King Knight to f3 and Black developed the Queen Knight to c6. Diagram N-II-B has arrows added, showing the central defending and attacking possibilities of the two Knights positioned at c6 and f3. Additional arrows have been added to show the attacking capability of Black's pawn at c5 and the defending capability of White's Queen at d1, to show how the Knights may work with other pieces and pawns to provide attacking/capturing threats and defending combinations. Note should be taken of the fact that Black's c5 pawn is protected by Black's King Bishop along the diagonal leading through the open e7 square in front of Black's King.
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Let us examine the attacking/capturing capabilities of Black's Queen Knight at c6 buttressed by Black's pawn at c5 to further develop principles involving the Knights, tactics, strategy, connections between various principles, evaluation, and application of English Algebraic notation with symbols.
If Black's Queen Knight captured White's pawn at e5 (Nxe5), White could simply freely capture Black's Queen Knight with White's King Knight from its position at c3 (Nxe5) or White's pawn at d4 (dxe5). Black would lose a piece and go two down in material count (a Knight=3 for a pawn=1) giving White material advantage, because Black cannot immediately capture White's Knight or pawn back for compensation. Also, Black's French Defense attack would evaporate in either situation. Further, if White captured with the King Knight, this would put the King Knight at e5, a decidedly advantageous position (principle of centralization).
If White captured with the pawn at d4 (dxe5), this would break White's central pawn chain (also constituting a pawn couple and essentially give up control of the central squares to Black. White would maintain a passed pawn at e5 blocking vertical advance of Black's pawn at e6, and White's King Knight at c3 would still protect it. However, White's passed pawn at e5 would be a weak passed pawn because White would need to use pieces such as the King Knight from f3 to protect it unless White wanted to advance his or her f2 pawn to f4. To do so, though, White would need to move White's King Knight from its best defensive position on the chessboard...the f3 square. Both moving the King Knight and advancing the pawn to f4 would be unwise as it would open White's Kingside to attack by Black and make castling to the Kingside less advantageous. Combined to accomplish the stated purpose, each move therefore would be considered a bad move...for which the symbol ? is used.
White could castle to the Kingside after moving and developing his or her King Bishop from its home square at f1, with follow-up moving of White's King Rook to e1 (Re1) providing protection for the pawn at e5 in White's open e file. Doing so would be considered a good move for which the symbol ! is used...in English Algebraic notation with symbol: Re1!. The castle move early in the opening phase also is highly recommended as a general principal, and would provide significant defensive purposes for White.
In the above line of play, White's capturing of Black's Queen Knight at e5 with White's pawn at d4 most likely would be evaluated as being without compensation and a dubious move for which the symbol ?! is used...in English Algebraic notation with symbol: dxe5?!.
If White captured with the King Knight from its position at f3 (Nxe5), White would gain not only material advantage but also positional superiority with the Knight now positioned at e5, creating good attacking threat capabilities on Black's Kingside. Black will find it hard to safely dislodge White's King Knight at e5, where it cannot be immediately captured back and would take Black significant tempi to logically force it from the square. White still would have the ability to proceed with moving to castle to the Kingside and bring the King Rook into play for defensive purposes at the e1 square.
In the above line of play, White's capturing of Black's Queen Knight at e5 with White's King Knight from its position at f3 most likely would be evaluated as being a good move...in English Algebraic notation with symbol: Nxe5!.
Therefore, Black's taking of White's pawn at e5 with the Queen Knight at c6 would be evaluated as being without compensation, and perhaps charitably evaluated as a bad move, but better yet a blunder for which the symbol ?? is used...in English Algebraic notation with symbol either Nxe5? or Nxe5?? respectively.
If Black used the Queen Knight to capture White's pawn at d4 (Nxd4), this would also break White's central pawn chain and follow the principle to attack a pawn chain at its base, the weakest point. However, White could then capture the Queen Knight with his or her King Knight at c6 (Nxd4), offering Black the opportunity to do a Knight trade (exchange) by capturing the King Knight with Black's pawn at c5 (cxd4). If Black did so, White could then simply capture Black's pawn at d4 with Black's Queen from its home position at d1 (Qxd4), to give White a pawn up in material advantage, and allowing White to begin developing and moving toward an attack against Black's now weakened Queenside.
While the above line would essentially force White's Queen out early in the opening phase, violating one of the general principles which states to avoid doing so, White's capture with the Queen would be with compensation and the most logical thing to do especially with Black now being without his or her Queen Knight, having both Rooks still locked in on Black's back rank with no current ability to get into the central play area, having the Queen Bishop fairly immobile because of Black's blockading pawn at e6, and Black having an ineffective King Bishop that although mobile it is essentially impracticable for developing any attack against White with the King Bishop at this time through the only diagonal open to it.
Therefore, Black's capturing of White's pawn at d4 with the Queen Knight (Nxd4) would be without compensation, and perhaps classified as a dubious move or perhaps better a bad move...either Nxd4?! or Nxd4? respectively. White's capture with the King Knight (Nxd4) would be said to be with compensation and a good move: Nxd4!; and, capturing with White's Queen (Qxd4) also would be with compensation and a good move: Qxd4!.
Now consider each of the four Knights on the board after the first four moves in the standard French Defense. What may each do and not do as far as moving on the board (excluding captures)? Look at Diagram-IB again. The complexities of conceptualizing and understanding the Knights is now shown in the next diagram...why the Knights can be so difficult to keep track of during the game due to the possibilities the Knights can present for moving, attacking/capturing, and defending. The following diagram shows just how mind-numbing thinking about the Knights can be playing a game. The diagram does not show the L-shape arrows for White's Queen Knight or Black's King Knight so as to enable a view of conceptualizing the Knights in the triangular method. Also, I have not shown blue arrows for Black's Queen Knight at c6 and its attacking/capturing capabilities on White's pawns at d4 and e5, as we have analyzed those lines of play above; instead I have shown white arrows with the symbol ? denoting the above analysis for capturing either White's e5 pawn or d4 pawn with Black's Queen Knight.
White's Knight at b1 (Queen Knight)
a3
c3
d2
White's Knight at f3 (King Knight)
d2
g5
h4
g1 (retreat to home square)
cannot move to h2 because it is occupied by a White pawn
cannot move to d4 because it is occupied by a White pawn
cannot move to e5 because it is occupied by a White pawn
cannot move to e1 because it is occupied by the White King
Black's Knight at c6 (Queen Knight)
a5
b4
b8 (retreat to home square)
e7
cannot move to a7 because it is occupied by a Black pawn
cannot move to d8 because it is occupied by the Black Queen
Black's Knight at g8 (King Knight)
e7
f6
h6
Ok, now that you have finished this tutorial let's take a
Kinght Strategy Quick Review to finish up.
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Knight Strategy (Quick Review)
 Knight Strategy (Quick Review) Knights belong in the middle of the board. Here is a quick overview of basics Knight strategy with a couple of rhymes to remember. Knights belong in the middle of the board, where the pawns can't attack it. In the middle of the board, the knight has access to eight squares. On the side of the board, the knight has access to only 4 squares. That's why we say that "a knight on the rim is dim." In the corner of the board, the knight has access to only two squares. There's a poem for that too. A knight in the corner makes you a mourner. Visual Overview.
Knights belong in the middle of the board.. Yes, I know, I just said that, but I am saying it again for emphasis because it just got a bit more complicated. Using the chess publisher below you can see in a game how easy it was for the white pawns to force the knight to keep moving. Black has moved just one piece, the knight, and meanwhile white has taken impressive control over the center of the board.  Mental Exercise It is much better to place the knight in "holes" in the opponent's pawn structure. In the diagram at the left the knight would be very well placed in the hole marked with an "X" Note that there, the white pawns will not be able to attack or capture the knight, and from the hole, the knight helps to control eight squares. Now try doing a mental exercise, 'Can you safely maneuver the knight to the hole in just three moves?' If you get stuck the answer is at the bottom of the page. Knights can attack two pieces at the same time. Knights can attack two pieces at the same time and Knight forks are fun! As you can see in the first example, the knight can attack two or more pieces at the same time. When the knight attacks two pieces at the same time, we call it a knight fork. An attack upon more than two pieces is called a "family fork." Here in the second example you will see in many games with black to move. As you can see, a White Knight is attacking the Black Queen. If the Black Queen moves forward one square (following the arrow), can you see how white can move the White Knight to deliver a family fork? Study this example, and if you get stuck below is the answer.
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Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Is Chess a Sport? The Debate Goes On
Is Chess a Sport? The Debate Goes On Many people do not feel that chess is a sport, they consider chess a board game, and large segments of our culture do not currently view chess as a sport. Why is this? read more | digg story
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Monday, April 23, 2007
Chess Basic Winning Strategies
 Chess Basic Winning Strategies - How to Win Presented are the 5 basic elements to remember when playing a game of chess. Learn these, and put these into practice when you play and you will see a great improvement in the number of games you will win. The five steps outline are relatively simple and easy to remember. They account for many of my own victories, and they will prove useful to you as well. These are extremely common occurrences and they are present in one form or another in most master games played.  Step #1: Identify the weakness. The first step is simple enough. You will win many games if you train yourself to be aware of and to identify quickly all of your opponent's pawn weaknesses. In the diagram, the two central black pawns form a pawn chain. As we have seen, the backward pawn at d6 (marked with a X) is the weaker of the two pawns and represents a key weakness in the black structure. These are the type of weaknesses you should identify and be looking for.  Step #2: Fix the weakness Remember, in the section on Basic Knight Strategy, we saw that it is advantageous to place knights in the center of the board where they cannot be attacked by pawns? Here is an example showing the basic strategy for doing this. It is easy to see that it would be useful to place a knight, or another piece for that matter, on the "square" at d5. Now, by placing the knight on the square at d5, or even by using the knight to control d5, we prevent black from pushing the pawn from d6 to d5. As you can see in the diagram, white controls the key d5-square with both the knight and the pawn on e4. If black pushes the d-pawn, white will win it. The pawn on d6 has therefore been fixed.  Step #3: Attack the weakness with your pieces. Once you have identified and fixed the weakness, it is time to attack the weakness with your chessmen, but not your pawns. In this diagram you can see that white has been successful in arranging an attack upon black's d6-pawn with five different pieces. There is a time when it is important to attack with a pawn as we will see in the next to steps. You must set the stage first.  Step #4: Force your opponent to defend. Your opponent will be forced to defend the weakness with pieces. If you have successfully carried out the first three steps, your opponent will have to carry out the fourth step and defend their pieces. For every attack upon the weak pawn, your opponent will have to find a defender for that piece. In the diagram, white is still attacking black's d6-pawn with five pieces, forcing black to defend the poor pawn with five pieces of his own. If your opponent fails to defend the pawn adequately, look to take the target pawn "with the little thing." What "the little thing" is obviously depends upon the position, but is often a knight or bishop.  Step #5: Attack the weakness with a pawn. Then, and only then, attack the weakness with a pawn. By the time you've completed step #4, your opponent will know that there is trouble ahead. All of your pieces will be active, focusing their energy upon a single fixed point. By contrast, all of your opponent's pieces will be relative weak, defending rather than attacking a weakness. The final step is simple enough. Attack the weakness with a pawn. As you can see in the diagram, black has a large quandary. We know that the d6-pawn has been fixed. Black cannot push the d6-pawn without losing it, and capturing the white pawn on c5 opens the d-file for white's heavy artillery. How would you proceed as white after ...dxc5?
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ACM Chess Challenge 1997 - Deep Blue
ACM Chess Challenge 1997 - Deep Blue
Round two of six.
A year earlier, Kasparov defeated Deep Blue. Afterwards, IBM brought in grand master Joel Benjamin to try to make the machine "think" like a master.
Kasparov won the first game, lost the second, then played to a draw in the next three. Deep Blue won in only an hour in game six. After the 19th move in the final game, Kasparov raged against the machine, claiming that IBM had programmed Deep Blue specifically to beat him.
Go through the moves with the Chess Publisher.
You will also find the notation for the game below.
 Garry Kasparov | ||||||||||||||
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1997 Deep Blue Notation for Game Two
Below is the notation for the game.
Highlight, copy, and then paste into notepad or simular, save as pgn.
[Event "ACM Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"]
[Date "96.02.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Garry "]
[Black "Deep Blue "]
[Opening "Catalan Open"]
[ECO "E04"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. O-O Nf6 6. c4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Bd7 8. Na3 cxd4
9. Naxc4 Bc5 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Qxb7 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Rb8 13. Qf3 Bd6 14. Nc6 Bxc6
15. Qxc6 e5 16. Rb1 Rb6 17. Qa4 Qb8 18. Bg5 Be7 19. b4 Bxb4 20. Bxf6 gxf6
21. Qd7 Qc8 22. Qxa7 Rb8 23. Qa4 Bc3 24. Rxb8 Qxb8 25. Be4 Qc7 26. Qa6 Kg7
27. Qd3 Rb8 28. Bxh7 Rb2 29. Be4 Rxa2 30. h4 Qc8 31. Qf3 Ra1 32. Rxa1 Bxa1
33. Qh5 Qh8 34. Qg4+ Kf8 35. Qc8+ Kg7 36. Qg4+ Kf8 37. Bd5 Ke7 38. Bc6 Kf8
39. Bd5 Ke7 40. Qf3 Bc3 41. Bc4 Qc8 42. Qd5 Qe6 43. Qb5 Qd7 44. Qc5+ Qd6
45. Qa7+ Qd7 46. Qa8 Qc7 47. Qa3+ Qd6 48. Qa2 f5 49. Bxf7 e4 50. Bh5 Qf6
51. Qa3+ Kd7 52. Qa7+ Kd8 53. Qb8+ Kd7 54. Be8+ Ke7 55. Bb5 Bd2 56. Qc7+
Kf8 57. Bc4 Bc3 58. Kg2 Be1 59. Kf1 Bc3 60. f4 exf3 61. exf3 Bd2 62. f4 Ke8
63. Qc8+ Ke7 64. Qc5+ Kd8 65. Bd3 Be3 66. Qxf5 Qc6 67. Qf8+ Kc7 68. Qe7+ Kc8
69. Bf5+ Kb8 70. Qd8+ Kb7 71. Qd7+ Qxd7 72. Bxd7 Kc7 73. Bb5 1-0
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Betty Boop in 'Chess Nuts' (YouTube Video)
Betty Boop in 'Chess Nuts' (YouTube Video) This is a cute cartoon classic I had been looking for and found on youtube.com so I thought I would share it. I hope you enjoy watching Betty Boop in "Chess Nuts." 6m 14s Technorati Tags  Chess Video The Chess Blog Chess Blog |
Opening Strategy
 Basic Chess Opening Strategy Beginners often have questions on basic opening strategy. Here are a few basic strategies geared to understanding the basic fundamentals of chess. We will cover, controlling the center of the board, moving your knights before the bishops, developing your attack, bringing your Queen out to early in the game, and lastly, King safety. These are time honored strategies and not to be confused with modern chess strategy and variants.  Control the center. A good place for beginning players to start is to open with one of the two center pawns. Those are the pawns directly in front of your King and Queen. The diagram to the right shows the four squares on the chessboard that encompass the center. All of your early moves in a game should be geared to take control over the center (the d4,e4,d5, and e5 squares) of the board. By moving those center pawns forward two square, you take control over a part of the center, and you actually have begun to developed a threat. Two things to keep in mind here; one, you are 'developing your pieces,' and two, you are 'controlling the center of the board, creating a threat to your opponent.' The basic idea is simple and straight forward, every early move should try to take better control over the center of the board, preferably in a way that threatens something, perhaps an opponent's piece, or to establish firm control over the center. Knights before Bishops. It is better to develop the Knights before their respective Bishops. This principle does not mean that both Knights should be developed before bringing out a Bishop. What is advisable, is to play either the King’s Knight before playing the King’s Bishop, and similarly the Queen’s Knight before playing the Queen's Bishop. In FIDE Chess, the Knights are the weakest piece. Because they are the weakest piece, a general principle of chess says that they should ideally be developed before the other pieces; they should be the first troops to engage the enemy, aside from the Pawns. The principle of centralization says that they should be developed so that they make contact with the center of the board. Note: FIDE, or Fédération Internationale des Échecs - World Chess Federation, is usually referred to by its French acronym, as FIDE pronounced "fee day." Develop before you attack. This is a basic principle of chess, develop before you attack. The idea here is to move your chess pieces into play, keeping to one or two pawn moves in the beginning, while bringing your Knight's and Bishop's to their best squares in one move, to gain control of the center. Try not to move a piece more than once in the opening unless you can capture something or gain something important. In other words, don't start attacking until all, or at least most of your pieces are developed first. Don't bring your queen out early. It's tempting to bring the queen out early in a game because it's the most powerful piece on the board. The trouble is your opponent can, and will chase your queen back by threatening it with less valuable pieces. Make sure that you do not bring your queen out early. If you do, you may lose it, or at best lose time moving it around when your opponent attacks it. Wait with your queen in the back rank until you are sure you know where it's going, and what you want to do with her.  King safety This should be obvious, but many beginners forget about safeguarding their king. Lose your king, and you lose the game! Actually, that is not correct as the King in never captured, rather the King is put into check, and if the King cannot move without being in check the King is therefore in checkmate. That being said, make it a priority to castle early unless you have a very good reason to do something else. In most games, players castle kingside because it is easier to defend. Castling queenside leaves the king a bit more exposed. If you do castle queenside, you will often want to take time to move the king from c1 to b1 for added safety. Even on the kingside, it is often a good idea to make the king safer by moving it from g1 to h1.
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Friday, April 20, 2007
Pawn Strategy
 Pawn Strategy Pawns play an important part of every chess game. Although they are have the lowest point value of all the chessmen on the board, they provide a line of defense as well as being a source for an offensive battle, often setting the tempo of a game. Here we are going to discuss basic pawn strategy while briefly covering pawn structure, doubled pawns, the pawn chain, passed pawns, and lastly pawn weakness. Use these basic pawn strategies as a guidelines while you play, and you will quickly improve your game play and skills.  An introduction to pawn structure. The pawn is the foot soldier of chess. Unlike the other chessmen on the board, the pawns can move in only one direction, and that direction is forward. As the pawns move forward, they open up diagonals for the bishops to move, offer protection for other pieces, and often lead the way for attacks. Pawns often pry open an opponents' kingside, but they can also spell disaster when they become unprotected, weak, and are easily subject to capture. If a pawn is successful in reaching the final rank during play, it can then transform itself into any other piece it chooses to be, the most common choice is a pawn into a Queen. You are allowed to have more than one Queen on the board, albeit, it is very rare for a pawn to advance to the final rank, or to see more than two Queens on the board. If you are fortunate enough to advance a pawn to the final rank, and have more than one Queen, either borrow a Queen from another chess set, or if you have a captured Rook, turn it upside down. Chess players understand that an upside down Rook represents a second Queen. In the diagram to the left, white's pawns are considered very strong despite the fact that they have not yet moved. In chess speak, we say that there are no pawn weaknesses in the white camp. By contrast, all the pawns in the black camp are isolated, and therefore making them weak. This is because without any additional captures, it is not possible for any of the black pawns to protect each other. As a game progresses you should generally try to keep your pawns coordinated.  General rule of thumb, try not to double your Pawns. When Pawns wind up one in front of the other, we refer to them as doubled Pawns. Generally, doubled Pawns happen after a capture has occurred, and only a Pawn can recapture. There are exceptions, but you should most often try to recapture with a piece in order to avoid the weakness of doubled pawns. As you can see in the diagram to the right, black has not one, but two sets of doubled pawns. Whites strategy quickly becomes clear, White will first double the rooks on the c-file. Black will need to respond to this attack to protect his pawns from being captured using the black rooks. Black is now faced with having to defend the c-pawns rather than actively pursuing an attack upon the white pawns, there by loosing tempo in the game. In most situations you will be able to take advantage of thier weakness, and capture these weak pawns once all of your chessmen are well developed. This being the case, it is worth noting that you should generally not be in a hurry, or ruch to attack these weaknesses. Keep in mind that weaknesses such as doubled pawns are known as 'structural weaknesses,' in that these weaknesses usually will be there for the duration of the game. However, if a clear win is a result by capture of a weak Pawn, by all means do so.  Pawn chains The Pawn structures often define the ways in which the middle game battle will be carried out. In many openings, the Pawns form chains of Pawns. In order to understand the nature of the Pawn chain, often use the somewhat violent analogy to shooting ducks. When ducks fly overhead in formation, the best strategy for a large holiday meal is to shoot at the bird in the rear. The other birds may hear the shot, but they won't actually see that the duck in the rear was shot.  This analogy is used in chess, to learn that the pawn in the rear of the chain is the weakest of the pawns, precisely because the other pawns can no longer protect it. So, just like in our duck hunting analogy, the best strategy therefore is often to aim your attack at the rear of your opponents pawn chain. In the diagram above, black has prepared, and will now play the Pawn ...c5. Now, if white should capture this c-pawn, you can see that both of whites pawns will be weak, and subject to capture. The diagram to the right shows a more practical example of attacking the pawn in the rear. White, in this attack, moves the pawn to e6 where it attacks the base of the black pawn chain. If black captures the pawn, white will be able to respond with Qxg6 check! You can now see this is a strong move by whites pawn, that by attacking blacks rear pawn, puts the blacks King at a disadvantage, and highly likely to being put into check.  Passed Pawns like to be pushed. Just as rooks become more powerful on open files and the value of the knight increases towards the center, so too the pawn becomes more powerful and more threatening as it nears the queening square on the final rank. You will often find that your opponent will have to give up a knight, a bishop, or sometimes more in order to prevent a pawn from reaching the queening square. In the diagram above, the white pawn on e6 is a very powerful weapon in no small part because white has placed a queen to help guide in the pawn. After white pushes the pawn, black must give up the knight immediately or else a rook when the pawn reaches the e8-queening square.  Every pawn move creates a weakness. By virtue of how they capture, pawns control two squares. In contrast, it is true that every pawn move creates a weakness in structure. As pawns move forward, they lose control over the squares they had just controlled. Think twice before moving your pawns. Pushing pawns is especially dangerous when you do so in front of your king like in the example above. In the diagram above, black has pushed forward the g-pawn leaving two weaknesses on f6 and h6. White is attempting to take advantage of the weakness on h6 orienting his pawns and pieces towards that square.
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Thursday, April 19, 2007
Chess Strategy, Tactics, and Positional Play
Chess Strategy, Tactics, and Positional Play
Featured below are articles we have writen to help new, or novice players alike learn the fundamentals of chess. These articles start with chess strategy and advance througth tactics, and positional play. We also featured our recomendations for inexpensive books available as learning aids from Amazon.com for their ease to read, easy to understand, and value. Please take the time to review these books.
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Chess Puzzles and Problems
Chess Puzzles and Problems
Featured below are articles we have writen to help new, or novice players alike learn chess problems, and chess puzzles. These puzzles and problems range from easy puzzles through advance problems, and will aid in tactic, and positional play. We also featured our recomendations for inexpensive books available as learning aids from Amazon.com for their ease to read, easy to understand, and value. Please take the time to review these books.
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Learn Chess and Chess Basics
Learn Chess and Chess Basics
Featured below are articles we have writen to help new, or novice players alike learn the basic fundamentals of chess. These articles start with a brief history of chess and advance througth basic learning process. We also featured our recomendations for inexpensive books available as learning aids from Amazon.com for their ease to read, easy to understand, and value. Please take the time to review these books.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Blindfold Simul, Philidor - 1783
Blindfold Simul Last Sunday, April 15th, we talked about André Philidor. Below is a blindfold simul game played against Philidor's long time friend, and supporter at the London Chess Club, Count Brühl.
Blindfold Simul, Philidor - 1783 Below is the notation for the game. Highlight, copy, and then paste into notepad or simular, save as pgn. [Event "Blindfold simul"] [Site "London, England"] [Date "1783.??.??"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "?"] [Result "0-1"] [White "John Bruhl"] [Black "Philidor"] [ECO "C23"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "94"] 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 c6 3.Qe2 d6 4.c3 f5 5.d3 Nf6 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.d4 e4 8.Bg5 d5 9.Bb3 Bd6 10.Nd2 Nbd7 11.h3 h6 12.Be3 Qe7 13.f4 h5 14.c4 a6 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.Qf2 O-O 17.Ne2 b5 18.O-O Nb6 19.Ng3 g6 20.Rac1 Nc4 21.Nxf5 gxf5 22.Qg3+ Qg7 23.Qxg7+ Kxg7 24.Bxc4 bxc4 25.g3 Rab8 26.b3 Ba3 27.Rc2 cxb3 28.axb3 Rfc8 29.Rxc8 Rxc8 30.Ra1 Bb4 31.Rxa6 Rc3 32.Kf2 Rd3 33.Ra2 Bxd2 34.Rxd2 Rxb3 35.Rc2 h4 36.Rc7+ Kg6 37.gxh4 Nh5 38.Rd7 Nxf4 39.Bxf4 Rf3+ 40.Kg2 Rxf4 41.Rxd5 Rf3 42.Rd8 Rd3 43.d5 f4 44.d6 Rd2+ 45.Kf1 Kf7 46.h5 e3 47.h6 f3 0-1
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Monday, April 16, 2007
Chess Blog Update
 Chess Blog Update Today marks the end of our second month since our first conception. It has been a rather hectic month planning our new chess server, testing programs, and maintenance here at the chess blog. We are having a local web design firm Kreativewebworks designing our graphics, branding, and promotion for the launch of the chess server. In addition marketing is also underway to help populate the server with plenty of members. After all, what good is a chess server if there is no one online to play against, right? Hopefully by the time of the official launch there will be a couple thousand active members. As far as sight news goes, there have been many changes, mostly behind the scenes in regard to document weight to help load pages faster, organizing our link structure, and basic SEO. We have also changed the design some, adding two new graphics to the header as well as picking up Google's news service with chess related articles. Readership is improving, while visitor participation is rising as we continue to improves our site with the help of viewer feedback. Chess blog @ chess strategy 101 wishes to thank everyone for their continued support, participation, and feedback. With kind regards, Raymond Roy
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Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Chess Game (YouTube Video)
The Chess Game (YouTube Video) This is a cute and humorous animation I stumbled across so I thought I would share it. Although this video may not be in your native language, it is still fun and amusing to watch. Enjoy... 4m 49s Meet Geri, from the 1997 Pixar animation Geri's Game. Geri's Game is an oscar wining short animation film by Jan Pinkava of Pixar Animation. While enjoying an afternoon in the park, Geri is engaged in a game of chess against himself. As the game progresses two sides of Geri's personality emerge, the meek and humble, and the dark and nasty self. This is an important game as Geri has bet his dentures on the outcome!   Technorati Tags Chess Video Geri's Game YouTube Chess Pixar Animation |
Chess Strategy - Francois André Danican Philidora
 Chess Strategy - Francois André Danican Philidora André Philidor 1726 - 1795, was the greatest chess player of the 18th century, and the author of perhaps the most influential chess book ever written, 'L'analyse du jeu des Eschecs.' Although chess as we know it has been played since about 1475 it was Philidor who first made chess extremely popular, and was the first to explain chess strategy. Born into a family of musicians, François André Danican Philidor was born September 7th 1726 in Dreux, France. Philidor's father who married twice, his second wife close to 50 years younger, gave birth to André, one of the youngest of 20 plus children from the second marriage. By the time he was of age, his father, and most of his siblings had already pasted on. This put André more or less on his own his entire life. He started by singing in a boys choir at age 6, where he would hang around the musicians, many of whom played chess. It is told, that by the time his voice broke, one of the musicians needed a chess partner, and no one was available. Philidor, who had never actually played, offered to sit in. Surprisingly, André won the game, then took off running fearing the wrath of his much older opponent. Philidor was widely regarded as a musical prodigy, however the field of music was highly competitive, and at age 14, Philidor went off to Paris to earn a living giving music lessons, and copying scores. Soon afterwards he started hanging around the, 'Café de la Regence,' which was, at the time considered the world's center for chess. It is here that he met 'de Kermur, Sire de Legal,' considered the best player in the, 'café,' therefore, in Paris, and possibly the world. André became so obsessed with chess that he lost most of his music students from neglect and after 3 years, Legal was no longer a competitive match for him. It is at this time in 1744, that Philidor gave his famous simultaneous, 2 games blindfold chess demonstration. His results were poor, winning one game and loosing the other, but the demonstration was considered an extraordinary display of mental powers, and praised throughout the world giving Philidor a celebrity status of sorts. The following year, Philidor took a job organizing a concert tour that featured a 13 year old harpsichord prodigy, the producer's daughter. Tragedy struck while the tour was in Holland as the young girl died, and the tour closed. This left Philidor stranded in Rotterdam without funds, so he started playing chess for money to survive. It is at this time chess became more than just a pastime for Philidor, it became his main source of income. When he earned had enough money, he took off for England, and while in London he played Phillip Stemma, the noted Syrian chess author whose reputation exceeded his talent. Philidor beat him most conclusively 8 games to 2. One of the loses was really a draw as Philidor allowed any draw to be considered a loss. This effectively ended Stemma's chess career. On a footnote, André also played against and defeated Sir Abraham Janssen whom many consider to have been Philidor's strongest opponent 4 games to 1. A few years later in 1748, he returned to Holland and wrote his book, 'L'analyse du jeu des Eschecs.' This was the first real book on chess since Greco. His approach was entirely unique. He wanted to teach principles rather than moves, a first in the chess world, as no one had approached chess in this manner before. His book was well received as it proved Philidor also understood something about positional play, in which he wrote the famous line, 'Les pions sont l'ame du jeu,' or translated, 'Pawns are the soul of the game,' indicating that pawns are the most static, and therefore the most reliable anchor with which to apply principles. Philidor republished his book twice. While successful in it's official releases, it was even more so in the cheaper rip-offs. It became a profound influence in chess, particularly in England. Later on in 1751 Berlin, he played a 3 game blindfold simul, winning every game. With the exception for a match with Legal in Paris, which he won, Philidor devoted most of his time to music. It wasn't until 20 years later in 1771 that he started playing chess seriously again, and this was back in London. The Parsloe Chess Club members underwrote Philidor's expenses to come there from February to June each year which allowed him to earn extra money teaching, and playing side games. Philidor did this for 20 years and produced very little musically during this time, so it might be surmised that chess had become his main source of revenue once again. Because of the French Revolution, in 1792 Philidor was accidentally put on a French list of persona non gratis. He was stranded in England until it was finally straightened out after 2 years. He hadn't seen his wife and children during this time, supporting them by sending them his earning, but before he could leave for France to rejoin them, he died in London, August 24,1795. Philidor was buried at St. James in London. He had a chess career that spanned over 50 years, and of the thousands of games he had played, only 68 were ever recorded. Even these recorded games were sadly, only those played in the last eight years of his life, so we will never fully know the full strength of Philidor in his prime. Shortly before his death, Philidor published a third edition of his chess book, and dedicated it to his friend and chess patron, Count Bruehl, who had given support to Philidor at the London Chess Club. Interesting to note that when Philidor wasn't playing chess he was a composer of operas and other music, some of which is still played today.
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Friday, April 13, 2007
ACM Chess Challenge 1997 - Deep Blue
ACM Chess Challenge 1997 - Deep Blue
Round one of six.
A year earlier, Kasparov defeated Deep Blue. Afterwards, IBM brought in grand master Joel Benjamin to try to make the machine "think" like a master.
Kasparov won the first game, lost the second, then played to a draw in the next three. Deep Blue won in only an hour in game six. After the 19th move in the final game, Kasparov raged against the machine, claiming that IBM had programmed Deep Blue specifically to beat him.
Go through the moves with the Chess Publisher.
You will also find the notation for the game below.
Garry Kasparov | ||||||||||||||
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1997 Deep Blue Notation for Game One
Below is the notation for the game.
Highlight, copy, and then paste into notepad or simular, save as pgn.
[Event "ACM Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Philadelphia, PA USA"]
[Date "96.02.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Deep Blue"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Opening "Alapin Sicilian"]
[ECO "B22"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. h3 Bh5
8. O-O Nc6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4 11. a3 Ba5 12. Nc3 Qd6 13. Nb5 Qe7
14. Ne5 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 O-O 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. Bg5 Bb6 18. Bxf6 gxf6
19. Nc4 Rfd8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Rfd1 f5 22. Qe3 Qf6 23. d5 Rxd5 24. Rxd5
exd5 25. b3 Kh8 26. Qxb6 Rg8 27. Qc5 d4 28. Nd6 f4 29. Nxb7 Ne5
30. Qd5 f3 31. g3 Nd3 32. Rc7 Re8 33. Nd6 Re1+ 34. Kh2 Nxf2 35. Nxf7+
Kg7 36. Ng5+ Kh6 37. Rxh7+ 1-0
Roger Coathup @ Chess Tales
 Roger Coathup @ Chess Tales You meet the most interesting people within the chess community and recently I have had the pleasure of correspondence with Roger Coathup, CEO of 21 Thoughts.com. Roger has a deep passion for chess as illustrated in his recently established blog Chess Tales. Our first correspondence was a comment Roger had posted to me in regards to Chess and Social Networking. As a result we have since developed our own form of social networking between us, which gives a person valuable insight into each others personalities. One thing I really admire in Roger is his honesty. He tells his readers why he first started his chess blog in his first post What's the best chess clock in the world? Roger tells us he started his blog as a form of promotion for his online retail Chess Store. That may have been the reason he started the blog, however another aspect that further illustrated Rogers' passion for chess is apparent in his writings, and as he coaches and mentors Sophie Seeber in her ambitions and endeavors. Roger writes on a variety of chess related topics which makes for fun and enjoyable reading and is always available to answer questions as his schedule permits. Why not take this opportunity to visit Roger and his blog? You will certainly enjoy your visit. I'll see your there...
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Thursday, April 12, 2007
WCC Event - First World Chess Championship
WCC Event - First World Chess Championship This is the first in a series that will feature the First World Chess Championship round by round.
WCC Event - First World Chess Championship Below is the notation for the game. Highlight, copy, and then paste into notepad or simular, save as pgn. [Event "World Championship 1st"] [Site "USA"] [Date "1886.01.11"] [Round "1"] [White "Zukertort, Johannes H"] [Black "Steinitz, Wilhelm"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D11"] [EventDate "1886.01.11"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nf3 Nd7 6.a3 Bd6 7.c5 Bc7 8.b4 e5 9. Be2 Ngf6 10.Bb2 e4 11.Nd2 h5 12.h3 Nf8 13.a4 Ng6 14.b5 Nh4 15.g3 Ng2+ 16. Kf1 Nxe3+ 17.fxe3 Bxg3 18.Kg2 Bc7 19.Qg1 Rh6 20.Kf1 Rg6 21.Qf2 Qd7 22.bxc6 bxc6 23.Rg1 Bxh3+ 24.Ke1 Ng4 25.Bxg4 Bxg4 26.Ne2 Qe7 27.Nf4 Rh6 28.Bc3 g5 29.Ne2 Rf6 30.Qg2 Rf3 31.Nf1 Rb8 32.Kd2 f5 33.a5 f4 34.Rh1 Qf7 35.Re1 fxe3+ 36.Nxe3 Rf2 37.Qxf2 Qxf2 38.Nxg4 Bf4+ 39.Kc2 hxg4 40.Bd2 e3 41.Bc1 Qg2 42.Kc3 Kd7 43.Rh7+ Ke6 44.Rh6+ Kf5 45.Bxe3 Bxe3 46.Rf1+ Bf4 0-1
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Going Forward - Free Chess Server
 Going Forward - Free Chess Server In out last update we talked about setting up a Free Chess Server. Well we are going forward with these plans. We have a domain, a server, and have made decisions on a few of the programs we will be using. To start with we will be running Jin Chess Server: jin-2.14.1. A very close second was Internet Chess Server. The truth is, it was a toss-up. Both servers have common features, both servers are open source and extremely close in their nature. A decision had to be made and jin won by the slightest margin. We are also testing some cool features for the chess server which include TeamSpeak, Jabber, and eGroupWare. Naturally, there will be a bulletin board with phpbb.com, and that's just the start. In addition we have now have a realistic timeline to work with. It now looks like about 4 - 5 months before officially going live. The server should be up and running much sooner than that for limited usage thought. As soon as the server becomes available we will let you know. We are still working on software for a different kind of chess server. Keeping with the spirit of SourceForge this software will also be Open Source. This is taking much longer than first expected. It is worth the wait though, and hopefully within a years time we will rock the chess world, trust me...
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Chess Openings
 Overwhelmed by Chess Openings? Beginners and novices should have simple, forcing chess openings. There are two things that overpower most chess players when learning their chess openings and defensive systems. First, we find that chess opening books contain so much material that it seems you can never learn enough. To tackle this problem, first turn to the Index and/or Table of Contents of your chess opening book. Then play through the moves over and over, then over again until you learn what the variations are. You learn the variations before you tackle the analysis. If a Table of Contents does not give the moves you need, go to each chapter and just learn the main moves. After you have mastered the variations, play over only the main line moves in each chapter. Again, repetition is the key - again and again. After the main lines are retained in your mind, start to tackle the notes. The easiest way to play over chess opening lines again and again is by using a book like this one; Chess Fundamentals (Algebraic)  , by: Jose Raul Capablanca; from Amazon.com. World Chess Champion Capablanca teaches chess takes you step by step from novice to upper-grade competitor. Beginning with elementary checkmates, Capablanca moves logically through every phase of basic chess technique: promoting pawns, controlling the center, winning middle games and opening strategy. This is a great book!Second, most players want to learn a complete White Opening System or a complete Black Defensive System. There are probably two ways to look at this problem: (a) You don't start out with a complete chess system, and (b) When you run into a chess opening variation you can't solve with a White advantage or Black equality, or can't learn how to play, you give up - and maybe give up on the complete chess opening or defense. To solve (a) get a complete repertoire book for White, and one for Black, and pick one for each side. You are not going to like some of the variations suggested - that does not matter. Learn what you are given, then (and only then) change to something you like better. The secret is to learn a complete system - do you hear me? - a complete chess opening system. Then and only then may you slip in your changes. (Note: Both books are written by: Alexander Khalifman and are available at Amazon.com.) To solve (b) be realistic. You are going to run into chess opening variations you don't like. You are going to have your chess opening or defense fall out of favor. Grandmasters have that problem all the time. They play a chess opening or defense until they fear their opponent is well prepared for that particular chess opening. Then they drop it until it is "hopefully" forgotten. But they usually go back to it since every major chess opening or defense is good. You do not have that problem. Pick one - I assure you it is good. Stay with it until you learn it. Don't let one or two problems in that variation stop you. Learn the best which that chess opening variation has to offer, and don't worry about a slight disadvantage as Black or equality when you are White. Research until you are completely confident. - Ken Smith, Trainer to Bobby Fischer
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Daily Chess Puzzle
Daily Chess Puzzle This is a great way to build upon your strategy and tactical play. Practice these problems and puzzles every day and you will see a big improvement in your game. Chess Puzzle of the Day
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Bada Bing Bada Boom - Chess Jokes
George Carlin once asked, 'Can you buy an entire chess set at a pawn shop?'  Bada Bing Bada Boom - Chess Jokes Everyone needs a good laugh. Ok, so some of these are a little corny, but you just might find one or two will hit your sence of humor. Here is a list of some chess jokes from various place. What's the difference between a professional chess player and a large cheese pizza? The pizza can feed a family of four. Old chessplayers never die, they just spend forever contemplating the next move. Q. What's the difference between a chess player and a highway construction worker? A. A chess player moves every now and then. Warning signs you won't beat a computer at chess. 1. Before moving your queen, you consulting Eddie Murphy. 2. Your "garlic breath" strategy fails to intimidate this particular opponent. 3. You counter 'every' move with the "Canadian Burbon Opening." 4. Video tapes of you shouting at the ATM are legendary among the bank security staff. 5. You plan to use the "James T. Kirk Strategy" -- Talk the computer into blowing itself up! You know you are a chess addict if: 1. You bump into someone or something and say J'adoube. 2. Fantasizes of beating Mr Spock in 3-D chess. 3. Proudly display, 'Chessplayers make better mates' bumper sticker on your car. 4. Mate, mating positions, exposed bishops, and forking the queen have nothing to do with sex. 5. When you meet someone, your first question is, "What's your rating?" 6. You have fantasies of mating one of the Polgar sisters. 7. You have a crush on Irina Krush. 8. You have checkered underwear with "It's your move" on the front. 9. You spot the chessboard set up wrong in every movie with a chess scene. 10. You who know exactly what James Bond movie the above scene was taken from. 11. You have read all of this.
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Monday, April 9, 2007
Altruistic Link Love - Next Blogger takes up challenge
Altruistic Link Love Chess 101 takes up the challenge to support our local community. If you enjoy our blog we encourage you to support our local Red Cross. Sueblimely Discovering - Blogging & Tagging: Altruistic Link Love - Next Blogger takes up challenge
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Sunday, April 8, 2007
Discovery Chess Puzzles 4 - 6
Discovery Chess Puzzles 4 - 6 Discovery is one of my favorites, helping to build tactical and strategic skills. Discovered attacks are dangerous, even the threat of a discovered check, or double check often brings a chess game to a sudden end. Discoveries come in three basic flavors, double check, discovered check, and lastly attack check. Double check, the most powerful, the moving piece gives check and in the process uncovers another check on the opponents' King by another piece while capture of the checking piece is not possible. Discovered check happens when the opponents' King is attacked only by a piece along a line, whether it be a file, rank, or diagonal while the discovering piece is free to move about the chessboard to make threats of its own. Discovered attack are slightly different in that the opponents' King is not directly involved. These attacks occur in the same manor as the other two attacks, usually targeting a piece of higher value instead of the King. Notation 1. White to Play and Win. 1... Black to Play and Win. ! Strong Move !! Very Strong Move ? Weak Move ?? Blunder + Check +-+ Double Check # Checkmate e.p. Captures En Passant x Captures Discovery Chess Puzzles 4 of 6 Discovery Chess Puzzle 4 of 6 1... ? 
Discovery Chess Puzzle 5 of 6 !. ? 
Discovery Chess Puzzle 6 of 6 1. ? 
Feed Viewers, Visit: Chess Strategies 101 A blog with a focus on chess and chess strategies for beginners, kids, and teens.Articles for parents on the benefits for kids, using chess as a teaching aid.
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Discovery Chess Puzzles 1 - 3
Discovery Chess Puzzles 1 - 3 Discovery is one of my favorites, helping to build tactical and strategic skills. Discovered attacks are dangerous, even the threat of a discovered check, or double check often brings a chess game to a sudden end. Discoveries come in three basic flavors, double check, discovered check, and lastly attack check. Double check, the most powerful, the moving piece gives check and in the process uncovers another check on the opponents' King by another piece while capture of the checking piece is not possible. Discovered check happens when the opponents' King is attacked only by a piece along a line, whether it be a file, rank, or diagonal while the discovering piece is free to move about the chessboard to make threats of its own. Discovered attack are slightly different in that the opponents' King is not directly involved. These attacks occur in the same manor as the other two attacks, usually targeting a piece of higher value instead of the King. Notation 1. White to Play and Win. 1... Black to Play and Win. ! Strong Move !! Very Strong Move ? Weak Move ?? Blunder + Check +-+ Double Check # Checkmate e.p. Captures En Passant x Captures Discovery Chess Puzzles 1 of 3 Discovery Chess Puzzle 1 of 3 !... ? 
Discovery Chess Puzzle 2 of 3 1. ? 
Discovery Chess Puzzle 3 of 3 1. ? 
Feed Viewers, Visit: Chess Strategies 101 A blog with a focus on chess and chess strategies for beginners, kids, and teens.Articles for parents on the benefits for kids, using chess as a teaching aid.
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Saturday, April 7, 2007
Chess Strategies 101: One Reason I Enjoy Chess
One Reason I Enjoy Chess In a related article our friend Roger Coathup talks about Chess Tales: Chess and social networking.
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Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzles 4 - 6
Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzles 4 - 6 Parting with the most powerful piece on the board in an unexpected manner, the Queen sacrifice often makes for exciting play, usually associated with some of the most impressive victories ever recored, crowning a victory in a well conducted Kingside attack. In addition there are examples when a Queen sacrifices which allow a Pawn to promote to a Queen, or where the Queen sacrifice is a prelude to a win of the opponets chess pieces in excess of the value of the Queen. Notation 1. White to Play and Win. 1... Black to Play and Win. ! Strong Move !! Very Strong Move ? Weak Move ?? Blunder + Check +-+ Double Check # Checkmate e.p. Captures En Passant x Captures Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzles 4 of 6 Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzle 1 of 3 1. ? 
Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzle 5 of 6 1. ? 
Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzle 6 of 6 !... ? 
Feed Viewers, Visit: Chess Strategies 101 A blog with a focus on chess and chess strategies for beginners, kids, and teens.Articles for parents on the benefits for kids, using chess as a teaching aid
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Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzles 1 - 3
Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzles 1 - 3 Parting with the most powerful piece on the board in an unexpected manner, the Queen sacrifice often makes for exciting play, usually associated with some of the most impressive victories ever recored, crowning a victory in a well conducted Kingside attack. In addition there are examples when a Queen sacrifices which allow a Pawn to promote to a Queen, or where the Queen sacrifice is a prelude to a win of the opponets chess pieces in excess of the value of the Queen. Notation 1. White to Play and Win. 1... Black to Play and Win. ! Strong Move !! Very Strong Move ? Weak Move ?? Blunder + Check +-+ Double Check # Checkmate e.p. Captures En Passant x Captures Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzles 1 of 3 Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzle 1 of 3 1. ? 
Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzle 2 of 3 1... ? 
Queen Sacrifice Chess Puzzle 3 of 3 1... ? 
Feed Viewers, Visit: Chess Strategies 101 A blog with a focus on chess and chess strategies for beginners, kids, and teens.Articles for parents on the benefits for kids, using chess as a teaching aid.
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Wednesday, April 4, 2007
One Reason I Enjoy Chess
 One Reason I Enjoy Chess By: Raymond Roy Chess is a form of social networking for me. It has opened many friendships that have stood the test of time. Like the gentalmen in the picture, seldom will I go to the beach, park, or the local Srarbucks without bringing along my travel chess set. Playing chess whether it be outdoors in the park or at the local coffee shop, chess is a natural icebreaker often opening up conversation, good times, and memories. While going through the archives at Chess-live.com I came across an article that is a good example of the encounters you can expect when you happen across people playing chess at a local cafe. Take the time to read KindredSpirit’s Kaleidoscope in the Dec. 9th, 2005 edition of the Chess Live Wire. Encounters like this happen more often than one might think. Just about everyone enjoys a game of chess from time to time. Naturally, the more you bring along your chess board with you, the more often you will run into other chess players, or the courious wanting to play a game. A couple of years ago while at a local Starbucks located at the Irvine Specturm Center I had the chess board set up and started playing a game with this guy when a small group of people started to gather around. One individual quickly went around the shops and bought a inexpensive chess set, returned, and set it up. Within a hour there were two more boards set up and the action was lively. From that day on every Friday night a small group of 20 - 30 people show up and play chess. Who would have thought? Like I have said, "Chess is a good icebreaker," and event like this are taking place all over the world.  Although our group is more like the group at KindredSpirit’s Kaleidoscope, the folks pictured here has a group that really rocks. They formed the The Chess & Go Club at the Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, MD.On a side note, I believe it is important to share experiences with oe another, and I have been wanting to write this article for about a week now, something else always seemed to come up. Something to remember; the next time you decide to go to the park, the beach, or the mall, don't forget to bring along your travel chess set. You never know what may happen and just might have some fun... 
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Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Ancient Game Helps Kids Find Success
 Ancient Game Helps Kids Find Success By: Andrea Neal Maurice Ashley holds a title shared by only 59 other U.S. chess players: International Grand Master. Watch him work a room of kids and you will quickly see the qualities that make him an even rarer individual: patience, respect, concern, empathy. He is a master teacher of life's great lessons. Chess taught him the secrets to success. Now, with the publication of his first book, Chess for Success, he wants to pass them on to children and parents. "Chess is not a panacea. It never will be," he says. "Chess, for me, is more like a spark. Chess has the ability to light a fire in a child's imagination. Once you do that, you have the most powerful force in the world." Unlike a Garry Kasparov or a Bobby Fischer, whose obligations to society stopped at the edge of the chessboard, Ashley has a double calling. As the world's first and only African-American to achieve the IGM rank, he feels an internal pressure to maintain his global chess rating and reputation. Far more important, he is a role model accountable to a generation of kids. His autograph--at least among those who know chess--is as coveted as a Peyton Manning or a Michael Jordan. This is why he spends so much time teaching, in his backyard and across the country. When Ashley connects with a youngster, it is about so much more than the 64 squares between them. To steal a metaphor from a different game, it is about making the most of the hand one is dealt. When Ashley says chess changed his life, it's no exaggeration. As a child and young teen, Ashley experienced the poverty and brokenness that characterize the lives of so many of the students he now hopes to reach. Ashley was two when his single mother left him and his siblings with their grandmother in Jamaica to seek out something better in the United States. Ten years later, after Thelma Cormack had worked her way up from live-in nanny to clerical worker, she obtained visas and summoned the children from St. Andrew to New York. Ashley, imagining the mansions he had seen on TV, was stunned when he arrived at the apartment his mother had worked so hard to afford. "I was confused by the sights: garbage on the streets, shops smeared with graffiti, gaping potholes in the roads. Abandoned buildings with smashed windows resembling a skull's empty eye sockets seemed to haunt every other corner." His new home in the Land of Promise? A two-story tenement that his brother compared to a jailhouse. If Ashley was disappointed by the poverty of his daily existence, he was dismayed by the lack of opportunity at school. A seventh grader who tested at a 12th-grade reading level, Ashley quickly became bored by the "white noise" coming from the front of the classroom. His math assignments resembled what he had done in Jamaica in fifth grade. "That a poor country like Jamaica could be that far ahead of the United States in teaching its young was baffling to me then, disgraceful to me now." Ashley spent his days dodging stray bullets and engaging in mostly innocuous pranks, but over time he felt his drive and motivation slipping. "School often felt like a holding cell instead of the haven for learning and personal development that it's supposed to be." By the time Ashley entered the 4,000-student Brooklyn Technical High School, he was too disenchanted to take advantage of its more challenging curriculum. Ashley failed to make the football or baseball teams. His daily routine bored him: wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, hang out with friends, go to bed. Nothing seemed to matter. Then, while researching a class project one day in the library, a book on a reference shelf miraculously caught Ashley's eye. On the cover, the word CHESS appeared in faded block letters. Its yellowing pages were filled with curious diagrams and symbols that looked to Ashley like military battle plans. It was a life-changing glance. In no time, the scholarly instincts Ashley had suppressed returned. He became consumed with reading, learning and practicing forks, pins and checkmates. Friday nights, once spent aimlessly hanging out on the street, became all-night chess marathons. In Ashley's case, chess lit a fire under an incredible mind that had gone untapped. As his subsequent investigations confirmed, its benefits were equally compelling for those with lesser cognitive skills. Although most school officials are unaware of it, a substantial body of research proves that chess enhances problem solving and comprehension. In 1984, the International Chess Federation reported on a Venezuela study of second graders that showed IQ increases in both male and female chess players and across all socioeconomic levels. Chess players significantly outstrip peers in emotional intelligence tests, displaying higher levels of self-confidence, respect, frustration tolerance and persistence. Chess improves social performance, even impacting school suspension and expulsion rates. By 1986, just a few years after picking up the tattered chess book, a 20-year-old Ashley had earned the rank of national master. "The game shaped who I was, bringing direction, purpose, quality and depth to a life full of uncertainty," Ashley writes in Chess for Success. "Did the game save my life? Those words may be too strong. But chess so informed and influenced everything about my life that I can say, without exaggeration, that I would not be the person I am today had it not been for this ancient game." If not for Ashley, students at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. High School in Central Harlem would not be who they are today, either. Ashley was the chess coach who led the school's Raging Rooks to a first place tie at the National Junior High School Chess Championships in 1991. Ashley was a struggling student at City College of New York when the American Chess Foundation approached him about a part-time job. The foundation wanted to expand a program to teach chess in inner-city schools. Ashley, needing "a few extra bucks," jumped at the chance and soon found himself in some of the toughest schools in Harlem and the South Bronx. No matter how poor the school or hardened the students, Ashley quickly discovered that young people were eager to play and to improve. "Teachers would come to me in wide-eyed amazement, wondering how I was getting their classes so wired up about learning. I would get special pleasure out of getting 'problem' kids who were incredibly disruptive in their regular classes to sit still and focus when it came time for chess." Chess has long been a preferred pastime in poor neighborhoods, presumably because it can be played anywhere, anytime, at virtually no cost. As Ashley worked with young students, he started to see other life lessons. "What you didn't know could get you checkmated. This was applicable knowledge. You learn a new move or idea and ten minutes later, you use it to beat your friend or fend off his attack." Perhaps more significant, chess fit right into the tough, survival-oriented lifestyles of these young people. Although students were disconnected from textbook learning, the chessboard replicated their lives. "They didn't need for me to preach to them; they knew people ... who were suffering the consequences of wrong moves, poor choices, and bad decisions. Chess had immediacy to it. 'You mess up, you lose, son.'" Far more than a conduit for aggression, chess taught the kids that bad moves did not always lead to defeat. It revealed potential for growth. It offered the chance to analyze errors and try again. It conveyed a powerful message rarely heard on the streets: If you keep your cool, you can overcome an overconfident adversary. After leading the Raging Rooks to a national championship, Ashley worked similar magic three blocks away at Mott Hall Middle School. Philanthropist Dan Rose sponsored the program through his Harlem Educational Activities Fund, which provided scholarly activities to enrich the lives of disadvantaged families in Central Harlem and Washington Heights. The Dark Knights won back-to-back national junior varsity championships in 1994 and 1995. Along the way, Ashley married, started a family, became a TV commentator, and designed his own best-selling CD-ROM, Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess. Despite the sweetness of victory and national headlines, Ashley was troubled by a gnawing sense of unfulfilled purpose. In 1997, he took a break from what had become a full-time coaching job to pursue his playing career, more specifically his dream of becoming International Grand Master. Credit the golfer Tiger Woods. "He had won many amateur tournaments, but it was his historic win in April of 1997 at the Masters, by an unheard-of 12 strokes, that captivated my imagination," Ashley says. "Tiger's win at Augusta served as a wake-up call. It made me realize the need to make some serious changes in my life if I was going to get to where I wanted to be. I decided there and then that nothing else mattered, that I needed to prioritize my life if I was ever going to accomplish my goal." After just two years of rigorous study, Ashley joined an elite group of world-class chess masters that includes such giants as Anatoly Karpov, Emanuel Lasker, and his own role model, Paul Morphy. In 2001, Ashley became the only back-to-back winner in the history of the prestigious Foxwoods Open. In 2002, he became the first African-American in 157 years to qualify for the U.S. Championship. In 2003, the U.S. Chess Federation named Ashley Grand Master of the Year. In May 2005, his latest venture, Generation Chess, organized in Minneapolis the largest open chess tournament in history, with a half-million-dollar purse. Of all these things, Ashley is intensely proud, but they have become a means to an end: helping kids succeed. Within weeks of the Minneapolis event, Ashley appeared at an inner-city chess camp in Indianapolis, Indiana, to work one-on-one with children. His quiet demeanor, engaging smile, and proclivity for sports metaphors captured their imaginations, as it has for thousands of youngsters he has met since his days with the Raging Rooks. No headlines accompanied this visit, sponsored by a community center for which Ashley discounted his appearance fee. The actor Will Smith, who met Ashley in 2000 when his wife treated him to a chess lesson as a Valentine's gift, says that Ashley offers "a great message of hope--that chess can be one piece of the puzzle to help our young people shine." The puzzle, however, is incomplete. Ashley, who turns 40 in March, remains drawn to unfinished business. Perhaps it's because he wants for all children the same kind of success that he has enjoyed. His latest dream? "To see chess in every school in America." It's a goal that will take a lot of money and even more persuasion--of parents, school boards, teachers and the educational establishment. He wrote Chess for Success, in part, so that stakeholders in the educational system would better understand the ways chess can help kids overcome life obstacles. As he told a young chess camper in Indianapolis, being an International Grand Master is a big, big deal. "Most kids never get to play with one," he pointed out with a grin. But it isn't enough for a purpose-filled life, not by a long shot. In Chess for Success, International Grand Master Maurice Ashley shares four life lessons that he says come straight from the chessboard. 1. Embrace chaos. "Many people assume that when something crazy happens, they will just handle it. Unfortunately, when the situation begins to spiral out of control, they realize that they are completely unprepared to deal with it. It's incredibly useful to develop a set of responses to crazy situations beforehand, whether it be a fire, a criminal act, or an aggressive driver cutting you off in traffic. Not everything can be anticipated precisely, nor does it need to be. Just training oneself to get into the right frame of mind can be of huge benefit when the moment calls for it." 2. Use aggression to your advantage, but don't force things. "My chess game changed dramatically when I stopped forcing things. Before, I was afraid that if I let the opponent attack, I might be crushed myself. I soon realized the opposite. By allowing an attack, I could use the energy projected at me to make my counterattack even stronger. The popular martial arts of tai chi and aikido are built on this principle." 3. Get good to really appreciate greatness in others. "One of the benefits of being a grand master is that it allows me to really appreciate how hard it is to be good at anything. The field may vary: sports, entertainment, law, medicine, farming, pottery. Whatever the endeavor, the top performers are those willing to invest in the hard work, dedication, sacrifices, and long hours of study and practice that separate them from the rest." 4. To get better, become like a child. "Professionals of all stripes often become jaded; winning often dominates learning and growing. I've seen it many times in the eyes of my colleagues; when you know too much, the thrill and amazement felt in the early stages just don't occur as frequently.... When I need a shot of awe, I go play with my son, Jaden. At two, the whole planet is a mystery to him ... I often leave the chessboard alone for weeks. When I return, the pieces look like alien artifacts. I feel a twinge of excitement, as if I'm about to flirt with a beautiful stranger
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Monday, April 2, 2007
Chess Speak - What Are They Talking About?
 Chess-Speak - What Are They Talking About? First Guild to Chess Speak By: Raymond Roy The other day while writing a Basics of Chess article, I coined the phrase, 'Chess Speak' or should it be, 'Chess-Speak' in reference to 'Chess Notation.' It occurred to me that I had never heard this phrase used before so I did a search for the phrase, "Chess Speak" using the quotes as a form of an advanced search parameter for those exact words. Out of the millions of web pages available on chess only 264 results were listed, few actually used the phrase 'Chess Speak' in reference to chess phrases. Individuals involved in the chess arena, whether be it a novice player, or a Grand Master, often use words and phrase that people outside of the chess environment are left scratching their heads wondering, "What did they just say?" "What the hell are they talking about?" I know, I have been in that situation being the one scratching my head with a dumbfounded look on my face. So, today I am officially offering what I believe to be the, 'First Guild to Chess Speak.' Here are three of my favorite Chess Speak phrases. J'adoube From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search J’adoube [ʒadub] is a French term and an internationally recognized phrase used by chess players, the English translation being “I adjust”. The phrase gives warning from a player to his opponent that he is about to adjust the position of a chess piece; normally to centralize it on its square. The touched piece rule requires that a warning be given, and whilst this French term is customary, it is not obligatory. A player may adjust a piece only when it is his turn to move. There have been occasions in chess history when the phrase has been used after making a losing move so that the move could be retracted, thus attempting to sidestep the touch piece rule. Such behavior is inexcusable and regarded as a blatant attempt to cheat. The Yugoslav Grandmaster Milan Matulovic was nicknamed “J’adoubovic” after such an incident. En passant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia En passant (from French: "in [the pawn's] passing") is a maneuver in the board game of chess. The en passant rule applies when a player moves a pawn two squares forward from its starting position, and an opposing pawn could have captured it if it had only moved one square forward. The rule states that the opposing pawn may then capture the pawn as if it had only moved one square forward. The resulting position is the same as if the pawn had only moved one square forward and then the opposing pawn had captured as normal. En passant must be done on the very next turn, or the right to do so is lost. The move is unusual in that it is the only occasion in chess in which a piece captures but does not move to the square of the captured piece. In chess notation, en passant captures are sometimes denoted by "e.p." or similar, but such notation is not required. Algebraic Chess Notation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Algebraic chess notation is the method used today by all competition chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers to record and describe the play of chess games. The form most commonly used, and primarily described here, is also called abbreviated (or short) algebraic notation or SAN to distinguish it from the expanded (or long) algebraic notation variant now referred to as LAN. Beginning in the 1970s, the abbreviated algebraic notation eventually came to replace descriptive chess notation in English chess literature, although this notation can be found in older literature. Algebraic notation was already commonly used in other languages. In keeping with the spirit of Wikipedia I am going to stop here and let others add to this list. I know there are a lot more Chess Speak phrase out there to be added, especially when it comes to, 'Chess Humor and Chess Jokes.' Thanks to all who participate. Best Regards. Ray Btw, All source will be noted in, 'The First Guild of Chess Speak.' If you do not wish your name to be reveled please use, 'Anonymous.' Note: Source for descriptions, Wikipedia Related article at Technorati: Technorati Chess Speak
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Sunday, April 1, 2007
Descriptive Chess Notation
  Descriptive Notation By: Raymond Roy When we left off in Basics of Chess we briefly touched on what is called, 'Notation.' So first, lets review what notation is. Notation is a method of writting about chess moves without having to use diagrams to show the moves on a chess board. By using notation, the author is given the flexibility to describe a large number of chess games in a simple compact format. The main advantage of learning chess notation is that chess notation leaves more room for game analysis. That is; when a student, or chess enthusists studies chess strategies such as opening moves, knight forks, pins, discoveries, and things of this nature. Later on we will go over basic chess strategies and cover these topics, but first things first, let's talk about and learn descriptive notations. Let's Begin. To start with, there are two forms of chess notation, descriptive notation, and algebraic notation. All aspiring chess players understanding the two chess notation styles. These styles are easy to learn, and they are tatical skills used to improve upon your game strategy. For the most part, descriptive notation is old school beging the oldest form of chess notation. that is, it is generally used in older chess books and magazines. There is however, some modern chess literature using this notation style. These are the two main reasons to include and to learn description notation. New players should learn to read chess notation in order to read chess literature and communicate about the game properly. Naming the pieces. The names of each piece in descriptive notation is based on its initial. English speaking players use the following: K = King Q = Queen R = Rook B = Bishop N = Knight P = Pawn Naming squares and chessmen on the chessboard. In descriptive chess notation each square has two names, depending on black's or white's viewpoint. Each file is given a name corresponding with the piece that occupies the first rank at the start of the game. Thus the queen's file is named 'Q' and the king's file is named 'K'. The board is divided into two halves, the queenside and the kingside. Names of squares are different depending on whose turn it is. The names of the squares are based on the name of the piece that sits in the home row at the start, and differentiated from each other by whether they belong to the kingside or queenside. The pieces on the queen's side of the board (left for white, right for black) are named with respect to the queen i.e. 'queen's rook', 'queen's knight' and 'queen's bishop' and have the shortened names 'QR', 'QN' and 'QB' respectively. Similarly, the pieces on the king's side (right for white, left for black) are named with respect to the king i.e. 'king's rook', 'king's knight' and 'king's bishop' and have the shortened names 'KR', 'KN' and 'KB' respectively. The squares are always numbered by rank, away from the player (1 being closest and 8 far away). The rank is given a number, ranging from 1 to 8, with rank 1 being closest to the player. This method of naming the squares means that each square has one name from white's point of view and another from black's. The chessboard at the bottome show the different forms of notation and the view from both, white and black. While this system makes notating the game equally easy for White and Black, it can get confusing with each square essentially having two names. A move is written by first naming the piece that is moving, indicating whether it is a regular move indicated by a dash '-', or a capture indicated by a lower case 'x', and finally indicating the arrival square or the piece being captured. All letters for the pieces and squares are written in upper case. So, for example, P-K4 means "take a pawn and move it to K4". NxQ means "Knight takes Queen". While this system was in use for most of this century, it was eventually replaced by algebraic because of the confusion over the names of squares and the extent to which ambiguities in notation would arise. Also, many older players prefer this and will use it, so it has by no means died out, but it is definitely out of favor, and no longer the official notation of chess. Notation for moves. Each move of a piece is indicated by a sequence of characters. Castling has its own sequence of characters and special indicators are added to the end of the sequence if relevant. Move that is not a capture. A move without capture is represented by the piece's name, a hyphen and the square at the end of the move e.g. K-QB3 (knight to queen's bishop 3). Capture. A move with capture is represented by the piece's name, a cross (x) and the destination square is identified by the name of the piece captured e.g. QxN (queen captures knight). Castling. The notation 0-0 is used for castling kingside and 0-0-0 for castling queenside. Promotion. Parentheses are used to indicate promotion, with the piece resulting from the promotion in parentheses: P-R8(Q). Sometimes an equal sign is used instead, as in P-R8=Q. Special terms. Special indicators that are appended to the move include e.p. (en passant), ch or + (check), mate or ++ (checkmate), resigns, and draw. Typically, the move will record only enough information to make the move unambiguous. A pawn capturing a pawn may be shown as PxP if it is the only one possible, or as BPxP if only one of the player's Bishop's Pawns can capture another pawn, or as QBPxP, or PxQBP, or other such variations. Another method in making the move unambiguous, the location of a capture or the starting point of a move may also be shown, delimited with parentheses or a slash, as BxN/QB6, or R(R3)-Q3. Sometimes only the rank or file is indicated, as R(6)xN. When listing the moves of a game, first the move number is written, then the move by White followed by the move by Black. If there's no appropriate White move to use (e.g., if the moves are interrupted by commentary) then an ellipses ... is used in its place. Advantages By identifying each square with reference to the player on move, descriptive notation better reflects the symmetry of the game's starting position ("both players opened with P-K4 and planned to play B-KN2 as soon as possible"), and because the pieces captured are named, it is easy to skim over a game record and see which ones have been taken at any particular point. The maxim that "a pawn on the seventh is worth two on the fifth" makes sense from both Black's perspective as well as White's perspective. Disadvantages Confusion can arise because the squares are named differently. Errors may be made when not realizing that a move is ambiguous. In comparison, abbreviated algebraic notation represents the same moves with fewer characters, on average, and can avoid confusion since it always represents the same square in the same way. The chessboard below shows how the squares are named in different notations. Use the buttons to fill the board with their notation names. Descriptive Notation Related: Algebraic Notation
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