What could I do?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!

A voice from above said I should play a blitz game. This game followed a familar theme for me. 2 Sacs and an open Kingside. (Also I've done 500+ tactical problems in the past week)

paste game in here
http://www.lutanho.net/pgn/pgnviewer.html


1.e4 e5 2.d3 Nc6 3.Be2 Nf6 4.Nf3 d5 5.0–0 dxe4 6.dxe4 Bc5 7.Qe1 Bg4 8.h3 h5 9.hxg4 hxg4 10.Nh4 Rxh4 11.g3 Nxe4 12.gxh4 Qxh4 13.Bf3 Qg3+ 14.Kh1 Qxf3+ 15.Kh2 Qh3+ 16.Kg1 g3 17.Be3 Qh2# (Lag: Av=0.32s, max=1.1s) 0–1

See you after Easter

At the request of my family, I am giving up playing blitz chess online and writing and reading blogs for Lent. Actually they requested that I give up all chess related things but that is not going to happen. I still intend to do Ct-Art/Tactics and attend Friday Night chess club . Perhaps you will see a new tactical monster in April.

PAX,

Jim

Mastering the Chess Openings book

During the last minute, I decided to switch my wife's valentine gift to me Alburts The chess openings as white to Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 1 by John Watson. I am very pleased with this book.

This book is the authors attempt to write a general opening book in a Logical Chess: Move by Move style. This Volume addresses only open and semiopen games and picks a few lines of each which are covered in depth with the goal of teaching the reader the idea behind the chess opening. It is not meant to be a repertoire book or do a deep dive into 2000 ways to play the French.

The first 86 pages speak to the nature of chess openings, opening ideas and positional features and the significance of structure. It then has chapters on some of the major openings: Giuoco Piano, Two Knights, Ruy Lopez,Kings Gambit, Sicilian, French. Each of these only have a few lines and discusses them in details. These lines are picked for their instructional value and are filled with Diagrams, variations as well as general discussion.

The book speaks to some of the common suggestions of chess as applied to specific situations
ie:
Don't Pin the Knight with the bishop in uncastled positions
Don't move too many pawns in the openings
A Rook + Pawn is equal to 2 minor pieces

I have found these rules don't always apply and it is interesting to see the explanations why they do or don't in specific position.

All in all, a well thought out book which Watson and editors must of spent some substantial time on.

Learning through past games

I have 2700 games I played on playchess.com in a pgn file. (many of these are duplicates) I am slowly reviewing my games with the designation c50-c59. These are all Giucos, 2 Knights, Traxlers all filled with examples of Man's inhumanity to Man ...Pins, Forks, Skewers, Missed Opportunities, Horrid Endgame and Minatures. It is quite instructive.

When I see a position where I am uncertain how I should proceed. I search for that position through out my other games then I search the million plus master database in Fritz to see what should be done.

Consider the following sequence:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.0–0

White has started down the agressive path with play 4.Ng5 against the 2 Knights when met with the sharp Bc5, he bailed out on his plan by castling seeking king safety. This is not a horrible move but inconsistant with playing the original Ng5. It's as if white didn't account for someone playing the Traxler and running scared. This is a good decision for someone unfamilar with the Traxler lines.

The funny thing in my games I have seen this position around 10 times. In the entire chessbase database which comes with Fritz, there is only 15 times out of a million games.
When I looked on Chessgames.com I only came up with this one.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1224785


This is a sign that some position are so bad that they very rarely come up in Master play.

I also came upon a number of games where 5.d3 is played. Another cautious move of which chessgames.com had only 3 examples. I have over dozen in my personal game database.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1226188

More to follow on this........
not alot of tactics this week.
I plan to spend some time this weekend on them.

Ideas on the Fried Liver Attack

A beginner Open Game Player runs into the Fried Liver Attack quite often. When one first begins playing the Two Knights, one gets some painful lessons from the experienced Fried Liver Player.

When once first experiences the moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5

he may answer with the correct 4... d5 and is offered what looks like a free pawn with 5.exd5

Upon playing the natural 5....Nxd5 (after all the Knight is protected by the queen) he is surprised by the seemingly bizarre sacrifice 6. Nxf7.

After the forced take Kxf7 (otherwise we lose material),he is met with Queen f3 check. A novice's intial impression is often to hide in the false safety of the back row and is met with an overwhelming attack.

Here is a complete game showing this:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1225160

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1225863

After coming up against this one a number of time one calculates the better move. Marching the King to guard the threatened Knight after the check with K e6. Wins by white are hard work but most likely there.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1227666

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1043941

White plays must play carefully calculating for the kill or this may happen

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1227614

White can also remove some of the risk by playing the Lolli Attack which is a type of delayed Fried Liver. White plays d4 and castles before NXf7! Fischer played it in these simuls

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1301662

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1255153

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1255224

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1255151

Black does have some sharp ideas if white lingers

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1225343

Morphy entered this from a Scotch Gambit position

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1224558

A modern response is the strange looking 5 Ne5

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1225713

of course all this silliness can be avoided by black not taking Nxd5 but playing Na5 or earlier playing 4 Bc5 the Traxler Counterattack

Sat-tuesday 0 tactics

Wed 20 tactic ctfb

The Giuoco

I am feeling stagnant playing just one opening as white. The Kings Gambit. So I have started playing the Giuoco again which for most games means I am playing against the Two Knights Defense. I am happy to play either side in these games.

For study resources, I am using Acers "The Italian Gambit" and Beliavsky "Two Knight's Defense" book. I have much to learn regarding the Ulvstead, the Lolli and the Scotch Gambit
(Max Lange attack)


Some of these lines are extremely Sharp ! 8)

Saturday 0 tactics

Two Knights Defense

Blue Devil Knight , Eric has been talking about the Two Knights Defense and his plans to study it . I've been studying some of the lines of it: the Traxler in response to 4 Ng5. Where as Eric and J'adoube talk about not enjoying playing against the Fried Liver, I enjoy it. There is one line I dislike which is the Max Lange Attack which I believe is also reached through the Scotch known as the Scotch Gambit.

I plan to study the Two Knights against a variety of white responses and blog on the results. Hopefully you will pick something up and/or add some thoughts/ideas/corrections. Perhaps Eric will do the same during the next couple of weeks.

It is very sharp and fun to play and due to the prevalence of the Giuoco Piano at my level I get a chance to play it alot.

Tuesday : 20 + Bain book
Wednesday 0 tactics
Thursday a handful of ct-art
Friday -162 30 + ct-art

Reporting in

Sunday 0 tactics
Monday 20 in ct-art

After recent friendly nudges from BDK and J'adoube about when am I going to be done the 7 circles. I decided to put in figures of how many tactics I do each day whether it is 0 or 100. I do find this helpful .

Book on tape I am listening to
Non Chess book I am reading
My wife valentine gift to me
At last someone who understands me
My hero

Silicide line

An example of the game played through some of the lines in Silicide. See post a few weeks back. It gives white some active knight play.

Cut and Paste game in here

Takchess (1458) - X(1737) [B50]
Friendly Game, 30m + 0s Main Playing Hall, 02.02.2007
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 dxe5 5.Nxe5 Nbd7 6.Nc4 e5 7.Qe2 Qc7 8.Nb5 Qb8 9.d4 a6 10.dxe5 Ng4 11.Nbd6+ X abbandona (Lag: Av=0.51s, max=1.5s) 1–0

and another representative game


(2698) Takchess (1467) - Alexzmaj (1631) [B29]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Ng4 5.Qe2 Qc7 6.Nb5 Qb8 7.Nd6+ exd6 8.exd6+ Kd8 9.Ng5 Nce5 10.h3 Bxd6 11.hxg4 Re8 12.Kd1 f6 13.Nxh7 Ng6 14.Qd3 Ne5 15.Qf5 Be7 16.d4 d6 17.Qe4 Nxg4 18.Be3 Bf8 19.Qd5 Rxe3 20.Kd2 Re8 21.dxc5 Be6 22.Qd4 Be7 23.Rd1 Kc8 24.c6 bxc6 25.Ba6+ Kc7 26.Rde1 c5 27.Qa4 Bd7 28.Qe4 Qb4+ 29.Kc1 Qxe4 30.Rxe4 Nxf2 Takchess resigns (Lag: Av=0.61s, max=1.7s) 0–1





Friday 15 tactics -387 ctfb
Sat 40 + -435 ctfb